《CyberGene: Blood and Steel [400k+ Words] [LitRPG w/ cybernetics + mutations]》 Power System Details Implants are the crux of the power system in CyberGene, spawning two types when a MAL is killed. BUGs (Biomachinery Utilization Gene-editors), which affect the mind to be able to bypass chemical neurotransmitters to think using electrons modified by Warp Energy, hence allowing the manipulation of Warpcode to enhance cybernetics (called Shardware). These Adapters are colloquially called Shard Adapters, which is short for Shardware Adapters. BUGs spawn from the death of MALware, the inorganic subspecies of the MAL. SIMs (Symbiotic Integrators of Mutagen), which directly alter the genetic structure of the Adapter¡¯s body to be affected by Warp Energy to mutagenically alter their physiology. In most cases, Mutants are the standard Adapters produced by SIMs, possessing enhanced biology. However, Espers are rare Adapters whose Mutations give them supernatural-like abilities, often being associated with elemental control or psionic capabilities. SIMs spawn from the death of MALformed, the organic subspecies of MAL. MALignants produce both types of Implants, and as such they are the only known source of creating Dual Adapters who possess both a BUG and a SIM since their sourced Implants do not reject one another.
BUG Features: There are 12 known Features for BUGs, granting unique modifications to Shardware usage and enhancing the human mind. However, there can be rare exceptions in the form of Unique Features, manifested by- [Error] List of Unique Features [Spoilers] The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Blood and Steel: Ripley Features, at certain thresholds will reconfigure to determine optimal routes of Development and typically create or modify a Protocol. These Protocols are considered as abilities, some being rarer than others.
SIM Mutations: Mutations are as numerate as they are varied, with millions of them in circulation. Mutations are first attained through Convergence with a SIM, with other Mutations being gained through consumption of MAL-derived Mutagenic Substances, these are typically treated and edited to be sold as Mutagen. There are five Classifications of Mutations: Integrity: These Mutations cause passive changes to the physiological structure of an Adapter, typically causing a difference in appearance, strength, endurance and resilience. Alteration: These Mutations can be activated via Warp Energy to cause instant alterations to the physiology of an Adapter, these are commonly used to weaponized organs. Metabolism: These Mutations alter the metabolic ability of the Adapter to improve their stamina and provide unique adaptations that can improve their output of strength. Cognition: These Mutations are specific to improving the Adapter¡¯s nervous system and senses, sometimes being able to massively enhance their ability to perceive the world. Energy: These are rare Mutations that grant the Adapter unique control over physical or psychic phenomenon, Adapters with these Mutations are called Espers and possess power that arises as elemental control, psionic capabilities, or enhanced biological manipulation beyond Alteration Mutations. In rare circumstances, a Mutation may also be classified as a [Error-]
Implant Tiers, Stats and Tendencies There are currently seven known Tiers of Implant Development. Each requiring significant time and investment to attain Tier 0: Convergence Tier I: Foundation Tier II: Modification/Mutagenesis Tier III: Metamorphosis Tier IV: Evolution Tier V: ??? Tier VI: ??? Implants have four base Stats in Integrity, Energy, Capacity and Grade, with Tendency only being applicable to [Error-] These Stats start at lowest at Iron I, and upon reaching the next major threshold above them, such as Bronze I gain a boon that is specific to the Adapter. Integrity: Determines the Adapter¡¯s threshold of manipulation of Warp Energy before Warp Burns occur, higher Integrity allows for an overall increase in maximum output. Energy: Determines the Adapter¡¯s quantity of Warp Energy. Capacity: Determines the Adapter¡¯s ability to contain Mutations or link to Shardware. Grade: Determines the potency of Warp Energy, as well as the amount of starting Features and Mutations an Adapter starts with. There are six known Grades: Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Titanium, and Platinum. Tendency: Error-
Compatibility Compatibility is tested prior to converging with an Implant and takes a percentile format. Higher Compatibility massively increases control over Warp Energy and increases the rate of Development of the Implant, to the point that it might be more efficient for an Adapter to take a lower Grade Implant if it gives them higher Compatibility. In many ways, Compatibility is far more important than even the other stats of the Adapter, as it influences how the Implant develops; at higher compatibilities, there is both conscious and subconscious input into the Adapter¡¯s Development. Low Compatibility is most common in cases where the Implant had been previously used, or if the Adapter is using a new Implant after their old one had been removed. Reaching 0% Compatibility results in [Error-] Blood and Steel C1: The Operator and the Officer Chapter 1: The Operator and The Officer. Audio Excerpt from Abyssnet Documentary [A Corps¡¯ Guide to New California: Westcrook], narrated by Holovision Host, Abraham Parez. So of all the Free Cities in the world, you stuck-up corporates have come to New California¡­ The city where everything glows, but only the wealthy shine. We¡¯re the real frontier of the future, up to all sorts of nasty things that your mighty and honorable leaders would never legalize. We know what you¡¯re here for, and it ain¡¯t for the heaven-piercing skyscrapers and bright neon lights. You¡¯re here to get down and dirty with the fiends! To experience the grit and raw energy of a world not mandated by a corp guidebook glued to your eyes. You don¡¯t want to get fucked anymore, you want to do the fucking. America¡¯s west-coast where pleasure and pain are one and the same! So come in and enjoy; whether you¡¯re a masochist or a sadist, you¡¯ll fit right in with the rest of us freaks! You ever wanted to see a man get skinned alive for pissing on his neighbor¡¯s lawn, or witness a gunfight every second day of the week? This is the right place. But what¡­ in the goddamn hell were you thinking about going to Westbrook? Urgh, it¡¯s like chewing wax in my mouth just saying that name, there¡¯s a reason the locals ¡ª and by that, I mean all four hundred million residents of New California ¡ª call it Westcrook. Coming here means you¡¯re either criminally deranged or criminally stupid. This is the land without law, so if you need a scrappin¡¯ tourist guide then you¡¯re already one step in the gutter. So no, I won¡¯t be saying shit about the places to avoid or else I¡¯d have quite the lethal knocking at my door tonight. As for places to go, now that I can help a¡¯plenty as long as you¡¯ve got the Shards to spend. And you better, or the Scrappers might pry a limb or two off you ¡ª I bet they¡¯re real eager to see a Corp-turned-corpse! For now, let¡¯s settle with one of my personal favorites. You ever wanted to program a girl or guy for a night to be whatever fantasy you wanted? This shit¡¯s been outlawed for two centuries, but if your desires burn as much mine do, then head over to¡ª The Toxin Club June 1st 2497 9:25 PM Ripley The club was the same as ever, neon light crept from beneath my door and the hub-dub of bass rattled my tools. One day, I was going to scream at them. One day. Tch, it would probably be drowned out by the music and Shaun ¡ª my boss and the head honcho of the Snake Fangs ¡ª would roll his eyes at me. It took every ounce of my concentration to settle my hand in position, although calling it a hand was an understatement. It was my mother¡¯s arm attached to my shoulder. Specifically, crude metal shaping down the glenohumeral joint into a large, clunky, but well-designed Shard Operating Claw. An Iron-Grade Shardware worth more than the measly apartment we lived in, her heart and soul had gone into this piece of tech¡­ I couldn¡¯t hide my frown, that statement may have been too literal. As soon as I housed the nervous-integration chip in with a satisfying click, my door slammed open to an eruption of music and light into my den. ¡°Is it done? I don¡¯t know if I can handle this anymore, Ripley!¡± Selene shouted, and I held my breath still. I knew what she would be wearing, I knew why she wore it, and I knew what I was doing to her. Fuck this place. A smile cracked onto my scowl despite the conflict within me, enough for her to see it from the side of my face and I tried my best to conceal the dark bags under my eyes by angling into the darkness. ¡°You expect anything less from me? I¡¯ve been waiting on you for hours.¡± I hastily clamped the chip shut, the trapezoidal block of metal no wider or taller than two fingers. A Neuroframe. Society¡¯s most vital piece of technology in this day and age ¡ª a computer capable of digesting troves of biological and electrochemical data off your body; it could connect your mind to the SecondNet; and most importantly, understand the secrets of your Implant ¡ª all contained on the back of your neck. It was difficult to find a single adult in the city without one, and now I was introducing someone I lo- someone I cared about¡­ ¡­to the worst parts of a Neuroframe¡¯s usage. ¡°Uh huhhh.¡± Selene didn¡¯t believe me, what else was new? ¡°You sure you¡¯re in a state to put that thing on me? I mean¡­ I trust you, but I don¡¯t know if I want my brain meddled with when you¡¯re pushing a day awake.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I have a Frame implanted in the first place¡ª¡± I tapped the back of my neck, a metallic ringing sounded out. ¡°¡ªBesides, whole process¡¯ been automated since the last century,¡± I callously remarked, before feeling the sting behind my statement. There was a difference between why I got one, and why she was getting one. Or perhaps, there was no difference at all. I waved to the reclining chair in the corner of my room, about the only place that was clean here. ¡°Just lie down, get comfortable. The procedure¡¯ll only take a few minutes and then you¡¯ll be fine as a synth.¡± That was a lie. She wouldn¡¯t be able to walk for the next day as her brainstem gradually got used to having a piece of metal hugging it. Still, it calmed her down. That was what was most important. I finally faced the light Selene stood against, her figure illuminated by the backdrop of neon pink bleeding into her hair like how the evening sky sunk into the oceans according to the holograms at city square. For a girl in the club, she was known to be exceedingly high-quality as much as the thought disgusted me. Excellent gene-therapy during her youth had shaped her to be a supermodel in the making. Golden irises framed by locks of twisting pink, good heritage gave her a fantastic body underneath a slimmed face with angled eyes ¡ª about the only thing unnatural was her ¡®naturally¡¯ pink hair as her parents had wanted. She had bleached her roots blonde to hide that fact from the other girls. Her glimmering outfit of black satin revealed a perfect body that digested fat in hours, exposing skin from her face down to her cleavage and midriff that had never once faced acne or been stretched beyond its limits. Hell, she naturally produced moisturizers in her sweat. If I went into her curves, or the nose that crunkled perfectly as she giggled¡­ I would never stop. This wasn¡¯t the life she deserved. But she¡¯d come to me for help¡­ I just didn¡¯t know any other way. In the end, I only dragged her down with me. She needed protection from the debt collectors, the Snake Fangs could offer that. It wasn¡¯t some show of generosity, the Founders knew Shaun would cut the hands off anyone who pinched a Shard from him, but they took less than some of the other gangs. Much, much less. At least there was some false perversion of brotherhood. Here, I was being paid Shardyne. If I was with Metal Heavens, I¡¯d be paid with a heartbeat. As for Selene¡­ I didn¡¯t want to think about it. We had made bad choices, but not the worst ones. My teeth clamped down even as I smiled, and I guided her to the op-chair. It was a stark contrast to see such a beautiful girl laying on a piece of equipment designed for what amounted to torture, but there was a market for that. Especially at this club. Once more, I stiffened my breathing to curse the thoughts running through my head. I focused on my metal hand as I listened to the voice of my mother from a memory, her advice bleeding into my action. ¡°When you operate, Rip, focus on the patient¡¯s needs. I¡¯ve had gang members shivering so hard even under ¡®stesia that they reject the frame. I know this job makes you angry, it makes you scared, it makes you¡­ bare. You¡¯ll work your way out of it one day, one step at a time even when you fall.¡± I didn¡¯t have to fake my smile anymore, the process was easy and it made a quick Sheddy as always. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll get through this job and escape it one day. One step at a time.¡± I then turned the operating light on, briefly blinded before staring at Selene with renewed confidence- Selene¡¯s violet eyes glistened under the operating light, wet. Had- had she been crying the entire time? I did the only thing I could to console my friend, I squeezed her shoulder with my flesh hand. But a small part of me was excited at seeing her conflicted emotions. ¡°If you¡¯re- if you¡¯re having second thoughts, tell me. Doctor¡¯s consent and all that.¡± Her mouth twitched, her gaze flicked away from me and she wiped her tears with her arm. I stayed still for a few seconds, hundreds of words I wanted to say to her clawing at my mind, a part of me was hoping she would call this off. The Founders knew I wanted to scream at her to do so. Finally, her voice wavered through even as she kept her eyes away from my own. ¡°It hurts. First few days here I was surrounded by men and women alike, they gave me enough attention to think I was a Founder. Then they found out I never got chipped, that I was just¡­ me. A human. That I couldn¡¯t be programmed to do the things they wanted. I knew this job would make me do things I didn¡¯t want to, but¡­ is that all I¡¯m worth?¡± Mascara smeared the side of her arm with every word, the workers here didn¡¯t use waterproof makeup because some of the patrons liked the look of it being ruined. ¡°You should have seen their faces when they realized I wasn¡¯t a puppet they could pick and choose. They were disgusted! Why fuck a model when you can sync up to another¡¯s brain, when you can make them into whatever you want for an hour? And the girls working here, you should hear them! All their talk about how I¡¯m going to be stuck as a-¡± She stopped speaking and I didn¡¯t know why, hell, I couldn¡¯t even hear my own voice in my head. This was a mistake. All of this. I should have never reached out to her¡­ but I had been so weak. I needed someone. ¡°Are you okay?¡± That sound from her cut through my wallowing, it was a voice and phrase I¡¯d heard countless times before. The one person who kept me sane the day I¡¯d replaced my arm three months ago, during the recent days I¡¯d spent by my mother¡¯s bedside. ¡°I just¡­¡± My voice broke, why? I¡¯d cried enough about this already! ¡°I don¡¯t like seeing you so hurt. You don¡¯t deserve this, it¡¯s unfair what happened to your parents and to you. Your debt, the crash, you deserve so much better.¡± And there it was, the floodgates. To think I¡¯d kept myself together so well for this long to hide it from her, a project months in the making. I bent my head down, I couldn¡¯t look at her. Hell, how could she even look at me? Her best friend was about to give random strangers the permission to shut off her emotions, to let them do whatever they wanted to her. I couldn¡¯t- I couldn¡¯t- And then, then, then¡­ I felt her warmth. Her hands rustled in my hair, her bare stomach against my cheek as she leaned her weight on me. ¡°You¡¯re all I have left, Ripley. No matter what we go through, we¡¯ll face it together. All this bullshit with my debt, the Implant for your mother, we¡¯ll get through it¡­ one step at a time, like she says.¡± Warmth burned the darkness clouding my heart away, my Neuroframe registering a promotion in the release of oxytocin. That didn¡¯t matter, I didn¡¯t need a computer to tell me I cared about her. I rose my head from the drenched armrest, unsure of what to do, but I kept my face solid. Unwavering. ¡°Selene, I¡­ this procedure will change you. The Personality Editing Matrix in this Neuroframe is gated by the Datashield here at the club to only be editable with payment and consent, but it means for a few forgetful moments, you won¡¯t be who you are. Knowing that, I¡­¡± I can¡¯t let you take it. You need to run away, stay with me and my mother for a couple days. I¡¯ll explain everything to her. We¡¯ll find a way to pay off your parent¡¯s debt that doesn¡¯t require you to sell your body and mind. I¡¯ll make that money. I know exactly what a Personality Editing Matrix does to a person. I¡¯m the one with the most¡­ ¡­Experience. I sunk into my chair. ¡°I want to make sure you¡¯re aware of the weight behind the decision. This club is known for their dolls, patrons pay good money for it, plenty tipping just on looks alone. A few months will net you about a couple Bronze Shards¡­ it¡¯s a good solution but keep in mind¡­ it¡¯s not the only solution. It¡¯ll take years to pay off your parents¡¯ debt.¡± My gaze planted on Selene, her perfect face captured in the most quintessential painting of acceptance. Acceptance¡­ There were few words I was expecting her to say, maybe she would mouth off on me for ignoring the things she had said but it was hardly the first time I¡¯d rather not speak about¡­ things. ¡°Tell me honestly, does it hurt?¡± She wiped her tears. ¡°Like a motherfucker. But only in the form of headaches and some muscle spasms for a day, I have plenty of meds to help with that. The more difficult part is resyncing your brain to your body, that can take a while.¡± I answered honestly this time. ¡°What about your arm?¡± Her eyes glanced at the claws I had for fingernails, although they were too brittle to be used as weapons. Each finger housed surgical tools, some split apart to become multiple tools. It was a family heirloom of sorts, my grandfather had been Sharded and passed it on to my mother, now it was on me. Now it was my turn to be poisoned, unless I could get one ¡ª an Implant. A BUG. A source of Warp Energy, to transcend my mind into my Shardware. To become one with it. It was the only way to compete on a larger scale, to dig myself out and away from the hellhole that was this club, and the city surrounding it. The Fifth Swarm was three years away. With it would arrive danger and opportunity alike. Just another year or two of unlicensed Shard Operating, and then this city would be so desperate they wouldn¡¯t care if I had a fancy degree attached to my name. Hell, they¡¯d even strap weapons onto serial killers if it meant survival. We¡¯re all just blood and steel to the MAL anyway. It was the irony of a greater being that those monsters were the source of the power I wanted. Needed. For both me, and my mother. She was dying. Slowly. I wouldn¡¯t let her. ¡°Removing my arm hurt even worse than a motherfucker. But it honestly feels weird, still does. Sometimes it¡¯s like I can feel my mother speaking through it, her voice drifting into my head as I operate. Precise instructions, information about nerve plexii, each whir sometimes whispers a piece of information critical to the procedure¡­ but when I¡¯m not operating, it shoots up pain through my arm. Like my organic body is punishing me for giving up a piece of itself.¡± ¡°You should have given it to me.¡± She pouted, that same playful pout even amidst the ruined makeup on her face. ¡°What, my arm? My organic one?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the absurdity of it. ¡°Yup. I¡¯d show it the same love and care I show you. Since you were going to throw it away anyway.¡± She somehow breached a laugh from both herself and I. ¡°I didn¡¯t throw it away, I donated it.¡± ¡°You sold it.¡± She corrected me. ¡°For what, a thousand sheds?¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°That¡¯s a month¡¯s rent.¡± ¡°It¡¯s worth more, Ripper. Every bit of you is worth more than that¡­¡± Selene let her hand rest on my own metallic limb, somehow I could feel the phantom sensation even through the lack of nerve endings. I cupped my flesh hand over hers, then pushed the courage within me to press my forehead against hers. ¡°You¡¯re a psychopath, you know that? Can¡¯t believe I¡¯m putting a Neuroframe in you, what¡¯s next? Going to buy an Imperium Salamander Claw and have me chrome up your body till you outshine a NeoCore Enforcer?¡± Her eyes lit up, like she had dug out a bit of treasured joy from the years of pain they had faced. ¡°That used to be the plan Ripper! Remember, NeoCore? Us against the MALs as agents of peace with our big fancy powers, you can hear it right? The way they scream at us as soon as we enter their den, their little fleshy-wire legs scrambling as we roll up there armed with Silver Implants. You with a B.U.G, me with a S.I.M.¡± I giggled like a child, the way we used to a decade ago when we dreamt of accomplishing big things without a care for responsibility. Back when the chances of us getting an Implant weren¡¯t just midnight fantasies. First playing thugs and cops, then NeoCore and MALs, planning to go to the same higher education facility. And now, just hoping to get out of this fucking brothel. Desperate, I looked for a distraction within my words. ¡°You content with just Silver? I¡¯ll skip Gold and aim for Titanium, Sel.¡± She cackled, and then found it way too easy to speak her next sentence. ¡°Why not higher then? Hell, let¡¯s go all the way to the top! To Platinum!¡± I was in a laughing spirit, so why not embellish it. ¡°To Platinum and beyond!¡± We both found solace in the memories of our childhood, of our innocence and ironically enough that seemed to settle her. She rustled in her seat, fitting herself in like hundreds of patients I¡¯d seen done beforehand. ¡°You¡¯re doing it?¡± I couldn¡¯t hide my previous smile from wavering. ¡°Just do the frame for now¡­ I¡¯ll keep the Personality Matrix a secret for a bit. Say that it still needs to be modded in. After all, I need a frame if I¡¯m going to want to understand what my S.I.M does, don¡¯t I?¡± She kept up her grin, and I was thankful for it. ¡°Gotcha. Now, I¡¯m gonna put you on ¡®stesia, the dreams you have during the process will be all wack but try your best not to fight it. It¡¯ll make the whole synchronizing bit much easier.¡± I so badly wanted to list off all the terrifying bits of the procedure to her, but the truth was it was hardly a tough procedure. She nodded, and I adjusted my Op-Claw, my ring finger peeled back coils of metal to allow a needle to sprout forth. The finger bent sharply, elongating until it was thrice as long as my other fingers with a compartment for a vial. Scrounging my pockets for a second, I stuck in a simple vial of High-concentrated Propofol. As the vial clicked in, I felt a buzz run up my arm. Warp Energy from the Iron-Grade Shards used to make my arm. How long until it would put me in the same state my mother was in? Three months in, I¡¯d already started to feel some symptoms, trembling and waves of nausea. Would it get worse until I got an Implant? But that would only come after my mother gets hers. ¡°Sweet dreams.¡± I whispered, and she could only nod back. I slid the needle into her arm, even with her skin modded to be tougher than most, the needle still bypassed with ease. It was a matter of seconds before her eyes fluttered asleep. And my mind shattered to chaos, I didn¡¯t dwell on the thoughts, they would only mess me up. I let muscle memory do the rest, as the mechanical chair fastened her body tight and flipped her over. A simple incision on the back of her neck offered a taste of blood to the Neuroframe¡¯s spine and it expanded like an insect complete with six ¡®legs¡¯. A count of the vertebrae ¡®till I found the C1 segment, and I slid the Neuroframe¡¯s ejected hook right over the bone. It dug deeper, the spinous process of each vertebrae just skimming the frame as wiry threads snapped around the pedicles of the round bones. I removed my hand, sending a signal for the frame to inject itself. I could only watch as the six spider-like legs of the frame wrapped themselves around her nape, digging in like claws until blood tread down her neck that I then wiped away. Starting from her second to her seventh cervical vertebrae, the Neuroframe would spread fine neurowiring over the next three hours to overlap her entire central nervous system down to the sacrum, like worms digging through soil and binding to the vital flesh of her spinal chord. That was it. The surgery was done and the trapezoidal computer was perfectly housed upon her neck, its compact size would barely even bulge through the curtain of her pink hair. Her body slowly turned the right side up with the chair and I bent down, my mechanical pinky finger shifting into a plier that gently opened her eye as I slid in a clear lens over them with my ring finger. These new lenses would give her Neuroframe the ability to project information into her vision like the HUD on that old pad she¡¯d been using. If she were to ever get an Implant, the Neuroframe and the Implant would fuse together into a single circuit-system and provide real time information about her Adapter Development. That was it¡¯s original purpose two centuries ago. With a BUG Implant, the wires of her Frame and neurons of her spinal cord would be one-and-the-same and she would be able to cultivate her Implant. As for a SIM, Neuroframes had all sorts of advanced gene-reading tech to divulge the secrets of those Mutations. You didn¡¯t even need to be connected to the Net. You shouldn¡¯t. Last thing anyone in this city wanted was for your Implant¡¯s data to be scalped by the corporations. Strangely, it was too easy to jailbreak a Frame, I¡¯d always suspected they had their own advanced methods of extracting Implant data from us. Just 3000 sheds more to reach my five-thousand Shardyne goal for an Iron-Grade Implant. Three rents worth, just another few months and- My eye caught a glimpse of the familiar metal¡¯s sharp reflection. No, not just mere metal. Shardware, the epitome of technological development post-Swarm. I slid my chair over to the container in the corner, it was filled to the brim with old Shardware from disjointed limbs to scrapped skeletal frameworks, mostly Iron Grade but I caught the glancing glow of a Bronze SynTec Steelsight, two spherical orbs the size of an eye capable of tracking a bullet¡¯s trajectory. It was pricey enough to pay a year¡¯s worth of rent ¡ª and more. I left the box alone, those were upcoming mods for the gang in charge of the club once I was done tinkering with them. If I sold one of those without permission, it wouldn¡¯t be me who was fired. It would be a gun. Best to play it safe, slowly. One step at a time. Besides, they treated me like family. I couldn¡¯t just up and betray them like that even if Shaun could be an asshole with his demands and payment. With my mind finally left with nothing else to occupy it, I set myself to monotonously draw out schemes. There was so little I could infer from the fractured Iron Neuroframe on my table, and by the time I was able to understand a single detail of it, my snores permeated the tiny walls of my clinic. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª When Selene had woken up, she was relaxed, in tune with herself and determined. From what she remembered of her dreams, she only knew that Ripley was there. Eyes sharpened behind the rims of magnifying spectacles, lean but not scrawny, yet fierce like a rusted knife. He was there. And that was all she needed. The clamps holding her had already loosened and she wobbled out of the chair, laughing as words shook infront of her in a hologram only she could see. Ungraded Neuroframe Installed: Mazhyr Metronome¡­ Ripley¡¯s Version :¡±) Now you¡¯re probably so shaky you think you¡¯re going to piss your pants. Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re not imagining it, that¡¯s an actual possibility, so Selene¡­ here¡¯s a tutorial to get things in order. It starts like this. Walk. She tried, but almost immediately fell as it felt like the step she had taken was instead a leap onto meat-jelly. Just kidding! ¡°You ass!¡± She hissed, but grinned anyway. Take things slow, precious. Focus on your fingertips, and focus on what you want to feel with them, then imagine yourself reaching for and feeling that object. She knew what she wanted to do, she wanted to strangle Ripley¡¯s neck. So she did just that, envisioning Ripley''s imaginary neck and guiding her shaking fingers over to it, even though there was nothing tangible they stilled as her fingers made contact with the image in her head. Her heart beat faster as she pulled her fingers up to where his hair would be. Then she took a step closer, closer to him. With the imaginary construct in her head, she found the courage to say the words she could never say to the real one. The things she was too shameful to say. ¡°Hey I know you¡¯re just imaginary¡­ but Ripley, how about tomorrow we catch some coffee before my shift. A- a date? I think that would be-¡° ¡°What¡¯d-chu-say?¡± Ripley¡¯s voice echoed from her side, his face and hair plastered against the desk. Half asleep, but still very much with the sense of hearing. Silence bored through Selene. ¡°Where¡¯s my meds?¡± She peeped quickly. Half snoring, Ripley pointed to her bag. Before immediately falling asleep again. Selene decided to change her imaginary objective for now, her bag would suffice. June 2nd 2497 12:52 AM The Toxin Club (Lounge) Diana The New California Police State, if summarized, was understaffed but acted like they had thrice the manpower to throw around blindly on cases like this. I didn¡¯t understand what I was doing here. All I knew was that they input an algorithm to look for a young female officer, no Implant, who could act desperate enough and have the right¡­ qualities to be noticed by a club like this. It was more like a brothel from the looks of it. This is why it sucked to be genetically modified to be a perfect human being. I¡¯d been asked many times if I was born in a Cradle, I lied and told them ¡®no¡¯. Then I told them the truth: that I was a bastard. To say The Toxin Club wasn¡¯t my place was an understatement, as I navigated past the crowded dance floor up to a balcony overlooking it, I was met by harsh reality. Private booths, the eager eyes of the workers as they whispered about targets, the even more eager eyes of the patrons. It was like entering a store where I was both the buyer and the merchandise. As if the gaudy music and blasting lightshow wasn¡¯t enough to make me puke, I¡¯d dealt with creeps like this enough all my li- ¡°Hey there gorgeous¡­ what brings a lonely lady like you here.¡± A man¡¯s voice crept from the side the second I sat on a barstool, I already knew this was going to end badly. But I knew my cards, I tended to attract attention; good and bad. Today, I had to lean in on the worse audience ¡ª but that didn¡¯t come easy or happily from me. As much as I hated my biological father, the acting lessons he paid for served me well in my ambition to become an Investigator for the Intelligence department. Just one more shitty mission as an Officer, and my promotion was confirmed, I¡¯d be a Third-Rank Investigator. I¡¯d receive an Implant, a SIM. I didn¡¯t care what grade it would be, I¡¯d make those Mutations work in my favor. Then I could really make a difference in this city. ¡°Relieving stress. Isn¡¯t that what we all come here for?¡± I answered curtly, taking a drink of my brew at the bar. I didn¡¯t know yet if this man was just some other customer or a worker, but if I angled this right, I could wean out some information from him. ¡°Can I help with that?¡± His voice slithered down my ear like a worm. I held back my shiver. I finally looked back at him, mid-40s man with a goatee and beer-belly? No, never a worker here. The stench of faint cologne and the poor-fitting suit he wore seemed to say he was in a corporation, a low-level employee at that and not a legacy hire if he didn¡¯t have fat metabolism gene-therapy. Probably here to take out his frustration from a long day spent with nepotism-hired bosses. ¡°Depends, the only thing that could clear my mind is something strong, if you get my meaning.¡± I sipped my drink, a slow drain as I gave him time to ponder my question. ¡°What¡¯re you looking for?¡± His eyes wavered, and he fumbled in his pockets. He clearly didn¡¯t have what I was looking for, and chances are what was being sold here today may not be drugs. Nervous and clearly here to spend a quick Shed for some of the dolls here, he must have somehow convinced himself that he could somehow woo another customer. I let him know as much. ¡°It¡¯s clear that you don¡¯t possess what I have in mind. But what you do have is something the girls in the club will like very much, try them, you¡¯ll have better luck.¡± Jaws clenched, he grumbled and slid off to the side. He didn¡¯t even try getting my name or any information about me, of course he wasn¡¯t working here. Not as a gang affiliate, just a drunk Corpo. But if there was one thing you could count on in any establishment such as this, it was snoopy bartenders. ¡°Was he bothering you hon¡¯?¡± A calm and soothing voice approached from the other side of the counter, a dark-skinned woman with green eyes and even more vividly green hair. The kind you would only see if you ventured into the wilds humanity hadn¡¯t reclaimed yet. ¡°Saw you gulp that drink down as soon as he approached, you looking for a refill?¡± I turned to the woman, the Police ID-Scanner in my lens indicated her name was Lucille Redwood. Known worker in the club for over sixteen years, and a probable member of the Snake Fangs gang who owned this place off the books. ¡°Please do. How hard is it to just spend a night looking at pretty people, drinking away without some old man pestering me?¡± She was already topping my drink. ¡°You have no idea how much I can relate to that. You got a name, darlin¡¯?¡± ¡°Diana. Diana Jones.¡± I let the drink rest for a moment, didn¡¯t want my head getting too woozy. ¡°Well, Diana, you look pretty young to be facing so much stress that you need to come here.¡± Lucille leaned in close, studying me without fear. ¡°And what¡¯s it that you have in mind?¡± Here it was, my opportunity. Time to place the line and hope the fish takes the bait, not that I¡¯d ever been good at fishing in my teens. And not like this District had water clean enough to keep one alive, you¡¯d have to head all the way to an ecological sanctuary for that. Letting out an elongated sigh, I plastered my sights into her cybernetic gaze. ¡°I¡¯ll admit. The old man wasn¡¯t wrong when it came to Shardyne. I¡¯m in a tough spot. Issue is, can¡¯t trust he won¡¯t pull something sneaky on me without protection. I¡¯m here to¡­ let¡¯s just say, scout for opportunities.¡± Just a sprinkle of truth to hide the lie. ¡°You in a tough spot with money? I¡¯m finding that hard to believe. You¡¯re gene-edited so beautifully that I don¡¯t need an Implant to see it.¡± For a brief second, those green eyes flashed with an uncomfortable light that ripped through my image. I hoped that my undercover DataShield would hide my true identity. If she figured me out, I couldn¡¯t tell. But revealing an Implant, an Analyze BUG at that? Was she trying to ward me off in case I¡¯m bad news? From my side, I noticed the shifting of various guards as they angled themselves to listen in on our conversation, several of them Adapters and all had green-purple bandanas wrapped around their left arm. Snake Fangs. Carefully, it seemed like some more truth had to be blended into my lies. ¡°A bastard child of two corporate Gene-Edited. Don¡¯t know my mother and my father left me enough to survive a few months after I turned eighteen, if barely. Lived with my uncle ¡®round New Washington most of my life, so I came here for a fresh start. The life I¡¯ve lived isn¡¯t the prettiest. I¡¯m looking around, either to find something worthwhile to spend the little money I have or to find a job. Either way, I¡¯m good.¡± I could already tell what Lucille was thinking, it was the same as the cops who drilled me every day. Thinking my looks meant I was entitled, and now I was doing them a favor by showing how I¡¯d ¡®come down to earth¡¯ like the Founders. Lucille cupped my chin and stared into my eyes with no fear or shame, a sudden movement that caught me off guard. That¡¯s okay, I told myself, I would be nervous in a situation such as this¡­ I am nervous. The middle-aged woman scanned me up and down without her Implant, and seemed to devour the details of my body, rather uncomfortably for me. ¡°A blonde so white your hair¡¯s nearly snow but also shiny like metal, equally silver eyes, you¡¯re not Implanted so I guess that rings true with your story with your parents not supporting you. Skin appears flawless, no imperfections there and can¡¯t say anything negative about your ass or breasts. Hmm, doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re a virgin or not, we¡¯ll get you trained. You work out? Body¡¯s toned enough to put up a good fight if needed¡­ only issue is the Neuroframe.¡± ¡°My Neuroframe?¡± That left me puzzled. ¡°Just a little modification done by our Op¡¯ for our customers. He¡¯s a good kid, just needs to get his balls wet more.¡± Lucille laughed, and I felt myself uncomfortably pushing to join in as well. I tried to steer the question away, at this rate, I would have to actually work here before I found anything out. The deal was set to happen today, I just needed to know if this club was the place. An idea sprung to my mind, risky and more likely to fail but what choice did I have? I leaned into the most potent venom in any club¡¯s workforce. Gossip. ¡°Heard the Corps here pay premium for premium, and that they tip. They as sick as everyone says they are?¡± Lucille¡¯s eyes prickled, a small smile lifting. ¡°More. One of the girls here has just gotten her Neuroframe installed a few hours ago. We got a guy for her already. Him and his wife actually. You remember that first day, when your mind sees things that aren¡¯t there and it¡¯s like your dreams and reality blend in as one? He¡¯s got a thing for girls in that state, and he pays heavy.¡± I leaned forward, perfectly capturing her interest as I intensified my approach. ¡°Let me guess. a Bronze Shard?¡± I felt so disgusted. Lucille gave a side glance to the guards, raising five fingers discretely as she poured me another. 25,000 Shardyne¡­ and she was trying to bait me with the promise that most of the money would go to me. And not the criminals who owned this joint. Now was the time to deliver an ultimatum. ¡°Oh no, I think that¡¯s too much drink for me. I still gotta check out some other places¡­ I think it¡¯s my time to leave. If the other clubs nearby aren¡¯t as good, I¡¯ll come back here and-¡° I held my smile as Lucille interrupted, offering me just the chance to get what I wanted. ¡°Before that, how about we get someone to show you around? A private tour. You can meet the Shard-Op, he¡¯ll give you a good run around of the club and well¡­ you can talk to my manager if you want.¡± Her manager? Oh please, Lucille was very clearly the most senior girl here if she had permission to let me wander backstage. Before I could even nod, a guard had appeared next to me. Tall and gruff, he was the stereotypical gang member if you ignored his long dangling pearl earrings. ¡°Brim. Please show Diana to Ripley and Selene.¡± Brim nodded, ushering me into the very clearly labeled ¡®Restricted to Staff Personnel¡¯ backrooms. He didn¡¯t speak a word, unnaturally silent for the next two minutes as we walked deeper into the club¡¯s structural chasm. I spotted a passing elevator with its only destination being to an office, seemingly the sole one in the club. I had spotted it from the main lounge of the club, a wide room overlooking the dancefloor with one-way windows. A private spot perfect for orchestrating illegal deals. Only once the thunder-rumbling ground softened and I had escaped migraine-inducing strobe lights had Brim stopped, shaking his head to the last door in the corridor. If behind that door was truly a Shard Op¡¯, then I had played my cards well, but if it turned out I had been lured¡­ I fastened my thick bracelet tight, prepared. As I approached, I heard voices speaking beyond the door and I froze as they mentioned something of value to me. ¡°What¡¯s got Lucille¡¯s nerves so wracked up? They having a meet upstairs?¡± No, I couldn¡¯t enter just yet¡­ I turned back to Brim, doing my best to pull off that stupid girl voice guys always seem to fall for. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m so nervous now¡­ actually, is there a washroom somewhere on this floor?¡± For the first time, he spoke, and it was much lighter than I expected. Kinda sleepy actually. ¡°Door to my right.¡± He leaned and kicked the door lightly, a hollow sound ringing out. That would be good enough, I walked past him before tapping my bracelet three times. Fingerprint Recognition Confirmed, First-Rank Officer Diana Jones. Standard-Grade SynTec Covert-BraceShocker reconfiguring. The sound of my bracelet transforming clearly alerted something so I acted quick. In my admittedly not so smooth turn due to my heels, I aimed the pistol and shot out a silent pulse of electricity right at his Neuroframe. It crackled and Brim seized in seconds as fumes bellowed out, I had to pounce to catch his body from falling. Now, it was time to figure out what the hell was going on. Blood and Steel C2: A Deal to be Made Chapter 2: A Deal to be Made Chat Log from anonymous forum site in the AbyssNet SubLayer, VortexEYE regarding a botched deal between notorious gangs, Los Diablos and Muramasa Dynasty. Rayray3: Hey, this shit true? Cops held up a deal between Los Diablos and Muramasa Dynasty? Was supposed to get a drop from a contact in Diablos but now they¡¯ve gone silent. Urmumsuxme: Heard it from my cousin in Muramasa that the blue-pigs got wind of it from a Vulture. Turns out the scrap cracked up the data from a Frame of one of Muramasa¡¯s offed princes. Vult¡¯ got twenty minutes out of his money before ¡®Masa strung him up the poles by his guts. Rayray3: Fucking hell. A prince? Who the hell would kill a prince? Urmumsuxme: Apparently noone, rolled out as a suicide but rumors are saying it¡¯s internal strife within the Dynasty. Rayray3: And they left his body for a Vulture? Shit man, now I¡¯m jealous of the Vult. Man had to be a Silver at least, plenty of good shit goes to those entitled bastards. Urmumsuxme: Wouldn¡¯t be surprised. But hey, my cousin is in there, so I gotta tread lightly. Rayray3: I getchu. Anyone say what the deal was about? Had to be pretty big for LD of all gangs to go radio silent. Urmumsuxme: My cuh¡¯ said it had to be Military Shardware. The kind used to blow up buildings and combat the MAL, ¡®parently Muramasa Dynasty were planning some big assault up on a Yuzhou factory. Looks like they were trying to pull a ¡®R0N1N¡¯. Rayray3: Shit man, ¡®Masa must be in deep shit with the pigs then. Urmumsuxme: Heard it¡¯s all good. Pigs salivate any time some Shardyne fills their wallets, and they went oinking away with blind eyes . Rayray3: And bulges in their pants? Urmumsuxme: Bet they¡¯re going to Toxin for that. ;] Heard the gangoons there freeze anytime a cop shows up. Some bigwig¡¯s got their nuts in a vicegrip. Rayray3: Wouldn¡¯t mind having that myself ;] Urmumsuxme: :| Rayray3: ;] 12:55 AM Ripley My nap had long since been torn apart with the arrival of the one and only nephew of my boss, Shaun ¡®The Bloodmuncher¡¯, a thick-skulled chunk of bones and flesh atop a brain named Hoaqin. I barely heard a word coming out of his steroid fueled body, my eyes too busy tracking Selene¡¯s brainwaves to register a thing he tongued on about. ¡°Helloo hermano? You listenin¡¯ to a word I say?¡± Hoaqin stood up, easily measuring at a modest 6 foot 3 inches and with more muscle mass than two of me put together. It was already cramped in here with just me and Selene. ¡°Sorry-sorry, I¡¯m just focusing on Selene right now, if that¡¯s an issue you can stick a Shard up your waste disposal chute.¡± I slid a holographic screen to the side, her heart rate was settling after a dose of epinephrine, that was what woke me up originally. An alarm had gone off as her blood pressure dropped, a fault of the Personality Matrix mods accustomizing itself to her brain. ¡°Hear that Sel? Doc¡¯s protective of his patients.¡± Hoaqin chided me. ¡°You got bark amigo, but no steel to bite with.¡± ¡°I can shoot.¡± Spite bit out of my words, Hoaqin wasn¡¯t a bad person. He just underestimated me, and berated me, and annoyed me¡­ in the kind of way an older brother would. At least to what I understood. ¡°You can shoot? My ass you can shoot! No literally, man was tryna aim at a can once, it hit some poor scrap¡¯s car and ricocheted into my ass!¡± Hoaqin nearly pulled his pants down to prove the point, he almost did it to everyone who he told the story to. I kicked a chair into him before he could even reach for his belt. ¡°You¡¯ve traumatised enough of the workers here with your tiny dick.¡± Hoaqin flashed red for a second, before flicking to Selene. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know little richard is perfectly respectable.¡± ¡°Is that the word for it now? Well then your smarts is muchos respectable too. I ever tell you about the time this guy mistook a suit for a scrapper? Just ¡®cus he was out tryna get some ¡®Embrance, I practically peeled ¡®Quin from starting a fight.¡± I embellished the tale by ripping two pieces of velcro on my chair apart, the satisfying ¡®zhrriiip¡¯ music to my ears. Hoaqin pulled his sleeves up, flexing arms that would send me to a surgery bed of my own. ¡°Oooh little Ripper got fired up now? Let¡¯s see you-¡° ¡°Hahahahaha! Oh you boys never fail to get in each other¡¯s pants like ants.¡± Selene was having the time of her life with our usual antics, or maybe it was the drugs. Probably the drugs. ¡°Sure you don¡¯t want me to leave? They say that hate is one step away from love, don¡¯t they?¡± Hoaqin looked me in the eye, and in an instant we communicated. I gripped the water bottle from my side and lobbed it to him with more purpose than I had ever had in my life. He in turn grabbed his trusty knife, catching the bottle and slashing it open right over Selene. The rain poured down on her like a cloud-seeded storm. She couldn¡¯t lift a leg from the operating chair before fresh SynthWater splashed over her hair and clothes. ¡°You assholes!¡± She shook her arms, finally managing to get some fine motor control of them with the right motivation. ¡°You guys suck! Like, eachother! Urgh, Ripper, you sure you don¡¯t mind dousing your own surgical chair like this?¡± I shrugged. ¡°Scrubs out the blood.¡± ¡°There¡¯s blood on this!¡± She jumped off the chair then and there, frankly, I was shocked she even managed it until she stumbled with the next three steps and had to grab a chair for support. I helped her turn it around to sit on it, checking her lenses to see if the spike in fear had any adverse effects. ¡°Hmmm, you¡¯re looking fine.¡± I absent-mindedly spoke. ¡°What?¡± Selene stammered, a faint blush caressing her cheeks. Hoaqin leaned in, miming eating popcorn. I- fuck, I felt my heart quicken. Then my comms rang, an invading beeping noise within my head alerting me to a call from Lucille. I ignored it. Then Selene¡¯s holopad started ringing much more audibly than my own internalized alert, she grumbled. ¡°What¡¯s the bitch got to say right now? This is technically my day off!¡± Then Hoaqin¡¯s Neuroframe gave that familiar buzz. Me and Selene stared at him, our combined glare daring him to pick up the call from Lucille ¡®Painstake¡¯ Redwood. ¡°Sorry guys, I¡¯m really close to getting an Implant.¡± He then tapped the responder on his temple, his eyes lighting up a faint blue as Lucille spoke to him. ¡°Uh huh, uh huh. Ripley? Think he and Selene are asleep, surgery must¡¯ve tired them out.¡± Hoaqin raised a fat thumbs up at us. ¡°Connect them? But they¡¯re asleep¡­ oh, oh, oh. Okay.¡± Incoming call from contact: Dumbass Hoaqin Begrudgingly, I picked up. My lens flaring up with the face of Painstake herself, what those who worked in the clubs anyway called her since she was a pain in the ass. I feigned my best yawn before speaking through the Neuralink communication, the painful piercing sending my thoughts stuttering through the pathway. ¡°H-hey L-L-Lucille. Wanted somn¡¯?¡± Dark skin and green eyes, a recreation of Lucille¡¯s head appeared on my feed. Her voice was just as harsh as the real one. ¡°Sounding real awake for som-someone who¡¯s supposed to be asleep. Never mind that, got a real beaut, a head turner who can be the next Golden Fingers for our club. You can¡¯t mistake her. Silver eyes, silver hair, n-name¡¯s Diana. Now I¡¯m gonna be busy the next hour or two upstairs so y¡ªyou treat her nice and bring her on board, someone like her will attract customers from the entire district. Show how her and Selene are similar and how S-Selene is having a great time working here at the club. D-Don¡¯t mess this up, you¡¯ll get paid for it. Brim¡¯s bringing her down any moment.¡± ¡°Hold on a sec¡¯ how much?¡± ¡°A month¡¯s ren-¡° ¡°Three months. 3k Sheds.¡± I said in my head. My heart nearly jumping out of my chest¡ªbefore she could cut the call. ¡°Two.¡± The call cut with a beep. And I was left wondering if I was going to have to mod another Neuroframe¡­ why? Why did none of these people ever think before joining this club? On the other hand¡­ that would mean only 1k more, then I could buy a genuine Implant. It felt tangible for once. ¡°Called her a head turner.¡± Hoaqin mouthed. ¡°Now I gotta see her for myself, comparing her to Golden Fingers! Think she could nab someone¡¯s Gold Implant herself?¡± ¡°Won¡¯t know until we see her.¡± It was the only thing I could say. ¡°Said we¡¯ll get paid for bringing her on board, Selene.¡± To say Selene looked troubled was an understatement. ¡°How much?¡± ¡°2K Sheds.¡± Hoaqin let out a sharp whistle. ¡°Each of you two? Or total?¡± Shit! ¡°I- I never specified.¡± Selene sighed at me, and it cut me to the bone. ¡°Knowing Lucille, it¡¯ll probably be total once you confront her.¡± ¡°Shit! She cut the call on me so quickly. What¡¯s got Lucille¡¯s nerves so wracked up? They having a meet upstairs?¡± I rested myself into my chair, furiously rubbing my finger over the blunt end of a scalpel. Hoaqin¡¯s glare lingered a second too long, I¡¯d hit something. ¡°They are, aren¡¯t they? A fucking business deal, what¡¯s new? Your uncle shipping Implants again? Bronze?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Hoaquin casually stepped closer to the door. ¡°The betrayal!¡± I feigned pain at having my trust broken under his treacherous boot. ¡°To keep such secrets from your bestest of friends, nay, your bestest of amigos. Look man, I just want to know if we¡¯ve got the budget or not to lock in a new Op¡¯ Chair. An Arachne is practically necessary for most modern implants this century, there¡¯s only so much I can do with two arms!¡± Finally, Hoaqin cracked, as he always did. ¡°Swapping a container with Yuzhou mid-levels on behalf of some fixer, heard the pay¡¯s pretty and that the risk is low.¡± ¡°Fixer couldn¡¯t meet them?¡± That¡¯s strange, or maybe not entirely so, I¡¯d managed to get enough information about gang life from the various Snake Fang thugs I¡¯d chromed but anything else I¡¯d had to get from Hoaqin. As much of a bad influence he could be, the guy really was intent on keeping me away from the ins of their operations. ¡°Nah. Some like staying hidden, this one¡¯s coming from a lady called ¡®Missy¡¯. Rep¡¯s good enough with some other gangs, but as far as I¡¯m hearing it¡¯s the first time whoever this is has done biz with us. Don¡¯t worry, deal¡¯s solid as done. They¡¯re prolly just exchanging drinks upstairs, the formalities¡­ Lucille¡¯s popular among Corpos, knows their dirty little secrets like no other.¡± I contemplated the information, one piece was still needed. ¡°Your uncle mentioned the pay?¡± Hoaqin¡¯s smile gave it away. I pierced him with my gaze, flipping my scalpel over to reveal it¡¯s sharp end. He spoke in a quick whisper. ¡°¡­Just five mil.¡± F-five mil? Forget Bronze Implants, that¡¯s a quality and an unused Silver Implant right there. ¡°We shiping Silvers?!¡± ¡°I dunno, and neither does he. No instructions on how to open the package, just the box and the info to meet up with Yuzhou Enterprise, think they¡¯re in the Shandian branch. Look man, just drop it. When the deal¡¯s done, your clinic won¡¯t be looking like a scrapyard.¡± ¡°If it stays this way, you¡¯re paying with your Implant. Probably going to be a Bronze, you lucky bitch. SIM or BUG?¡± Hoaqin¡¯s answer was quick. ¡°SIM, like my body too much to give it up to metal.¡± ¡°Still replacing it with Mutagen.¡± I remarked. He shrugged, and what couldn¡¯t be timed more perfectly was the gentle rapping on my door. That must be new girl- what¡¯s her name? Dino? Delilah¡­? No. Diana. Selene seemed half-asleep by the gang talk, a gentle nudge woke her up and it took a few seconds to get her on her feet. Hoaqin was already smoothing out his hair as a second series of knocking prompted him to nudge the door open. I had never truly seen someone so flabbergasted, I had never even used that word in my life until I saw Hoaqin¡¯s face. Whatever smooth line he¡¯d thought off was erased in seconds. ¡°You the Op¡¯?¡± A vividly elegant voice echoed. Still having Selene lean most of her body on me, I responded. ¡°That¡¯d be me. This is Selene here on my shoulder, she¡¯s got a nasty case of Neuroframe implantation.¡± For some reason, that was only met with silence. For a moment, I stumbled forward until Hoaqin held onto Selene to balance her. Then I finally let myself see what the hype was about. Maybe I was more like Hoaqin than I liked to admit. Now her clothes weren¡¯t anything special, a black tank-top layered with a translucent gray jacket styled to look like a leather one. Form fitting black pants followed her legs all the way down to highrise heels that could stab into my brain if I said the wrong thing. Everything else, I didn¡¯t want to admit it but whoever worked on her gene-therapy was premium compared to Selene. Naturally silver hair, not a trace of blonde left in, and sparkling silver eyes. Nose, eyes, mouth¡­ all adjusted to break beauty standards by simply being above them and her figure neatly curved within those clothes. No wonder Lucille was so adamant. As I traced my eyes down her arms, I paused on her wrist, was that a- Selene loudly cawed in my ear. ¡°Hey, you all going to stop gawking? You¡¯re making her uncomfortable. Sorry bout¡¯ them, they¡¯re no better than half the guys upstairs. And I¡¯m talking bout¡¯ the good half. But not gonna lie¡­ you¡¯re hoooot. Like suuuuper hottt. I¡¯d want you to join just so I can stare at you. Do you need a roommate? Dialana¡­ right?¡± Diana adjusted herself, chuckling at the whole ordeal. ¡°It¡¯s Diana. She on the meds?¡± ¡°The meds.¡± I confirmed. ¡°Sorry, my name¡¯s Ripley and I¡¯m the Shard Operator here, anything you want to know?¡± She seemed puzzled for a moment, before leaning in deeper to the room. ¡°Whoa, you actually operate on people here? Why don¡¯t the girls get serviced in a proper clinic?¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Now I couldn¡¯t just up and say that unfortunately most of my guests were burly men looking to get some steel in their veins rather than a pretty woman, but I¡¯d practiced the excuse enough. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just renting space from the club. I officially work here and service the workers to pay for the space, but I also draw in my own customers. And by that, I mean I lure them through a whole store of goodies in order to get to mine, Lucille likes the err¡­ symbiosis we have.¡± ¡°Lucille the boss here?¡± Diana leaned in, too close, like she was slicing through my flesh to see into my soul with those silver eyes of hers. ¡°On paper, no. But she practically runs the place, the owner just pays for protection and reaps the profits.¡± I then knew I had to sweeten the deal. ¡°But he doesn¡¯t take from the workers, he¡¯s an honest man in that way. Makes money on drinks and fancy parties for corpos.¡± Diana could only chuckle to that as she entered the room, her eyes quizzically scanning the entirety of it. ¡°So all this¡­ you manage it yourself? No others working for you, modding or calibrating-¡° ¡°All done by me.¡± I confirmed, proudly. I wouldn¡¯t let another person tinker at my crafts even if they paid me for it. Okay, maybe a little. No, I would. Coughing, I had just realized I let a civilian look at a box of clearly marked combat Shardware belonging to a criminal organization, so with a hurried thought, I held her arm and yanked her lightly out of my clinic. ¡°Let me and Selene show you upstairs.¡± ¡°What about me?¡± Hoaqin raised his voice without permission. ¡°Your job is to be ignored.¡± I was serious about that, if there was one thing Hoaqin was capable of, it was warding off potential customers ¡ª or in this case, employees. I didn¡¯t still know I was holding Diana¡¯s arm, not until I felt a pinprick of a spark into my metal fingers. And I- no, I wasn¡¯t imagining it. I stood still a second, detaching my arm from hers as I surveyed the corridor. ¡°A man should have escorted you, Brim. Where is he?¡± I hoped my naturally jaded eyes would be sharp enough to instill a measure of fear, and she did seem taken aback by my sudden shift in tone. ¡°Told me he needed to take a bathroom break, you can go check for yourself. He¡¯s in there.¡± Diana pointed at the bathroom, the very same place the club¡¯s patrons have committed the most horrid of sins known to mankind. I chuckled, sweat dabbing my temples. ¡°No, I believe you¡­¡± She smiled, one which I could only believe had to be from relief. ¡°But what I don¡¯t believe¡­¡± ¡ª I saw that smile drop like an anvil, her left hand rushing down her right arm nearer to the bracelet on it ¡ª ¡°Is that you should work here.¡± I could practically see Hoaquin¡¯s head exploding behind me. ¡°I don¡¯t know what sweet words you heard from Lucille, but this place requires you to sacrifice yourself. That¡¯s¡­ all I¡¯m going to say¡­¡± But of course, she already knew that, she¡¯d probably wanted to punch me from the beginning for one reason and one reason only. She spoke, holding back whatever emotions were running through her. ¡°You¡¯re the one installing Personality Matrices, I¡¯d heard they were popular here, letting someone¡¯s emotive state alter without memory of it.¡± I felt almost ashamed, stripped-naked level of shame, as I nodded. ¡°Look, have the opinions of me that you want¡­ I¡¯m not doing it because I want to, it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s complicated. Some people sell their souls to the Corps, I sold it to this place. But one day I¡¯ll get out, and if you decide to stay in this club to that day, I can¡¯t guarantee the next guy who comes in will ignore the backdoors I¡¯ve installed on the Matrices.¡± Diana clenched for a second. Backdoors? Before she could ask, I answered what she wanted to know. ¡°They can be removed, hell, that¡¯s why it takes me so long to prepare them. A two-way neural highway without repercussions upon removal? Unheard of in this type of industry.¡± I could see her expression shift from confused to angry to rage, then it softened. Frustration, something I was oh so familiar with. ¡°I- I think I understand, thank you for your honesty, Ripley. I¡¯ll be taking my leave now.¡± On the first step she took, I pulled my wavering heart together and reached for her hand. ¡°Just a second!¡± Diana¡¯s face was blank, I couldn¡¯t tell what she was thinking. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Your bracelet.¡± I said, but her expression stood neutral like a wall of tungsten. ¡°It- it¡¯s beautiful, where¡¯d you get it from?¡± Then this took real courage, I moved my body closer while still firmly holding her hand so I could whisper into her ear. Remarkably, she didn¡¯t slap me immediately and let me do so. ¡°It¡¯s just the type Selene likes. Her birthday is coming up.¡± Diana pulled away, concealing her ¡®bracelet¡¯ behind her back. ¡°O-oh, I don¡¯t remember right now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I replied in a hushed whisper, all but sure of my suspicions. ¡°Just give me your com-sigil, Lucille won¡¯t stop bugging me until I get confirmation out of you so drop me a quick message saying why you won¡¯t join. Don¡¯t uh- don¡¯t say it¡¯s because of me. Please, just come up with some bogus excuse.¡± ¡°Will do!¡± Diana¡¯s Neuroframe buzzed as she passed her civilian sigil to me before quickly backstepping towards the staircase, two finger taps already confirmed on her bracelet. ¡°Nice meeting you all!¡± ¡°See ya, or maybe not! I¡¯m happy either way.¡± I waved her off with a smirk, already walking back to my station. From the side of my vision, I glanced as she entered the staircase and it wasn¡¯t until a few steps echoed through the empty hallway that Hoaqin exploded onto me. ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you! Did you see her! And sneaking her number for yourself you dirty dog!-¡° ¡°Call off the meeting.¡± My heart slammed my breath into ragged wheezes. ¡°She¡¯s a narc.¡± ¡°A narc? A cop?¡± Selene¡¯s eyes widened at the revelation. ¡°H-how can you be sure?¡± I sat down on the floor, my legs probably in a worse state that Selene¡¯s right now to walk. My eyes slowly trailed the hallway, staring into the washroom. ¡°Brim¡¯s hung around here long enough to know what sort of shit happens in that washroom. Drugs, a quick fuck, worse. And when you think of Brim, Hoaqin, what do you think of?¡± ¡°Reserved neatfreak. That¡¯s why he uses a sniper.¡± Now his eyes went wide as the probability dawned on him. ¡°Fuck! Let me check!¡± With a quick slam from Hoaqin¡¯s shoulders, the door flew open and wouldn¡¯t you know it¡­ Brim was slumped over right next to the toilet. ¡°Shit! He¡¯s got a fried Neuroframe!¡± I held my head tight, on one hand, a fried Neuroframe was quick Sheds. On the other hand, this club was compromised. If she had somehow heard of the deal while we were busy gossiping¡­ the gossip I had encouraged, then this place would be raided within the hour. Even if the deal went by without a problem, Diana had direct evidence of my workshop and the Shardware I was fitting. Illegal Shard Op¡¯s could survive police intervention, but that meant chaining yourself to their demands. I laughed, maybe that was the better option? Who was I kidding, my shit was good, but I wasn¡¯t anyone or anything special. Silently I rang up Lucille, she had probably taken her private entrance to the office¡­ which meant, crap, I would be interrupting whatever deal they¡¯re having. She cut the call, so I rang up again, leaving a simple message. ¡®Diana¡¯s a narc. Might have heard about the deal.¡¯ Her voice sprang up in mind within a second through the Neurolink Comms, sputtering with panic. ¡°W-What do you mean? S-s-she¡¯s undercover? My Analyze didn¡¯t pick up any Police-Manufactured-d Shardware on her! And wait- how do you know about the deal?-? Oh, oh¡­! H-Hoaqin!¡± Those last words growled in my head, I whispered an apology to him, it looked like his Implant would be delayed. ¡°She had a concealed gun ¡ª a Braceshocker, read about them on the AbyssNet as one of SynTec¡¯s latest fads. They¡¯re engineered to look like bracelets, half-accessory and half-weapon; the police might have updated their arsenal through their new deal with-¡° ¡°Stop your rambling and get on with it!¡± Her voice pierced my skull like a sniper¡¯s bullet. ¡°S-She used it to shoot Brim and hide him in the washroom! Tell Shaun to cancel the deal! Hide the goods, anything!¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t taking the fall. You come up here and tell him yourself, say the girl went to you claiming that she was here about a job but I never sent her. You just fell for her charms, and got slicked. Tell Hoaqin to be silent if you know what¡¯s good for you.¡± ¡°F-fuck no!¡± ¡°A Bronze Shard.¡± Her voice was desperate. I clenched my teeth, how much longer was I going to let myself be rag-dolled around!? My voice shot through my Neuroframe like a thrown knife. ¡°Two. That or no deal. Transfer them now-w.¡± Silence struck for a moment, and I wondered if I blew my chance off from 5k Sheds. Then my vision blew up with a glorifying message. Incoming Transfer from Contact: Lucille (the bitch). 10,000 Shardyne deposited into your account. ¡°Done.¡± Lucille¡¯s tone sliced through me, animosity so thick I wasn¡¯t sure if I would have this job anymore. The call ended and I wobbled my way to the elevator, every cell of my body so drenched in fear that I thought the motion of the elevator would make me puke. ¡°Hoaqin, Selene. Get out of the club, now. Tell someone to get a hold of Diana¡­ I dunno, just do something.¡± I pleaded to them, Selene still seemed too drugged to have a proper sense of what was happening, but I imagine the fear in my face must have driven a knife of understanding through her. Hoaqin just stared, fear keeping his eyes pried open. ¡°Y-you sure? I can-¡° ¡°Go.¡± I said, my voice festering on the edge of a scream. ¡°Keep her safe! And¡­ don¡¯t tell your uncle about Lucille sending Diana, not yet!¡± One last shared look between me and the two of them, before Hoaqin grabbed Selene and dragged her away to the staircase. My heart ached as I heard panic and confusion burning through her screams about what was going on, but now wasn¡¯t the time. Alone, I felt my blood rushing so quickly that I was deaf to all other senses. My vision was black, my touch numb and all I tasted was bile. Forgetting it all, I pressed the button for the office. ¡ª¡ª¡ª 1:12 AM June 2nd 2497 Diana I practically pushed the crowd aside as I made my way to one of the bathroom stalls, hoping that if my cover had been blown at least this would give me enough time to make a call. I fired up my police-sigil, instantly connecting to the private coms line. ¡°This is First-Rank Officer Jones. I have confirmation of a deal between Snake Fangs and Yuzhou Mid-Levels worth 5 million Shardyne, expected to be an illegal trade involving Implants. Steps on how to proceed? I have reason to believe I may have been caught. A Shard Operator under their roof seemed to have made sense of my BraceShocker.¡± ¡°Stay put.¡± The voice was gruff, familiar, it was the Lieutenant in charge of my precinct. Jacob Grazhe ¡ª for him to visit personally meant this was something big. ¡°We have several STRIKE squads on standby.¡± ¡°Standby?¡± Why would they already be prepared to raid this place without my confirmation? ¡°Not your concern. But, good job Jones, expect an Implant soon.¡± Lieutenant Grazhe relayed in almost dismissive fashion. My heart was caught up in the confusion of the Lieutenant¡¯s plan and his promises. An Implant. And I didn¡¯t even need my father for it. ¡°When I come, lead me to the office. I want to see if you have what it takes during a shakedown.¡± The office? Okay, I recounted the previous scene, my lenses beaming blue as a screen came into view. I saw the view I had when I first entered the club, immediately in view of the main dancing floor and higher up than the balconies was an odd box-like room sticking out of the wall. Balconies spread out from its rectangular shape and I saw a small door hidden in the corner of one of the balconies. I scrolled forward in time to when I was on the upper floor, and tracking down each door I passed there were several labeled as staff only and a few required codes to access, but I managed to see something I hadn¡¯t managed to before when I sat down at the bar. From the corner of my eye, a familiar face exited the door right underneath the office. Lucille Redwood stepped out, locking the door and then a few minutes later I was approached by the old man. It wasn¡¯t the most solid of proofs, but it was a quick access to the main club from the office. Whereas the elevator was more suited for covert entry when you wanted to hide your arrival at the club, it was entirely probable that there must be a way to go directly to the elevator from somewhere around the building. ¡°I found a door. Think it¡¯ll let us get there quick enough. How long until you breach?¡± My comms went unanswered for a second, then I heard shouting from the outside. I readied myself, tapping my concealed firearm three times to activate it, quickly rearranging into a small pistol with a capacity for five more shots. I¡¯d have to get a proper weapon from my ¡®partners¡¯. With my nerves steeled, I exited the bathroom into a swarm of chaos. The STRIKE team had engulfed the building with their presence and I saw hordes of the club¡¯s drunk patrons enraged and fearful alike. There were too many of us, I counted around fourteen armored police shouting orders and settling ¡®peace¡¯ on the dance floor, and many others scattered around the balconies warning the Snake Fang members into submission. A smacking sound followed by a thud pulled my focus to the side, as a man fell on his head amidst the panic of running bodies and heavy duty STRIKE Investigators crushing order into them. The officer responsible for pushing the man, a Second Investigator Tomas according to my IDscan, cleaned blood off the butt of his gun with the fallen man¡¯s shirt. His voice, even muffled through the thick mask he wore, was demanding as he moved to the other groups of scrambling patrons. ¡°Any of you want to end up like him?! Then be my guest! You¡¯ll see what happens when you interfere with police business.¡± Blood continued to dribble out of the man¡¯s head, he needed serious attention. I¡¯d made a promise, so I did the first thing I could without even thinking. Reaching into my purse I grabbed a Standard Issue MedSpray, and shuffled over to the downed man with a medical spray hastily pulled from jacket. I leaned down and sprayed the ice-white mist on the back of the man¡¯s head. Within seconds the bleeding stopped, and hopefully the nanomachines would be able to detect and mend any lingering wound in his skull. I felt my body roll across the ground into a wall, pain flaring up from my ribs and stomach to leave me choking for air while my head smacked the wall hard enough my thoughts blanked out for a second. What the fuck? Did he kick me?! Investigator Tomas moved in front of me, his layers of armor and tall physique making him an indomitable wall between me and the man. ¡°What did I just say civilian?! No one leaves or touches a thing here, don¡¯t know what kind of evidence you¡¯re trying to hide! What did you just give him!¡± I held my voice from barking at him through the pain, silently raising my arm and exposing an implanted chip that flashed my holo-badge. ¡°First-Officer Diana Jones, reporting. The one who confirmed our intel on this place. I administered him a Standard medical spray.¡± Tomas wavered for a moment, surprise visible in the blazing eyes behind his visor as he tried to justify his actions. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t give you orders to-¡± ¡°I¡¯m here on the Lieutenant¡¯s orders. I¡¯m supposed to escort him to the office.¡± I weakly wheezed, my lungs stretching in pain with every gasp of air. Second Investigator¡­ he was an Adapter. I didn¡¯t need that kick to tell me. I could barely stand up, let alone keep focus during a criminal raid. ¡°I- shit. I¡¯ve got an AdStim, Iron Grade.¡± He said but the words didn¡¯t register, it was like warm darkness blanketed over my thoughts. I couldn¡¯t speak as pain and weakness suffocated my consciousness. ¡°No, don¡¯t you fucking-¡° A sharp sting like electricity brought me back, a pulse that replaced the lack of thought with a screaming whistle that forced my eyes open. I saw that Tomas had stuck a needle into my arm, and instantly I could tell it was something far above my grade. Iron Grade Adrenal-Stims. A stimulant of this caliber would keep a man awake even with his throat torn out; more than that, it would boost my aggression, like pouring high-octane fuel on a bonfire. ¡°I didn¡¯t give you permission to faint on me, either.¡± His voice rebounded in my head like an echo masked in rage when in reality I had no idea what tone was behind it. The words doubled then tripled until I just heard them again and again, but I wretched my thoughts through it. My nails dug the floor, begging to claw his face off for the kick. Whether I was civilian or cop to his eyes, I wanted revenge. ¡°Get off me.¡± I didn¡¯t know how it sounded, but I knew it came out either as a whimper or a growl. My body was being puppeteered by pure instinct that I had to reel myself in with every fiber of my mind. He retreated away as I stood up and realized that the crawling voices in my head were the only sounds to hear. Everyone was silent, what better way to show that the police mean shit and won¡¯t take a hint of retaliation than beating one of their own undercover agents. Shit. I kept my eyes down as I shuffled in line, hoping this day would be over already. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder and I nearly threw a hell of a haymaker at whoever did that. It was only when I saw that unmistakable scar and well kempt gray hair mid-pivot that I froze, adrenaline spiked during flight or fight. And this wasn¡¯t a moment to fight. ¡°Lieutenant Grazhe.¡± My voice shivered in putrid anger, shit, I wasn¡¯t angry at him. This was Tomas¡¯ fault. Storms of fury and sputterings of calmness throbbed in my head, I begged them to decide on one or the other. Strangely, the huge gray-haired man showed no response. He walked past me, dismissive except for a rough grip on my shoulder. His voice, a whisper, spun around my skull as though I was hearing it through my Neuroframe¡¯s connection to my brain. ¡°Focus.¡± Instantly, my vision narrowed like a hawk¡¯s under his infamous Mutation, all of my thoughts slimming down to slip past the whirling rage and capture it in nets of focus. Slowly, but sharply, I spoke. ¡°First-Officer Diana Jones, reporting for duty.¡± Without even looking at me, he beckoned me forward with a wave of his hand. ¡°Take me to the Office.¡± I followed, stepping ahead of him as I guided him up the stairs, the higher floors littered with various gang members scattered with raised weapons and primed Shardware. Various combat mutations also flourished in claws, porcupine needles, and the titular snake fangs. Then as soon as they saw the patched badge on the lieutenant¡¯s arm, their alloy and flesh dropped. I shuffled nervously past the leering, looking for the door I¡¯d marked earlier. Their stares cut through me, some of them recognizing me. Even as I fumbled for the door handle, I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off them, even if my thoughts had aligned with my heightened nervous system, it was difficult to contain the fight-or-flight response. My hand itched to grip the steel of my pistol. ¡°They¡¯re not going to do shit. Probably pissing their pants seeing me, I could have this place shut down in a day.¡± Finally, he addressed me. Surprisingly, he seemed rather informal for an old man with a long standing career. ¡°You did well¡­ I don¡¯t know many officers who¡¯d gotten to the First Rank in the span of two years.¡± I nodded at the compliment. Or was there something else behind it? Regardless I was interested in a detail he mentioned. ¡°You¡¯re not going to shut this place down? They¡¯re even running an illegal Shard Operating Center in the basement, rewiring the workers¡¯ Neuroframes.¡± ¡°Personality Matrices. A miracle of SynTec.¡± He pushed past me, barging up the stairs without caring for a hint of subtlety. ¡°And no. I¡¯m not shutting this place down, as long as they behave today and give me what I want, this place will stay standing. But I¡¯ll arrest that Shard Op¡¯, they¡¯ll scatter to more illegal Operators and we can track them down. Maybe one will be worth purchasing from.¡± Purchasing? I¡¯d seen my fair share of corrupt cops, and it wasn¡¯t a surprise to realize the Lieutenant had that side as well. It was a disappointment, however. I stayed silent, eying the lieutenant as we marched up flight after flight, this office was overlooking the club from its highest point. Finally, we reached a door, and it slid open before the Lieutenant even touched it. They had been waiting for us. A man and woman in business suits, Lucille, and a bald man with his face covered in as many scars as he did tattoos all lounged on a couch. Their faces relaxed, and the tattooed man ¡ª a Shaun ¡®Bloodmuncher¡¯ Grenson ¡ª sipped from a bottle directly as the Lieutenant strolled in like it was a meetup at a bar with coworkers. There was only one person that seemed to be shitting his pants. Ripley. Blood and Steel C3: Compromised Chapter 3: Compromised 1:07 AM June 2nd 2497 Ripley Fuck, fuck-fuck-fuck! The elevator slowly pulled me closer to what I knew would be my demise. I wasn¡¯t just informing Shaun, I was taking the blame for a potential police raid! On a deal worth five million Shardyne! Every grate of steel and rumble from the elevator signaled my journey across the highway to hell. Then it stopped, abruptly, the elevator indicated it had reached the top floor but the doors remained stubbornly shut. A voice rattled my prison. Shaun¡¯s voice, eroded by ash and drink, was made understandable by laryngeal Shardware. A horrifying steel undertone spoke atop the grated stone of Shaun¡¯s organic voice. ¡°There a reason you¡¯re coming up here, Ripley? You¡¯re welcome to drink with me any day, but I¡¯ve got an important meeting going on right now.¡± Don¡¯t let his pleasant undertone trick you, I reminded myself. There was a reason he was known as ¡®The Bloodmuncher¡¯. My fingernails dug into the metal of my other arm, I was hoping that there would be pain to distract me. There was none, and my voice took a few moments to gather. ¡°I-uh, you see Shaun. A um- a girl came by to the Op-room and-¡° ¡°Ripper? if you¡¯re telling me you got laid. I¡¯ll call off the meeting right now. Haha!¡± The distortion of his voice couldn¡¯t shear away the merry laughter bleeding through. Hell, I would¡¯ve laughed, except I forced my next words through. Panic flooded my voice. ¡°She¡¯s a narc! I think they might know about this deal of yours, me and Hoaqin were discussing it when she came by and we found Brim unconscious and-¡° The doors opened, it¡¯s pleasant ding not enough to calm me. The office¡¯s atmosphere was a stark contrast to the club downstairs. Where metal and neon danced in the floors below as a drugged out rave, this ¡®office¡¯ was intricately weaved between wood and furs with the pleasant song of an ancient opera dug out from the Old_Net. It was also far larger than it had any right to be, practically a small house stuck to the top of the club with one of the walls being a one-way window to the different world below. Now it seemed like both worlds would crash down. I stepped in, painfully aware of the wood creaking under my foot as the people who I reported to sat on a couch. Lucille for her part looked confused, while Shaun¡¯s face was grave. Bald and old, his face was scarred like a tiger had mauled on it and he¡¯d used tattoos to cover it up. The other two people on the couch opposite of their¡¯s wore fine suits, with thick metal visors hiding their eyes. A man and a woman, the man held their lips as a straight line ¡ª straighter than a ruler ¡ª while the woman were a black veil over hers. ¡°Speak.¡± Shaun said. ¡°From the beginning.¡± ¡°A woman knocked on my door claiming she was interested in joining the club, she had the looks for it. But¡­ she was a cop, I think I figured it out too late because we found Brim with a fried Neuroframe in the washroom. She had concealed weaponry on her wrist, the bracelet kind you see on rich corpos who think they¡¯re hot shit for having a secret gun on them.¡± ¡°Brim led her down?¡± Shaun¡¯s face twisted, his scars and tattoos contorting into misshapened blobs of ink and beige. ¡°He¡¯s on guard duty today, and Brim¡¯s the last person to do that without approval. Lucille?¡± Lucille¡¯s acting was good, she was the only girl working here who didn¡¯t need a Personality Matrix since she was already an expert in becoming a vessel of her customer¡¯s¡­ wishes. ¡°Must have shown him duped sigils, maybe a contract?¡± Shaun didn¡¯t look convinced, his brows furrowed deeply like metal being wrenched out of shape. He turned to the two corporate employees, speaking in fluent chinese that translated to me as text. ¡°The deal has been leaked, police could be showing any minute. We¡¯ll keep the package concealed, and they won¡¯t know any better.¡± The man was clearly not pleased, his lips puckering up, but the woman remained as still as a statue. Even when she spoke clearly with a voice that put singers to shame, her mouth didn¡¯t seem to move behind her veil. ¡°Proceed. But this security fault deducts two million from your payment. After all, they have no proof. Just the ramblings of two idiots.¡± Shaun sighed, and I knew what that meant for the otherwise jovial man. He was furious. I would lose something out of this, that was a fact. My eyes aligned with Lucille¡¯s, her gaze silently screaming at me to keep my mouth shut. ¡°We will investigate. I will figure out how this deal got leaked.¡± Shaun said, slowly drawing his attention to Lucille and then me. ¡°For all we know, our Fixer could have been the one breached.¡± This time, the corporate man spoke. He used his actual mouth, and there was the undeniable hiss of an eastern accent. ¡°Missy is a professional, unlike you, chun huo. But I will speak to her, regarding this¡­ intel leak.¡± I stood there as they each quietly angled the deal in their favor, a part of me ¡ª actually, all of me ¡ª was glad that my acting skills were poor enough that Shaun didn¡¯t believe me. But I couldn¡¯t get this nagging feeling out of my chest, and that worsened when my eyes rested on the table. A metallic box sat firmly in the center, about a foot long and wide, it was like a solid cube of steel. I¡¯d recognized the model instantly. A SynTec Pandora, known for their function of creating specific internal environments. And that was bad, I¡¯d tinkered with many containers Shaun needed for deals, confirming their security and ensuring they remained invisible to scanners. Or opening one up when they couldn¡¯t force them open. But¡­ Pandora¡¯s were as rare as their contents. This cube specifically was a design I wasn¡¯t familiar with. For one, it was a larger variant that would be odd to house any Implants. B.U.Gs and S.I.Ms were smaller than Neuroframes, and typically only needed to be concealed, not protected. Whatever was inside there, it was potentially volatile. ¡°Ripley,¡± Shaun addressed me with his mechanically stitched voice, and I shook like a flimsy tower in an earthquake. ¡°You installed the secret compartment in this table, right? Activate it.¡± That translated to ¡®he¡¯d forgotten how to do it¡¯, I couldn¡¯t just disobey him. I took my first few steps slowly, scared that the shaking in my legs would cause me to fall. But then loud screaming from downstairs tore my focus away. Camera feeds lit up across monitors in the room, and the alerting screech turned everyone¡¯s head. A WBPD STRIKE team had stormed in, far quicker than any of us expected¡­ shit. ¡°A STRIKE team?¡± Lucille lurched in her seat. ¡°That- that can¡¯t be right? Have they set up a perimeter around the building already? This is all happening too quickly to be based on that girl¡¯s report!¡± The corporate woman agreed. ¡°Too quickly, it looks like this deal was compromised from the start. We will need to scrub our communications, no one knows that we¡¯re here for the Implants.¡± So it was implants? But why use that container, it didn¡¯t make any sense to me. ¡°Ripley! How the hell do you use this table¡¯s secret compartment!¡± Shaun screamed, his fingers pressing all sorts of random corners and spots on the table. I rushed towards it, putting my fingers on six very specific areas on the table where a fingerprint scanner read my prints. An automated voice spoke out. Something I¡¯d installed in case Shaun forgot where the fingerprint scanners were placed. So¡­ this very purpose. ¡°REQUESTING ACCESS WITH UNVERIFIED FINGERPRINTS REQUIRES VOCAL AUTHORIZATION FROM EITHER LUCILLE OR SHAUN.¡± They shouted simultaneously. ¡°Allow it!¡± ¡°Just fucking work!¡± Silently, the table unfolded seamless connections allowing its top to be pulled back like a chest. As I pulled it open, I spotted several interesting items in there ¡ª items I knew belonged to Shaun and that he¡¯d probably had Hoaqin memorize the scanner locations to access it. His prized gun, a Silver Grade Shandian Phoenix-60, several grenades and ammo clips. And¡­ I saw it, it was kept in a transparent container of glass ¡ª it looked like a mix between a caterpillar and a beetle rolled up into a tiny bead, except made of metal and entirely copper in color. A Bronze Grade B.U.G¡­ probably Hoaqin¡¯s Implant. Shaun threw me away from the chest with a harsh push. He stuffed the large box in, removing his Phoenix-60 Rifle along with several ammo clips. Yanking the top of the container down, I saw the slight seam disappear as the metal seemed to mend itself. Really, it was just an illusion of light reflection with specific angles. Like the bottom of the table, which seemed to be completely empty thanks to Occulo-Permeability tech manufactured by Mazhyr. It would fool even a Silver¡¯s eyes into thinking the table was far smaller than it seemed. Modding it was the one time I¡¯d been paid well by Shaun. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Now I questioned if I would ever get paid again. They all settled in their seats, Shaun¡¯s glare pushing me off the couch as he nestled into the real leather. Within seconds, they went from panic to silence. Shaun rested the gun against the table, his gaze now confident and focused. The two corporates had barely shifted an inch the entire ordeal and Lucille was busy checking cameras without a hint of fear. ¡°They¡¯ve secured the perimeter, our only way out is the sewers.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need to run.¡± Shaun said firmly, his misaligned voice making me shiver. ¡°The police are just this city¡¯s biggest gang. They want to lynch off our profits. This business meeting just got one more party involved now, with my charisma it¡¯ll all be over and done with no blood spilled.¡± He tapped a pad in his hands, and a door slid open. A barrage of steps echoed into the room from the dim staircase and two figures entered the room. I nearly shat my pants when I saw the first person. I recognized him. Lieutenant Jacob ¡®Blacktongue¡¯ Grazhe. I¡¯d heard rumors that he was stuffed with more Mutagen than any Genefreak on the streets, that he became their best Investigator and interrogator with an intertwining of promise and threat. I also knew that for anyone who got in his way, there were no bodies to bury. Only bloodstains. I, of course, also recognized the silver-haired girl next to him. Diana Jones. Sometimes I hated being right, because there was nothing I could do about it. We locked eyes for a second, and I¡¯m not even sure how I looked at her. I had tried to seem composed but her eyes dug into me like a predator¡¯s, unremorseful and cold. The lieutenant snorted. ¡°You gonna pull up some rehearsed line like I¡¯ve been expecting? Be good boys and tell me what¡¯s exactly worth five million Shardyne. I¡¯ll make it worth your time.¡± Lucille laughed. It was a believable laugh, being not overdone or half-baked. ¡°F-five million? I know my girls are good, but for you to see five million in one of them and not me? I¡¯m frankly offended.¡± ¡°We both know this isn¡¯t about one of your girls.¡± The lieutenant¡¯s voice, smooth in that old playboy tone, now grew a sharper edge. My metal arm reacted, a sharp blade clawing up to my flesh shoulder. ¡°Is it?¡± The voice echoed in my head, driving me to madness as it became all I could hear, I wanted to spill my secrets as though a volcano of truth had erupted through me. My metal hand gripped my flesh hand, and it was only the warm blood seeping through my arm that allowed me to steer my thoughts. The lieutenant¡¯s eyes scanned the room, clearly looking for any suspicious activity. I couldn¡¯t tell what he thought of me as he passed his vision over me, but I knew it wasn¡¯t good. Whatever mutations he had that were known, it allowed him to read and manipulate people. And there was little information about his combat abilities. ¡°I assure you.¡± The corporate woman spoke again, the voice still coming out of her silent mouth. ¡°We¡¯re here to pick up a fine girl, a ¡®private exhibition¡¯. If she¡¯s worth the price, we¡¯ll recommend her to you, but by then her worth will be worn down.¡± The Lieutenant¡¯s gaze lingered on her, his smile dropping to a fine line. ¡°That¡¯s fancy tech, is it so that they can¡¯t read your lips over surveillance? Or is there another voice hidden in you? I bet you do all of the real talking and this mutt carries some fancy chrome, and from what I see¡­ Bronze¡¯s. Just an inch away from Silver, that what you after? To break through?¡± ¡°The fact that you think we¡¯re Bronze¡­¡± The suited man stood up. ¡°Is proof you haven¡¯t seen through us at all. Grade Limiters, keeping prying eyes away.¡± ¡°First time I¡¯m seeing a suit wanting to hide rather than show off. Tell me, which branch of Yuzhou are you working at?¡± He stepped forward, the impressive muscle mass on him dwarfing the corpos. ¡°Shandian Engineering.¡± The woman responded clearly. ¡°We work in counter-intelligence. And you¡¯re Lieutenant Jacob Grazhe of the Westbrook Police¡¯s District. You¡¯re stationed in the First Precinct, and have been at your position for the last three decades, why?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t like politics.¡± He brushed the topic aside. ¡°Don¡¯t like politics? Or is it that if you rise higher than you are, you would have to drag up all your crimes with you? Or perhaps you¡¯re comfortable where you are, you know this district, it¡¯s criminals. There¡¯s a relationship there that your superiors don¡¯t want to disrupt. We can help with that.¡± ¡°As I said. Politics. Now what are you really here for?¡± His voice took on that sharper tone again, and subconsciously I thought to myself that I was here to warn Shaun and Luci¡ª no, what was I here for? What was I doing here, in this place where what was clearly happening is above my pay grade? Maybe I should run? I spotted Diana in the back, or should I think of her as Officer Jones? Silently, I- I sent her a comms request through the civilian sigil she¡¯d given me a few minutes ago. ¡°W-w-what is it Ripley-y? And no-o, I¡¯m not sorry. You fucked up and this is the pr-rice you pay.¡± Her voice had a festering bite, running so fast that I could barely get a sense of it. ¡°I u-uh, just, are Selene and Hoaqin fine? Can you look out the window and tell me if they¡¯re out of the b-building? They¡¯re innocent-t in all of this.¡± I didn¡¯t know what else I could ask, or even say to her. She didn¡¯t respond, her sight flickering for a moment before studying down the window for several more. ¡°No. It seems like they¡¯re being held back by the guards with the-e others around the d-dancefloor, they tried to e-s-scape? The perimeter must have been secured by then.¡± I bit my tongue, fuck, this was not going to plan. I think she sensed my panic, the dread probably shaking through my bones without shame, because she sent another message into my head. ¡°Look, if this works out between our bosses, everything will be fine.¡± My mind tuned out the conversation going around me; it was easier not to focus on it. I pretended I was anywhere but stuck between Shaun, the Lieutenant and two corporates. Four potential silvers, two confirmed. The value of their bodies combined was enough to live a comfortable life for the next century. All I knew was that the conversation was being spun around in circles, deflection after prodding after deflection. If it continued, this would be fine ¡ª this would be fine. Everything could go back to normal. ¡°I really do believe the girl we¡¯re coming to see is worth it.¡± The corporate man smirked. ¡°She just received a Neuroframe, her first. You know how they are in that state, imagine having control of one. It¡¯s adorable. If you want, you can take her after we¡¯re done.¡± I didn¡¯t hide my gasp, a gargling expulsion of air released from pure shock. All eyes turned to me, Lucille and Shaun¡¯s staring daggers to silence me, the Lieutenant¡¯s piercing glare, the corporates¡¯ cold visors aimed towards me, and Diana¡¯s¡­ she stared blankly. As though in realization. The Lieutenant cracked a smile, a tiny corner of his lip lifting. ¡°Tell me more.¡± Before either of those seated could speak, the lieutenant lifted his hand. ¡°No, not you. I asked Ripley.¡± I felt my body drain of heat, a cold so numb I couldn¡¯t feel the world around me but the pinpricks of my own blood flow screamed inside of me. I didn¡¯t even question how he knew my name. Strangely, the Lieutenant took a glance at Diana. ¡°What were the names he asked you about on your call? Selene and Hoaqin right? Selene¡¯s the prettier name, and I bet she has a fine body.¡± Then he settled on me, and only me. It was like I was staring at a railgun. ¡°Now, tell me more about her.¡± The words sliced into me. I collapsed onto my knees, my metal arm twitching out of my control as groans of pain were forced into words by my brain¡¯s rewiring. ¡°We¡­ we¡¯re close friends. And-urgh!- been close since we were children! O-our parents worked toget-gether at Syntec!¡± I couldn¡¯t breathe out of the pure agony of my throat muscles being wrenched to the Lieutenant¡¯s commands, my mouth and lungs acted without caring for my conscious thought. They stole my memories and sold them away. ¡°My-my dad got fired, tried to reveal a-urgh! Coverup of¡ª then her parents tried as well. They¡¯re all dead now! She had¡­ trouble, so I got her some work- work¡ª work here. Protection. But- she doesn¡¯t deserve this!¡± ¡°Another victim of the machine.¡± The Lieutenant clicked his tongue, then his voice turned mellow, soft like a caring grandfather''s. ¡°Come here Ripley, point her out to me.¡± I didn¡¯t feel the strange compulsion then, but my legs still betrayed me and moved. I couldn¡¯t look at Shaun and Lucille¡¯s faces, I couldn¡¯t bare to. I knew what was on them. I gazed from the window, knowing that Selene wouldn¡¯t be able to see me through it. I pointed her out, her pink hair was like a spark of flaming joy amongst a sea of despair. Nearly the entire club was huddled into a circle on that dancefloor. It could fit maybe fifty bodies but right now it was definitely more than a hundred. They pulled Selene out from the mountain of people, throwing her to the ground before the barrel of a gun pointed to her head. I saw Hoaqin lurch, but he was pinned down in seconds, helpless. Just like me. ¡°Nononono¡­. No! What, why are you-!¡± The Lieutenant¡¯s hands fastened around both of my shoulders. ¡°Breathe, calm down.¡± It felt unnatural to me. My breathing turned slower than ever, relaxed and secure like a nested chick¡¯s sleeping beside his mother. But Selene had a gun to her head, this was a betrayal of my mind just as much as my body. It was a good thing then, that I could release my rage in place of panic. ¡°What do you want?!¡± He tapped the window. ¡°Now it would be a shame if we were to find that Selene had a knife on her and attacked one of my officers. But the floor of this fine establishment had to be painted with her brains for our safety. Unless, of course, you confirm that there is a deal occurring here. You¡¯ve seen evidence of it?¡± I wanted to answer ¡®no¡¯, but I didn¡¯t want Selene¡¯s brai- I couldn¡¯t think of it. Shaun and Lucille¡¯s gazes were no longer bastions of confidence, from their piercing irises alone I knew what they were saying. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them.¡± The Lieutenant wrapped a friendly arm around my shoulder. ¡°You mod all the girls here? My police pals claim they¡¯re perfect, and the Snake Fangs? Small in number and admittedly lacking in territory, tiny fish in a big sea, but what they have is a bite that keeps the bigger sharks from hunting them. You do Shardware a service, kid, it¡¯s a blessing and it¡¯s wasted here.¡± It was said matter of factly, but I reminded myself there were no promises made. I saw the future unfold, Selene¡¯s dead body and mine soon following with Shaun¡¯s Phoenix-60 Rifle. A hole in my chest large enough to take out my heart and lungs with one shot. ¡°I-I- Didn¡¯t-¡° My mouth couldn¡¯t form the words. I saw the gun muzzle deforming Selene¡¯s hair, her body quivering and the glistening of tears visible even from afar. If I could hear her voice, whatever heart-wrenching sound was coming out of it, I knew I would crumble. ¡°Just tell me. And you¡¯ll be doing me a favor that I could repay. I know some ways to relocate you, to give you the opportunity your intelligence deserves. Reconfiguring Neuroframes without an Implant takes talent, hell, just normal Shardware reconfiguration takes a lot from the mind. You¡¯re an engineer and a doctor rolled up in one? Why spend it all cooped up in the basement of a two century old building?¡± It still wasn¡¯t a promise¡­ but it was a start. ¡°The table.¡± I felt like an anvil had dropped from my throat. ¡°Has a hidden visual-isolated compartment in the middle of it, only I can open it with specific placement of my fingers on-¡° The Lieutenant didn¡¯t utter a word as he stepped towards the table. At once, his hand sharpened with steel claws that seemed to peel out of his skin. Not Shardware¡­ it was a Mutation. They began to hum, vibrating so fast they were a constant blur. Then they plunged, ripping the table into two and out fell all of its contents. The Lieutenant stared at the metal box for a second, mockingly shaking it in front of Shaun. ¡°Thank you, Ripley." Blood and Steel C4: Birth of a Monster Chapter 4: Birth of a Monster Final entry of a journal found within an empty grave located in Brooklyn, USA. Credited to a man named Mandel; entry dated May 24th 2101, three days after the MAL had descended. Author is suspected to have attained a Bronze BUG with the Features: Sustain and Integration. Auntie¡¯s dead, and Maya¡¯s not in any better condition. We were attacked by these¡­ shapes? I don¡¯t know. We were crawling through the old ruins, hoping to find some of those canned foods back from when they were mass produced but found nothing. Auntie had stopped by an old electronics store, she reminisced about something called a PlayStation. Said it would allow them to experience stories shown on a screen that you could control with a seperate device, even that there were magical goggles you could put on your eyes to hallucinate things that weren¡¯t there. I don¡¯t know when, but at some point we noticed that the store had seemed¡­ disturbed. Like everything was moved or altered in some way. Maya found a working display, we hadn¡¯t seen one properly working since seven years ago before the Scorch. Electricity hasn¡¯t been flowing through the city for thirty years. Auntie thought it was a miracle, a sign of things changing. But me and Maya knew something was wrong, maybe one of The Tinkerers had worked something up to get old tech functional again, but even that was bad. Then¡­ then the screen flickered. And all around us, pieces of old world technology lit up. Auntie stared like she had become a child again, I tried to warn her. A wolf cub? Or was it a badger of some kind? I couldn¡¯t tell, all I knew was that it grabbed her throat and I tried to rip it off, but it was so solid it felt like metal¡­ no, it was metal. My mind is fuzzy, I feel wobbly and my vision¡¯s blurry. Everything in my mind is doubled down or half-written. I¡¯m hoping writing this all down makes me remember more. I hammered it against the wall. My hands still bleed from its sharp body, but then something slithered out onto my hands. It looked like a cockroach made of bronze metal. It stabbed into my skin and then I fell in pain, all I remember next was Maya screaming at me as more of those¡­ things burst into the room. We ran, and I don¡¯t know how, but I¡¯d run faster than I ever have before. There¡¯s this strange warmth in my body. I nearly left Maya, her legs are injured and strangely, I¡¯m not. Despite the fresh wounds I can see on my arm right now, I feel energetic¡­ but remembering Auntie¡­ fuck! She¡¯d always said that when her time came that I should put her to rest next to Uncle¡¯s grave. We just left her body there! I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening, why did that store light up again? What were those things? Why do I feel so¡­ so different?! ¡ª I¡¯m staring at the old radio. It hasn¡¯t worked properly since the Scorch, but I can feel the buzz of it¡­ Like it¡¯s talking to me? Am I going crazy? There¡¯s this tingling in my fingertips, and it¡¯s leading me to the radio¡­ ¡ª I can hear the frequencies. All of them, they¡¯re everywhere. It was a mistake¡­ I don¡¯t even know what I did to the radio. But it¡¯s a part of me now. And I can¡¯t turn it off¡­ I¡¯m hearing their voices in my head. They don¡¯t feel, they only feed. I want it to stop. Make it stop! Auntie¡¯s dead and it¡¯s my fault. I knew there wasn¡¯t any food¡­ I just wanted to see the city one more time before we left south. I feel them getting louder, I hear them conspiring in languages I don¡¯t understand. But I can feel it, they¡¯re hungry. They¡¯re looking for something, searching. ¡ª My face is bleeding¡­ Maya¡¯s terrified but she¡¯s still taking care of me. She can hear noise around the house. I pulled it out of me too slowly. They could hear me from the radio¡­ they were searching for me. I was too late. I don¡¯t know why these malignant creatures are here¡­ but they¡¯re somehow connected to old tech that should have been fried by the sun. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening. I¡¯m giving this book to Maya. They were looking for me, so I¡¯m going to run out and take them away from here. Maya if you¡¯re reading this. I love you. 1:21 AM June 2nd, 2497 Ripley and Diana Diana stared, eyes wide as the gun barrel pulled from Selene¡¯s head. A very much clenched breath ripping free of her. What the fuck? This wasn¡¯t how they worked, how they were supposed to! She glanced at Ripley, feeling guilt shake her hands. This was- he was stuck between two guns aimed at each other. His already faded complexion was paler than a ghost, like he had rubbed ashes over it and frizzy black hair fell past his eyes, the sharpness of his irises beaming out of the frayed strands. They were intense like a crooked dagger but dulled by rust, the same as the color of his eyes. A solid gray with flecks of burnt orange sizzling over them. ¡°Selene¡¯s safe-¡° She tried to tell him through their Neuralink. ¡°Shut up!¡± The call cut abruptly and it left a panging in Diana¡¯s head. The AdStim hadn¡¯t worn off yet and she imagined her blazing fury visibly stirring around every second. The Lieutenant lifted the box, a winning smirk peeling the confidence off everyone in the room. ¡°Last chance, Shaun. What¡¯s in the box?¡± Shaun sighed with clenched teeth, defeated but not yet lost. ¡°Fixer never said, you¡¯re better off asking the Yuzhou corps.¡± Before the Lieutenant could even ask, the female corporate had already started speaking. ¡°It appears the owner of the package is now you, Lieutenant. How much would it take for it to be ours?¡± Shaun¡¯s expression contorted in rage as the Lieutenant smirked. Grazhe studied her face, and only after a moment of deliberation did he speak. ¡°That depends¡­ If it¡¯ll be worth more in my hands, or would the five million Shardynes you offered Shaun be better? I can only know that if you tell me what¡¯s in it.¡± Both of the two corporates remained utterly still, but the Lieutenant didn¡¯t. A faint glow in his eyes indicated a communication protocol, and then the overwhelming clench of his hands around the box sent a low vibration echoing across the room. ¡°You sneaky corporates¡­ Five million for this? You¡¯re fucking stealing from him, you know that?!¡± The Lieutenant let a grin beam out of him, a salivating one like a feast was in front oh him. ¡°No wonder Shaun¡¯s fixer didn¡¯t allow him to look. What¡¯re you paying them?¡± ¡°That is not for you to know.¡± The female corporate said. ¡°And please, since we¡¯re engaging in business now, call me Ms. Himiko.¡± A knowing look of shock settled into the Lieutenant¡¯s gaze, a humorous chuckle boring out. ¡°Very well, Ms. Himiko, but I can¡¯t go back empty handed, you know that. I¡¯ll need some false contraband to be placed in this container as a safeguard if you want it exchanged now.¡± Ripley stared in disbelief, he could see the rage quivering in Shaun¡¯s body, how his hand itched for the gun. This was all his fault, they both knew it, and he wasn¡¯t even sure if he could get anything out of it. ¡°Access codes were to be sent by the original seller once the Fixer confirmed I had retrieved it.¡± Ms. Himiko said, her body like a frozen statue. ¡°And I can¡¯t do that in good faith if it is not in my hands. Away from danger.¡± The Lieutenant¡¯s grasp on the box only tightened. Like a child with his favorite toy. ¡°And I can¡¯t do that unless I¡¯ve confirmed the goods. Away from prying eyes. After all, if what¡¯s in here isn¡¯t what you said it was¡­ then I¡¯m left with nothing.¡± The male ¡ª still unnamed corp ¡ª retorted. ¡°Except five million Shardyne.¡± ¡°Like I¡¯d take that with what could be gained. I have an idea, one where we all win. I take half of what¡¯s in here, you pay Shaun half of what you promised him, and you get half of the package as well.¡± Shaun rose up, his face contorted with rage. ¡°This wasn¡¯t what we agreed to-!¡° ¡°One million for Shaun and Lucille each.¡± Ms. Himiko agreed. ¡°And you, lieutenant, will pay him an extra half a million for his discretion. As for the other two here, I trust you will find ways to silence them. For the package itself, while I do not like it being logged into the station¡¯s system, it is hardly the first time police contraband has been resold to us. If you can agree to keep its contents concealed from the rest of the Westbrook Police District, then very well. We have a deal.¡± Ripley and Diana both listened in, but their hearts stammered at one statement. ¡®As for the other two here, I trust you will find ways to silence them.¡¯ They shared an equally uncertain look, and Ripley lurched as the Lieutenant looked at him. That once elderly gaze now devoured under the desire of greed. It would be so easy for the man to ¡®silence him¡¯, a single one of his fingers could end Ripley¡¯s life. And so¡­ he reached within him, for the sheer bravery and confidence only found in the seconds before death. The only way to preserve himself was to sell himself. ¡°I can open that box.¡± Ripley said with false confidence. ¡°It¡¯s a variant of a SynTec Pandora, uses custom made magnetic locks protected by a holo-weave mesh. Just give me a moment and I can open it, then you two can finish the deal here and now. But Shaun gets the full two-and-a-half, and I-¡° Ms. Himiko interrupted him, and for the first time her mouth moved behind the veil. There was an almost sadistic glee in her voice, but it sounded off and strained. ¡°If you can somehow open a box like that, then you would get a spot in our company. No questions asked. It¡¯s locked behind a Silver Grade DataShield with a Fire Tendency, any prodding you do would instantly burn your Neuroframe to a crisp. If it turns out a non-Implant breached a SynTec Pandora of this grade, then their entire company becomes a laughing stock.¡± Fire Tendency? He¡¯d never heard of that before, and from the sounds of it this box was either going to kill him, or free him. It was worth the shot. The male corporate was snorting as the Lieutenant walked towards Ripley with calm, deliberate steps. ¡°You don¡¯t even have an Implant. The DataShield in this will kill you. And it will be slow and agonizing as your neurons begin to wage war on one another.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± He handed me the container. ¡°If you do this, you might be worth investing in after all.¡± Then Ripley felt a prick in one of his arms, a shallow needle reaching for his right radial artery. An Adrenal-Stim, He¡¯d used them to stay up for nights on end, but this was nothing like that. This was an Iron-Grade. ¡°Focus.¡± The Lieutenant¡¯s voice echoed his mind into submission. Ripley¡¯s muscles clenched, and his Shardware arm ceased to rattle, becoming utterly still under his mind¡¯s eye. It had never been so quiet in his life, even as his mind spun between fluctuating chaos, fear, and hope; each emotion fighting for control. At once, he got to work. His arm expanded and shifted with mechanical whirs and buzzing, metal sliding over one another in intricate patterns until it became every tool he would ever need in his life. His RipClaw was his pride and joy, and often the reason he was so broke. After all, this was the only model of it in existence. A generational gift from across the family line from it¡¯s original creator. Ripley¡¯s grandfather. And that thought grounded him, his grandfather had used a Bronze Implant with this arm, then his mother with an Iron until it degenerated. Now he was here with no Implant. But that didn¡¯t mean this arm disobeyed him. He followed the whirs that guided him, hearing profound knowledge that had been embedded in it over the last century. Information he had never known flooded his muscle memory into action. A small laser beamed out from his pinky finger into the metal cube¡¯s side, exposing a faint depression that sharp blades from his index finger dissected. The internal software would be too difficult for him to bypass, Warpcode was never his specialty. If he wanted to breach it, he would have to attack the Hardware ¡ª or in this case, the Shardware. He felt a defiance, a quiet humming from the box as it seemed to recognize his prying claw. A Silver Grade was no joke. This wasn¡¯t his first time breaking into a Sharded Container, jailbreaking was his original job back when his mother was the Snake Fang¡¯s Shard Op. Back when her ¡ª his ¡ª Shardware still hadn¡¯t attacked her. He had cracked Bronze lockboxes with human arms. Even if they took him several weeks, but they were half as sophisticated as a Pandora. And a Silver would add¡­ significant difficulty. He acted subtly, exposing the seams soldered so finely together they appeared invisible with penetrating bursts of light. The cube was no longer just a mystic box of no understanding, it was revealed in its true form to him. A puzzle of metal interconnected, woven to appear unbreakable but if the right threads were pulled¡­? A sheet of metal stripped bare had exposed a fine concentration of wires and switches leading deeper into the box. During the process, he¡¯d wondered why the Lieutenant simply didn¡¯t just tear the box open¡­ and it seemed his hunch was right. Following the wires deeper led to an inbuilt explosive, much like many of the containers he had broken into as a kid. He was seventeen when he¡¯d tried breaking into one his mother hadn¡¯t prepared yet. He never understood why she always needed to tinker and make them easier for him. That was the day he¡¯d lost his hand, before he¡¯d gotten his entire right arm removed three months ago. He worked on the explosive first, carefully pruning wires and dismantling circuitry in ways his conscious brain couldn¡¯t quite grasp. His arm delved deeper, slicing millimeter long breaks into the circuitry and tiny cameras fed into his display. He logged the information in, step by step building a diagram of the tech through shoddy software he¡¯d made himself. Diana, meanwhile, observed. His face wasn¡¯t like hers even under the AdStim, whereas she had become a brewing storm kept at bay through pure force, he had harnessed the grueling river into a concentrated flow of work. No longer a rusty blade, but a sharpened one. But how could she control her toiling emotions when she was commanded to stay still?! Even as the Lieutenant held her fate in his hands, discussing it with their corporate overlords. ¡°I would kill her, normally offer her up to the Snake Fangs as a token of peace. Or at least, send her on an assignment where she would most likely die.¡± He was completely neutral in his tone. Diana knew what was coming next. ¡°Her father is an important man to the police, Brian Ulrich. So I¡¯ll make sure she¡¯s kept quiet and submissive, genes like hers are best put to use.¡± Both relief and rage settled inside her. So the Lieutenant did know, and he was letting her be aware of that fact. How many people on the force knew about her biological father then? She hadn¡¯t questioned her quick rise to the First Officer because she knew she¡¯d worked hard. She wanted to deserve it. Not handed out to her. Her emotions only silenced when a louder whir shook the room. Ripley opened the box. Except he didn¡¯t, he was nowhere close to it. He had just disarmed the explosive and plucked out the tiny volatile vial when the box suddenly spewed musky steam and the seam on its top grew larger, opening up as the metal plate split into quarters and folded back. Taking a look at the contents, Ripley didn¡¯t feel amazement, he didn¡¯t feel proud, he didn¡¯t even feel confusion. He felt dread. His focus shattered into fear, and it took every bit not to drop the box. The Lieutenant stepped near to him, his own eyes looking at the box¡¯s content, and it seemed Ripley wasn¡¯t the only one seized in fear at the moment. The Lieutenant raised his hand to his temple, panic flooding his voice as he spoke. ¡°This is Lieutenant Jacob Grazhe, requesting immediate NeoCore Operatives! Code: M-3-0-G, yes-! It¡¯s a Gold-Grade!¡± At the sound of the words ¡®NeoCore¡¯ and ¡®Gold¡¯ everyone rose up into chaos, the room had risen in a tide of terror. NeoCore could mean only one thing, and if it was a Gold then they truly were fucked. Lucille tapped a pad in her hands, Shaun raised his rifle, the two corporates stayed seated but a snuff of breath tore out of them both. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°This what you meant when you said you were getting two Gold Implants? Right under Silvha¡¯s nose, a MALignant seed?!¡± The Lieutenant shouted, and Shaun¡¯s eyes went wide. Shaun¡¯s rifle pulsed with energy, Silver specks of light manifesting a blazing heat through the coils as he turned to the two corporates. ¡°Gold? You were trying to get me to ship a Gold MAL?! For five million?! Forget that, I want twenty just for organizing this clusterfuck of a meeting! Just for having that shit on my table! Fuck this! I¡¯m getting one of those Implants!¡± Shaun¡¯s rifle twisted around with his body, the iron sights on the container. Which Ripley was holding. ¡°Don¡¯t shoot, you idiot!¡± The Lieutenant ripped the rifle away from Shaun, sending it flying towards the wall. The thick slap made the ¡®content¡¯ of the box quiver. Ripley couldn¡¯t rip his eyes away, a translucent orb no bigger than his fist was sending everyone into chaos. It was like an egg without the thick white layer, a mucous-coated film of orange with glowing veins that looked more like circuitry coating it. A MAL-Seed. And even worse. A MALignant ¡ª the most dangerous variant, its power breached the limits of both technology and the organic. ¡°Close it Ripley.¡± The Lieutenant¡¯s wide eyes struck into him like a sword. ¡°Close it!¡± Immediately, Ripley found his body refusing to listen to fear and sensibility, to run away. He fumbled, pulling out a chord from his RipClaw and injecting it into a dock on the box¡¯s side. Instantly, he felt his brain melt, like searing heat was drooling on his thinking. Long lines of code appeared in his vision, and to call it a DataShield was a gross understatement. It was a wall of code made of pure fire to his Neuroframe¡¯s gaze, like a furnace so hot that it burned his eyes just from looking at it. He¡¯d heard of DataShields like this, none more infamous than the FIREWALL within the center of the SecondNet keeping a MALtitan at bay. The MALseed shook as the Pandora¡¯s internal environment, keeping it asleep, was infected by the chaos spilling through the room. The Lieutenant shouted, even keeping his Mutation at bay. ¡°Everyone, shut down your Shardware! And Shaun, stay as far away from it as possible, if it senses the Warp Energy in your genes it¡¯ll wake up! Our best bet here is to keep it asleep until NeoCore comes and deals with it!¡± ¡°-And lose out on Gold Implants!?¡± Shaun stood up, equally matching the Lieutenant in size. But his body did seem less virile than before, as though some flow of energy through him had seized. ¡°Either that or your life.¡± Ms. Himiko, her voice still calm and graceful, didn¡¯t move an inch the whole meeting. ¡°A shame. That it has come to this. Jinsung, if you survive, you¡¯re fired.¡± The man couldn¡¯t help but shift away, jerking at her casual remark. ¡°I- I didn¡¯t know that Dogwh-¡° Then his Neuroframe sizzled. An abrupt spurting of electricity before he coughed blood onto Ms. Himiko, and he thudded on the floor. Ms. Himiko still didn¡¯t move, her voice remaining cold and emotionless. ¡°You speak too much.¡± Then the same sizzling crackled from behind her head, and she coughed up blood. She slumped, it didn¡¯t take Ripley or Diana much to know they were both dead. But why? Why kill yourself? He could hardly even process the events when he saw the seed shift, a shadow stirring within the yolk like blobs of ink. ¡°Close it Ripley. NOW!¡± That urgent voice took hold of him again, and he stopped fiddling with the code and brought his hands up to the four pieces of metal that had once enclosed the MAL-Seed. It refused to budge, it refused to even vibrate under all his strength. ¡°And turn off that Shardware!¡± Ripley¡¯s own thoughts pushed into a void he didn¡¯t know he had in him, and his arm reacted defiantly. A flash of pain drilled through him as a vague presence of something like blood within the metal seemed to pulse with resistance. Then the sound of grating metal sent shivers through his spine. On two of his metallic hand¡¯s fingers, a fine slimy tendril of steel-colored flesh had wrapped them together, squeezing the metal out of shape. In a crunch, they were twisted apart and his Shardware blazed warnings up his arm. Ripley panicked, dropping the box but the MAL-Seed, no, the MALignant refused to let go. It was still mostly in its egg-like confinement, but a spiral of yolk-absorbing tentacles now began to mature as the ¡®yolk¡¯ disappeared rapidly. A further crunch and Ripley saw his pinky finger snap off painlessly, but the panic fleeing into his brain ordered him to run. ¡°Stay where you are!¡± The Lieutenant¡¯s voice forced his muscles to freeze when every fiber of his body wanted to run. He stared helplessly, a voice coming out in desperate wheezes that no one would be able to understand. The Lieutenant held a gun up to¡­ to his head? What? ¡°The Seed needs to mature, at least devour some biomass before it can spawn Implants from its death. As soon as he¡¯s killed, I¡¯ll shoot the MAL. Then take one of the Implants.¡± The Lieutenant offered to Shaun. ¡°One for us each.¡± Shaun nodded, before taking a solemn look at Ripley. ¡°Sorry kid, you brought this upon yourself.¡± Upon himself? Ripley tried to warn them! To- to help them! It wasn¡¯t his fault they all toyed with him, using him! He had to make himself worth keeping alive, no matter how- The tendrils wrapped higher, digging into the steel of his forearm. A painful crackling of electricity and metallic wrenching dug out a fear that dwelled deep into him¡­ and somehow it all perverted into a display so removed from the dread devouring him up, he started laughing. This was the end? For so long, he¡¯d dreamed of Iron, the lowest Grade. And now, he would die being consumed by Gold. An electric buzz overshadowed the room, a quick and precise shot splattering the egg into goo that splashed over Ripley¡¯s face and his arm ¡ª it burned. Like hellfire. He fell to the floor as the tentacles splattered on the floor along with two of his metallic fingers, the MALignant already having feasted on them. Diana rushed to him. She couldn¡¯t care, from the moment that monster unveiled itself every bit of her body began to itch for action. She stared at the unmoving mass of tendrils, its body still faintly buzzing with electricity. As she aimed her gun at it, finger on the trigger until a voice shook her resolve. ¡°Stop Diana! Fuck, it¡¯s dying! It¡¯ll be a waste!¡± She couldn¡¯t pull the trigger no matter how much she wanted to, and the monster jerked once more. She didn¡¯t know how, but even without eyes, she knew the monster was looking at her in rage. At her pistol. It¡¯s tentacles jumped, clawing the weapon from her hand and only the feeling of a large gash on her palm gave her the sensibility to yank away. She watched in horror as the MAL feasted on her pistol, ripping it to pieces that it¡¯s fleshy parts melted into. ¡°Just kill it already!¡± Lucille screamed at the Lieutenant, but he was only focused on the feasting MAL. Lucille¡¯s calmer demeanor cracked away in panic, her arm splitting into a complex machination of metal blades and electricity. Before the Lieutenant could stop her, she had already moved to attack with her arm outstretched as a spear. Then Shaun gripped Lucille¡¯s arm, not feeling a spark as he stared into the blazing eyes of his second in command. ¡°A Bronze should plump it up faster, right¡­ Jacob?¡± Before the dreadful realization could settle into her, Shaun¡¯s arm had moved to grip Lucille¡¯s. ¡°You brought this upon yourself, Lucille. I¡¯m not a fucking idiot!¡± He tossed her hard enough that the couch flipped over and she landed right next to the MAL with a twisted metal arm poking out of her otherwise human limb. Lucille couldn¡¯t scream before the MAL delved into her mouth with prying tentacles, neither of them could even wince at how quick it happened. How quickly the MAL¡¯s predatory instincts had acted, digging through her with shards of metal it had absorbed from Diana¡¯s gun and Ripley¡¯s hand. They both watched in horror as mere feet away from them, Lucille¡¯s body spasmed out with twisting bones that bent so hard their joints ejected blood. Even once it was clear the light in her eyes had faded, her body still jerked around as the beast within squirmed through her organs. Eating her and the metal implants that had once made her so beautiful. The Lieutenant finally shot his rifle, a thick ray of blue-and-yellow energy eviscerating her stomach into a mist of blood. As the shrill of his rifle quieted and motion in the room stilled, it seemed like it was over. Until the MAL shot out of her body like a bolt of lightning. Literal lightning, it¡¯s entire form crackling with sparks and wisps of energy all directed at Lieutenant Grazhe. Diana gasped at it¡¯s sight, a tall ¡ª maybe seven feet long ¡ª and lanky skeletal being made of fleshy wires buzzing with electricity, and it had stuck a claw through the Lieutenant¡¯s rifle and arm. It didn¡¯t even have a face, instead it looked like a flower bud opening up to reveal a starfish of teeth and sparks. Grazhe screamed in pain with his body seizing up, but through pure grit and mutated strength he tossed the MAL against the wall, pummeling with vibrating fists that cracked the concrete apart with each throw. Each pound blossomed forth tentacles that thrashed back with motion too quick to keep track off, whipping and flailing. Grazhe didn¡¯t flinch, he kept his protection focused on his head and neck with barriers of what looked like solid air. ¡°Let go! BE STILL!¡± If before, all those little commands had been a whisper, this had been him screaming through a speaker. Ripley let go of the air in his lungs, Diana unclutched her jacket, even Shaun who was fumbling with the elevator controls dropped his prized gun. The MAL resisted, it froze for only a second that Shaun didn¡¯t relent with. Ripley and Diana felt their bones rattle as Shaun grabbed the MAL by its ¡®throat¡¯ and dragged it bare across the wooden wall, leaving thick chunks of flesh in the path of splinters. Suddenly, Ripley felt the hair on his head begin to float up before a discharge of violent yellow detonated across the Mal¡¯s body, sending the Lieutenant crashing through the room. It¡¯s various limbs probed the air as if to feel around for the lieutenant¡¯s body, even reduced in size by more than a half and clearly dazed, neither Ripley nor Diana were sure if it was in worse shape than the Lieutenant. Getting up, Jacob Graze injected himself with a stimulant of a grade Ripley couldn¡¯t tell. Within seconds, the incessant bleeding of his wounds didn¡¯t matter, all that mattered was that the MAL was his enemy and that it had to die. Its Implants had to be his. Too much blood spilled out of him with each step, but a wild smile overtook that serious face of his as glass began to crack all around him. The Lieutenant kept both his arms up, a faint Silver glow covering the bloodstained limbs, then he choked the room. Ripley and Diana felt their legs give out, the ground rattled and their ears panged in pain as vertigo twisted the floor and roof into one concept. The MAL roared silently, picking itself up with some godforsaken immunity to whatever both of them were dealing with. It pounced like a panther. Clawed tentacles unveiled from its ¡®arms¡¯ and the beginnings of teeth within its petal-like mouth demanded the Lieutenant¡¯s blood. Jacob squeezed his fists, and all the sound in the room concentrated to a singular glowing point on his right fist. The second he punched the MALignant, the room exploded into force ¡ª the window was already shattered before the MAL went flying through it. The wooden floor splintered while the furniture around them flattened into debris and dust that covered them both. Gasping for air, the lieutenant removed a syringe from a shoulder-pad and injected it into his leg. Only once his body¡¯s screaming pain reduced to a dull dribble of weakness did he turn around. ¡°Shaun! What the hell! You could have helped!¡± But Shaun was already in the elevator, and its doors had just shut. The man who had once been a sort of replacement father-figure for Ripley spoke through the speakers. Nothing but apathy burning in his voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Ripley, but you¡¯re dying with the club.¡± And the elevator descended, safely into the underground. Ripley could do nothing but blankly look as the sounds of screaming and bloodshed reached from past the window. Wait, the MAL was downstairs? And it wasn¡¯t dead?! Selene and Hoaqin¡­ Ripley burst into movement. The lingering AdStim gave him the bravery he needed to start, until a howling whistle crumbled him. ¡°Oh no. You two¡­ you messed up big time. Diana¡¯s going to get her due at the station, but you¡¯re the one who turned this into a clusterfuck.¡± Grazhe¡¯s voice was cold, a knife sharpening against the folds of his brain. Then, the lieutenant clicked his tongue, raising his trembling fingers to his temple. ¡°This is Lieutenant Grazhe, I can confirm that the MAL-Seed has awoken, it¡¯s currently at Tier 2. A Prowler. Y-yes, it¡¯s a fucking Gold! Do I need to repeat myself! Get NeoCore here sta-!¡° Blood spilled from his mouth, a sharp tentacle spawned from beyond the window penetrating the back of his head like a spear. Desperate gags and gurgles reached out for them both, before a vicious yank tore him through the window, his body thudding wetly for them to hear. ¡°By the Founders, it got the lieutenant!¡± ¡°Is it the drugs¡­ or is that an actual MALignant?¡± ¡°Let us out! We¡¯re going to die!¡± ¡°Please, please help ¡ª don¡¯t leave us here!¡± Desperation and chaos boomed from below, gunfire and sounds of wet ripping promised a world of misery if they were to look down the window. Diana moved silently, pulling herself out of the debris as harrowing fear and guilt wrapped around her. Her Lieutenant was¡­ dead? People were dying, and she was¡ª she was safe up here. As long as NeoCore got here soon, as long as the MALignant didn¡¯t remember the two easy prey in the office, as long as the elevator didn¡¯t take them to a very angry Shaun ¡®Bloodmuncher¡¯ waiting below¡­ The thoughts overwhelmed her, would she spend the last minutes of her life cowering on the hopes of variables? Knowing nothing but the aching drive to do something, she reached for the gun that Shaun had dropped during the battle between the Lieutenant and the MAL. A Phoenix-60, it was Silver Grade ¡ª volatile enough to shoot through ten feet of concrete if you aimed right. ¡°You- you¡¯re going to fight?¡± Ripley¡¯s own resolve was wavering, seeing just how easily the Lieutenant¡­ a Silver-Grade was killed. ¡°I- I have a code that I want to stick to, even if I die down there¡­ maybe I can get one extra person out. I can¡¯t run away from this!¡± She stared at the gun, choosing to forget the tears dripping down her face by taking in the weapon¡¯s capabilities. A single-bolt plasma rifle from four decades ago. Five shots per round and- ¡°Wait! Take these¡­¡± Ripley scrounged on the floor, whacking away broken furniture until he managed to find the shattered table. ¡°Extra ammo and¡­¡± He saw it once more, the Bronze Implant. The BUG had curled up into a shell and its case was destroyed, a single drop of his blood would bind it to him. He pretended like he was sweeping the floor, still looking for something as he scooped it in his palm and stuffed it into his pants. His heart hammered against his ribs. He had one. The promise he set onto himself for the last three years finally secured. Once he got out of here¡­ and he will get out of here, he could say goodbye to this stupid club. If there even was a club to say goodbye to. But first, Selene. He hastened, stuffing some of the Silver Grenades he had seen earlier. Running his finger over the sleek metal of the Implant in his pocket gave him hope as he reached for the door. It was shut tight. The club was on lockdown. ¡°I- I can open it if you give me time.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time Ripley! I¡¯m jumping!¡± Her voice was on the edge of breaking but it was true, every second was being shaken by desperate gunfire. And every second there was less of it. Diana didn¡¯t wait for his response, she leaned over the railing, and Ripley hurriedly sprang after her to warn caution. She dropped, and he looked down. Still holding the gun, she fell more than ten feet before her legs extended to touch the floor, her body shrank and compressed like a spring, rolling seamlessly onto the balcony beneath. Then she jumped again with no hesitation, to the bottom. On to a dancefloor where neon lights strobed over dismembered bodies, illuminating over their bloodlet corpses as though trying to return color to their pale and hollow faces. Ripley didn¡¯t give the voices in his head a second to argue. He jumped after her down to the balcony overlooking the dancefloor, but mid-fall he caught sight of the MALignant crushing STRIKE armor like a tin can. When his eyes returned to the ground, his feet had already met solidity and his impact had the grace of a fish rolling around on land. He put most of the force on his metal arm, it wouldn¡¯t shatter like his bones, but a hideous crack on his left ankle seriously alerted him. It was only the adrenaline within that allowed him to stand up despite the pain, his eyes frantically searching for Selene from higher above. He spotted her under a table, that pink hair could never escape him. And in a few more moments, he scouted Hoaqin hiding behind several Snake Fangs shooting the MALignant with ballistic and energy guns. The ballistic bullets splattered gold ichor off the MAL, leaving finger width holes that crowded up with flesh as fast as they had appeared. Whereas energy-based projectiles only fed it, he tried to scream over the madness that it fed on electricity but two horns shot out from its head and impaled three Snake Fangs in one fell swoop, their bodies instantly shocked with enough voltage to sear their Neuroframes into ash. He couldn¡¯t say a word after that, he knew those people¡­ he¡¯d eaten lunch with them just yesterday. Cupping his metal hand over his trembling, fleshier limb, he found a resolve in the sight of Hoaqin and Selene. ¡°Hoaqin! Grab Selene from under that table and run!¡± Ripley yelled before twisting one of the grenades, lobbing it from his position above. He didn¡¯t worry about potential casualties from the explosion, anyone near it was already dead. The Silver Grenade arced poorly, his foot could hardly take any weight and he had tossed it too short. The last thing Ripley expected was for the MAL to grab it with one of its tentacles and bring it closer for inspection. The beginnings of an eye began to melt over its face, and somehow it seemed to be aware of the mechanism behind the grenade as an electric shock nullified the priming. Fuck. Ripley ducked behind cover, that eye had been scanning for where the grenade was thrown from, but unbeknownst to him a river of heat sought forth the vile creature. Diana¡¯s aim was calculated. The impact with the grenade sent a shockwave of force and light that far exceeded either of their expectations. The fragile and broken club only further crumbled and shattered with the pounding blast of air. Blind and deafened, Ripley felt an uncomfortable shift of weight where he leaned from, realizing too late that the balcony was tilting. He tried to lurch to safety, but his ankle twisted beneath him to drag him down with the crumbling balcony he stood on, another ten foot drop. This time something definitely broke. Pain gagged his throat as he groped amidst the darkness of his impact and the dust that had stormed up from the grenade. A sharp sting yelled up his thigh as he felt his left leg, pulling back when a mere touch felt like a blade sticking through him. Or out of him. That was a bone¡­ his bone, he¡¯d just touched. A wrenching scream tore out of him, just one more voice to the chorus of misery and death in the club. Sirens wailed from afar, coming for those who had subscriptions with MEDevac ¡ª he wouldn¡¯t be one of them. As the ground grew more wet with fluid that was meant to be inside of him, his body became all the more cold. ¡°Ripley!¡± A woman¡¯s voice called out for him. ¡°Hoaqin!¡± Now it called for his friend. ¡°Please! Someone help me! What¡¯s happening!¡± Selene called ¡ª that was her voice! Ripley¡¯s metal arm blazed where his flesh couldn¡¯t muster the energy to, tearing apart the rubble atop of him and tossing it away like trash. Something in him was pulsing so deeply, so vitally, it was like he had a second heart beating next to his. He couldn¡¯t stand up, not with his leg how it was. But he could open his eyes and as the dust cleared, he saw who he needed. Hoaqin was crawling amidst the fallen infrastructure, and Selene was feet away from him. Her dazed mind was addled and confused as she stepped openly for everyone to see. But¡­ she was close, close enough to the exit. Close enough to hide! Just get out of the open, Selene! Then a slithering sound sent a bitter wave of cold through Ripley, the MALignant remained standing with only one-third of its body eviscerated from the explosion¡­ and it was healing pounds of flesh every second. Inside, a part of him had already known her fate when the MALignant was thrown through the window. And he knew for a fact what would happen now that Hoaqin made a run for it to the exit while he could. Abandoning Selene, abandoning them both. The sounds of feet clamoring and bodies rushing and falling through rubble hammered all around him in a cacophony of despair. He searched within him for the spark, but it had faded just as quickly as it had appeared. Even his metallic arm was too scared to say the comforting words it had always done for him. ¡°Selene!¡± It wasn¡¯t a shout, barely even a wheeze, just how much blood had he lost to feel this weak? A river of fire pierced the healing MAlignant once more, and Ripley dared to feel his hope be placed in Diana. Its body slumped, trudging just a few steps before a second bolt of plasma ripped a fist-sized hole through its chest. Both holes mended quickly, but the third shot healed even slower. The fourth remained for nearly three seconds. The fif- damn it! The rifle only had five shots and one was already used. Diana was reloading, and that was enough time for the MALignant to generate a spark of electricity through its fingers that trailed into it¡¯s wounds to bubble flesh anew. It roared, a screeching reverberance that never belonged to this world. The next shot was dodged under a streak of crackling tentacles, the MALignant tearing through the rubble and dust with lashing tendrils to find the shooter. Ripley only realized when he heard a sick ¡®thud¡¯, then a louder ¡®thud¡¯. Selene stared at him, eyes in that same daze they had been all night ever since her Neuroframe procedure, confused and fearful of what was to come even behind that happy smile she wore all the time. Her body may have been covered by layers of muck and dust, but her beauty shined through it. How many times had her warmth been the strength he needed? Why then, were they not attached? Her head rolled away, while her body remained still. The weight of everything hit in that moment, his shattered leg, the destruction of his job, Selene¡¯s pleading gaze ¡ª detached from her torso. He was going to die, but then again¡­ life may not be worth living anymore. Blood and Steel C5: Humanitys Resistance Chapter 5: Humanity¡¯s Resistance A brief history of the world¡¯s prime peacekeeping force from the NeoCore Netsite homepage. The Collapse had shattered civilization. The Scorch had left no hope for recovery. The First Swarm had promised it¡¯s doom. Then, six Founders had descended from the heavens, and of them, Michelle Silva had pioneered the creation of NeoCore in the hopes of safeguarding humanity from the plight caused by the MAL-Swarm and its Titans. With the support of fellow Founder Beauregard Mazhyr, she had established the first global peacekeeping force following the Second Swarm¡¯s sudden appearance. In this primitive form known as the SilverGuard, she had produced enough results to reclaim the territory of what now comprises the Free Cities. Together with Mazhyr, the very first Neuroframes were created and distributed without economic gain. A promise that stays true even today. Soon, the other four founders poured their resources into the SilverGuard where it henceforth became known as NeoCore in the year 2277. Over the Last 220 years, we have reclaimed more than 34% of the MAL-Infected regions and continue to press our vanguard forward. We, NeoCore, remain steadfast in our duty of being humanity¡¯s bastion. If you believe that your skills can help NeoCore in any way, consider contacting your local recruitment center or donating to our cause. NeoCore: Humanity¡¯s sword. 1:43 AM June 2nd, 2497 Diana My fingers trembled as they slammed the ammunition clip into the gun, a painful squeeze that required every bit of strength my hands had to offer. A Silver-Grade gun was meant for Adapters, even jamming a jailbreaker chip into its dock hadn¡¯t done much besides let me use it¡¯s most basic functions. My difficulty was purely mechanical. The oscillation of the gun started low then heightened until it whistled right next to my ear. My NeuroFrame¡¯s Standard Aim Protocol doing little compared to the training I had. The gun¡¯s whistle pierced to its climax, my desperation forcing my arms into a form that my muscles begged to be freed from. The distant form I sought to end was shrouded and irregular, but the clear visibility of illuminating sparks and twisting wiry flesh was where my aim went ¡ª it was no different than the deers I used to hunt. I told myself that as a bolt of plasma scorched the distance between us, except it twisted in a way no creature of this planet ever could, a mass of tendrils bending in obtuse angles to evade my assault. I hurried for my next shot, the heat of the plasma coil making me nauseous and the whip of a seeking tendril striking dread through me. Blood flashed amidst the veil of gray and neon but I couldn¡¯t tell anything apart other than the vile sparks radiating off my target, the second shot fired without any recoil just as all the others had. I dropped the gun anyway. I knew I¡¯d missed, but the eruption of heat and energy left me writhing in my own sweat and pain. My arms felt like they¡¯d hauled a ton of steel around the entire district without rest. A shrill scream slaughtered my hope, the rushing sound of flying debris and tearing limbs growing closer to me with every second. I didn¡¯t want to close my eyes. At the very least, I wanted to know what death looked like. I wouldn¡¯t get that chance again. A spark flooded through me, an idea. A hope? It came too late as the MALignant burst through a wall of fallen stone to my side. The gun was dead weight, so with both arms¡­ no, I couldn¡¯t throw it. Doing that would make it stronger. But maybe I could blow it up. If only I could. I had hesitated for too long and I didn¡¯t know the first thing about setting a gun to self destruct. I scrambled for any last thoughts as the MAL burned its focus in my direction. Yellow and black wires fell from it¡¯s body like fur, electricity dripped from its body much like a hungry predator¡¯s drool and finally, it had eyes. Too many eyes and they were all trapped in a prison of agony and torture, as though it¡¯d taken them from its victims. My eyes would soon join it; perfect silver eyes. Its tentacles reached for me, and I¡¯d all but resigned myself to the fate born of my investigation, but the stone beside us shattered as light pierced into the MAL. A spear of golden-blue metal, beautiful and arcane, was the only separation between my life and my death. I didn¡¯t know whether to stare in awe or confusion. Then the spear moved without anyone gripping it, in a burst of movement it pulled back through the rubble with the MAlignant still attached. It flew into the hands of an armored woman. And I instantly felt hope, real hope, not just brief flutterings of it being grabbed out of desperation from the darkness. That white armor which wrapped around my savior¡¯s body like a second set of muscles was a sun beaming relief into my entire body. She was a NeoCore Enforcer. Mechanical wings of metal and light spun out from her back, as magnificent as they were functional. She lifted up the spear, carrying the MALignant with the effort she needed to blink. The Enforcer stabbed the MAL¡¯s body into the roof, impaling it between stone and her ¡ª and from her gauntlets shot strings that entangled the MAL. Then¡­ I recognized her. Archangel. One of NeoCore¡¯s star recruits, a former Imperium actress by the name of Alisha Noori. Even her voice was angelic, a calm and serene voice that sounded like a songbird¡¯s chirp even amidst this orchestra of destruction. ¡°Reporting to Inquisitor Tusk: Confirmation of a Gold-Grade MALignant, Hunter; Tier 3. Appears to be a CyberGene carrier; definitely a Gear Glutton, either a Carrion or Warlock on the mutagen side.¡± The MAL screamed in its confinement, gripping the blue web with what were now clearly hands and claws formed of its tendrils. With ease, the Holo-wires disappeared into its body, the energy absorbed in seconds. ¡°Correction,¡± Archangel responded to her comms, her gauntlets shining as they shifted from one purpose to another. ¡°A Warlock.¡± The web burst apart, the electricity it indulged on wrapping around the MALignant like an oversized scarf. I couldn¡¯t count just how many tentacles lashed out all at once. What I did know was that Archangel was not the least bit scared, her arms wreathed silver light into sharp angular blades that precisely slashed any threat in her way. Gooey tendrils rained down one after the other as the Enforcer dismantled the MALignant¡¯s aggression with elegant twirls and sweeps using her wings and blades. She reached out with her arm, the spear ¡ª still impaling the MALignant ¡ª pulling back towards her as though she reeled it in with a line. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. As it flew into her hands, she spun the momentum downwards before twisting in an arc and slicing the MALignant apart. Three sections crashed into the floor, but only two dissolved into molten flesh and golden shards. ¡°Core¡¯s in it¡¯s head.¡± Archangel called out to no one in particular. She ran her hand along the shaft of her spear, a warm wisp of light trailing up in a spiral that shifted the mechanical plates of the weapon, reorganizing and healing what was damaged. ¡°It¡¯s absorbed a part of my spear¡¯s casing. Might have some form of electromagnetism.¡± Her wings whirred, boosting her down towards the recovering MALignant like she was an envoy of silver death. The MALignant roared, a sphere of voltage growing around it that melted into the floor. Then it burst back up, lifting shrapnel into the air¡­ shrapnel that obeyed the MAL¡¯s commanding shriek as it shredded into the descending Enforcer. She flew through it, barely a nick on her armor, and impaled the MALignant once more. This time she didn¡¯t give it the chance to steal from her weapon, throwing it aside and just as quickly slashing into it again. I hoped, really hoped that this was going to be the end of it. But I¡¯d always known that as soon as things got too good, something else would go wrong. This was no exception. A small tremble on Archangel¡¯s side flicked her gaze, the metallic components of several Adapters¡¯ Shardware twitching, tearing off into finger-length shards. The inch-long slivers flew towards the fight, a storm of metal chips digging into the Enforcer who tried to ignore them as she ripped the MALignant apart, bits of fleshy metal flying in a spray. Then her arm froze, her attention forced towards the miasmic Golden veins running up her armor as those Shards bit into her protective aegis. Her chilled voice sent a quake through my spine. ¡°Inquisitor, I think this MALignant might be above my paygrade. It¡¯s¡­ modifying my armor.¡± She leapt away, light burning through her visage to fight off the infection in her suit. The MALignant didn¡¯t wait to heal in order to pounce, it lashed forward with claws of flesh and metal into a prismatic barrier that started as one hexagon before spreading around as a sphere. Tentacles wrapped around the sphere, grating its protection away into sparks of energy that fed it. With each spark, its body grew larger, it was now clear that somehow the MALignant was healing using electricity. And this barrier was the ultimate feeding ground for it. Whatever was going to happen, I wasn¡¯t going to stick around and find out. Grabbing the rifle tightly, I leaped over the scattered stone and metal, praying that the MALignant was too focused on the NeoCore Enforcer to notice me. I didn¡¯t look down, if I did, I would see all the bodies that¡­ I¡¯d caused to die. No, this wasn¡¯t the time. I focused all of my remaining adrenaline on running, on fleeing. I saw the entrance, shrouded in rubble but a quick jump would get me out of here. ¡°Diana¡­?¡± A weak voice called out for me, and I paused. I shouldn¡¯t be stopping. I heard a crunch beside me and a violent snap of lightning caused a part of the already decrepit club to crumble ¡ª he was the last of my concerns. But I¡¯d promised myself to be better, to save others like how Yvette had saved me. I saw Ripley, trapped under the rubble. His leg mangled and his face drained of blood. He was a dead man in this state. I should run. I should¡¯ve run. But instead I¡¯m pushing apart chunks of stone that my already tired arms struggle to move. He groaned in pain as his leg was relieved of pressure, greeting me with a sudden squirt of blood. Somehow, I managed to free him from the prison, pulling his arm around my shoulder and keeping his weight on his good leg. The door was right there, just a little stone and- The barrier broke behind me, there¡¯s no doubt. The sickening crack and body being thrown¡­ the groans aching into my ear were not the MALignant¡¯s. I couldn¡¯t help but look back for a second, Archangel¡¯s wings were shattered and the MALignant was a hulking beast of pure electricity and tentacles. Yellow forks of lightning spewed out of its body in a fountain of energy, stray sparks shattering stone. It reached upwards, a tentacle reaching for the office we had once been in, two bodies were yanked into its grasp. The two Shandian corporates. Two Silver-Grades. Archangel sputtered into action despite her torn body, slashing with blades of energy appearing from her wrists¡­ but every weapon she could use other than the spear only fed the MALignant. I choked back my tears as the two corporates dissolved into an amalgam of blood and steel, rearranging into what was clearly a spear identical to Archangel¡¯s. I couldn¡¯t look anymore and hurried out, climbing over the stone blocking my exit when it suddenly pushed against me. I tried to pull Ripley away but my footing slipped as the obstacles of earth tumbled apart. And a man walked through it. Tall and built with muscle that made him look like a mountain had become a human. Bronze skin, buzz cut hair and a cigar in his mouth. There was no mistaking it, this was NeoCore Inquisitor Tusk. I¡¯d seen his picture in enough ads around the city to not question it. A Gold-Grade like the MALignant itself. Finally, I tore my gaze towards the MALignant that had speared through Archangel¡¯s abdomen, prying out a piece of armor that it feasted on with delight. Tusk clicked his tongue, as though dissatisfied. Then he threw something at the balcony above the entrance, it exploded and sent a rain of stone and metal down right above us. I leaped with every bit of energy left in me, just narrowly avoiding a chunk of it from slamming into my head. ¡°Wha-what the hell!¡± I glared at the Inquisitor, and his Golden glare silenced me back. It was somehow even more frightening than the MALignant itself. Tusk¡¯s voice was a low rumble like an inevitable earthquake, striking more deeply into myself than even my Lietenant¡¯s mutated voice had. ¡°I¡¯m not letting it out, and I¡¯m not letting Vultures in. The Implants are mine. Be a good girl and hide, then you might survive.¡± Tusk cracked his knuckles, changing them as an unworldly shift in the atmosphere catalyzed. His body grew larger, already taking his impressive physique and making him a literal mammoth. There was a reason he was named Tusk. Ivory-like outgrowths spiraled out of his entire body, curving into armor and weapon-alike until his body was a goliath of living stone, and under them was an additional layer of thick white ropes that seemed to be muscles. A single step shook the entire building. The MALignant roared with it¡¯s wiry tentacles fraying apart, sensing the warping atmosphere at Tusk¡¯s transformation. Then it pounced, striking its crude spear at the Inquisitor. The spear had easily pierced the Enforcer¡¯s armor, on Tusk¡¯s skin ¡ª it snapped. Tusk punched it to the ground faster than a bullet, sending the entire building shaking and even more stone falling. The lightning spewing of it didn¡¯t so much as tickle Tusk, and the next set of pummels made it impossible for me to stand as the vibrations resounded through me. A Gold Mutant. Tusk. He slammed an explosive into it¡¯s body, the shockwave throwing me back but not even making Tusk flinch who was point-blank from the detonation. He punched, tore, slammed, ripped and pummeled until the MALignant was barely a fifth of its impressive size. But strangely, there was no electricity sparking off it now. No attempt at regeneration, the neon lights flickered and a low hum quieted through the room as my silver hair began to float up with the static charge¡­ The MAL¡¯s limbs had pierced through the ground. And I knew where it had connected, the city¡¯s electrical grid. First, the neon blew out like each light had been shot, then I saw the monolith skyscrapers outside the club go dark as though a curtain of shadows fell over them. Then I saw nothing but light, an overwhelming discharge of it that burned my vision. The ground gave way beneath me as pure lightning struck up from the MALignant, like a god in the sky had called for thunder to pull out from the ground into its hands, launching Tusk up and through the roof. I fell as the floor crumbled, and so did Ripley. Into the abyss where we would be alone with the MALignant. Blood and Steel C6: Birth of Monsters Chapter 6: Birth of Monsters Holopedia Page on Implants [SurfaceNet Access]: Implants are retrieved from the corpses of the MAL-Swarm, where the type of Implant depends on the physiology of the MAL it was retrieved from. Mechanical MALs, otherwise known as MALware, spawn B.U.Gs (Biomachinery Utilization Gene-Editors). Whereas Organic MALs, known as MAlformed, spawn S.I.Ms (Symbiotic Integrators of Mutagen). Alternatively, MALignants possess the mechanical and organic characteristics found in both variants, and as such will spawn both types of Implants. Implants tend to appear similar to invertebrates in appearance, however, genome analysis shows no sign of relation. Infact, while they do possess a genetic structure similar to that of organisms on Earth, the exact molecules used are different and vary depending on Implant Grade [Iron, Bronze (Copper), Silver, Gold, Titanium, Platinum], showing a higher reliance on Warp-modified transition metals in their genetic structure rather than phosphorus, carbon and oxygen. B.U.Gs fuse with the Nervous system, causing nerve signals to use electrons rather than chemical neurotransmitters. This greatly increases the brain¡¯s processing speed and also allows B.U.G Adapters to interface with technology directly. S.I.Ms, however, fuse with the entire body. First spreading through the circulatory system as dissolved chunks of genetic material that are absorbed into cells. Interestingly, the S.I.M¡¯s genetic information, also known as Mutagen, fuses perfectly into the existing genome of an Adapter and typically causes no genetic disabilities under normal conditions. Rather, they tend to correct any damage and provide general improvements to the User¡¯s physiology even without specific Mutagen. There are currently 6 known Tiers of Implant Development. Each requires significant time and investment in order to advance to the next stage. However, research seems to hint that there is no limit to the growth of these Implants other than the resources available to the Adapter. The concept of the Warp Energy used by these Implants, sometimes referred to as Aether by religious groups, is a currently researched field of science carried out by the Corporate Nations and The Free Cities. The most prominent theory is that Warp Energy is a tangible source of pseudo-matter that can exist in a flux state between energy and matter simultaneously, one that can directly be influenced by a ¡®greater conscience¡¯ to warp reality. 1:55 AM June 2nd Ripley Darkness, dust, despair. None of it mattered right now. Nothing mattered right now, not in the face of death. I felt a bottomless pit dragging my consciousness down, a sweet release from the agony that would be reality. But beside it was a voice, a conflicting scream begging me to stand up. And if I couldn¡¯t stand, to crawl. And if I couldn¡¯t crawl, to bite. A primal force of life itself, some deeper meaning I had never given a thought to was begging for me to live. But when I remembered Selene, my father, my mother¡­ everything hurt. The pain was so loud, and the void would be so quiet. So peaceful. Yes, that little device I had in the back of my nape was modified for this¡­ Right, I also had a Per- ¡°Ripley. Don¡¯t die on me, Ripley!¡± My body was shaken against my will, it was so rough I just wanted it to stop. That void of nothingness was becoming sweeter by the second. Just one step and¡­ One step at a time. I stepped into the- A slap across my face opened my eyes, and numbness crawled over me. Emergency lights flashed red from the lights in the floor above, we had fallen ironically enough into the level where my workshop was located. I felt a cold sting on my leg, a white web-like substance plastered over the bone sticking out. My tibia, the bigger of the two bones in your shin. It was enough to stop the bleeding, but I stared matter-of-factly at the ninety-degree bend. ¡°Well. Looks like I¡¯m going to need a leg amputation now.¡± I laughed before I devolved into a cackling. ¡°Thanks for the med-spray by the way.¡± Then I started crying, an ugly sob revolting from my soul in the face of this Sisyphean hurdle. What the hell was happening? How was I even awake? Probably the Ad-Stim. Standard Grades were enough to keep me running for a day or two, but an Iron-Grade? I was using a week¡¯s worth of adrenaline in a few hours. ¡°It¡¯s not dead, Ripley¡­¡± Diana put a shaking hand on my shoulder, tears began to spill down her eyes but she kept the rest of her face as solid as a wall. ¡°It¡¯s here¡­ with us. Do you think we can kill it?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± I giggled, of course this was my luck. But I pulled one of my spare grenades out anyway, maybe I¡¯d rather die by this than electrocution. Diana snatched it away, I know I looked crazy. ¡°Ripley! I- let¡¯s try anyway! Come on, you¡¯re a smart guy! An unplanted Shard Op¡¯ reconfiguring Neuroframes? There has to be something you could do? Look at this gun-¡± She passed me Shaun¡¯s rifle, a Phoenix-60, her entire form shaking in desperation. The weapon, it was so far above my paygrade that just holding it made me feel like a filthy scrapper. I didn¡¯t even know the first thing about Plasma-based weaponry. Okay maybe I knew a few things but they were mostly theoretical. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do with this-¡° I paused. There was one thing. I reached into my pocket, pulling out a vial¡­ or more precisely a cylinder that I had taken from the Pandora. The inbuilt explosive, and a small dash on the side showed a gold marking. A Gold-Grade explosive. ¡°The grenade you took¡­¡± My voice grew monotone, focused entirely on the hint of gold I saw. ¡°Give it to me.¡± I sent a commanding thought to my metal arm, and it changed in an instant. Somewhere deep within me, where that void used to be was now replaced by a singular node of brilliance. I felt a hundred electric shocks cascade up my arm, a glow encompassing it that I¡¯d never seen before. A Silver glow, but my arm was Iron-Grade? I didn¡¯t question it, I didn¡¯t have the time to. The ground rumbled, and a wire tore out just a few feet away from us, then more wires joined it. Wires of flesh and metal alike. Blood and Steel. The constituents of a MALignant. I had no choice, I had to render the grenade neutral in order to open it. Twisting both halves of the metal open and exposing the Silver-banded cylinder within. As Diana popped in a new a cartridge into the rifle, I raced with my hands; the claw working quicker than it ever had to precisely fragment all the mechanisms keeping the vial planted there, until it popped out. My metal claw blurred from the speed at which it replaced the next vial, but I found that brilliance in me spluttering. The decades of knowledge closed their books, and I found myself blind mid-way through the process. I couldn¡¯t figure out a way to arm the grenade in time. ¡°It won¡¯t blow up, I- fuck, I broke the fuse in order to put it in and now it won¡¯t-¡° ¡°Throw it. As hard as you can.¡± Diana said, her voice trembling. The MALignant had unearthed itself, it was the size of a child and there was no electricity within it to recover. But if it drained even a lightbulb, we would be in danger. She aimed the rifle, her breath forced steady. And charged it. The MALignant sensed something, it sensed us, it sensed the electricity within the rifle. It howled as I threw the grenade, the arc was clumsy and it was nowhere close to the MALignant. But it felt the Gold, and it flung itself towards it. Diana let go of her hard-earned breath, and the charged bolt of plasma shot through the air, a piercing lance of red locked onto the grenade. Everything went silent, this wasn¡¯t a normal explosion that blasted everything away. Instead, light expanded in a sphere and where it touched, it erased. A crater of several meters was all that remained, and a feeble lump of flesh and golden metal no larger than a fist. Diana prepared to shoot again, but instead, she waited before the gun slipped from her hands as all of her energy diverted to glare at the two remaining specks of the MALignant¡¯s life. No¡­ no way. I stared too, at the two buzzing lights floating out of the lump of dissolving flesh. Twin fairies of golden light moved closer towards us, each an exact replica of the other in all except material. Two butterflies, one of golden metal and the other of golden flesh. Each so beautiful that I would believe they were angels in the form of an insect. I reached out as though the beings were salvation materialized, there was no way. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Maybe this was all worth it after all. The metal butterfly fluttered closer and landed on my arm, staring at me almost warily, its wings folded back and it crawled up towards my shoulder then up my neck. I couldn¡¯t breathe, the tiny needles it used to crawl wasn¡¯t what gave me goosebumps. This was a Gold B.U.G. A Biomachinery Utilization Gene-editor. I felt a bite on my nape, but I didn¡¯t feel the pain. All I knew was excitement, this was something I could never even dream for. To my side, I saw Diana stare in awe as the golden S.I.M ¡ª a Symbiotic Integrator of Mutagen ¡ª dug into her arm, pieces of it breaking off into her bloodstream. Gold. They were worth millions. Tens of millions. Hundreds. This was happening? Then my brain felt like it was on fire. That was the last thing I remembered. Diana No¡­ no way. I felt my blood grow hot, the pain a small thing in comparison to what was happening. My entire body was bubbling in a furnace, but I didn¡¯t care in the slightest. Ripley to my side had passed out, makes sense¡­ a B.U.G directly pierced into your brainstem. But a S.I.M? It was becoming a part of my entire body, becoming me¡­ My lenses ached, I would have to get them replaced and even change out my Neuroframe once this was over. S.I.M Adapters¡­ Mutants and Espers couldn''t use Graded Shardware directly or most cybernetics other than a few minimally invasive implants. That was the least of my worries, I just needed to get the hell out of here and somehow take Ripley with me. I tried to stand, but my muscles literally felt like they had melted. Golden light pierced through my blood vessels all around me, this wasn¡¯t fake. I screamed. Loudly. The need to release had overwhelmed me. In just one day, everything had changed. I don¡¯t know how long I sat there burning inside, unable to move, but all I knew was that I wasn¡¯t the least bit scared. But it was enough time that someone broke through the stone and heavy, demanding footsteps shook me. Turning my neck hurt, and you know what, maybe I could feel fear. Inquisitor Tusk stared at me with soulless eyes, completely white, yet even I could sense the rage held in those orbs. ¡°Where¡¯s the MALignant!¡± ¡°D-dead.¡± I squeezed out of my voice. He grumbled, reaching into his cargo pants and retrieving a flashlight-looking device with a screen on top. It¡¯s green light scanned the room, focusing on the lump of dead flesh and golden Shards where the MALignant had died. Rage then seethed into his voice. ¡°Then where¡¯s it¡¯s Implants!¡± I held my composure, taking a nervous look at the very unconscious Ripley beside me. I could sell him out¡­ but there were two Implants, a MALignant always spawned one of both variants. So instead, I played my card. ¡°Universal Law is that whoever kills a MAL has the right to it¡¯s Implants. We killed it so-¡° Tusk grabbed me by the hair, lifting me up effortlessly until I floated several feet in the air ¡ª eye-level to him. Fine mist dug out of his nostrils, ivory tusks right beneath them. ¡°You think I¡¯m going to leave with nothing?! That fucker sent me flying through four buildings! I already have to deal with collateral deaths, so I don¡¯t give a shit about universal law! I¡¯ll pry that Implant out of your corpse!¡± He pressed both his hands against either side of my head, and I didn¡¯t have a second to digest the shame of my next action. I screamed out my wildcard. ¡°My father¡¯s the former NeoCore Counter-intelligence Vice-Director! Brian Ulrich! He¡¯s the Corporate Advisor to New California¡¯s Police!¡± His pale eyes grew larger, more skin pulling off them in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re Ulrich¡¯s bastard?¡± Then the skin squeezed tight in delight. ¡°Then he¡¯ll be glad I got rid of you.¡± I felt my head tighten under his grip, and then I knew he was toying with me. His strength could have crushed me as easily as crumpling tissue paper, but no, he was delighting in watching my head slowly deform as I¡¯m helpless to it. I thrashed my arms, a stray spark of electricity flinging off it and slapping harmlessly off his ivory armor. Any second now, I knew I would hear a crack coming from within my skull, and I could do nothing but glare into those pale eyes. ¡°Tusk¡­ you fucking rookie. Drop the girl and treat her with some basic respect.¡± A female voice called out, and Tusk¡¯s pale vision grew wide with recognition. Then with rage. He dropped me, and I felt the pressure release with a thin dribble of blood from my nose. My breath came out in jagged sputters, like a failing car engine, and it took several seconds to even process that I was alive. ¡°Emizren¡­¡± Tusk growled, his feet making the ground twist with each movement. ¡°Tell me why I shouldn¡¯t kill you right now.¡± ¡°I go by ¡®Missy¡¯ now, Emizren died a long time ago. And no you shouldn¡¯t kill me, because I¡¯m the only lead you guys will have to the source of that MALignant.¡± I stared at the source of the voice, Emizren¡­ or Missy? Hoaqin had mentioned the name while I was eavesdropping and I¡¯d noted it down, she was the one who gave the Snake Fangs the box. She was tall and powerful with hefty mechanical limbs of beauty and power alike, similar in build to one of those Amazonians I¡¯d seen in old-world media. Blonde hair cropped short on a form easily surpassing six-feet tall. Her body reflected years of physical training, and her mind was also honed as she stared up at the nine-foot behemoth of an inquisitor without a droplet of fear. Tusk¡¯s voice grew louder. ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn what you are now, you¡¯re wanted by NeoCore! I¡¯ll take the Implants and you! Dead or alive.¡± She sighed, leaning on a fallen rock. ¡°Your boss wouldn¡¯t like that. Ruby¡¯s not the type to waste valuable resources, and I know you¡¯ve got as many black dots on your sheet as you have stars. Settle down, Gabriel. I¡¯m not your enemy, we can help each other.¡± ¡°According to NeoCore, you are my enemy.¡± His arm festered with outgrowths of curving ivory. ¡°What would NeoCore like more, huh? Someone who¡¯s already destined to die, or the source of illegal MAL farming? Even a rookie like you can tell.¡± Missy spun a knife in her fingers, and only now did I notice that her mechanical arms were huge like a gorilla¡¯s yet had the nimble fortitude of an octopus, all the while not even glancing at the overwhelming man. ¡°Like I¡¯d believe you¡­¡± Tusk gripped the stone she sat on, and she remained still even when it crumbled to pieces by simply falling into the gravel. She continued spinning the knife, not giving a care to face the Inquisitor directly. ¡°You don¡¯t need to, only Ruby does. And in fact, she should have received my message right now and- oop, looks like she¡¯s calling me. Here, I¡¯ll put her on public.¡± Missy flashed her gigantic metallic palm, and the face of a woman I didn¡¯t immediately recognize appeared in a hologram. She had crimson hair in between streaks of white, and one of her eyes was concealed by a dome of gold while the other shined like a ruby. Wait¡­ no, that can¡¯t be¡­ Ruby? The¡­ Ruby? As in, a hero of the fourth swarm Ruby? A Platinum-Grade? Missy flashed a gleeful smile. ¡°Cmon Rubes¡­ tell old Gabriel here what you¡¯ve decided.¡± The projection of Ruby looked tired, but annoyed might have been more correct. She squeezed her hands in front of her face and spoke in a hushed tone. ¡°You haven¡¯t contacted me in years, Emizren¡­ now this? Fucking hell, you¡¯ve never changed!¡­ But Gabriel, she¡¯s right. MAL-Seed shipments are rare, but they do happen. Never with a gold, though. Whoever sourced this, it¡¯s not something we have records of. And this needs to stay covert for now, Michelle is already dealing with enough for the upcoming swarm.¡± Michelle? The- the Founder of NeoCore herself? Just what had I gotten involved with? ¡°You trust her?! Did you forget what she did to NeoCore, to you?!¡± Tusk leaned, for the first time, to meet someone at eye-level. ¡°I trust her skills¡­ that¡¯s never failed me. As for the Implants, they¡¯re small in the grand scheme of this, for all we know they could have many more Gold MALignants being sent to random clubs in the city. And that¡­ you know how that can disrupt the balance.¡± Ruby¡¯s final words had a venom to them. ¡°So what¡­ we leave the Implants here? With these two nobodies?¡± Tusk pointed a curved ivory claw at me, still hunched to look at Ruby. ¡°Emizren¡­ Missy will take care of them. I know one thing; no matter the years since we¡¯ve last spoken, she doesn¡¯t care about Gold. It has no value to her.¡± Missy only smiled, which left me even more confused, just who was she to be able to contact a war hero so easily? And disregard Gold just like that? Missy spun Ruby¡¯s face towards her, and for the first time I could see her smile relax into a thinner line and her eyebrows furrowing with a¡­ yearning? ¡°I guess that¡¯s all Ruby. Thank you¡­ I- I do miss you more than you know.¡± That voice was definitely drenched in sorrow, but I didn¡¯t know the slightest context behind it. Ruby¡¯s projection covered her only eye with her hand. ¡°Fuck¡­ you can¡¯t just say that! Not after all this time! Let us help you Emi! Let me help you! How much longer do you ha-¡° The image disappeared into nothingness. In the quietness, Tusk stood up and wordlessly walked across the chasm, briefly throwing aside rubble until he lifted up Archangel. Not her corpse, I saw a faint breath pierce Archangel¡¯s mouth, the slow rise and fall of her chest. Then he jumped, a cloud of dust chasing him but he was too far gone by then, he had left. ¡°NeoCore armor¡¯s tough.¡± Missy walked up to me, but her gaze was on Ripley. ¡°Can read any wound in your body, compresses itself to stop bleeding and can even pull your bones back into place. Heard newer models transmit nerve signals¡­ it¡¯ll do Archangel good since her spine got pierced.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been watching us?¡± I muttered without thinking. Missy shrugged, passing me without a thought. ¡°The kid¡¯s named Ripley, right? And you¡¯re 1st Officer Diana Jones¡­ or should I say, Diana Ulrich.¡± Hearing that name¡­ my true name, sent a wave of anger through my aching muscles. ¡°I- I¡¯d rather you call me Jones. Missy.¡± ¡°Uh huh¡­ well, take care Jones.¡± Missy grabbed Ripley in her giant arms, cradling him over her shoulder. I took a step back in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re letting me go?¡± ¡°Ruby¡¯ll contact you when she wants to, you¡¯re with the cops, plus your father is unwanted attention so it¡¯d only inconvenience me if I were to kill you or keep you in my care. Anyhow, take care! Vultures¡¯ll be swarming here any minute as soon as the blockade¡¯s removed so hurry on!¡± Missy was already walking away without a care, but then she stopped. Her arm steamed and a compartment in it flung open, she grabbed a steel package from it and tossed it backwards towards me. Missy turned her head and finally spoke to me directly. ¡°Gene-Limiters. Anyone picks up something strange with you, pop one in your mouth. Noone will be able to tell you have Gold in you for about a month, till you¡¯re 50% through Converging, but after that¡­ some can tell. And they¡¯ll all be trying to take it off your dead body. Even friends. Also, keep my name hush from your police pals, I don¡¯t want a bloodbath. The Lieutenant¡¯s death is untimely to say the least, it¡¯s going to shake this city up.¡± I stood in silence, this was all so strange and happening so quickly. Just what on Earth really happened here tonight? If a NeoCore Herald really was getting involved then this entire city would be upended in days, and on top of that¡­ Ruby was going to contact me? Blood and Steel C7: First Contact Chapter 7: First Contact Excerpt from AbyssNet Netcast titled: Westcrook Under Night, narrated by local influencer Theo ¡®Smithereens¡¯ Torien with guest speaker, Nicole ¡®Twinpeak¡¯ Kilber ¡ª a worker at the former Toxin Club. Theo: Now, Nicole we¡¯ve all seen the news reports and we¡¯ve all certainly seen that viral clip of NeoCore Inquisitor Tusk being tossed through¡­ what was it? Six buildings? But my question is¡­ How the hell did a MAL get into the club? And what exactly did you see? Nicole: If I knew the answer to that honey, I would¡¯ve sold it already. Good thing I was on a smoke break as soon as the cops rolled in, cus shit went down fast. One of them found me and let¡¯s just say I persuaded him to let me smoke in peace, but in the middle of our deal we heard a crash and from then it was hell. Theo: You saw the MALignant? Nicole: Saw? It damn near killed me! Brought down the balconies with just a couple of swings of its tentacles! Hell, might as well have killed me cus I don¡¯t even have a job anymore! At least the video I made sold for a pretty sheddy. Theo: The one of that kid throwing a grenade and collapsing half the club? A brave move, but not a smart one. Saw a couple of unfortunate folks get squished like bugs. Where¡¯d a kid like him even get a bomb like that? Nicole: ¡®is name¡¯s¡­ actually, better I don¡¯t. Honestly could have made it himself, kind of a weird kid but damn was he smart as a Founder, would do my mods and was half decent even without an Implant. Better than most Iron Op¡¯s I¡¯d visited. But I dunno¡­ he¡¯s the kind to sulk in a corner when things go wrong. Seeing him throw that grenade was a bigger shock than the MALigant for me!¡­ Heee¡¯s probably dead now, shame, he was pretty cute. Theo: Pretty soon after that was when NeoCore ran in? Nicole: Don¡¯t know much about that, I was out as soon as the MALignant was hurt by the grenade. Nearly got crushed to death by the crowd. Theo: But at least it wasn¡¯t under a ton of rubble! Nicole: Haha, nope, can¡¯t imagine that place being my graveyard. Too bad about all the others there, it¡¯s like such a shame you know? But I swear if Lucille bitches for us to come and work again in a week, I¡¯ll gut her myself! Theo: Maybe make a video of that too, I¡¯d certainly watch! Nicole: Speaking of videos, I hope all you sexy listeners out there are still thirsty for Toxin Club gals, just know that I¡¯m still out here. Make sure you sign up for my HoloFans! Got a MAL themed video coming out soon! 5:27 PM June ?? Ripley Tendrils everywhere, electricity bathing my body to strip skin from muscle, hearts being choked into stillness. Neuroframe¡¯s sizzling with each touch. I saw it all, the moment Selene¡®s head tore off, the double thuds of a quick, painless death. I felt myself grow numb to the grief I should be feeling. I saw my hands, no, not hands. I saw my tentacles, the bodies they curled over, snapping. Snap! I absorbed them into me, my limbs sucking on them like an amoeba, formless flesh flowing ever so slowly¡­ growing. I consumed. I was content as I changed. As I embraced in- ¡°Kid¡¯s brainwaves are getting active.¡± A heavy steel-laden voice spoke. I searched around the torn club, molting eyes feeding me information. ¡°Damn, that¡¯s quick. Must have a high compatibility.¡± Another voice, more feminine and laced with resolve and duty. My limbs thrashed, but one refused to obey. ¡°Think he¡¯s having a case of Implant Compatibility Psychosis?¡± The heavier voice was close, next to me. I searched but saw nothing apart from torn bodies, the Lieutenant¡¯s face having been burst apart. ¡°Ripley.¡± The other one said, and I shuddered. ¡°Rise and shine.¡± My breath consumed me, sudden gasps overwhelming me as I opened my eyes to the world. Everything blurred, my optical lenses refused to register anything but blobs of light. I searched for my voice, draining energy to speak. ¡°Who¡¯s there? Why can¡¯t I see?¡± ¡°Chill out kid, you need to reconfigure your Shardware to your Implant.¡± The gruff voice spoke. Implant? I- the golden fairy. I remembered, and I recollected myself. I¡¯d overseen countless people receiving their Implant in my workshop, and reconfiguring your old cybernetics was the first step. My heartbeat felt like a soldier¡¯s march, slow but powerful as I simply thought of the location of my eyes. A mental spark shot from them, and I let that spark freely escape through my nerves until it latched and sank into the boundary where brain became spinal cord, my Neuroframe plastered only an inch away. It was jarring just how quickly everything came into focus, how much my mind digested from the dim light. Even before my lens completely reset, I knew it was different, like it was being rewritten to accomodate my enhanced mind. Linking with SynTec Oculus: Cyclops 2 (2467 Model)¡­ complete. Internal Link Established. Hah, it was real. I felt a web of thought run through my body, coalescing in my brain and unravelling down my spine and limbs like roots of tangible energy in place of nerves. Focusing, I could feel the tingle of the golden light, and I literally saw it¡­ somehow my Neuroframe had modified the code of my Lens to show me a translucent scan of my body¡¯s nervous system. Spontaneous adaptation of Warpcode according to the Adapter¡¯s need¡­ I¡¯d never imagined it was this responsive. Looking upon the image of my brain and spinal cord, my sights dissected what was on my nape. Stretching from my brainstem to my diencephalon, was a condensed array of golden threads woven together like a web ¡ª the proof that I was an Adapter. A Gold Adapter. How many were in this city of hundreds of millions? A hundred? Ten? Implant Overview:- Tier 0: Convergence [1%] Compatibility: 99% Integrity: NA Energy: NA Capacity: NA Grade: Gold I Tendency: ?? Features: Psyche v.0.00, ???, ???, ??? Four features, the hallmark of a Gold Implant compared to the lower grades. An Iron would only receive a single Feature, a Bronze would have two and a Silver possessed three ¡ª depending on the combination of Features, you¡¯d have endless potential. And I¡¯d gotten Psyche? Not my preferred choice since it was one of the more variable features, but it was known to have insane cumulative effects in the long run. A finger snapped in front of me. Thick steel fingers like iron ingots, leading up to a steel hand, a steel arm¡­ to a steel chest. As for the head, yup¡­ metal. A chrome dome, but terrifying to look a, as two shining lights of red appeared from either eye like laser-sights and the mouth opened to reveal a completely inorganic oral cavity that vibrated to release a deep, gravelly, metallic voice. ¡°Kid. You there?¡± I nodded half presently, I was still digesting the full weight of possessing a Gold with- 99% compatibility?! I didn¡¯t feel excitement, instead, I shivered. While Gold was a defined grade you knew you were getting, Compatibility varied and typically required weeks of testing before receiving one. You were considered solid if you were at 60% but 99% was¡­ unnatural. That type of compatibility was typically only known for signing NDAs and disappearing for months at a corporate lab. ¡°Kid?¡± The robotic man spoke again, getting a better look at him, he was imposing and dense ¡ª was this a drone? Or did he have an unheard of Capacitance to be able to stick that much Shardware onto him. Who would even make those modifications to themselves? Not that they weren¡¯t impressive. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. I knew the answer, of course. Criminals. Dangerous criminals who only treated their bodies as tools for murder. ¡°Kid, if you don¡¯t respond. I¡¯m going to remove your other leg.¡± His steel teeth clamped, a screeching noise sending shivers through me. My other-? I stared down. Realizing I was tied up by cables upon a chair and where my left shin used to be was now a poor skeletal framework of metal. It wasn¡¯t even a proper cybernetic limb, there was little to no neuro-wiring involved and it used mechanical connection to my muscles to move. ¡°I¡­ sorry.¡± I stared blankly at the foreign limb, a map of my nervous system showed no threads reaching below my knee except an abrupt cutoff. ¡°Had to be done.¡± The mechanical man spoke, somehow looking sympathetic with the way the pieces of his face moved. ¡°Yeah no, I understand. A fracture like that means a nerve palsy for my tibial and fibular nerves, wouldn¡¯t be able to walk regardless, besides, a blood clot could¡¯ve gone up to my brain. Can¡¯t do much with a stroke.¡± I spoke calmly, noticing the rise of expressions in my two interrogators to which I quickly elucidated. ¡°I uh¡­ I¡¯ve done my fair share of emergency amputations¡­ just kind of wish I could¡¯ve done my own. I¡¯m noticing a toughness in my hamstrings, you hooked up the pulley system to my semimembranosus and semitendinosus muscles, it should be done with biceps femoris.¡± The tough woman on the side started laughing, pointing a finger at the metallic man. ¡°You said you knew what you were doing Di! I would have thought that for a man as chromed as you, there was at least some idea of Opping in that scrapshodded head of yours!¡± The man named Di¡­ who was indeed a real human and not some automaton, shouted back. ¡°Did you see how close he was to dying?! Plus, you drove with about the same decency as a Vulture! You try hooking up mechanical limbs in the back of a van shaking like it¡¯s the fucking earthquake all over again!¡± The woman laughed like it was a challenge, her quartz-like gaze turning to me in a way that was both calm and alarming. ¡°Sure thing, Ripley, you mind if I get a chance to tinker with your leg too?¡± ¡°Fuck no!¡± I yelled, these people were crazy¡­ and somehow it only now dawned on me that I was kidnapped. ¡°Wait, where the hell am I?!¡± ¡°Still in Westcrook.¡± Di took his own chair to sit on, directly facing me. His voice dimmed, a sinister echo pouring through synthesized vocal chords. ¡°But that won¡¯t change your situation.¡± If I wasn¡¯t tied up, I would have visibly shrunk as his arm rewired itself into a gun in less than a blink. Di¡¯s entirely crimson eyes deepened to the shade of blood like to foreshadow my fate. ¡°You know what you have in your head?¡± I choked to get my words out, there was no hiding it ¡ª they knew. ¡°A Gold Implant. A BUG.¡± Di slumped forward, his gun-arm casually pointing to my other ¡ª more organic ¡ª leg. ¡°You know it¡¯s worth? Deal was valued at 5 million for Snake Fangs and 10 million for us. Now, we didn¡¯t have the slightest clue that we were handing over a MAL-Seed to Shaun, but if we just take into account the price of two Gold Implants at their lowest after prying one from a body¡­ it¡¯s one-hundred-and-five-million Shardyne. So then tell me, what¡¯s the value of your head?¡± I hated how fast my brain calculated it, and the words made me nauseous. ¡°Fifty¡­ fifty-two-and-a-half million.¡± Di smiled as he let out a grim chuckle. ¡°You are now carrying orbital-real-estate in your head. Now I¡¯m assuming you know what I¡¯m tempted to do.¡± ¡°To kill me, then sell the Implant.¡± The words fell out of my voice like lead. ¡°But you haven¡¯t yet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m a fair man. And Missy is too.¡± He pointed to the imposing woman standing afar. ¡°Technically speaking, that Implant belonged to us at one point, and we could still sell it to the buyer. Of course, we would raise the price above the ten mil they offered¡­ it¡¯s so very tempting. Except¡­¡± ¡°Except¡­¡± I shuddered. ¡°Except that the box was always supposed to be confiscated by the police.¡± Di crossed his arms, steel eyelids visibly twitching like a mechanism got stuck in place. ¡°That¡¯s why we didn¡¯t do the deal ourselves. Someone else had to take the fall. Shandian included, they¡¯ve scorned our employer a bit more than they liked. Except¡­ you opened it, ruining everything. But how?¡± ¡°How?¡± I flinched, not following. ¡°How the hell did you open a Silver-Grade Pandora?! Even our best DataDelver couldn¡¯t crack through its shielding! You were unplanted.¡± Though his voice was raised, he didn¡¯t seem angry, rather bewildered instead. ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± I hurried from my mouth. ¡°I only removed the explosive component but it opened by itself. I- I think that someone else activated it remotely.¡± Di stared at me, his metal eyes freezing over me like an accusatory spotlight, then he turned to Missy. ¡°Kid ain¡¯t lying, meaning Dogwhistler changed their plans, still paid us¡­ but that¡¯s hush money isn¡¯t it? You think that they tried something¡­?¡± Missy paced thoughtfully in the dim room, which seemed to be an abandoned warehouse if I judged the empty cargo containers correctly, giving me a brief uncaring look before solidifying her focus on Di. ¡°Doesn¡¯t change the fact that NeoCore¡¯s now involved, and two renegade Golds can disrupt the balance. If that girl in the police force is smart, she¡¯ll have spoken to her father and get transferred to a quieter location with a promotion. As for Ripley¡­ the question is if his life is worth the fifty million in his head. So then¡­ are you, Ripley Donovick?¡± Now that she stared at me, eyes more befitting of a mother squinted tightly. I felt crushed just being under them despite the human care within them, for all I knew a monster of machine or mutations lurked beneath. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ know.¡± I don¡¯t know? What was I doing? I finally got one, an Implant and one stronger than I¡¯d ever hoped for and I was¡­ letting it go? One step at a time. That meant rising from Iron to Bronze to Silver¡­ then Gold. I had leaped once already¡­ what was one more? ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m exactly what you¡¯re looking for, but I know I¡¯m smart. And I- I¡¯m tired of not having the power to back it up ¡ª that¡¯s changed with this Implant. Your body, Di? I know for a fact you have an Accomodation Feature in your Implant, but it¡¯s being wasted on Shardware that¡¯s not efficient. A Shandian Draco-spear Mod on a jailbreaked Syntec EasyHand that¡¯s clearly from last century? Have some respect and install a Magna piece, at least then you wouldn¡¯t need to brute-force gigabytes of code just to have a weapon that can¡¯t even reload without a visit to a Shard-Op¡¯. Can¡¯t imagine the Capacitance on that.¡± Di froze in place, his eyes twitched with a crystal clear buzzing sound. I didn¡¯t let either of them get a word in. ¡°Oh and Missy? Your Yuzhou Orangutan arms¡­ when was the last time you got them checked out? Good taste but it¡¯s combat tech that was recycled from the Third Swarm, clearly, it¡¯s bound to have gone through several owners. And if I¡¯m right, the extra storage space you¡¯ve installed is to facilitate a Feature of your Implant¡­ Overclock? or is it Integration?¡± She smiled slightly at the second guess¡­ Integration it was. I still carried on my speech, if I was still alive after everything I¡¯d gone through¡­ I was going to give it a reason. ¡°It takes a year for the Convergence Tier to be complete for Bronze, if an Implant is removed in that timespan then there¡¯s minimal loss of it¡¯s value. One month, just give me a month and I¡¯ll prove my worth!¡± They both just stared, no discernable emotion written on either of their faces. Missy then broke into a smile and strode up to me, with one precise tug the cables constraining me snapped. ¡°You sure are a hustler aren¡¯t you? One month? You better get your second Feature unlocked by the end of the first week.¡± I didn¡¯t know how long it would take me to get another one, but I¡¯d known that Bronzes got theirs typically at 50% of Convergence. I¡¯d received the Psyche Feature out of 12 possibilities, the power for my state of mind to adapt. If I was right, I¡¯d change to grow more resilient to stress and have an overall boost to my mental faculative features alongside just¡­ thinking better. I bit my tongue. As much as I wanted to shout to the world just what I¡¯d become, that my head was a literal goldmine, I didn¡¯t want them brandishing drills in the form of firearms. With a Gold, getting a second Feature was as good as done assuming I could dedicate a few days to study it, for once it seemed like I was having confirmation that I would live another day. And a 99% compatibility? I had a lot of research to be done. I had no time to take breaks, no time to reminisce about the past¡­ My head ached, pink neon burning into my vision as it slowly melted into a pool of red. I felt the Implant tickle my spine, Golden light flickering into my Neuroframe. Psyche V.0.00 has updated to V.0.01 Effect: Improved feedback between Implant and Neuroframe Mod: Personality Editing Matrix. I¡¯d already gotten an Update¡­ who cared what it was about, as long I had proof that I was on the path to transcend humanity. To forget about all my woes. Di huffed, his brooding voice chilling me as he approached. ¡°For the record, my arm is perfectly fine. It looks like a Syntec on the outside, but its inner workings are all Mazhyr tech. And the Rifle-Mod is altered, uses Railgun mechanisms instead of a standard kinetic propulsor alongside a Warp-Generator, you¡¯re smart kid¡­ but my body is art. You just pointed out the flaws I once had.¡± ¡°A Warp-Generator?¡± I questioned. ¡°That shit¡¯s expensive. Ah, that explains your skin! Warp-Generators cause massive amounts of overheating, having one inside your arm must have made you a walking furnace. Where¡¯s it located?¡± Di ground his metallic teeth. ¡°You got an Analyze Feature kid? Or are you just going to continue being a smartass?¡± ¡°Play nice boys!¡± Missy patted my shoulder and then grounded Di¡¯s head, making a sound that cringed within my ears. ¡°C¡¯mon, introduce yourselves. I¡¯m Missy, and this here¡¯s my right-hand-man. I call him Di.¡± I mustered my strength¡­ which I really didn¡¯t need to since I had raised my metallic hand for shaking. ¡°Ripley Donovick, Shard Op¡¯¡­ former Shard Operator for the Snake Fangs.¡± ¡°We knew that, dumbass.¡± The steeled voice responded, but Di raised his hand all the same. ¡°Diamante. You can call me that.¡± Diamante¡¯s grip was firm, if the groaning sound of metal in my hand told me anything. We shook, before I turned to Missy who at this point was clearly the leader of this operation. ¡°So uh¡­ when do I start? Do I- uh, like have to move? I live with my mom right now so that could be an issue, but¡­¡± ¡°Slow down.¡± She said with a hint of mirth. ¡°Get a grip on your Implant, and go meet your mother. It¡¯s been two days since the attack. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be keeping watch on you, I¡¯ll arrange something for you soon, just take a breather ¡ª process everything. MAL¡¯s are¡­ something else. And besides, we¡¯re not going to be adopting you. You don¡¯t prove you¡¯re worth alive, we¡¯ll take the other option.¡± I nodded, not entirely taking everything in, then shouted as one key piece struck me. ¡°It¡¯s been two days?!¡± Blood and Steel C8: Home, at last Chapter 8: Home, at last Online guide from AbyssNet Forum, VortexEYE: [So you want to buy an Implant?]. By author: Sevenbees2 Since you¡¯re digging through the much down here, I¡¯m assuming you want your Implant for less than legal reasons. You¡¯re here for function, not one of those bleak Implants that your company gives you to be a better algorithm they can control. Implants are tricky business, they will quite literally make or break your life. There¡¯s plenty to consider, first up is the big choice. A BUG, or a SIM? Cybernetics or Mutations? That debate has raged the world for centuries, and don¡¯t be smart thinking you¡¯ll just stick both into you. That¡¯s a surefire way to drop your compatibility all the way down to 0%, and you do not want to become a Parasyte or a Fractured. First, I¡¯m praying you understand Implant Grades. The tl;dr of it is that the weakest is Iron, then you¡¯ll see Bronze, Silver, Gold, Titanium and the elusive Platinum at the very top. Yeah, unless you¡¯re the child of a Founder, stick to Irons and Bronzes ¡ª Silver if you¡¯ve stumbled into an inheritance of a couple millions and want to invest it into your body. Grade determines two things, the effectiveness of your SIM¡¯s Mutations or BUG¡¯s Features and how many you start with. Also related is your Compatibility with the Implant, which does a whole lot to make you more effective with how Warp Energy interacts with your body. In fact, if you have higher than 80% compatibility (which is insanely rare) with an Implant of a lower grade, then almost definitely buy that over something of a higher Grade. High Compatibility = fast Development, stronger powers, more control. Now let¡¯s get into the two types of Implants themselves. BUGs are for those who want to micromanage every aspect of their lives, you¡¯ll be given a random Feature among a pool of twelve. More info on that in another guide of mine. Now, for Bronze BUGs and above, you¡¯ll want to consider how your Features will interact with one another. Accomodation and Integration? Great combination, you¡¯ll be able to fit more steel into you than ten scrappers combined! Dataweaving and Sustain? Not that good, at most, you¡¯ll notice that your Net Delves give you less of a headache. The only two Features I¡¯d say work with any other are Energized and Database since they¡¯re overall efficiency boosters. Features, once you get them, are permanent. They¡¯ll update across Versions and once they reach a certain threshold will have a big update that gives you a Protocol. Which is a fancy word for ¡®something you¡¯re very good at¡¯. You use Analyze on rocks a lot? Congrats, you get a Mineral Scan Protocol! Some Protocols are weird, especially Psyche ones, but generally they¡¯ll be based on your experiences. Features are more reliable than Mutations in terms of how they develop according to the shit you go through. But that doesn¡¯t mean scrap if you don¡¯t have the Shardware to fit it. If you buy a BUG, that¡¯s the start of your expenses ¡ª prepare to spend a lot buying Shardware and improving it. Now, SIMs and their Mutations. You start of with the number dependant on your Grade, and at Convergence you can take an additional amount of Mutagen equal that. Now, you¡¯ll probably read the vial you bought from shady genefreak in an alleyway and it¡¯ll say something vague like ¡®Muscle enhancement¡¯. That¡¯s bullshit. It could do anything from making your muscles denser, to improving their elasticity or only affect a specific group of muscles. You want Mutagen, get something specific and expensive, luckily ¡ª that¡¯s not as pricey as constant Shardware maintenance. It¡¯s a one and done deal. There are a whole lot of types of Mutations, tens of thousands to millions, and we classify them in five ways which you can read about in my other guide. What¡¯s important is that once you choose them, there¡¯s no going back. It isn¡¯t like Shardware that you can just swap out ¡ª they grow as a part of you. Develop them from 0 to a 100% development and go up a Tier, those Mutations combine and you start the process all over again. If you¡¯re extremely lucky, you¡¯ll get what¡¯s called a Meta-Mutation¡­ but don¡¯t expect to be lucky. Now, the general pricing for Implants are as follows, but you¡¯ll notice their range increases across the Grades as some variations are just better than others. Iron: 5,000 Bronze: 50k-100k Silver: 1Mil-5Mil Gold: 50Mil-400Mil Titanium: Yeah, good fucking luck affording one of these. Platinum: Unless you¡¯re a Founder or know them on a first-name basis, you ain¡¯t even looking at someone on this Grade. Now, there are three exceptions that change a price of an Implant. The first is if the Implant was used by someone else in the past and it was collected back from them either after they died or through removal surgery, that fucks up the Compatibility a lot, and so they¡¯re much cheaper. If you¡¯re willing to suffer for a discount, I ain¡¯t judgin¡¯. The second is only applicable to SIMs. If it has a Mutation of the Energy Class, you¡¯re not a Mutant, you¡¯re called an Esper and can manipulate some element of the world with your fingertips. So congratulations, everyone either wants you on their team, or on the ground as a corpse. The third is only applicable to BUGs. That¡¯s the presence of a Unique Feature, it means in the whole wide world ¡ª you¡¯re the only one with that power. 6:48 PM June 4th Ripley An abandoned warehouse north-side of the District center, that¡¯s where I¡¯d been kept. I¡¯d read reports that seismic activity from the Yellowstone reactor had prompted many industries to move out from the area. It had been an earthquake that trashed Westbrook to becoming the city¡¯s garbage dump after all. That only meant there was a different kind of ¡®company¡¯ to be found here. I practically ran when I saw the first Metal Heavens members. I don¡¯t know why I never saw it with Diamante, nobody on Earth was as obsessed with altering their bodies to that extent other than those steelfreaks. Snake Fangs were small rabbits in comparison to the wolves they were. You could hear their bodies cranking from the next street over, the gears of their neck¡¯s twisted as they glared at me and the dull thumping of their legs when they neared. It was only Diamante¡¯s quiet company that kept them off me, they must have assumed I was already being taken care of. I couldn¡¯t help but notice their bodies screeching with stiff joints when they looked at him, but whether it was from fear or respect was something I couldn¡¯t tell. When I¡¯d been working under Shaun, I¡¯d always wondered if that crappy clinic was the best I could be doing. If there were places I¡¯d fare better, higher pay, better tools, more engaging work instead of the hundreth busted gun or fixing up a worker¡¯s face after a drunk patron smashed their head in¡­ Shard Op¡¯s were in demand everywhere. There wasn¡¯t a street in New California where you¡¯d find a person without some form of cybernetic advancement or Neuroframe. We were in high demand, growing higher every day the Swarm got closer as more of us fled to the safety of a Corporate Nation or NeoCore where we¡¯d be better protected. But the thing was, official jobs required official licenses issued by the New California Government. That meant schooling, something I was in no place to afford unless I wanted to give up an eye, a kidney and a chunk of my brain. Hell, I was already living with one kidney to afford my mom¡¯s mechanical arm being grafted onto mine. That was under an official Shard Op¡¯. I was doing surgeries like that for just a meal. But with Metal Heavens, I¡¯d be doing ten times the work for just a breath. A picture leaked one day on the Net, a simple one, of a dozen Shard Op¡¯s with oxygen masks locked up in a warehouse not too dissimilar from the one I¡¯d just been in. The implication was easy to decipher. Each of them didn¡¯t have legs, they were planted in place like trees with screens floating about them, directing their next surgery and move. They worked endlessly, machines in a cog as the strict Daemons in their heads gave them the capacity to wield Warp Energy according to the directions injected by their superiors. I didn¡¯t have it the best with Shaun. But I didn¡¯t have it the worst either. I simply had the only option available to me that wouldn¡¯t put me or my mother in danger. Diamante had disappeared as soon as I made it a foot into what could be considered ¡®safe territory¡¯, sinking into an alleyway without so much as a goodbye, and from then on I¡¯d jogged until I found the nearest Monorail station. Only then could I breathe, but even then, it was carefully. I¡¯d never considered just how others had looked at me until now, did I always have this many strangers slide a quick glance? The monorail traveled quick, gravity locks securing us to the ground during the acceleration, and the steel monoliths we called our homes blurred. But all I could feel were those eyes. Those piercing glares which cast like spotlights as though I¡¯d just broken out of a maximum security prison. Sweat spilled onto my neck. Did they know? Could they feel the Gold running through my nerves? Would I be followed home? Be given a false sense of safety? Only for my door to be burst down as they ripped my spine out to retrieve the BUG? I was the ticket all these poor souls needed for a better life, for an escape¡­ in fact, it was my ticket as well. Fifty million? I could change everything in my life with that. I could downgrade to a Silver, still leagues beyond what I had ever hoped for, and attend proper schooling. Certification, a top-floor apartment, a career, it was all in my grasp. A life in the top 1%. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. And it was worth the orb in my head. Until Convergence was complete, I could remove it safely, even have minimal rejection to other Implants. I told myself that this Implant being Gold meant something too good to give up, that it was an opportunity to gain all that and more. But when I remembered my mother, I remembered just how little time I would have. Two and a half years. 2500. And the Swarm after that. 2501. I ran my fingers through my pockets as the monorail arrived at its next destination. I still had the Bronze BUG stolen from Shaun¡¯s table, but I didn¡¯t know its specifications ¡ª though I wondered if my mom could use it. If I was back in the workshop, at least I could gauge its two Features, but I didn¡¯t have a Genome Splicer to determine the compatibility she would have to it. This would be her third Implant, the chances of a random BUG being usable at a 50% Compatibility for her were one-in-forty. As for me, my Compatibility was something I¡¯d only read about in fiction. 99%¡­ just what did that mean? You needed to be above 50%, that was set in stone as evidenced by my mother¡¯s hasty reaction to her second Implant, an Iron which slowly degraded until it began attacking her; blindness in one eye, motion impairment, damage to her respiratory control centers. You were considered lucky to have 70%, it meant you had conscious control over that proportion of the BUGs influence on you. Higher Compatibility made you more efficient, and purposeful in your manipulation of your Implant ¡ª even directing the speed of it¡¯s growth and how a Feature would develop. We were called Adapters for a reason, to grow in strength we needed to experience stimuli to propagate our Implants to develop in such a way that we adapt to the phenomenon. Get shot by a gun a lot, you¡¯d get better at dodging. Shit aim? You¡¯d get better at shooting. That was the simple of it, but for BUGs¡­ it would always correlate to one of twelve Features. I¡¯d hoped for Technician, the Feature most specialized in Shard Operating¡­ I still had an opportunity to get it. Psyche was my only unlocked Feature as of now until I progressed it, it would update to harden my mental fortitude and mindset¡­ but what worried me was that I already has something to help me control my emotions. What would their combined effect be? And with 99% compatibility, my Implant would always adapt when it sensed it needed to. It already updated once to¡­ propagate a constant filter on my memories of that night. That wasn¡¯t what the update said, but I knew that was what it was doing. That thing I¡¯d put in my head far before the Implant was specialized in compartmentalizing memories ¡ª especially those of guilt, grief, shame and sorrow. Instead, I focused on my memories of when that MAL attacked me. Was the strange compatibility because the MALignant ate my Op-Claw to grow? Then maybe¡­ maybe it could work on my mother as well? She¡¯d used my claw longer than I ever had. But then she would have a fifty million target in her head. ¡ª¡ª¡ª I stared at the door, I¡¯d reached home five minutes ago but I couldn¡¯t enter. I was scared, too much had changed. Was I going to work for Metal Heavens now? It wasn¡¯t too late to run. Instead, I flashed a tag stuck into the skin of my left palm and the door swung open. I took the first step. Then another, and here I was. Home. A tiny apartment no bigger than my workshop. But it had four walls, a roof, a toilet, a couch around a coffee table, and a workstation. It was meant to be an office, but we just threw a mattress on the ground between it all. Ever since I¡¯d started working full-time for the club, the couch had been where I slept¡­ right now, it was occupied by a woman who held the blanket I used close to her face. My mother was hunched on the one table. Flimsy gray hair tangled down her face and neck, her singular arm and singular eye focused on the laptop in front of her. ¡°It¡¯s been two days, Ripper.¡± She sounded tired, on the verge of crying as she refused to look at me. ¡°Two days since I¡¯d heard what happened there¡­ I¡¯d thought-¡° ¡°I¡¯m home. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯d¡­ needed some time. A lot has changed.¡± I sat on the couch beside her, tapping my new metal peg leg. ¡°What was it you said¡­ that the old shows had pirates with a wooden leg? Guess I¡¯m one now.¡± She turned her neck, that eye focused on her son who had taken too long to come back home. Who¡¯d come back home with a metal leg. And a Gold Implant. She stayed silent for a moment, her aged but wonderful face flickering between too many states. ¡°Hoaqin said he hadn¡¯t been able to reach you¡­ I thought¡­ Rip, you- fuck why did I let you¡­ your leg.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, mom¡­ I¡¯m safe. I¡¯m alive. That¡¯s what¡¯s important, I always told you I¡¯d get it removed one day¡­ this just sped it up.¡± I put my hand on her shoulder, letting the density of my blood and steel settle into her feeble body to let her know I was real. That I was home. Her momentary silence dwelled on my leg, only broken by a laugh. ¡°Now I know for a fact you didn¡¯t do that yourself, you let an NC-Med touch your leg like that? Terrible work. I thought you had more self respect?¡± ¡°Oh you should have seen the guy when I pointed out his mistakes. A real hardass! But unfortunately I was knocked out for two days straight, and was dealing with¡­ a Convergence.¡± A smile creeped up on me. Her eye tore open, and I saw her shift between wonder and confusion. ¡°Convergence? As in¡­¡± ¡°The first stage of getting an Implant.¡± I confirmed, my face plastered in joy. I¡¯d done it after years of working to that goal. One could say, I went the badass route and harvested it right out of that monster. I didn¡¯t know my mother could move that quickly when she hopped off the chair and hugged me, her sole arm tight around me. ¡°Ripper¡­ h-how¡­ how dare you?!¡± Never mind, she was choking me. ¡°You should have shown me first! This is something you discuss with your mother and you know that! At least tell me it¡¯s a BUG!¡± ¡°It is¡­¡± I wheezed, poking her flesh to let go off me. ¡°And- how the hell did you find one in the middle of a MAL-attack? I¡¯d heard it was Gold¡­ don¡¯t tell me you ripped it off one of the victims?!¡± Her grip got tighter. ¡°I- No! Of course not! I got it from the MAL!¡± I managed to speak through. ¡°I thought I raised my son better- WHAT?!¡± Her grip got tighter again. Then she let go. Then she put things together. ¡°A¡­ a Gold?¡± I could only nod, I was afraid the first expulsion of air would send me into another two-day coma. ¡°Ripper¡­¡± She said, her voice as stern as possible as she digested my words. ¡°If you even think about taking that thing out of your head, I will single-handedly ensure that you will not have one happy day with that money.¡± I blinked, was¡­ she telling me to keep it? I think she was? ¡°I couldn¡¯t imagine- oh Ripper¡­ when you were born we promised to each other that you would get a Silver¡­ but Gold? I-¡° Tears flooded her eyes, and only then did I get a hug. And yeah, I cried too ¡ª all my emotions which had been welled up by the changes to my brainchemistry cracked to my mother¡¯s gentle touch, like an earthquake shattering a dam. I didn¡¯t know what having a Gold in my head meant, but I meant it. I would give it a reason that my skull was its rightful place. ¡°A Gold BUG¡­¡± My mother seemed to repeat that as many times as I had in my head. ¡°You can do anything with that. And the chances of Technician are¡­ significantly higher.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already gotten Psyche.¡± I tapped my Neuroframe, prompting her to look at my Implant overview. ¡°What do you think I should¡­ do?¡± My mother¡¯s legs wobbled, that hug was more energy from her in a moment than I¡¯d seen across the last three months. Using my body as support, I eased her next to me as she rested her head on my neck, the depth of her words reaching my core. ¡°Still going to be a Shard Operator?¡± ¡°I was always following in your footsteps.¡± I chuckled, letting my arm rest on her shoulder. ¡°Technician or not, I¡¯ll be working with Shardware.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go back to Shaun.¡± She said seriously, pleading with her voice. ¡°If he figures out what you ha-¡± ¡°Shaun left me to die.¡± I interrupted, a firm hammer in my voice. ¡°I¡¯ll wait a bit to contact Hoaqin, once I¡¯m settled¡­ I¡¯ll let him know I¡¯m alive.¡± ¡°That¡¯s cruel.¡± My mom said, no emotion behind it. ¡°But necessary. From what I know, they¡¯re in hiding ¡ª other gangs preying on them like Vultures to a corpse. Shaun¡¯ll be busy rebuilding in the next few months¡­ which means¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to find a new job.¡± I did not like the prospect of putting myself out there, but it necessitated my next few words. ¡°I was saved by mercs.¡± ¡°Mercenaries?¡± Caution flooded her, I had to pin her down to keep her from shaking. ¡°They didn¡¯t kill me, means they need me for something.¡± I was the one who began to shake and now she had to comfort me. ¡°I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re better than Shaun¡­ but he wouldn¡¯t have let me even wake up. Whatever their plan is, I¡¯ll be smart about it.¡± My mother took a few deep breaths to calm herself down before nodding, this was hardly the life she¡¯d struggled to give me, but where I lacked in comfort I¡¯d been gifted with her wit. Throughout all that we¡¯d lost, all that she¡¯d sacrificed, everything she¡¯d passed down to me¡­ I was all she had left. ¡°Tell me everything.¡± And she was all I had left now that Sel- My Frame grew hot, and I spurned that into focus. I told her everything, there was no keeping secrets from this woman, and now more than anything¡­ I needed her to help me. If not that, just to be there. Whatever world I¡¯d entered ¡ª of MALs being sold between corporations and plans to commit MALterrorism on the government ¡ª was something I couldn¡¯t handle alone. She tensed as I told her about that part, it probably reminded her of my father. Corporate conspiracy was a surefire way to end up dead, but I had some sort of protection in the form of Missy and Diamante. Her lone eye popped opened when I told her my theory on the Implat¡¯s compatibility. ¡°Ninety-Nine percent?! You¡¯ve given me enough of a heart attack already! Do you want your poor mom to die today? Next thing you¡¯ll say you also got that Gold MALignant¡¯s SIM?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Fortunately¡­ no. That went to a woman that helped me, an officer. Diana Jones.¡± My mother studied the name. ¡°An officer? And the two of you share the same MAL-sourced Implant. Ripley, be careful ¡ª if you two have Implants from the same MALignant then that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s what?¡± Was there something I didn¡¯t know? Her voice seemed grave, heavy with burden. ¡°The two of you are linked to either be fateful enemies or allies, there¡¯s no inbetween.¡± Blood and Steel C9: The First Precinct Chapter 9: The First Precinct Part of the transcript of Officer Diana Jones¡¯ Report with SIO Investigator Delilah Graves. Jones: I¡¯d taken the Snake Fang leader¡­ Shaun¡¯s rifle and used it on the MALignant. My aim was to target it anytime it took offensive action towards someone. Graves: That lines up with the camera footage we¡¯d retrieved¡­ and who was that who threw the grenade you¡¯d shot? He followed down the balcony after you. Jones: I believe his name was Ripley. He was the Shard Op¡¯ renting space down in their lower levels, I believe he had ties to the Snake Fangs because when I¡¯d gone up with the Lieutenant he was there. Graves: You also wrote down that he appeared interested in your bracelet? And that gave you suspicion that your cover had been broken? Jones: Correct. He appeared sharp, although it does seem he didn¡¯t work directly under the gang. But rather work was outsourced to him. Graves: You can surmise all of this with just one meeting? Jones: No, not exactly. But¡­ he was clearly smart, he¡¯d opened the box containing the MAL-Seed. I suspect that he¡¯s dead now because of it. Once the two NeoCore operatives engaged with the MAL, there was so much damage that the club fell apart. I¡¯d seen him trapped under the rubble¡­ I don¡¯t know what happened to him. Graves: Moving on, the Lieutenant¡­ what¡¯s left of his body is mangled. He was a Silver-Grade in the Third Tier¡­ how did you survive? Jones: A question I ask myself, I¡¯d tried escaping but rubble fell over the main entrance. Once Inquisitor Tusk engaged the MAL, I¡¯d retreated to the hallways deeper in the building. It took me a while, but I found my way to the perimeter Investigator Gargan had controlled. Graves: So you hadn¡¯t witnessed the MAL¡¯s death? I¡¯m sure you know, but the MAL had drained energy through the electric grid to launch Inquisitor Tusk out of the building. If it wasn¡¯t him or Archangel, who is in critical condition, then who killed the MAL? Jones: I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m afraid. 6:27 PM June 4th Diana I had never once lied during my two-year long career in the Police District. I had lied more times than I could count in the last two days, interview after report after news investigator. They stormed after me, and I¡¯d kept my web of lies as simple as possible. I don¡¯t know what happened. No one could question it, not unless they brought in someone who could detect lies anyway ¡ª and those were rare and kept in Special Operations. I was lucky that NeoCore worked faster than the police did, by the time I¡¯d been ushered into a van with a cup of hot chocolate there were already online forums discussing NeoCore¡¯s report of their vanquishing of the MAL. Everything was headlined by Inquisitor Tusk himself. Archangel also responded to online discourse; I watched her livestream as she thanked her supportive audience from a hospital bed. She encouraged them to also buy her upcoming book, then burned sponsored products down their throats like acid beautified by her online presence. There was a reason I never kept in touch with any mainstream celebrity, but I couldn¡¯t feel a pang of sympathy as she spoke of her injuries, she would be paralyzed from the waist-down for a month. The spear apparently had an infectious energy that would disrupt her natural Sustain capabilities. I¡¯d had two days of sleep far denser than any other day in my life. A blur, as my lenses repeated the same thing as it had during the entire time. Analyzing S.I.M¡­ I¡¯d done research, a new Neuroframe was a must. Most of them were built with the expectations of bonding to a B.U.G which would more or less take over their functionality, whereas I would need a less invasive connection to my nervous system. Lenses were fine as long as they didn¡¯t delve into the optic nerve, but some research recommended specific models. Almost everything was made by Imperium, the premiere company for Bioware. The organic antithesis of Shardware. I¡¯d seen ads for it, why give yourself fake muscle when you could implant muscle grown with Mutagen capable of carrying a car? The answer was simple. Money. Bioware was leagues more expensive than Shardware and my First Officer salary wasn¡¯t going to cut it. Lowest pricing was hundreds of thousands for even the simplest of modifications. Thankfully, I was waiting outside the doors to the office of my new Lieutenant, sworn in hours after Jacob Grazhe¡¯s death. This one was also a Lieutenant Grazhe, his daughter. Anabelle Grazhe. As far as I knew, the Grazhe family was notoriously linked to peace and order from the police, and for their common Mutation. Any on-market SIMs with even a hint of vocal manipulation were monopolized by them. When my name was finally called by a robotic secretary, I wasn¡¯t surprised to find out that she had her fair share of wrinkles behind that steel gray hair of hers. Jacob was ancient, more than seventy years old, and Anabelle was the proud heir to First Precinct, being the Staff Sergeant of the Intelligence Department until her father¡¯s death. She¡¯d been instated into the position instantly from her former status, reeled in to affirm order as the entire Precinct reeled from the former Lieutenant¡¯s death. The office was largely decorated with memorabilia from her father, strong oak desks made of actual wood and an air of dense earthy atmosphere nestled into my nose, while my eyes landed on a picture of Jacob Grazhe standing next to two daughters smiling with police uniforms. Anabelle and¡­ I didn¡¯t know who the second was. I didn¡¯t even know he had another daughter. I saluted Lieutenant Anabelle Grazhe, her slate gray eyes fixed over screens of light hovering around her. ¡°Good afternoon, Lieutenant Grazhe¡­ I¡¯d like to extend my deepest apologies about your father. He¡­ he protected me, from the MALignant. I want to honor him in any way you let me. I¡¯m sure he would be proud to know the police let his position pass to you.¡± ¡°Start by sitting down.¡± Her voice was hushed, much like her father¡¯s but definitely took a more naturally harsher tone. ¡°And don¡¯t bullshit me, I have his lens feed. The one thing he passed down to other than this clusterfuck of a district.¡± ¡°I- I am sorry. Genuinely.¡± I meant that, not knowing any other way to say my regrets but be honest about it. The former Lieutenant may not have been the most honorable person, but he was good at his job. His death was going to spiral Westcrook into chaos, that much was evident in the last few days. ¡°I¡¯ll leave this short and succinct, Ulrich.¡± The Lieutenant added a bite to the last name I¡¯d rejected for the last half-decade. ¡°You¡¯re being promoted to Third Investigator and transferred to the Intelligence department. New salary will be three Bronze Shards and 20 Iron, 16,000 Shardyne collected on the fourth of every month. And¡­ you will be receiving an Implant.¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. She reached under her desk, pulling out an arm-length container. Putting in some parameters on a pad at her side, a small section of it opened and out rolled a Silver bead of chitin-like material, a SIM. A Silver one. It was considered in the top 1% of the Implant Grades, but instead of excitement, I was pissed. ¡°With all due respect¡­ why am I receiving a Silver-Grade Implant? Normal procedure indicates that upon promotion to Third Investigator, you receive an Iron-Grade. Or a Bronze-Grade if the promoted officer has a high merit.¡± She froze the screens in front of her, her voice more tired than angry at what was a clear sign of insubordination. ¡°You know why you¡¯re receiving this. But if you want to know what your father wants me to say: you¡¯re an exemplary officer with a grand total of zero kills in three years, in all situations you use electrical weaponry to target Neuroframes under a non-lethal voltage. You¡¯ve had a spotless track record of nothing but effectiveness and dedication ¡ª never once taken a bribe, we would know. And since we have a spare Silver, you are being offered it as a gesture that the First Precinct does indeed promote our honest workforce.¡± Then with a snap of her fingers ringing out a clear whistling pitch, her voice slithered with the same mutated tone of her father¡¯s. ¡°Now take the damn S.I.M, Diana Ulrich!¡± It suffocated me like a coffin, but this time, a light pierced through it¡­ I stayed calm despite my trembling hands. I rushed out the bravery that golden radiance gave to me to break out of her hold. ¡°Again, with all due respect, I only want what I deserve. And it isn¡¯t Silver. I know for a fact you¡¯re not happy with some rookie like me getting something worth several million Shardyne.¡± My voice was growing more tense with every word. ¡°So do me a favor and take it for yourself!¡± I- I did not mean to say the last part. I just got caught in the mood. Instead of anger, Anabelle snorted much like how her father did when something questionable occurred in front of him. ¡°If I could, I would have taken it in a heartbeat and just left you a Bronze. But your father is a very powerful man. Said that if I don¡¯t give this to you then I¡¯ll be demoted and forced to work in the hellscape that some other lieutenant isn¡¯t fitted for. Believe me when I say I know something about shitty fathers who are ultimately right. The former lieutenant was the one keeping this district together, and the only other person the leaders will listen to is his daughter.¡± Fucking hell, of course my dad would play that card. As much as I hated him, I wasn¡¯t sure if I was willing to let someone unqualified take the job of a Lieutenant. ¡°Take the damn thing or you¡¯ll be happy with an Iron!¡± I snatched the Silver orb, rolling between my fingers feeling¡­ disappointed. A few days ago, the thought of a Silver seemed awe-inspiring, like Archangel. Now, the bead was muted to me, like a 3-d printed snack instead of a fresh gourmet meal. ¡°Thank you, Lieutenant. If you need anything from me, just¡­ make sure I¡¯m paid for it.¡± I joked, and it landed flatly to no reaction. I was ready to walk out, when she tapped a bell that harmonized through my entire body. Her voice shivered through my skull, a familiar feeling but more intense. ¡°One last thing. What happened to the Gold Implants from that MAL?¡± I was squeezed in her fist of control, tighter than even when the former Lieutenant spoke, and I knew my body was reacting as my hand tingled like it was trying to break free from chains. Fuck! I should have taken the gene-limiters! My voice was about to betray me¡­ I have one of them. But that inner light reached out, fighting the oppressive voice gyrating in my ears. I felt my Neuroframe buzz in my head¡­ and my lens indicated a warning. Error: Low power in Neuroframe, please provide emergency charging. The light itched and burned to force some clarity into my throat, and I took that opportunity to speak. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Then I closed the door behind me, rapidly making my way to the washroom as I scavenged my pockets for the gene-limiter pills I¡¯d kept just in case. I pushed through the door, reached for the tap and scarfed two of them down. I didn¡¯t know what grade they were, but the effect was instant. A flowing glow of stray electrical sparks within my inside my irises froze, but I still felt tingly. Cautiously holding my pointer finger close to the metal tap, as soon as I was inch away a visible spark flashed to it. So I could drain electricity¡­ good to know that was a power I¡¯d inherited from the MAL¡¯s Mutations. Bad for being in public where everything ran on it ¡ª including my own Neuroframe. Until I could figure out specifically what powers I¡¯d acquired, I was going to suffer with these horrendous-tasting pills if I didn¡¯t want to risk the back of my neck exploding. Implant Analyzed¡­ Oh, that was done quicker than I¡¯d expected it to be. Hopefully I had a high compatibility, the horror stories of SIM Adapters with lower ones did not sound pleasant. Implant Overview:- Tier 0: Convergence [1%] Compatibility: 99% Integrity: NA Energy: NA Capacity: NA Grade: Gold I Tendency: ?? Mutagen: Gene Overview:- Tier 0: Taking all that to account, I was almost terrified as I pondered the facets of my powers and how it aligned with the monster, because it fit me very well. Electrical weaponry had always been my favored choice over ballistic, and now I''d have that option literally wreathing through my body. Empowering me. If I was right, I was what was called an Esper rather than a standard Mutant in terms of the terminology of SIM Adapters. Someone who could manipulate worldly phenomenon with their thoughts, some were the typical telekinetics and telepaths while others called upon elements and even fewer could manifest them. In both of the Lieutenants'' cases -- their voice could manipulate the thoughts of others. Except my option was far less subtle. And subtlety was what I needed more than ever. Thankfully, one of my Mutations would never show its effects outwardly. Unstable Biology, a name which sent my skin prickling. What did that mean, hopefully I wouldn''t be growing any extra limbs or having my body twisted out of proportionality. It seemed to be a Mutation that directly boosted my other Mutations in how they developed, something I''d never heard of in my research. As for the others, they were more explainable and all tethered around electricity. I could conduct it into my body without harm, strengthen my body like an engine running on it, and sense the storm of electricity around me. Already, I could feel the tingle from my Frame like it was an annoying fly buzzing constantly behind my nape. Buzzing, that word certainly fit the sensation, a small thought from me gripped the electricity and drew it inwards. My neck tensing with brief pain as my lens'' display began to glitch with more warnings of low power and suggesting a visit to an Operator. Thankfully, standard Frames like this came with external batteries I could plug in to charge it, but a Sharded Frame like those used by Shard -- or BUG -- Adapters generated electricity from their Warp Energy. I still wasn''t sure if that change in voltage for my Frame was healthy or not, last thing I needed was it dying on me in the middle of using it. Especially since most of my police work was stored on it. I could experiment more once I got home and away from prying eyes, I was never one for science but at the very least I should get a grip on how electricity worked if I was going to be wielding it from now on. The basic research I¡¯d done during my few hours of being awake was that a Gold SIM innately possessed four concurrent mutations occurring simultaneously, while lower grades had one for Iron, two for Bronze, and three for Silver. But I¡¯d read nothing about the Meta-Mutations referred to in Unstable Biology? Clearly the Neuroframe¡¯s standard database had information about it, so I could find the information I wanted somewhere. I just needed to pay for it ¡ª all the best data had a price tag attached, if being in the police taught me anything it was that. And from what I understood of ¡®1%¡¯ next to all my Mutations, it was how far the Mutations had developed to completion. They¡¯d grow in strength over time, until plateauing at 100% and when I finish Converging, my Mutations would begin combining to form fresh Tier I Mutations. The direct science behind it was complicated, and difficult to predict -- at most, I''d have control over what Mutagen I could take. Speaking of percentages, I had to grip the sink tighter when I saw my compatibility. 99%?! Blood and Steel C10: A Childhood Friend Chapter 10: A Childhood Friend 7:12 PM June 4th Diana I walked through my station, the First Precinct¡¯s, towering floors until I reached the bustling floor of my workspace. My feet paced the floor, polished plastic-ceramic designed to be durable but worn down after decades of heavy boots and nerve-wracking activity. As I packed in some of my equipment from my office, a small cubicle jabbed in with all the others, I stood nervously and almost definitely aware that everyone was staring at me. From behind holographic boxes streaming out of cuboidal computers, their gazes followed me like I had killed someone they knew. Could they tell what my Implant was? Were my eyes glowing? A stray spark latching into the air, or maybe the electric current was lifting my hair. No. Calm down Diana, it was because I was one of four survivors out of the eighteen police present on June 2nd at the Toxin Club. Now, they could clearly see I''d been recognized for that. The only one without an Implant, and hopefully they continued to believe that. Until I got my promotion certified and that Silver Implant updated to my name... as soon as I could figure out a way to get my future geneticist to agree to lie about my Implant. I wasn''t eager to commit Implant Fraud but what choice did I have? The last thing I especially wanted was for Brian Ulrich to figure out I had Gold. Nothing would stop him from twisting that to his advantage, touting around a Gold SIMmed daughter like I was a floating attraction at The Pleasure Lanes. He''d tried to make me an actress to get me out in the public sphere, to bring him fame and likability that would''ve won him the 2495 election to become mayor of New California. I''d gotten out of his hands by then and he lost to Johan Trask, now I was going to cut those gloves off so he would never have the chance to mold others into doing his bidding like I''d been forced into. This Gold would give me the ability to climb the ranks, to build a power and reputation that would one day grow equal to him and then I''d make sure the castle of cards he''d built over the course of his life tumbled down. That was what he deserved. And after that... maybe even before it, I''d meet with my real father. Even if he had... changed the direction of his life. Maybe I''d get some answers, even if I didn''t like them, at least the question would be gone. Why did you give me up? For now, I had to look for Yvette, she was the first and only person I wanted to talk to right now. And I had a lot to talk about. I''d decided I''d keep the true nature of my Gold Implant a secret, otherwise she''d only have a target painted on her. Otherwise, I''d let her know about my promotion and my false status as a Silver -- she''d be genuinely happy, unlike many others. If I was allowed to feel proud of it, and I was, I''d been someone who constantly received recognition from my higher ups and climbed the ranks with skill and grace. Those were my goals, and I''d held myself to keep my integrity throughout it. Even if the rumors could be nasty and claimed the opposite. Honestly, I was thinking that being chosen for The Toxin Club was almost a taunt from my superiors... I just had to use their own fallacies against them. I just had to... forget everything I''d caused to happen that night. But over the last two days, I''d been obsessing as the list of names of those who''d died only grew larger. It had no purpose but... I couldn''t stop myself. At the very least, there was now a distraction in the form of my Implant. I had been given the rest of the week off, to acclimate with my ¡®Silver¡¯ Implant before an official ceremony would be held for the passing of the former Lieutenant as the Precinct adjusted with promotions and transfers between departments. I just hoped there wasn¡¯t some mystical sensation my body gave off like a spotlight bathed in gold once my genes developed further. I hoped as I always had, wishing that I was invisible to those around me yet recognized the way I wanted to. Maybe I could find a Mutation to do that for me, selective invisibility? How much would Mutagen like that cost? My luck ran out when an Officer Holmes approached me, Second Rank. ¡°Hey there Officer Jones.¡± He waved, friendly enough but I knew on the field that the last person you could trust were your police ¡®pals¡¯. ¡°Looking good today, heard that your bust on the MAL has all but secured your promotion. See you packed your stuff in.¡± I responded in my practiced tone, a light smile and a pleasant but firm voice. ¡°Well, you thought right. Let¡¯s just say you can start calling me Investigator Jones now. And to be honest, that bust¡­¡± Went wrong in every way. My voice dropped at the end as I saw the mangled bodies. Twisted and half-eaten, and it was all my fault. My breathing stilled as a lens issued a release of endorphins, thankfully the police-issued Neuroframes used what was called a Post-Traumatic Stress Negator to prevent cases of PTSD¡­ its effectiveness was debatable. Sometimes, it just made more issues, so I kept its threshold lower than the recommended level. Maybe that was why it continued to play out in my head like my lens'' feed was on repeat, neon lights reflecting across shallow crimson pools. That was a common enough scene in this city -- it''s glamor casting an effulgent glow to mask the lives it cut down -- but to that extent? I took a deep breath, then a deeper one, then I couldn¡¯t stop breathing. Everything played out slow, each shot I landed only for the MAL to continue feeding in the end. I heard the crunch of Archangel¡¯s back with the spear, I¡¯ve been hearing it ever since. ¡°Hey, you okay Jones?¡± Holmes propped a supportive hand on my shoulder, I was honestly thankful for the unprompted touch for once. ¡°MAL cases are the worst, believe me, but they happen. There¡¯s one thing about seeing a human monster, but encountering an actual one¡­ they¡¯re forces of nature we can¡¯t stop. So do yourself a favor and stop thinking you could have done better. NeoCore arrived and prevented that thing from going into the streets ¡ª it would¡¯ve been a wild one if you hadn¡¯t caught it.¡± Another voice came to my side, one I was familiar with and grateful to be on my side. She took over, holding my weight on her body. ¡°I¡¯ll take her from here, Holmes. Get you some coffee later on as thanks for finding her.¡± ¡°Thank you, Yvette.¡± I hushed as she hurried me to a quieter corner of the station, a long balcony overlooking the tall towers that silently judged the mortals beneath them, a place we often hung around during our year in training. ¡°C¡¯mon, Diana, look at me.¡± Yvette placed a hand on mine, her dark-olive skin a clear contrast with my own. I looked, brown eyes and curly hair dyed red falling down both sides of her head. ¡°I¡¯m looking.¡± I responded blankly, my body numb. ¡°How does it feel?¡± ¡°Like lead¡¯s inside my stomach. From a gun.¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Shit¡­ won¡¯t ask the details, but I¡¯ve been worried sick. You disappeared for two days, and people said that you carried a blank stare ever since. Would saying what happened help?¡± She lent a caring touch over my hand, holding it tightly as warmth bled into the cold numbness that had been growing within me. It gave me the strength to confront what had happened. ¡°I got evidence of the raid. Then STRIKE showed up¡­ some guy opened the box in the process of everything and¡­ it all happened so quickly. I- I know I shouldn¡¯t, but I feel guilty for all those deaths.¡± Yvette¡¯s face softened. ¡°And that¡¯s why you¡¯re a better cop than half the other people here.¡± ¡°You know,¡± I trailed on, ¡°that place was like it came from a slice of hell anyway. Their manager spoke to me about selling a girl¡¯s body that night after she had just gotten a Neuroframe¡­ I then met her, she was so sweet but she didn¡¯t even know what was going to happen to her later on. Then that monster woke up.¡± ¡°Fuck¡­ sounds just like how they sold us back when were in the Cradle. Never knew if who was going to get you would see you as a child or a trophy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know which is worse.¡± I choked my words out. ¡°Is it worse to be physically engineered from birth to be paraded by the rich, or to be so desperate you have your mind altered so you can stomach them. Personality Editors, Yvette -- I doubt half of the workers there even knew what was happening.¡± Yvette¡¯s grip grew tighter. ¡°The club is gone, good riddance.¡± ¡°People died.¡± I shuddered. ¡°And now¡­ I¡¯ve been thinking. About what I would¡¯ve done if you hadn¡¯t been there all the way back then, would I have been like those working at the club? Would I have been so desperate as to actually¡­ take that job? Only to end up dying like¡­¡± ¡°Hey, hey¡­ you''re not trapped in that hell anymore.¡± Yvette stiffened, before breaking a joke out. ¡°After all, when I saw a cute girl begging on the streets, how could I not bring her back to my place and show her a good time?¡± ¡°You jackass.¡± I managed to laugh despite the echoes of guilt within me. ¡°Though, having a proper dinner for once was a good time.¡± Yvette moved closer to hug me, her curly hair absorbing the moisture leaking from my face. ¡°Dig yourself deep as you want, my ass is there to extend a rope. Your bio dad, homeless, MAL attack ¡ª you can pull yourself out better than anyone I know. Just take your time.¡± She just held me, until I found the strength, or despairing weakness, for my words to come out. ¡°I just don¡¯t know how I should be feeling.¡± I really didn¡¯t, when I touched the thawing warmth of that light within me it was like that night never happened, even though the source of that warming light came from that night. It was a hypocritical eclipse. My body was now taking from the very monster that caused so much suffering. ¡°Hey, hey, don¡¯t you let any of the others catch you crying! You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m so nice, but if word gets around then they¡¯ll toss you around.¡± Yvette rubbed my tears with her sleeve, I didn¡¯t even feel them dripping. I tried to mask the sorrow in my voice with a hint of pride, but I know I failed. ¡°Thanks¡­ anyway, guess what¡­ I¡¯m officially going to be a Silver-grade soon.¡± ¡°Oh- oh shit girl!¡± She stammered. ¡°You should have started with that! Since when?¡± ¡°Since like¡­ twenty minutes ago¡­ got it strapped where no one can find it.¡± ¡°Daaamn girl, you freaky! You know those things turn into insects!¡± She punched me. ¡°N-no, you pervert!¡± I punched her back. Harder. ¡°Just stuffed it down into my pockets.¡± Yvette rubbed her arm, clearly pained but she was used to it. ¡°Boring ass.¡± I laughed as she somehow she broke me out of my spell ¡ª she always had been the one to drag me out from tough spots I put myself in. I wiped my tears myself, and an idea sprung to mind. ¡°Want to help me get some Mutagen? Heard they offer one free to every Investigator upon promotion at the Gene-Clinic here.¡± Yvette dragged me up. ¡°Lead the way, Invesitgator. Mazhyr¡¯s tits, it''s hard to believe you¡¯re my senior now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always been your senior.¡± I said with a dead-pan face. ¡°I was sworn in as a Second Rank officer, you were stuck as a boring old Third Rank.¡± ¡°Yeah but now it¡¯s like¡­ official official, you know? I¡¯m a Second Officer and you¡¯re now in a whole other spectrum.¡± She rasped. ¡°Yeah, I know. Get used to it, you bitch.¡± We laughed, and we strode towards the clinic. ¡ª¡ª¡ª I tried to stop Yvette from shouting at the clinician, but failed miserably. ¡°The fuck you mean she can only get an Iron Grade Mutagen? You¡¯re looking at one of the youngest Investigators the precinct has ever seen, she¡¯s going to be a S-¡° I covered her mouth before she could spill more, Silver might not be as rare as Gold¡­ but it was still incredibly rare to find. ¡°What my friend means is, surely there¡¯s some Bronze Mutagen here. I¡¯m willing to use my merits to get some, even pay with cash for them.¡± The clinician held a tired gaze, the poor guy honestly did look overworked. ¡°Yes, Tier 0 Bronze Mutagen is available¡­ but only to Second Rank Investigators and above. Rules are rules, however, if you want something higher than Iron, you''ve got to look at private clinics.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s where we¡¯ll go!¡± Yvette had already tried spinning me around but it was a good thing I was the stronger one, I stood still like a pillar of concrete undeterred by her antics. ¡°Just show me what¡¯s available.¡± I smiled politely, while glaring daggers at Yvette. He propped up a screen, and I looked at my options of Mutagen. The exact Mutation developed wouldn''t be what was labeled on the vial, but it would be close enough -- that was another benefit of working for the police, our stuff was legit. [Iron] Imperium Muscle Endurance [Iron] Yuzhou Skin Conditioning [Iron] Mazhyr Reflexive Eyesight [Iron] SynTec Quick Sleeper ¡°Reflexive Eyesight.¡± I made my choice quickly before Yvette could butt her opinion in. I could already see her mouth opening before I spoke again. ¡°Fuck it! Use my merit to get all the other ones¡­ except quick sleeper.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the most important one! You always stay up late!¡± Of course she would say that when her breakup venting is half the reason I¡¯m up so late, grabbing my hand and pulling it to swipe on the option. ¡°Then get that one too!¡± I screamed at the poor clinician. He grumbled, pushed a few buttons and a few minutes later I left the clinic with four vials of Iron Mutagen and absolutely nothing to spend my merits on once I was transferred to the Intelligence Department. Yvette always complained that I was hoarding them anyway. I would have to wait a while before consuming them, maybe weeks after my current Mutations had finished developing before I could use them. From what I knew, I had to occupy another four Tier 0 Mutagen to finish getting to Tier I. ¡°So¡­¡± Yvette began. ¡°I was wondering if you¡¯d like to use your Investigator salary on a quick shopping trip. Janel just released a new handbag that-¡° Incoming call: Ripley I raised my hand at her, my eyes fixated on the name like a missile. Ripley was calling? I accepted it with a quick tap on my temple, moving aside as Yvette already started spouting nonsense. ¡°Who¡¯s that? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve met someone and you¡¯re not telling me.¡± I hushed her as Ripley¡¯s voice came echoing in my head. ¡°H-hey¡­ I t-think we should talk about our s-situation.¡± Blood and Steel C11: A Clash of Worlds Chapter 11: A Clash of Worlds 8:30 PM June 4th Ripley I waited and I waited, pacing around the room. What was I doing? Why was my first instinct at being told I might have a mortal enemy to invite them over to my house? And why was my mom cooking a nice meal for them?! Actually maybe that would help disarm her nerves, perhaps lull her into a sense of security. If worst came to worst, my mom said to use her as an emotional bargaining chip. I breathed in deeply, trying to calm myself. I had this in the bag, I just just might need some police protection because I¡¯ve gotten involved with one of the most notorious criminal groups in the city in Metal Heavens. What the fuck did my life become? Diana I wish I had brought a gun, but the precinct didn¡¯t have my model currently. I should have just taken a different one earlier in the day, but now the armory was closed. Ripley was involved with the Snake Fangs. I knew that. They could be waiting down this hallway. For revenge, to take my Implant¡­ Ripley had to have guessed I got the SIM. What about that strange woman who took him, Missy? Fuck! I really should have brought a gun! Or at least brought Yvette. I just had to hope my new mutations would surprise them, for all I knew they were aiming to make a profit off their clusterfuck of a deal by taking the Implant off me. Not that I knew how to extract a S.I.M from someone¡­ someone alive. The easiest thing to do would be to kill me. But it was now or never. I was trained, I could do this. I knocked. Ripley I heard knocking, and I knew it was now or never. I kept a rusty pan waiting by my side, she probably brought a police entourage with her, wanting to pry the BUG out of my head¡­ Why were there no guns in this house?! Another set of knocking came, and I opened the door. Diana The door opened, and an intense smell wafted through the air. A pleasant smell in fact, perhaps a poison? I half-expected to see a man wearing a gas-mask but instead I was greeted by a shivering man with a pan held in his hand. ¡°Uh¡­ hi, Ripley.¡± I coughed out. ¡°Diana.¡± He nodded, still twitching, and invited me in with the elegance of a beggar to his den. Which honestly¡­ was not as bad as the outside made it to be. Located in a megabuilding that was a small town in itself capable of housing tens of thousands from every walk of life; complete with parks and a shopping center¡­ forty-five floors above. This section was underground, and trash from the upper floors had accumulated on the avenues of this ¡®street¡¯ through balconies and poor plumbing. Despite that, the room was spotless and even had charm with some light decorative plants and a wall filled with paintings and photos where there wasn¡¯t piles of old machinery laying about. Was that a young Ripley sitting on his mother¡¯s lap? It was kind of cute. Ripley Why was Diana staring at a baby picture of me? Was she trying to blackmail me somehow? Diana To my surprise, there was another person standing over a table with an electric cooker plugged in. She was taller than me but extremely frail, and fairly aged¡­ an older version of the woman in the pictures. Was that his mother? She was beautiful when she was younger but the years had¡­ changed her. She was missing an arm and an eye now, and there was a slowness as she worked on cooking. Why was that? Ripley ¡°Uh¡­ that¡¯s my mother.¡± I coughed. ¡°She um¡­ insisted on cooking for you, there really isn¡¯t much place to sit but we can talk on the couch.¡± I moved to the furniture, not taking my eyes off Diana in any form. I couldn¡¯t trust her. Even then, I made sure to sit on the piece of the couch with the stains¡­ My mother then decided to greet Diana, and I honestly was sort of mortified. My mom smiled, then hug- why did she hug Diana, did she not say we were intertwined by fate to be enemies? Why did Diana awkwardly hug back? Diana Why was Ripley¡¯s mother hugging me? Was she going to stab me in the back? I saw a knife on the table, but there were no sudden movements. Then she let go, to which I let out a tight breath. ¡°You must be Diana, wow, God did you justice didn¡¯t he? Why don¡¯t you settle on the couch, dinner¡¯ll be done in just a moment. Hope you like frittatas!¡± She seemed¡­ motherly. I might have been jealous of that¡­ It had only ever been me and my dad, my adoptive dad. Long before Brian Ulrich came along. Right, the couch! I moved in, scooting past the cramped mattress to seat myself on the tiny couch Ripley was already sitting on. What was that stain under his hand? On second thought, I didn¡¯t want to know. There were other things, though, that I was more keen in learning about. ¡°So¡­ about our situation¡­?¡± He blurted something that made me freeze. ¡°What¡¯s your compatibility?¡± Immediately, alarms screeched in my head, should I tell him? Do I even trust him? Why was he asking? But then in a moment he said something that made me feel like a ghost had walked through me. ¡°Mine¡¯s at 99%¡± Ripley Should I have said that? Probably not, but I needed to know the specifics. If what my mother said was true, then- then this was bad. This went deeper than it should have. She studied me, trying to make sense if what I said was true but somehow that told me enough. She confirmed my theory before she even said anything. ¡°Same.¡± She looked uneasy as she said it, her eyes resting on my table. I felt like a ghost had walked through me. Implants that could directly grow from the slightest biological or technological imprint their MAL had consumed. My claw¡¯s fingers had been torn, and Diana had been cut, then the Implants came to us on their own accord as though they¡¯d chosen us. Which means whoever they were intended for, they weren¡¯t just receiving Gold-grade Implants. They were acquiring Gold Implants with unprecedented compatibilities. Except¡­ they were always meant to be confiscated by the police. That¡¯s what Missy and Diamante said. ¡°Diana. I have some trouble that I¡¯m in, and I think I have information you would want. Just-just it¡¯s alot and-!¡± My voice shuddered, fucking hell, just why couldn¡¯t I be calmer! I want to be calmer! My thoughts slimmed. It was an instant effect, what? Psyche v.0.01 has updated to v.0.02 Effect: Increase to coherence of thoughts during stress. The Feature updated? That was¡­ way too quick. It had just been hours since the last one. I erred my speech for a second before resuming. Diana I blinked as his tone shifted as though pulled artificially into a more resolved state, but I was too carried away with my own nerves and curiosity to even try to figure out why the sudden switch in his voice. ¡°The Pandora was always meant to fall into the police¡¯s custody, and it could be activated remotely from whoever sourced it, you can see how that¡¯s bad news.¡± It didn¡¯t take a genius to put it together, my lips moving on their own. ¡°By opening it in the First Precinct¡¯s evidence room, the MALignant would have access to tons of high-Grade Shardware and Mutagen confiscated. It would cripple our hold over the district and send Westcrook into chaos.¡± ¡°The question then, is why?¡± Ripley nodded, his eyes sharp. His mother set a plate for me and him, and I couldn¡¯t lie, it somehow returned the appetite this conversation had erased. ¡°Thank you¡­ Ripley¡¯s mom? Sorry, I never caught your name.¡± ¡°Isabel Donovick-Gravas.¡± She got herself comfortable on the mattress, taking a bite of the food. ¡°And the other question the two of you should ask, is who has the manpower to contain a MAL capable of perfectly digesting both genetic and digital material so quickly? I don¡¯t know much about them, but NeoCore reports it had evolved into a Hunter. The third stage, in less than an hour. That¡¯s not normal.¡± Shit. We had stumbled onto something big, and there was only one possibility as to who could have planned this. I felt fear just saying it. ¡°One of the Corporate Nations was trying to destabilize Westcrook? Why? It doesn¡¯t make sense for any of the Founders to do that. The Free Cities are neutral?¡± The Founders had raised their own nexus of civilization far away from the MAL, bastions housing millions where they lived to serve the propagation of their corporation. SynTec in North-Eastern America and Europe. Imperium¡¯s empire blossomed in Africa. Yuzhou¡¯s grasp covered the Eastern half of Asia. Haithama held the other half. NeoCore took to suborbital floating citadels. Beneath and in between all of that were the Free Cities, founded by the creator of the Neuroframes herself, Beauregard Mazhyr. ¡°The Free Cities¡­¡± Isabel finished chewing. ¡°Are a stain on the Corporate lands from what my father left me to know; Mazhyr established us¡­ NeoCore took our strongest from us, then left us to rot in lands close to MAL territory. Our use only comes up now when there¡¯s a Swarm in sight and they need bodies to buffer them, and Westcrook is the bridge between the rest of New California and SynTec¡¯s New Port City while we¡¯re separated from Yuzhou by a MALtitan in the pacific. While The Infinite lurks in the ruins of The Floridian Gulf. Not to mention we¡¯re close to Yellowstone¡¯s electrical grid, so if anyone wanted to cripple New California¡­ this is the prime location.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± I held my face. ¡°And now we fucked up their plan.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Ripley said as he held himself seriously. ¡°I think they changed it at the spur of the moment. I could¡¯ve never cracked open that box even if you gave me a year, something caused them to open the box then and there. Dogwhistler¡­ Missy mentioned they were who organized the deal.¡± Dogwhistler¡­ the hair on my arms spiked. I¡¯d heard that name once before. I sent Ripley an invite to my lens feed as I scavenged through the recordings I¡¯d taken, as per police protocol you were supposed to keep it on at all times on duty. Though¡­ I¡¯d deleted the data from when I fell down with Ripley, I told them I became unconscious. The moment I was looking for was when the two Yuzhou Corporates had died. The male corporate had his Neuroframe spark on him the second he said the word ¡®Dogwhi-¡® He was silenced by the woman named Ms. Himiko, before she killed herself. ¡°Dogwhistler. I¡¯ve never heard of them in the police files, but it could be an alias for any number of powerful people.¡± I commented, there was nothing else in the feed that suggested a specific company ¡ª except that it couldn¡¯t be Yuzhou by merit of them trying to obtain the package itself. Whoever was doing this was trying to implicate them in MALterrorism. ¡°The box was SynTec? Could it be them?¡± ¡°Could also just be using a competitor¡¯s brand.¡± Ripley scrubbed through the footage. ¡°Might also be a powerful independant. We don¡¯t know yet.¡± ¡°Chances are¡­¡± Isabel, Ripley¡¯s mother, put down her finished plate. ¡°They¡¯re close to NeoCore in some way? MALseeds don¡¯t remain in infancy for long, and a Gold one would be put to use immediately¡­ MALs can only spawn seeds at their Grade or lower, not higher. So start by thinking of all the ones capable of affording a Titanium Grade at minimum.¡± ¡°Titaniums go up to billions of Shardyne¡­¡± Ripley clenched his jaw. ¡°Could NeoCore be the one directly responsible for this? Maybe one slipped out of their hands?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I remembered the conversation between Tusk and Missy. ¡°Herald Ruby seemed to not know anything, it¡¯s the only reason why either of us are still alive¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean? A NeoCore Herald¡¯s involved?¡± Ripley leaned forward. ¡°There was a woman who took you, she called herself Missy, but Tusk seemed to know her personally by the name Emizren. So did the Herald, in fact¡­ Ruby asked Missy to ¡®come back¡¯ and it seemed like they were close. Ruby let the two of us go and entrusted our Implants to Missy in exchange that she would help NeoCore learn more about the MAL¡¯s source¡­¡± Ripley Missy was related to NeoCore? And now she¡¯s in with Metal Heavens? That was like going from sitting on a throne to a pile of shit. ¡°I¡¯ve talked to her, she¡¯s given me a month to prove that me being alive is worth more than the Implant in my head. But proving my worth seems¡­ detrimental considering that I was locked up in Metal Heavens territory. Her right hand man, Diamante, should have seen him ¡ª he was more metal than man.¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Metal Heavens?¡± Diana¡¯s face contorted. ¡°And you- oh fuck, that¡¯s bad.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Like, I actually feel sorry for you.¡± I seethed from my teeth. ¡°Your sympathies are appreciated, Diana. But I¡¯d rather have your support. If this is as bad as it seems, then I¡¯m¡­ we need to work together. The two of us have a combined value of over a hundred-million sheds, once our Implants develop it¡¯ll be hard to conceal them.¡± Diana I tightened my jaw, that would mean knowingly conspiring with criminal activity¡­ But Ripley, of everything he may be, didn¡¯t look like a hardened criminal. If anything, he appeared to be forced into this situation. Those pictures on the wall from when he was a child, highrises and parks, a loving family and clearly well-off. Something had changed in his life to drag him beneath the earth and into poverty. I could relate to that. There was a time when I wasn¡¯t that far from being in his shoes. A tiny house in the slum-levels, filth creeping into their home ¡ª they had a roof over their head. I hadn''t even had that. Ripley She raised up her hand with the palm open to me. ¡°The information you gave me, I¡¯ll put it to good use. Tell me how things go with Missy, I¡¯ll¡­ look for a way to support you.¡± I shook Diana¡¯s hand, my inner heart screaming that things had gone so well. ¡°If it¡¯s anything to go by, I might have a good supply of funds soon so your pockets won¡¯t be too strained.¡± Of course, I was talking about the Bronze Implant in my pocket. Hoaqin¡¯s Implant. A quick 50,000 if I sold it without getting it analyzed, enough to keep me afloat in this house for several years. But it was Hoaqin¡¯s¡­ He was my friend, the only one I really ever had. Diana smiled, then finally set to tasting her food. ¡°Took you long enough.¡± My mother chided her, and I¡¯d realized I hadn¡¯t even touched my plate. I was starving, two days of being unconscious did that to you. ¡°By the way¡­¡± Diana said in between bites. ¡°Whatever happened to Selene and Hoaqin? You¡¯re in a pretty good mood today so I hope they got out safe.¡± My fork fell, my metallic hand trembling like the cold had injected itself into my blood. Right, I hadn¡¯t even tried to think about¡­ It came back, the memories rushing downwards on my mind like the inevitable splatter of a waterfall. The blood. The carnage. Thud followed by thud. Hoaqin running as she was left for the MAL¡¯s savage dance of death. ¡°Ripley? What does she mean¡­ Selene?¡± My mother grew worried and confused, I could see it in her eyes. I¡¯d never told her I¡¯d rekindled my friendship with Selene. Hoaqin agreed to keep it a secret. Diana poked my shoulder, but all I felt was the searing heat of Shaun¡¯s rifle drilling into my flesh. It was her who prompted the MAL to lash out. To kill S- ¡°Everything okay with you?¡± Diana asked quietly, her grip growing hotter. Then it quieted, what was I even worried for in the first place? What happened had happened. It was in the past. It was in the past. It was- I¡¯d gotten over my father¡¯s¡­ this was no different. Take a step, a step away. Take a step and don¡¯t look back. Yes, I let that Gold feed into my Frame, I let it submerge the inner workings of it¡¯s updates into my thoughts and memories through that Matrix, anything, anything but¡­ ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I calmly reached down and retrieved the fork. ¡°Not the Selene you¡¯re thinking about. Juuust¡­ got some bad memories attached to that night. But they¡¯re fine. I have had a lot on my mind and Hoaqin¡¯s probably worried sick about me. I¡¯ll contact him soon.¡± I took a bite, not minding the bit of dirt I¡¯d rubbed off. A message in my lens flashed to view, one I promptly ignored. Psyche v0.02 has updated to Psyche v0.03 Effect: Increased subconscious modification of Neuroframe Software: Personality Editing Matrix ¡ª¡ª¡ª 9:17 June 4th Ripley Diana had left just a few minutes ago, my mother¡¯s stare striking at me. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell her everything.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t.¡± I said with finality, getting up to leave the apartment. ¡°It¡¯s arguably the most important piece of information the two of you need to know.¡± She stopped me in my tracks. ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s also liable to tear us both apart. I need her protection, if Missy and Diamante are just playing an elaborate con to get a Gold Adapter for Metal Heavens then I¡¯ll need any help I can get, even from the pigs.¡± She squinted, anger sizzling over her. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re considering it?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not! She¡¯d kick my ass in a second!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the reason you should be saying!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill her! I- she saved my life but I can¡¯t trust her completely, not yet. If she knew that our Implants could synergize due to coming from the same MAL, that either of us could have both a BUG and a SIM simultaneously¡­ then¡­ the point is it just makes things more complicated.¡± I¡¯d scooted past her, her body remaining a firm statue as I moved. Dual Adapters¡­ they were only the thing of rumors. Those who were said to wield mutations and cybernetics simultaneously, and both Diana and I had the potential to become one. All it would take was for the other to die. ¡°Just¡­ look, I¡¯m worried. You¡¯re following in your father¡¯s footsteps, getting involved in conspiracies and corporations and crime. The sensible thing for you to do would be to make a jump for an honest living, but¡­¡± Her expression softened, years of pain burrowing through her mouth. ¡°There¡¯s no honest living in this city. I¡¯d be a hypocrite to say you have a choice.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why the only person I can trust to be truthful is myself, you¡¯re the one who taught me that.¡± I didn¡¯t budge further, I wasn¡¯t going to just leave her worried like that. ¡°And your mother.¡± She both corrected and threatened me. ¡°Gold is a big thing, so you¡¯re going to have to listen to me exactly and buy specifically what I asked for.¡± Almost reluctantly, she shuffled away. ¡°And remember, I love you my little Ripper.¡± ¡°I love you too mom.¡± I said, and I meant it as I stopped her from retreating by pulling her into a hug. Finished, I closed the door behind me only to find that my feet couldn¡¯t move further. There were too many things I needed to get, and the list of contacts my mom had sent me to scout throughout our Megabuilding were extensive. It was all so daunting, in one day I was planning on spending more than I had in a year. ¡°Little Ripper? That¡¯s an endearing name.¡± A feminine voice sparkled in my head, causing me to jerk my head into the door. ¡°Who¡¯s that?!¡± I searched around, finding nothing but the quiet trash-drenched avenue of my apartment block. The voice responded, it was like a communication protocol through a Neurolink but far too clear and concise with the lack of jitters that came from a brain¡¯s hasty nature. ¡°The poor soul who¡¯s now been tasked with watching over you, I¡¯m your fairy godmother.¡± ¡°The shit is a fairy godmother?!¡± I whispered, curious eyes were already glancing out from the grime-coated windows of my neighbors. ¡°Cinderella? Guess you never watched it, Haithama made a killing from old Disney movies being dug out of the Old_Data. Call me Twilight, and I¡¯ve been watching your every move. Nice meeting with the police officer, her name¡¯s Diana, right?¡­ Pfft, just kidding, Missy¡¯s already given me the run-down of her. Actually, scratch that. I gave Missy the run down of Diana Ulrich.¡± So the meeting was compromised then by¡­ Twilight. I felt like I should¡¯ve been panicking more, but my body remained remarkably assured as I slid into an available elevator. ¡°So you¡¯re part of Metal Heavens then?¡± ¡°Oh you had me laughing with that! Diamante¡¯s going to be so pissed with you thinking he was chromed up like them. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be keeping that a secret. We ain¡¯t Metal-heads, not the weird kind.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re not a part of them? Then why was I locked up in one of their warehouses?¡± The elevator doors had just closed, and fortunately for me I was left alone and could speak normally. It helped me get my thoughts across. ¡°Metal Heavens¡¯ a sucker for Shardyne, those gizmo¡¯s are always thinking of some new toy to stick into their bodies. Just asked if we could get a place that¡¯s secure for a few days, as much as they can be psychos, when Sheds are involved they can be real gentlemen.¡± Twilight¡¯s apparating voice was playful, and it irked me that she was speaking so casually. ¡°So you¡¯re not affiliated with them? Then who exactly am I dealing with, I¡¯d like to know that much.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t we all? Every deal involves some higher power just choosing to fuck up those at the bottom, they let you play with a few threads all the while you¡¯re plucked up into the web with a false sense of influence. You think you¡¯re selling guns on behalf of your supplier, but then it turns out you both¡¯re just a cog some corporate is turning so that a gang can burn down a factory of their competitor.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°Yeah-yeah, I¡¯m a poor victim to the system. Just spill it out.¡± ¡°Ooh, I can see why Missy liked you.¡± Her voice tingled with anticipation. ¡°And that¡¯s who you¡¯re dealing with, Missy.¡± ¡°So she¡¯s a lone mercenary? Or wait, no, she called Diamante her right-hand-man so there¡¯s more people in her operation, you guys run in a group?¡± ¡°We¡¯re just a few unfortunate souls who find ourselves in a common partnership. Sometimes we¡¯re in for the thrill, other times we¡¯re there with a goal. What¡¯re you in for? You looking to be a legend of New California? The next Firestarter? Or are you just looking for an honest life in the city of lies.¡± What was I looking for? I stretched my metallic fingers, the Warp Energy flowing ever so slowly to my whims. Something I had never managed to do except the time he had modified the grenade against the MALignant. Where had that Warp Energy even come from? ¡°I guess I¡¯m no different from the others, just some guy who¡¯s been beaten down to the slums¡­ without the ability to change anything. For most of my life, I¡¯ve been ordered around and dragged into what others want, but never for myself. So yeah, I want change. To survive and persevere in this crazy world.¡± ¡°And a Gold Implant fell into your head, how delightful. Now you have access to abilities most people dream for, and they¡¯ll stop at nothing to get that thing out of you. Who knows? Show a sign of weakness and maybe I¡¯ll take it for myself.¡± She added with cheeriness. The elevator dinged open, and I almost didn¡¯t want to walk out. If Twilight could dig into my head so effortlessly, then it makes sense that she could track me. Regardless, I stepped out, sweat clamming to my skin. If I was going to get attacked I¡¯d rather it not be near my mother. ¡°I¡¯m only kidding! But seriously, you¡¯ve got to be able to protect yourself. The second anyone with a half-decent Analyze or Network feature spots the literal goldmine under your skull, you better bet that they and their friends will claw it out.¡± ¡°I-I know. That¡¯s what I¡¯m going out for, I need a basic combat protocol and a gun. Also looking for leg replacements, that¡¯s why I¡¯m visiting the Megabuilding market. My mother also said to buy a DataShield, but with the funds I have¡­ it¡¯s not looking likely.¡± ¡°Eh, as long as I¡¯m in your head don¡¯t worry. I act as a DataShield in a sense, besides I¡¯ve already rewired some things so you can¡¯t be tracked.¡± Twilight laughed in my brain, but her statement didn¡¯t make sense to me. ¡°No offense, but no matter how good of a Data Delver you are¡­ I doubt anyone would take the time to personally ward off digital interception for someone else twenty-four-seven. That kind of work requires a lot from the brain.¡± ¡°Who said that I have a brain?¡± She said, then my vision sparked up as the nighttime streets glitched into false contortions. As though being pulled from the twisted light, strands of brightness grafted over themselves¡­ slowly building a human. A digital human that only I could see. She wasn¡¯t connected to me from an external source, Twilight was in my Neuroframe. She was like someone had taken the worlds of beauty and horror and struck them into one. Carefully braided hair of white snow was creeped upon by frizzled strands of shadowy darkness, her frilled dress was a careful blend of smooth light and crackling black. One of her eyes white and black, the other was black and white. Both had violet irises. ¡°You¡¯re an AI?¡­ an Emulect?¡± I couldn¡¯t believe this; freely roaming Artificial emulators of intellect to this degree of sentience were banned in every setting across the world ¡ª under Warp Energy, they were one line of code away from becoming what were known as Daemons. Entities of Warpcode that self-modified and damaged you. The Old_Net was evidence enough of what the MAL could pervert their use for, and having one in my head was worse than carrying a hundred tons of ¡®Embrance pills. Staring at the beautiful and haunting woman of code, I felt a pit drag my confidence down. ¡°How long have you been inside me?¡± ¡°Inside you?! We¡¯re not that close yet¡­¡± Her ghost-like figure floated closer to me, one of her hands was a fractured claw of shadows and light while the other carried perfect, slender fingers with the nails painted a whimsical purple. She touched my cheek with the claw, and I could feel it¡¯s cold sharpness. ¡°Play your cards right once you meet my actual body, you¡¯re pretty cute. And God, she could use some with how stuck-up she is.¡± ¡°Actual body? You mean, you¡¯re an actual person and not some piece of living Warpcode?¡± I chose to ignore most of what she had said, but just who ¡ª or what ¡ª was Twilight? She whispered into my ear, and by The Founders, it felt like her breath was grazing my ears. ¡°Why can¡¯t I be both? My author¡¯d punch me if I spilled our secrets, but I¡¯mma do it anyway. I¡¯m built from a Psyche Protocol called Persona, think of it as taking out a chunk of your mind and turning it into a separate but still very much living digital-entity.¡± It even felt like she was physically there, an artificial heat like a lamp¡¯s radiating off. She was incredibly real, and I struggled to understand how my brain was even simulating this¡­ Persona. A chunk of your mind digitized¡­ I also had the Psyche Feature, could I do that? I bit my lip, she was so incredibly close that I could make out both the perfections and imperfections in her form. It was making me nauseous, and as suddenly as she was woven from the light, she unraveled away to leave clear space. ¡°Seems like you can¡¯t take on my active Avatar just yet, a hardware limit on your Neuroframe. Most of it is running to supplement your Implant and Personality Matrix, didn¡¯t know you were a doll too. If I knew that, maybe I would¡¯ve visited.¡± I choked my breath, then spoke with a sharp finality. ¡°I wasn¡¯t.¡± Somehow, I knew she was thinking of pushing the question further but I was glad when she ended up sighing. ¡°Okay then, I¡¯m curious how your own Psyche Feature will use it, a shame your mother didn¡¯t know much about the Feature. It¡¯s a rare club even among the Basic Features.¡± Of course she had heard that conversation. I clenched my fist as I navigated the bustling streets, just a few minutes later and I would reach the market. I stifled my bitterness with a click. ¡°Any tips?¡± ¡°Rewire the Personality Matrix, right now I¡¯m seeing that it¡¯s focusing on isolating grief and stress¡­ sheesh, heavy stuff. But if you get Sensory Shardware you can link it to the Matrix via the Psyche function to be able to react swiftly and calmly under a specific directive.¡± I could do that? It made perfect sense honestly, a Personality Matrix measured your brain¡¯s reception of information it gathered both internally and externall and tweaked the emotional response so it would fall on the Matrix¡¯s parameters, with my additional modification of isolating memories. And the Psyche Feature was unique in that it was the only Feature that directly altered an Adapter¡¯s mental state. Twilight wasn¡¯t wrong about it being rare, among the few people I¡¯d known to have the feature including Lucille, it essentially allowed them to better mold their mental faculties in response to their daily lives. Lucille, over time, became better at acting and socializing, some others had become more brave and domineering. I didn¡¯t see, however, how it allowed Twilight¡¯s actual body to create personality constructs out of pieces of her own mind. That sounded not just dangerous, but scary to commit to. ¡°I¡¯ll take that into consideration. So optics, audiovestibular, and possibly even integumentary-sensory augmentation. Some recent tech even allows you to smell from your skin.¡± ¡°That sounds like it would be hot.¡± She added. ¡°Did your, um, ¡®creator¡¯ remove her horny parts and give it to you?¡± I was kind of getting tired of this, I¡¯d heard enough of this sort of talk working at that club. ¡°If she did, I¡¯d gladly give some back to her¡­ anyway, I would ask to see your list but I already have, change the place you¡¯re going to. All that civvie stuff ain¡¯t gonna cut it, don¡¯t you got contacts that would deliver stuff to the club?¡± ¡°I mean, my mom said to stick to the Megabuilding where the vendors know us. And no, Lucille handled orders with the club¡¯s funding whenever I requested something¡­ she, uh, didn¡¯t want me scraping in a profit they weren¡¯t aware of. Otherwise, a lot of the gang members came to me with Shardware they bought personally. I¡¯ve asked them from where, it¡¯s mostly online from the Abyssnet or some back-alley vendor in various corners in the city.¡± ¡°Well scrap that, Ripley! Megabuilding¡¯s all regulated for the most part, you won¡¯t find anything worth your sheddy here. Head to a Monorail, we¡¯re going south-east! To Little Requiem!¡± I stopped walking. Little Requiem. ¡°Uh, are you trying to kill me?¡± ¡°Relax¡­ if anyone tries to do anything, I¡¯ll take care of it, you¡¯ve just got to give me permission.¡± ¡°Permission to do what?¡± I suddenly felt like I would not like this. ¡°To control your body!¡± Twilight exclaimed in glee. I did not like that. Blood and Steel C12: Little Requiem Chapter 12: Little Requiem Excerpt from ¡®My month in Requiem¡¯ a blog written by notorious and NeoCore-wanted mercenary Rebecca ¡®Globetrotter¡¯ Ingrid. Oi matey, you ready to get down under and fight the good fight against our corporate overlords?! Then the Free City: Requiem is a fantastic place to visit! Sure, it ain¡¯t got the same highrises as New California, the outstanding gene-sculpted beauties from the Trojan Gates or even the cyber-psychotic drugs produced in The Mobius Strip, but Requiem¡¯s got grit! It feels real! A little history lesson for you folks, Requiem exists in what the old people used to call ¡®Australia¡¯. Now these old guys weren¡¯t the sages you keep on hearing about, they were real dumbasses too. So yeah, these guys from some old-old civilization called the British Empire decided to send all their criminals to Australia as some kind of massive country-sized prison¡­ didn¡¯t work out too well. And who would have thought that wouldn¡¯t work again when The Founders showed up and took charge of everything. Yeah, we¡¯ve all heard the story. The Founders didn¡¯t like this one Foundling kid named Emerald so they sent her off alone to Australia to rile up all the locals there under her command. Then she sparked a rebellion against them, one that promptly failed and left them all stranded for like a century. Anyways, Founder Beauregard Mazhyr shows up and is practically just raining down charity on them, printing all sorts of new tech they can use. Her whole Free City shtick. Then once ¡®New Melbourne¡¯ was set up¡­ they promptly shot her in the head! Remember, they hate the Founders. Crazy, right! Now anyone with half a brain knows she ain¡¯t dead, but let¡¯s just say that when she got up and casually brushed off a sniper-rifle shot in the noggin¡­ she wasn¡¯t pleased. In fact, she blew the city up, and thus New Melbourne¡¯s story ended. In that rag-tag little crater, old Emerald came back up and pleaded to the other Founders with one of Mazhyr¡¯s gifts. One of the first-gen Neuroframes! And they sucked that baby up in no time complete with hundreds of aid ships that the city¡­ Immediately seized. Yeah, they¡¯re badasses! Not to mention kind of fucked in the head, but aren¡¯t we all? I mean, they even kept the crater from Mazhyr as a tourist attraction, and I¡¯ve got to say that it¡¯s really fucking massive mate. I love that word. Mate. M8. God, Little Requiem in NC pales in comparison to the shit that happens here. The definitive no man¡¯s land as a city. And best of all, the corps stay the fuck outta here. 9:48 PM June 4th Ripley The paved streets gradually devolved into compacted gravel and steel towers dissolved into metal skeletons propped up by abandoned freight cranes and scaffolding. Little Requiem. What else could I say but that it was both a technological and organic playground. They played with your corpse. Twenty-something years ago, a MALware had erupted here. A Bronze, hidden deep underground within sewage tunnels used in the old days, an unremarkable little thing at the time. Until Los Diablos found it. And fed it. Raised into a Marauder, the 4th Tier, it was vicious for the taste of human blood and cybernetic limbs, but its physical body wasn¡¯t the issue. It was the mind. They hooked it up to the city mainframe targeting a specific area. Above here was what used to be The Hanging Avenues, a series of interconnected floating parks and greenery for the city¡¯s richest. In one day, they collapsed onto the ground level like a meteor, thousands of tons of concrete and metal infected by the Data-Devourer, flattening the earth below and killing thousands. And worse, the MAL budded, hundreds of Tier 1 MALware birthed into the city¡¯s physical and digital landscape. It was a goldmine engorged from death and destruction, everyone fought for the spoils of fresh Implants but only Los Diablos were prepared. The city failed to reclaim even a tenth of their loss, any attempt at reconstruction had been upended by criminal activity and as such they disconnected the region from any Net access. The result was a deadzone with little to no police surveillance, home to thousands of criminals and mercenaries that fiercely fought against any law enforcement. The perfect open-air black market. And I was tense even if I didn¡¯t look it thanks to Psyche. My legs and my breathing were calm like an ocean¡¯s breeze as the hanging arches of steel rib-cages stretched above me, wires tethering from them like veins to hold up precariously leaning towers of the former skyline. Their smeared glass and rusted steal jagged out as rotting teeth torn into by an infection of criminals. Bridges and rubble draped across the cityscape to clog up uneven holes, the streets bleeding with polluted rainwater that reflected the distorted glow of advertisements for illicit goods and services. They said that death bloomed life, it did. That life just so happened to be the stain of society. ¡°You¡¯ve got pretty flesh.¡± A strange one-eyed woman said to me, half her hair was burnt and the other was shaved while her eyes were glassy like mist lived in them. ¡°I¡¯d like to know if it¡¯s all pretty.¡± A Shard Op¡¯, some metal-nosed guy with a crooked jaw whispered from afar but it still slithered into my ear. ¡°That arm looks like it could use a touch up, why don¡¯t you give it up to me, haha! It¡¯ll fit right in with my collection!¡± ¡°Hey kid, if you¡¯re looking for some fun¡­¡± A less-than-modest woman hung down from one of the ribs of the avenue, leathery wings draping her exposed skin and her feet transformed into hooks of fur and keratin that clung onto the steel. ¡°The Hellfire Club awaits¡­¡± Twilight cooed in my ear. ¡°Oooh, the Hellfire Club is fun! Think of it like the Toxin Club except everyone¡¯s gorgeous and mutated to look¡­ exotic. And with better worker¡¯s rights! There was a guy performing there with a snake that was attached to him, if you get what I mean. He sure could charm it. And the customers.¡± ¡°A guy with a mutated dick charmed you?¡± ¡°Oh no, I¡¯ve got better taste than that. It was this girl who mutated herself to look like a vampire. She was hot.¡± ¡°Uh huh¡­¡± I stared at the¡­ certainly exotic scenes around me. A guy in a wheelchair even though he had three legs that were all¡­ amputated? Cult followers hanging out fliers while declaring that we were to be doomed to something called ¡®The Eternal Swirl¡¯? A series of men and women gagged and leashed, happily barking and rubbing up against anyone who got close. I stayed really, really far from any of the sorts. Twilight, remarkably, could sound uncomfortable at some of the sights. ¡°The Strays, yeah they¡¯re weird even for me. Uploaded a shit ton of animal videos from the Old_Net as some sort of regression to a happier state, now they do tricks for sheds.¡± I was beyond confused and exasperated. ¡°Why is no one normal here?¡± Twilight echoed in my head with a teasing charm. ¡°Says the guy walking around with a fifty-million sheddy brain.¡± She was right, so I shut up. I walked, quickening my pace anytime I saw someone openly carrying iron even though it would be more sensible to just remain at pace. But the more I walked, the more I noticed flashes of gun barrels, muzzles, blades sticking out of people¡¯s arms or permanently transformed claws and fangs from disproportionate organs. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Scrappers, those bastards who preyed on anyone with Shardware worth taking freely exchanged blood-soaked spines for a penance of Shards thrown out by a merchant. Genefreaks got their next high, twitching in corners and alleyways as their Mutations bubbled through their skin with one stimulant or the other, some were barely human. But any of them could kill me. I had nothing except my one metallic arm and a barely walkable leg. So as I passed by a crowd where they were too busy applauding at some six-armed man spinning hoops of fire, I readied it with a pulse of my inner light. I realized too late that I might as well have shown a spotlight onto myself. This time it wasn¡¯t imagined when I looked around, the curves of gazes onto me and the faint pressure their observation exerted onto me. The greed in their eyes was palpable, a crushing weight upon which I felt like an ant. ¡°Was that wrong?¡± I asked Twilight, it seemed that even Psyche couldn¡¯t drain the anxiety I felt from the cascade of steps I knew were definitely following me. ¡°Depends how you deal with what¡¯s next, turn into the alleyway, the one to your left. Now.¡± Her speech burned with urgency, and I felt my hair prick up behind my neck as I absolutely became aware of someone making a jerked movement a few steps in my rear. I careened my body into the alleyway, and the shing of a blade grazed my ear before I decided to book it, stumbling due to my worser left leg. My heart exploded into chaos, a rumbling of blood-flow drenching me in sound and heat, I took two steps back into the alleyway as three pairs of eyes followed. ¡°You saw that, guys?! He¡¯s different¡­ I know it! Something you got for me, boy! Something in that ugly heart of yours?!¡± A man with a crooked arm said, crooked because wet bones jutted out from his elbow down past his hands. ¡°Look at him! He¡¯s ¡®bouta piss his pants cuh¡¯! Little homie¡¯s wanderin¡¯ LR for a tour! Why don¡¯t we show him his first attraction!¡± A wider man pounded his steel fists together, embers sparked off their impact. Another brandished a revolver, a thick piece of metal that looked like it had been glued together. He was scrawnier than the rest, but I felt the most afraid of him as the iron sights locked onto me. He was also missing his jaw which explained the silence. Bone-arm¡¯s grin was predatory as he spoke. ¡°Who¡¯s that behind you?¡± I flicked my gaze to my backaside for just a second before Twilight screamed at me. ¡°No, you dumbass!¡± The floor clacked from his steps as he slashed one of his bone blades towards me and I hurriedly raised my metal arm, freely expressing the energy within. Veins of golden energy surged from within and I whacked forward, my metallic bones slamming against an actual bone. His organic one cracked, but it didn¡¯t break. That only seemed to delight him. ¡°Oh, looks like bitchass¡¯ steel ain¡¯t half bad? It¡¯ll make a pretty sheddy.¡± I tried to force more Energy into my arm to push him away, to do anything, but the flow was still clogged. Incomplete. Shardware Linkage 70%¡­ Twilight screamed in my ear. ¡°Fuck it, Ripley. Give me permission over your body, now!¡± ¡°Permission granted!¡± I screamed in my head. You have given complete access to Neuroframe Software: Twilight Protocol A body flashed in movement, my own, even though I couldn¡¯t think of an action. The world tilted sideways like I¡¯d been spun on an axis, and effortlessly repositioned myself so that Bone-Arm was between me and Revolver-kid. Steel-hands watched in delight. Then I punched, the enhanced response from Gold Energy took my opponent by surprise as Twilight piloted my fist into his ribs. He snarled, slashing forward but by then I¡¯d already slid back. I was frozen, as in my mind was frozen, I wasn¡¯t thinking of any of this. My next punch followed with a kick, my metallic leg¡¯s inhuman architecture hooking behind Bone-Arm¡¯s own leg and dragging him off balance before he used some mutated strength to wrestle off the ground and lunge. I didn¡¯t flinch, I heard bone crack as my eyes stuttered to look at my hand holding his organic blade in a vice-grip. The other two goons weren¡¯t laughing now as Twilight forced my hands into snapping his bone blade in half, before punching him hard enough that flesh and chunks of white splattered from his jaw. My human arm grabbed his throat, and the revolver kid shot in a hurry as my body twisted the wounded bone-armed man between us. Blood splattered onto me; warm, fresh flowing blood with a thick iron-scent. I would have puked. I would have puked. But Twilight didn¡¯t, her voice sizzled in my head. ¡°Personality Matrix, Ripley! Use it! Fear and Empathy reduction!¡± I just did as I was told, reaching into the metaphysical space of my nervous system¡¯s interface with a rough splash of Warpcode. I mentally latched onto the neural-wiring and pulsed a wave of gold that remained a servant to my whims. No fear! No empathy! A classic dominatrix setting clicked into place. My body whirred like a machine clothed in flesh, I¡¯d all but forgotten about the warm blood staining my clothes. I¡¯d reached the revolver kid with three hasty steps as he reloaded while their other friend charged, a quick duck and push from my legs slipping me under steel-fist. Revolver-kid shot again, but Twilight seemed to almost know where the bullet would go as she puppeteered a side-step past the streak of iron. I grabbed the gun, wrangling it away in a second with superior strength. Then the barrel rested under his chin for a single terrified breath from him. The sound of the gunshot vibrated up my arm, the metallic ringing aching my ears. I pushed the corpse aside, and swung the barrel for steel-fist, my aim was barely enough to hit a can from five-feet away, but Twilight weaved motion past my flaws. His leg split into two directions as another shot echoed through the alley. He collapsed as a satisfying snap resounded across the puddles of murky red, it reminded me of how my leg had once looked. Only he didn¡¯t have an Iron-Grade AdStim to relieve the pain. I only realized I was back in control of my body when my metal claw swung down like a pendulum. Had I¡ª had Twilight done all of that with my body? It was over so quickly? My body could do that? Steel-fist wailed in pain, each syllable slamming through to my conscience. ¡°Fuck! Fuck man, my leg! I- I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know! I didn¡¯t know! We thought you were new! You get it, right?!¡± This bastard and his friends tried to kill me, and he was sorry? I was surprised by how easily I found myself lifting the gun back up. The revolver¡¯s barrel moved until it was firmly sighted for his head. I didn¡¯t give myself time to think before I squeezed the trigger. I had expected the recoil, but I didn¡¯t expect how firm my metallic arm would be. The bullet nicked his cheek, a crimson streak dribbled down. And I saw the look in his eyes, wide and trembling in my direction. Fear addressed towards me¡­ And I liked it. I loved it. But I had aimed to kill. I guess I really was just a bad shot. So instead I looked for the sputtering breaths of Bone-arm, blood coughing from his mouth as he crawled on the floor from his last wound. This time, the gun hit its mark. I didn¡¯t even feel a vibration this time. Silence overcame me, the silence of victory. Of persevering through the carnage life throws to make you stumble, the silence when you¡¯re the only one left standing. ¡°Their Implants.¡± Twilight said, her voice sharp. ¡°Take them.¡± I slid forward as a bulging mound of flesh ripped open from Bone-arm¡¯s body, a crawling maggot colored a dull-gray slathered in red curled into a tiny sphere. A SIM, his SIM. It fit into my pockets nicely, but my fingers were too numb to feel its wetness. Then I looked at Steel-Fist, he hadn¡¯t dared move as I approached him, the revolver heavy in my left hand. He couldn¡¯t move, but I could. The three fingers of my claw rested nicely against his Neuroframe as though they belonged there, and this time only a light splash of Gold fired them up. They dug deep, and then deeper until steel was painted with blood. He cried, he begged but all I could sense was the viscera on my hand and the hardness of of his spine¡­ I¡¯d never felt physical sensation like this through my metal. Fine scalpels dissected the four branching arms of a Haithama Neuroframe, then they pried the arms off the flesh. An Iron-leech came dangling off along with the block of metal, thin wires still reaching into his neck, the tightening of them around his spinal cord must have been the reason why he suddenly dropped down and unconscious. I fit in the BUG with its SIM partner. Satisfaction burned through me, threatening to consume me whole. My legs turned back to the streets of Little Requiem; a gun clasped in my claw dripping with blood. That same scarlet soaked my face and clothes, and people stared, the slight smirk on their faces told me everything about what they felt. Respect. Blood and Steel C13: The Uncaged Skeleton Chapter 13: The Uncaged Skeleton Excerpt from ¡®Value of the Shardyne¡¯, economic journal written by Professor Adam Juriel from New Atlantis University; published 2495. The Universal Shardyne was established following the Third Swarm. With NeoCore in full operation, the flow of Shards and Implants collected from the MALswarm stabilized for the first time since the Swarms began due to intervention from the recently established NeoCore. At first, the Shardyne was simply a digital cryptocurrency on the same value as an Iron Shard, however, as Iron Shards were depleted during the progressing 24th Century, their value increased as their supply lowered. In turn, Shardyne¡¯s were accommodated to value at one-tenth of an Iron Shard prior to the 4th Swarm. In contrast, the value of the Warp Energy Materialized Shards in relation to one another have remained the same throughout the New World¡¯s timespan. With a conversion rate of 100 Lower-Grade Shards to one of the Grade immediately above theirs until the Silver Grade. [1 Silver = 100 Bronze = 10,000 Iron] Their usage in the refinement of Implants and their associated Shardware makes them similar to raw-material trading committed by ancient civilizations. Currently, an Iron Shard is valued at 24 Shardyne in SynTec¡¯s Capital of New Atlantis, although this can fluctuate from region to region ¡ª the average appearing to be 35 Shardyne per Iron Shard. As such, most international trading is carried out using these physical tokens of wealth. This has resulted in a higher need for security, which also promotes an increase in their value. Since Shards are extracted from a MALware¡¯s dead body, their value fluctuates in proportion to active MAL population. It is currently unknown how violent the Fifth Swarm will be in 2501, but it is certain that the value of the Shardyne will plummet as it had before stabilizing as the Fifth Swarm¡¯s generation of Shards is gradually used up. As for now, the Shadryne has never been weaker as a currency. Shards are required for manufacturing of Shardware and weapons of war, with almost 80% being in circulation within the Corporate Nations and the remaining 20% divided between the Twelve Free Cities and the Nomads of the unclaimed territory. Lower values of Shardyne have been linked to higher crime-rates, case-in-point, the Free City of New California where Shard have been used at an exorbitant rate to redevelop their architecture following the Yellowstone Earthquake. At a value of 1 Iron Shard for 50 Shardyne, demand is incredibly high for the Swarm while supply remains low, resulting in one of the highest rates of criminal activity in the world. 10:22 PM June 4th Ripley I washed off the blood on my face with water I knew was probably dirtier than it, I didn¡¯t care. Webs of sticky scarlet stretched with each rub, but damn it! There were chunks of brain in my hair, bones down my shirt, even bits of translucent goo I knew had to be an eye stuck on my cheek. Blood and gore was nothing unusual for me with my job, I¡¯d been desensitized long ago. There was a difference, however, between Operating to save a life ¡ª and taking one. I had vomited twice already; a third one was coming on. I had waited until I was out of sight to revert the change on my Personality Matrix and the second I had, the ground splashed with the frittatas I¡¯d eaten. Twilight could claim the death of revolver-kid¡­ but Bone-arm. I¡¯d murdered him so easily and felt nothing. But now, memories rose up like a tide pulled by the moon ¡ª almost as though judging me. Those gurgling breaths, desperate and cold, he must have felt so cold as warmth drained out of him. Then I ended it there and then with a single squeeze. The blood had colored my shirt a rusting-brown, it felt like a dried scab was gripping my entire chest. My Neuroframe panged, alerts given off one after the other. Psyche V.0.03 has updated to V.0.04 Effect: Minor conscious control over adrenaline secretion. Psyche V.0.04 has updated to V.0.05 Effect: Automatic usage of Personality Matrix to decrease levels of fear and empathy during high stress. Psyche V.0.05 has updated V.0.06 Effect: Recognition of combat scenario triggers higher modulation of sympathetic nervous response to retain focus. Okay, if it could do all that then¡­ c¡¯mon Psyche, make me feel alright! Make me feel like sunshine and rainbows are hugging me! Not that I¡¯d ever seen one outside of a damn documentary. Unfortunately, no alert came to me. I supposed it must only alter as an adaptation to my current situation, and just a slight alterations to better fit that specific circumstance. I was an ¡®Adapter¡¯ after all. I realized that¡­ I had never even considered how I was adapting. Things weren¡¯t going to change just because I wanted them to, they only changed in response to change. Slowly, it dawned on me. I wasn¡¯t going to be that same Ripley who winced everytime Hoaqin mentioned a kill. Nor would I be the same Ripley who lost his cool the moment things went wrong, panicking and overthinking and only ending up worse because of it. And the revelation, the knowing that I would change into a different person, that I would adapt. It was a weapon, a gun¡­ pointed both at me and whoever got in my way. Maybe the metaphor wasn¡¯t entirely accurate, but it got my point across. ¡°Twilight.¡± I raised my voice quietly, trying to find anything that wasn¡¯t the sound of running water stained red. ¡°Er¡­ thank you. You saved my life.¡± ¡°I know. You owe me five thousand for that.¡± ¡°Huh?-¡° Wait, what?! ¡°I uh- never agreed to that.¡± ¡°Should have read the terms and agreement of The Twilight Protocol.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t provide one.¡± I countered. ¡°Should have asked for one. Okay¡­ fine, and only because you surprised me with how cool you handled everything ¡ª and because you¡¯re sorta cute. Did you mean to miss that gunshot by the way, I swear his life flashed before his eyes! Kinda badass, ngl.¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± I lied through my teeth, even though I knew she could tell. At least she played nice. ¡°You might make me purr.¡± She whispered, and a flash of code in my vision built into a form. Her arms wrapped around my body and that warped and somehow beautiful head formed inches away from mine. She looked at me, a sultry smile on her face ¡ª my brain switching into a mode that replaced all forms of coherent thought with something primal ¡ª before she broke into snickers. ¡°You know what, seeing the look on your face right now is payment enough! You always get this flustered around girls? It¡¯s adorable!¡± ¡°I-¡° She pressed her Avatar closer to me. Why was my brain simulating every curve of softness warping against my body!? ¡°I am not.¡± I absolutely was. Psyche V.0.06 has updated to V.0.07 Effect: Increased mental control during high levels of arousal. Now that was bullshit, I worked at a fucking strip club. I might not have been their intended target, but I¡¯d learned some self control to stop from the teasing. I barraged out of the bathroom stalls, still caked in blood but at least now I didn¡¯t attract the gaze of everyone I walked by. This was honestly a fairly normal look in the area. And hopefully, this gun would be enough of a warning that I didn¡¯t need to activate my arm. Shardware Link: 90% That fight had boosted it¡¯s Linkage by a lot, but in time it would get there on its own. And I¡¯d grown curious myself, just how far I¡¯d developed my Convergence in one day. Convergence [6%] I paused, at this rate I¡¯d be done within three weeks. And that ¡ª that was far from normal. Two years for Irons, a year for Bronze and around six months for Silver give or take at 50% compatibility. I¡¯d expected that my Gold would be¡­ different, but not so drastically. That fifty-million minimum had to be worth something. And speaking of worth¡­ ¡°This is the shop?¡± I¡¯d expected some hidden corner of a bar, or a rooftop with a false wall. Instead, I stood in front of a family-owned sushi diner. Kashimo¡¯s Sushi-and-dine ¡ª I doubted they even used fish, it was probably just protein paste smeared together to have it¡¯s texture. ¡°Order a rainbow cod sashimi with yuzu wasabi and yellow-grass sake. To go. It¡¯s a secret code.¡± Twilight said to me, and as I scanned the menu they had outside¡­ These were all normal food items available. At a steep cost. Like, not thousands of sheddy expensive, but definitely outshining several premium restaurants in the city. Standing at reception, a bald asian woman asked if I had a reservation to which I said¡­ ¡°Say yes!¡± Twilight ushered in my ear. ¡°N- yeah!¡± ¡°Nyeah?¡± The old woman clicked her tongue, her voice sharp like the edge of a knife. ¡°Is that yes or no?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s a yes! I mean, yeah, I have a reservation.¡± My tongue stumbled over every obstacle in the verbal race-track, I was still having the jitters from my fight. She ¡®humphed¡¯, pulling out a flat screen with a handprint outline. ¡°Your Sigil Imprint.¡± Shit, was I caught? But then Twilight materialized in her avatar form, raising her hand over my own. I decided to trust her, pressing my hand against the cold glass as Twilight¡¯s digital hand melted into my own, giving it a faint glow in my vision as though sparkled in stars of white, violet and black. ¡°Ah¡­ you¡¯re a guest of Ms. Twilight¡¯s! Why you no say?¡± The woman jumped back off what I realized was a stool, and then moved beside the counter which was taller than her. She came up to my waist. ¡°Follow me, I have you seated in private lounge.¡± She used a walking stick I was convinced had to be a metallic femur she stole from some corpse, but her tiny legs shuffled like a speedy spider¡¯s. One after the other, down a series of steps that left me out of breath. ¡°Geez.¡± Twilight stuck her tongue out at me. ¡°You need to get some new lungs.¡± ¡°If they have some available, I¡¯ll be sure to check it out.¡± I joked, only half-so, I didn¡¯t know just what this place would have. Eventually, so casually in fact that I hadn¡¯t even realized it, the woman walked through a wall at the bottom of the staircase. I, uh, stepped in after as the wall appeared to be a hologram and lo and behold, I was in a club. How did I always end up in clubs? This was one with chilling blue lights strobing around, several dancefloors and ¡®entertainers¡¯ making their ways around with drinks, a large bar in the center with several smaller ones scattered about. All in the sewers. ¡°Just one of ten entry points into The Sunken Avenues. The Hellfire club was another, but that would have required a far more¡­ active involvement for you.¡± Twilight remarked with digital stars in her eyes that seemed to push it over the limit for me as she vanished into flakes of code. ¡°Ah, yes.¡± The old woman said. ¡°What is it you want again?¡± I repeated the order, she took it in for a moment before directing me to a large tent. I entered the shaded area where I only found a single round table and two chairs, one of which had a well-dressed¡­ robot seated in it. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. I could have mistaken the tuxedo-wearing droid for Diamante¡¯s nicer older brother. Except Diamante was clearly better built, considering this robot was only the most basic framework of a skeleton, I thought it would be safe to say I was dealing with an external droid. Then, like a puppet with its string being pulled, the robot surged to life in seconds with quite the emotive ¡ª yet skeletal ¡ª face as his voice took an artificial pleasantry. ¡°Ah, Twilight told me to expect you, Mr. Ripley Donovick! It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, now before we begin¡­ please pay Ms. Kashimo.¡± I nodded, it would be easier if I just accepted this, and turned to the old woman who turned out to be the Kashimo of the dine-in. She held a pad with a payment amount displayed. 1,345 Shardyne. That was more than my rent. To enter this place. It better be worth it. I paid, feeling a brick fall onto my heart. Ms. Kashimo melted into the shadows, quite literally. I was past questioning it, this was my weirdest day ever. I took a seat opposite the droid, unsure of what to think of it ¡ª or him. ¡°Mr. Donovick, a pleasure to meet you. You may call me Mr. Skeleton, and please rest assured, this proxy drone of mine has no combat functionalities. The guards scattered around this tent, however, do. Two Silver Tier IIIs among them. So please stay in control, I¡¯ve seen your fight today, a remarkable spectacle to subdue those scrappers in under a minute.¡± Mr¡­ Skeleton said with casual ease to the revelation of my bout. But honestly, I had expected as much. The second I passed through that wall I was aware that I¡¯d fallen into a pitfall of things way above my paygrade. So I figured that whoever this guy was, he probably knew more about me than I did. ¡°That was Twilight.¡± I said, and he smiled. H-how did a skeleton smile- you know what, not my business. Except that it was since it was an example of intricate Opping, it was the most minute of facial expressions that would take months to perfect on a drone like this ¡ª the quality of Shard Operating on this thing was impecible. ¡°Honesty is a virtue for me.¡± He replied kindly. ¡°I see you¡¯ve not let your newfound power get to your head. When I got to Gold, it was unlike anything I¡¯d felt before, but for reasons different to yours. However, I¡¯m getting ahead of myself, you¡¯re the son of Dominic Donovick ¡ª who himself was the son of the late Cradle-born Lukas Donovick and Jules Donovick.¡± I hadn¡¯t even wrapped my mind around the fact that Mr. Skeleton was a gold like me when he revealed extensive knowledge about my family history. My paternal grandfather was dead, then again I knew very little about him. Him and¡­ my dad hadn¡¯t been on the best terms since I was born. I didn¡¯t exactly care ¡ª this was technically public information ¡ª not until he spoke again. ¡°And of course,¡± Mr. Skeleton continued, ¡°your ailing mother, Isabel Gravas-Donovick, is the daughter of Alberich Gravas and the late Euriel Temez.¡± I tried to keep a straight face, he didn¡¯t say late for my maternal grandfather ¡ª Alberich Gravas abandoned his daughter, my mother, and was said to have died after she got married. That was what my mom said and I felt guilty for believing this stranger¡¯s words so easily. ¡°My grandfather¡¯s alive? Mom said he passed before I was born.¡± He gestured with wide arms. ¡°More than alive, he¡¯s up and well near the outskirts of Imperial Africa¡¯s Capital. But that¡¯s a story for another day. Believe me, it¡¯s worth the Implant in your brain. Now I can talk more about your father¡¯s involvement with Syntec leading to his eventual death, but I don¡¯t need to recount a past you already know.¡± Gold panged in my Neuroframe to keep the pain and grief of my father away¡­ so it was subconciously interacting with the Personality Matrix, it let me focus on what was said about my grandfather being in Africa. That bugged me, but it wasn¡¯t why I got dragged into all this mess. Instead, I decided to dig. ¡°Where did you even get all that information?¡± ¡°Deep in the abyss¡­ maybe one day you¡¯ll be welcomed with their gaze too. You know what they say, when you stare into the abyss-¡° ¡°-It stares back at you.¡± I finished. Classic AbyssNet slogan, an equal threat and promise alike. Mr. Skeleton slid a dial on his chair, a screen with unintelligible words appearing to me. ¡°So Mr. Donovick, I¡¯ve heard you¡¯re in for a little boost to your prowess. A Shard Op¡¯ as gifted as you must be absolutely thrilled, years down on your luck and now you¡¯ve gained a power worthy of the uber-rich. A one-in-a-million gift. You can finally put your skills to use. And also, may I take a look at your hand?¡± ¡°Do it.¡± Twilight assured me, so I did. I held my hand out, and his own gleaming bones split apart into cameras held on wires¡­ dozens of them. Then he poked into mine with a sharp jab of a USB. I felt a jolt of light run up my arm, an understanding. Shardware Link Complete Custom-Made Shard Op¡¯ Claw (Alberich Gravas Design) Grade: Iron IV + [Gold-Serum Modifier] = Iron VIII Integrity Rating: Iron IV + [Gold-Serum Modifier] = Iron VIII Energy: Iron 0 + [Gold-Serum Modifier] = Iron IV Capacity: Iron II + [Gold-Serum Modifier] = Iron VI Recommended Output: 7% Description: [No Description Data attached¡­ generating based on Shardware Link¡­] A Shard Operating claw with no archived design. Manufactured by Alberich Gravas and further altered by Isabella Gravas-Donovick and Ripley Donovick. Comparison to mainstream models show that this claw is far larger than typical design, mainly using concepts popular at the end of the 4th Swarm. Despite that, it¡¯s capabilities supersede any available Claw at a similar Grade and the Non-Corporate affiliation means that it is not locked out of combat functionalities. Due to exposure to MAL-Serum from a Gold MAL-Seed, several parameters have been greatly altered. Feature Links: MAL-Serum? What was that? Unfortunately, Skeleton raised an answer for a different question I hadn¡¯t thought off. ¡°A Pseudo-Silver, Alberich really is a genius. No wonder it nearly killed your mother.¡± Mr. Skeleton said cheerfully. ¡°What?¡± I paused. ¡°The hell is a Pseudo-Silver? Why would it kill my mother?!¡± Mr. Skeleton was too focused on my claw, his hand-eyes glancing at it from every possible angle like it was worth millions. ¡°A piece of Shardware with three Feature Links like a Silver-Grade would, but without the Grade itself. In your case an Iron-Graded arm had been linked to take some abilities from the Technician, Database, and Energized Features. You¡¯re lucky you have a Gold, otherwise everytime you would use this, your Compatibility to your Implant would drop.¡± I froze. So that was why my mother had come so close to death? My grandfather had pushed the limits of the claw so far that it was a poison? I gritted my teeth, I didn¡¯t understand what Mr. Skeleton¡¯s play was here but I didn¡¯t like it. There was a lot about my family I didn¡¯t understand, but this was too much all at once ¡ª I¡¯d been half serious about thinking that he knew more about me than I did¡­ now I saw that was a mistake. ¡°Thank you for linking my arm, however you did that. But I¡¯m here for-¡° ¡°A weapon, a Datashield and a new leg. I can do you one better; show me that revolver you recieved.¡± Mr Skeleton extended his hand, I begrudgingly handed off the revolver, a scraped together mixmatch of various weapon pieces the kid had probably found. ¡°Kid had a good eye, but you have better. Tell me, what would happen to this gun a month down the road with you possesing it?¡± Mr. Skeleton twirled the gun around its trigger, sending a wave of unfelt anxiety through me. ¡°Uses a Shandian repulsion system with Magna gunpowder-rounds, spiral grooves in the gun would be overheated which would lead to cracking, eventually blowing up. Needs some lighter rounds, something more fluid like SynTec¡¯s Magna Deep-Impact rounds, but that would be a lot better with their Electro-Magnetism stabilizer installed in the barrel.¡± Mr. Skeleton raised his hands, elongated fingers tapping against each other. ¡°Smart. But not what I was looking for, the simple truth is, you would never even use it. Why? Because your arm is a better weapon than this ever will be, those Breakdown and Warp Strand Feature Links? You could unravel your enemies apart with a touch when you¡¯re stronger. The gun in your hands is junk, but its internal parts are not ¡ª ponder upon it.¡± My eyes widened. ¡°The compression system doesn¡¯t use a spring-system like old world guns, instead pulls back with a Warp-Kinetic Feedback system that¡¯s releases force depending on the grade of Energy provided. With Gold, I could do a lot assuming I fortify it¡¯s internal mechanisms within my Claw to¡­ launch my hand towards them? But then I¡¯d have no way of pulling it back to me? Unless I figure out a way to remotely control it¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re on the right track, but you¡¯re still missing out on a crucial piece of the puzzle. Let me show you, Ripley.¡± Mr Skeleton waved his hand. In the back of the room, a piece of the floor lifted to unveil a large cabinet of hundreds of different Shardware. A little two-wheeled droid pulled itself out of the construct, arriving over with a tray containing five pieces of curved metal. Claw-tips of a pure black coating ¡ª each the size of fingers. And they were incredible. Despite their small size, there were so many interlocking parts and functionalities at just a glance. A single one could do an entire claw¡¯s job. ¡°Three-decade old tech pilfered off the coast of New Port City. Syntec attempted to integrate Holo-Wires with their Shard Op¡¯ Claws; most designs failed, including this one. See, physical light only stays for a few seconds at Bronze-Grade, maybe half a minute at Silver.¡± Mr Skeleton delicately placed each on the table in order of finger orientation to my claw. A perfect, beautiful mirror of my own, except perfect in every way mine were not. ¡°You¡¯d need two sets to stabilize the wires,¡± I confirmed at a glance, ¡°but you only have one?¡± ¡°Other half¡¯s back with SynTec. Status of the program is debatable currently, but it seems they¡¯re more focused on Bioware to compete with Imperium.¡± ¡°How much for them?¡± I felt my throat go tight. ¡°Twenty-four-thousand. Raw materials are worth around nine-thousand, though its experimental value and one-of-a-kind nature means that it¡¯s got a steep price. But I have trust in you kid that you¡¯ll pay me back in a month.¡± This didn¡¯t seem right¡­ Skeleton should know exactly what my earning power was right now. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can get that much so quickly.¡± Mr. Skeleton smiled, and it chilled me. ¡°Not with money, with information. You¡¯re going to make what Syntec couldn¡¯t. I¡¯d like the patents. To the perfected version of these tips.¡± My breath refused to leave me, was he asking me to do what SynTec couldn¡¯t? A Megacorporation which had millions in manpower and billions in funds ¡ª to invest into a failed project? I had no way to even manufacture more Holo-Wire, and to get the materials for it would cost tens of thousands not including a Warp Material Fabricator. More on that? Patents? He would be stealing my work? ¡°No.¡± My voice was as firm as steel. Mr. Skeleton refused to budge, and I worried he was going to kick me out. Instead, he tapped his finger over my claw. ¡°Channel your Aether into your claw.¡± Aether? First time I¡¯d heard of someone calling Warp Energy that, outside of some cults. I did so anyway, noticing the faint moment a silver-light faded out from the Iron-laden internal circuitry. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to do with your Shardware. Look at me.¡± I changed my view, taking in the golden candescence reflected across splotches of the robot¡¯s chrome head. Wait, reflected? He flicked a finger and a screen popped up of me walking through the streets, I recognized it as the moment I first charged my claw. Then I noticed several patches of my skin glowing Gold for a brief moment as though I was about to ignite. It was visible even on the security cameras where I was a small set of pixels. No fucking wonder they all stared at me! It could be mistaken as a mutation, but anyone with an Analyze function would know I had a BUG considering my arm. ¡°Okay, what the fuck! Explain that.¡± I pointed, and he flicked to another screen involving me, except this time it was Shaun¡¯s office and I had the Gold MAL-Seed grappling my claw when it first awoke. Diana shot it, splattering a warm and bright goo over my body while saving my life. I recalled the burn, hot and sweltering. Another screen flicked up, showcasing a gestating MAL-seed and the extraction of the liquid they were born in. It was bright and looked radioactive, glowing before it was sprayed like a mist onto Shardware. ¡°MAL-Serum, a Warp Material capable of enhancing anything you can think of, extracted from their egg sacs that you and your claw just so happened to get soaked in. Normally only used by the richest Adapters for anything from improving materials, to refining Mutagen. You¡¯re lucky you weren¡¯t bleeding, if it got into your bloodstream, you would be a corpse right now. But the pieces of skin and muscle that were soaked ¡ª from your left cheek down to your sixth rib were mutated with it. Some of the Serum had soaked in and made it very shiny.¡± He spoke as though this was an everyday occurrence. All I heard was that I¡¯d taken a bath in carcinogenic blood. ¡°That- what does that do to me?!¡± ¡°Again, you¡¯re lucky you bonded with an Implant from that same MAL, otherwise by now you¡¯d have noticed a few cancerous outgrowths that would probably conduct electricity very well.¡± He brought up a reflective construct of me, noting down the patches of golden skin. My cheek, collar bone and chest. All on my left side. ¡°Fortunately, you bonded to the Implant within an hour, so there were minimal side-effects ¡ª other than when you channel your Aether you become a lightbulb. Evidence that your skin has in fact been gene-edited, and I simply want to extract it. All 84 centimeters-square of it. It¡¯s valuable information about that MAL, so payment will be handsome.¡± I considered the idea, it wasn¡¯t a bad deal. I was getting paid and getting a spotlight removed at the same time, the question was how much was my skin worth. ¡°Sheddy per cm-square? ¡°Six-hundred.¡± ¡°Three thousand!¡± Twilight screamed in my head, a vicious and spite-driven scream. ¡°Er, Three thousand.¡± Mr. Skeleton laughed, cackled and chortled. ¡°You overestimate the value of glowing skin.¡± ¡°Three thousand.¡± Something in Twilight¡¯s voice told me it was worth that much, and I bit my tongue. Mr. Skeleton would notice mine and Diana¡¯s rapid growth either way. ¡°It¡¯s skin soaked in MAL-Serum of MALignant that bonded to two people with 99% compatibility.¡± Mr. Skeleton stopped laughing, abruptly he tapped a datapad and frowned. When his voice peered out from the silver shell, it was tense. ¡°Two-thousand-five-hundred¡­ and I¡¯ll throw in three Silver Shard-bits and a Hand-to-hand Combat Protocol for good will.¡± ¡°Deal!¡± Twilight delighted in victory. ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡± Hurrying after her. Then I calculated it, two-¡­ That was over 200,000 Shardyne? Blood and Steel C14: Genetic Modifications Chapter 14: Genetic Modifications Online discussion between anonymous Genefreaks on Abyssnet Forum site: VortexEYE Bangbunny: Yo, bought some of that shit from you the other day, why the fuck am I so hairy now? Megamutant: You asked for ¡®Lapine Morphology¡¯ Mutagen, the shit were you expecting? Bangbunny: Bunny ears. Megamutant: Okay, yeah. You might get that, as soon as the rest of your changes settle in. Bangbunny: I wanted bunny ears, now I got shit stuck on my ass from the fur growing there! Megamutant: Just wipe better. Or wait until your digestive system makes it all round and tiny. Bangbunny: I will kick your door down. Megamutant: Yeah, you might get the legs for that xD, look man, next time ask for something coded as Alteration Mutagen. You took an Integrity Mutation and you pay the price. Bangbunny: Fuck, will you at least help me remove it? Megamutant: Ah, while I¡¯m at it I¡¯ll take your SIM out of your corpse. Ain¡¯t no removing genes once you get them on you. Bangbunny: Jackass, the hell am I supposed to do with this hair? Megamutant: Shave. xD Bangbunny: You don¡¯t know who you¡¯re fucking messing with. Megamutant: Yeah, neither do you. You don¡¯t want to know who my supplier is. Bangbunny: Tough shit. I¡¯ll kill both you and that mofo. Megamutant: Oh, there¡¯s no killing that guy. Ever heard of Soul Killer? Bangbunny: Real scary name for a tryhard. Megamutant: I¡¯m serious, I realized their identity a while ago. They use some bitch named Kaisel to organize their deals with me, but I saw those eyes. Ha, oh¡­ you ever heard of people with strange eyes? Bangbunny: What eyes? Every mofo specs out their eyes now. Megamutant: Bloodshot. Completely red with white pupils, Crimson Souls calls them The Soulless. Bangbunny: The fuck are you telling me this for? Megamutant: It¡¯s a warning, bud. xD Bangbunny: I¡¯ll have Los Diablos skin you alive. Megamutant: That¡¯s if you¡¯ll even have control over your own body by then. Bangbunny: The fuck does that mean? Megamutant: That you haven¡¯t even scratched the surface of what Mutations can do. 9:30 PM June 4th Diana I washed my face, the crystalline liquid sloshing some clarity into the day¡¯s confusion as my thoughts ordered one after the other. The police station was being targeted by Dogwhistler, whoever that was. Potentially someone who either worked for or was tied to a Megacorp. I was now probably an Esper. Ripley was being forced to work for Metal Heavens, and I had agreed to help him¡­ Okay Diana, focus, you¡¯ve got the next three days off until you officially become an Investigator. That means there¡¯s time to come up with a game plan. I showered, I changed, then I sat down at my desk to scheme. There were three holographic monitors wrapped around my vision, each displaying several cases I had been interested in and wanted to take on once I got promoted to Investigator. I closed them all. A quick navigation through the police net-portal highlighted several resources I now had access to on my Warpstation computer due to my promotion, even more complex cases and conspiracies now visible. A tap from my finger sent me to reports of that day at the club, over several hours I searched through to find nothing. Unknown buyers from Yuzhou¡¯s Shandian branch attempted to buy a MAL-Seed off Snake Fangs and during a police confrontation, it was released then killed by NeoCore. Yuzhou released a statement that they would investigate this internally, but I doubted any real justice would come about. Nothing on the Implants, nothing on me, nothing on Ripley. That was strange. I had certainly received credit for my role, and there were numerous witnesses to my involvement, but someone had cleared any data about him being the Shard Operator present there. That made things easier for me, all I could assume was that Missy had connections to keep his name off our system. Something that made me wary of just how deep she might be involved in this District¡¯s history of crime. Most of the names of the involved Police Staff were red, either with a KIA or MIA written besides them. Of the ones alive, I only knew Investigator Tomas, the guy who had kicked me. Even though I knew it was a distraction, I clicked his name to send me to his personal page. He was listed as a 2nd Rank Investigator in the STRIKE department and designated as Bronze Grade; early 1st Tier Adapter. Other than that, he graduated two years before me and only became an Investigator last year. So much for being a senior. I pried deeper. Thirty-Seven kills in just the last six months? And when I dug into his missions? A daycare, an elderly retirement Centre, a hostel on the edges of the city¡­ Each of the assignments came with claims of some illegal activity, and each was proven true in the end. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. But I couldn¡¯t ignore a minor note left at the end of each mission. Minor civilian deaths had occurred¡­ Just one line hidden amongst the rabble; I would normally have passed it off. That stuff happens in this city, the Founders knew how high our homicide rate was. But I remembered the man with the fractured skull, and I- I knew something had to be off. I was getting side-tracked. A quick sip of chamomile tea eased my nerves, the warmth slipping into my fingers which clicked and tapped pointlessly as they looked for clues that weren¡¯t allowed to be there. No mention of a Dogwhistler despite hundreds of pages. Any previous acts of MAL-Terrorism like the one that had formed Little Requiem held no connection or were dismissed as psychotic one-off events. Even with better access, I was left with nothing to find. Each click spiraled me deeper into an abyss of entangled lies and misdirection. The abyss? The AbyssNet layer of the police archives compiled their most well-hidden secrets ¡ª that fact was an open-secret. If there was any place I could find reports condemning even the Megacorps, it was there. But getting access would mean hiring a Data Delver, and no way in hell was I going to work with a morally gray mercenary. No matter how much white was in that gray, my feet weren¡¯t dipping into the shadows. Ripley was where I drew that line. Which meant I needed someone who could legally access those files. Like the new Lieutenant Grazhe. I could tell her directly what I knew, or I could open up the case and take charge of it ¡ª providing results that would get me access to the files I request. A significantly harder option, but the better one. Revealing my Gold to her now was liable to have that information leak to my father, if he knew I was getting into something like this then I knew that somehow my job was liable to transferring away from this case. And probably somewhere where I would be closer to him where I¡¯d be paraded around as a poster-girl for his campaign once again. Except now I would have the fame of a Gold. Looking through our database, Gold Adapters were beyond rare in the criminal world. Two each within Muramasa Dynasty and Crimson Souls, and one in the leaders of Los Diablos and Metal Heavens. As for the Police, I knew all three of our Captains were Gold but they were off-city setting up defences for the Swarm, in the end Westbrook¡¯s law enforcement had to be led by the ten precincts and their Lieutenant¡¯s for now¡­ all Silver Adapters. Fuck? Was I the only Gold within Westbrook¡¯s law enforcement right now? Would I be turned into a weapon or an advertisement if I was found out? Either way, I¡¯d be a tool for them ¡ª staying secretive was my best bet. I rushed my thoughts aside, taking one final glance at the Toxin Club case. This time, I scanned through the post-operation photos, something that churned my stomach just from the tiny thumbnails in the corner. There were so many unrecognizable bodies, my heart throbbing as though fearful it would join those bodies. There was a reason the club was devastated, a reason the- I froze, my lips quivering at a particularly gruesome image of fallen chunks of stone flattened bodies. But aside all that carnage was a girl, one I¡¯d seen before and recognized now. Her head wasn¡¯t attached to her body. Selene¡­ was dead. Did Ripley not know? I slammed my hand to turn the screen off, palm stinging and my whole body as cold as steel in snow. Ripley didn¡¯t know, he still thought she was alive. He- he deserved to know, even if it hurt. My hand tingled against the edge of my laptop¡¯s metal¡­ guilt and frustration boiling into my fingertips. The laptop sparked. An injection of its electrical current digging through my skin like a worm. Sharp, deep and invading but so empowering. The pain was brief, but the sense of tingling potential drifted higher up my arm until it slowly dispersed like heated air. Delving into the haze of warmth within my body, I felt it. Thin crackles of electricity looking for a way out. I tried to command it out of me, like lifting a candle upon which smoke and heat drifted through the flow of my Warp Energy. Those embers slid higher up, through my chest and shoulder and down my elbow until it reached my hands. The tingling was more prominent, like a hundred fireflies were buzzing in my palm. I did the same to my other hand, but no fireflies followed the Golden candle now¡­ just warmth danced in my other index finger. I brought them together, and a fine thread jolted between them in the blink of an eye ¡ª startling me. The pain was less prominent, the tingling too. Again, I drifted that current down using my imaginary candle back into my other finger like a circuit of sorts. They jolted again. This had to be me altering my body¡¯s conductive properties in some way, or was I actually controlling electricity with my mind? I had no idea. So I tried again, watching as each time the jolt grew weaker, slowly falling into a trance as the revolving current circled through my skin like a dancing fairy. It calmed me. Mutagen: Electrical Conduction [5%] has been classified as an Energy Mutation. It was as I¡¯d thought, my conduction wasn¡¯t just passive but could be manipulated by the Warp Energy inside of me ¡ª making it an Energy Mutation. Three more times, I revolved the spark around myself in an ever-quickening circuit. Sometimes I used different fingers, just toying with the possibilities, other times I tried to gauge the distance until eventually, a few inches apart, no electrical zap occured between them. Maybe if I had more electricity, I¡¯d be able to properly gauge what my other Mutations could do. Electrical Sensitivity had so far been most prominent within my own body, the ¡®tingles¡¯ easy to feel for but I was sure I¡¯d soon be able to expand it outwards once my¡­ cells changed. As far as I¡¯d read, Mutations like mine consumed Energy both from your Implant and your body¡®s general metabolism. Nutrition. Founders, I was going to have to eat a lot to generate the calories necessary to manipulate electricity. There were other Mutations to fuel your body¡¯s needs, I¡¯d heard plenty of people took in Mutagen specifically to alter their metabolism ¡ª some could even eat raw materials and effectively burned it like coal. Others just had refined lungs or could carry more oxygen in their blood, this was the kind of thing you¡¯d discuss with your geneticist. As for Pacemaker, I didn¡¯t have any scientific expertise to understand how it worked. My basic understanding was that every cell in your body had some sort of voltage on it¡¯s membrane, and dependant on how that changed there would be a cascade of various outcomes. Your entire body was regulated by your nervous system, whether concious or not, and that relied on changes in your neuron¡¯s voltage. Electricity could stimulate muscles to tense, I supposed I would learn how to properly harness that natural response into a more¡­ powerful outcome. Then came Unstable Biology, which I did not want to touch at all just by namesake. I knew that it¡¯s effects would mostly be positive, but what on earth could it cause as time goes on? At least my Compatibility was significantly higher than the norm, which would mitigate any negative effects for now. Once these Mutations were settled and developed past a certain threshold, it would be feasible for me to use the other Mutagen I¡¯d bought. Even if Iron, once they began to merge they¡¯d improve in Grade according to the clerk I bought them from. What would happen if they merged with my electrical genes? Hopefully, I¡¯d get something to produce electricity within my body like an eel. That way I wouldn¡¯t be dependent on alternate sources of power¡­ Then again, I always typically carried a Braceshocker on me. But I¡¯d been hit by one once before during training with Yvette¡­ it sent me to the hospital. Non-lethal didn¡¯t mean not painful. And so, I settled in for a night of experimentation and training. I would be expected to return as a Mutant, but they wouldn¡¯t be expecting me to have a firm grasp over my Esper powers. And I loved proving people wrong. Blood and Steel C15: Mr. Punchers unfortunate accident Chapter 15: Mr. Puncher¡¯s unfortunate accident Post from the surface-level netsite Haivenn, a forum-based social media for numerous topics. H/Fict_Implants Subhaivenn Description: We¡¯re a community to discuss fictional S.I.Ms and B.U.Gs, originally branching from a discussion on Implant Builds from games such as Final Fantastical LXXI and The Stitcher series. Now, we discuss both real and fictional Implants from various media, for the purpose of either theory-crafting or just enjoyment. Please read the Sub-haivenn rules before engaging in our community. Post: Possible Implants from the MALignant that attacked The Toxin Club in Westbrook? U/Nyxmemories Comments: U/Holditthere: Look at this video, shows the MAL breaking apart the grenade. Gonna bet the B.U.Gs got Technician. U/Thimberl8: Must have got some badass regeneration genes, probably a bunch of flesh tendrils involved too. I like them freaky mutations¡­ U/Graysonrickroll: You guys really theory-crafting about a MAL that killed over forty people? Fucking sickos. 1:23 AM June 5th Diana I scanned the room, honing in on the buzzing around me. A tense swarm of energy ruffled through my fingers as I tried to push the stored charge within me beyond the boundary of flesh. Like an elastic band, it snapped back in, exploding through my body as a wave of nausea and pain. Guess I couldn¡¯t wield electricity externally yet, my Compatibility ended within my body for now. But that brief release wasn¡¯t worthless, a small part of that charge spun through the room trying to search for me, and returned to me like scattered embers of prickling heat that brought back sensations of¡­ shivering? Closing my eyes, that same ¡®tingle¡¯ in my fingers now seemed to be everywhere around me, some areas of my apartment more prominent than the others. Electrical currents was the obvious guess to my non-science oriented brain. I wandered around with my eyes closed, a strange knowing tickling my brain as I had an instinctive idea of the various appliances around my apartment. Taking in a deep breath, I felt the contours of my living room and it¡¯s entertainment system and had a rough shape in mind for the kitchenette installed to it. Beyond both was a hallway leading to my bedroom, and the thick tower that served as my computer when I delved into cases while off-duty¡­ which is what I went for now. I tried to get there with my eyes closed, but I struggled and nearly tripped over a carpet. That little mistake sent a circular drone after me, the vaccuum for whatever reason mistaking me as something to clean. Maybe I¡¯d drink it¡¯s electricity as punishment. Once I was seated around screens, I filtered through various net-articles. Without a certified GeneDeck tied to my Neuroframe, it was looking unlikely for me to get proper guidance about my abilities. Having one made for a Gold would both inform the world I had it, and sink my funds deeper than that sunken club in Little Requiem unless it was specifically jailbroken. A skill I lacked, along with any contacts who could do it for me. A BUG Adapter with either the titular Jailbreak Feature or Dataweaving. Maybe Ripley? I tossed that thought aside, while he might be in a similar situation to me, the last thing I wanted to give him was access to my Frame which would have sensitive police information on it. Could I bribe a genetecist? Could I even trust one of them to keep it a secret? I returned to experimenting with powers as I changed my tactics. Rather than a sudden burst of power like before, I would try to release small mini-ignitions across my entire body. Scaling small, I focused on my hands, imagining that they were wood being lit with flame that I was spreading onto them. As they mentally heated up, I cranked up my supply so that the first spark of the Golden flame breached my body. A small but constant spout of it. It was as though I sent out tiny wisps of that heat twirling across my apartment, hunting me down and recounting their experiences as they returned. It was a strange, almost intuitive feeling to the electromagnetic waves around me. It probably had to do with how a magnet¡¯s north pole sent waves that returned to their south pole, I just didn¡¯t know which end I was. Practicing my focus, I could feel the disturbance of other sources of that radiation around me. The brief falterings of my wisps told me that the floor and roof were brimming with electrical current that delved within their wires. Not just that, I could feel where those currents were heading. Their switch of flow, from one direction to another in what I¡¯d learned was alternating currents from my juvenile education and further research. A quick beating motion not dissimilar to a heartbeat. I tracked them down to the living room¡¯s temperature control, to my lights and to my plugged in appliances. The laptop had lost charge by now, and my fiddling probably caused some part of it to be fried. I knew that, but I couldn¡¯t stop myself ¡ª the warmth was almost addictive and any valuable data was stored on my Frame anyway. Needing a different source of current, I reached one of the lamps near my living-room table. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. A quick twist disconnected the bulb and I promptly, but carefully, smashed it against the table. Glass shards fell to the ground and before they could even rattle a high pitched beep echoed from the other side of the room. ¡°Broken glass detected, please stand back and take care.¡± That same circular plate of metal zoomed across the floor and shone intense beams of light onto the glass, its pieces dissolving into a powder the robot sucked up. It took less than five seconds before it soared back into its depositing dock where the inorganic material would be sent for recycling. Maybe I could connect to the drone charger? But for now, I tried to use the broken lightbulb. I connected it¡¯s remnants ¡ª a metallic screw and a bundled up set of shiny Shard-Based filaments ¡ª back into place and turned it¡¯s switch on, immediately sensing a blurry, half-formed blur of shapes as though I was squinting my eyes even though they were wide open. Synesthesia, I think it was called. Where your senses blurred together, seeing smell or touching color¡­ only with electricity in this case. This lamp was pretty powerful since it also doubled as a projector for all sorts of fancy displays that the smart glass could filter through the light. Yvette had practically begged me to buy it, and she used it more than I did to watch holo-movies and turn my modest apartment into a rave. The thin knots of metal used Warp Energy turned electricity directly into light, the conversion rate was pretty crappy since it was just Iron-Grade, but it had cost half a month¡¯s salary when I first joined. Then for every hour I had used it, my electricity bills had scraped up higher until I banned Yvette from accessing the projector without permission. She¡¯d be pissed now that I broke it, but I¡¯m sure an electrical zap from me would change her mind as to which was cooler. I brought my finger just a couple inches closer to it, the act of sliding my internal Energy comfortable and easier than I expected it to be. Barely a drop of difficulty, which I could only presume was the result of me having a 99% compatibility to my Implant. Once I poured enough Energy into my finger until it felt like it had been warmed on a frying pan, a line of blue latched to my finger that tickled with an ever growing intensity by the second. It hopped across five fingers, then to whichever one was closest before I began playing with the thin zaps by motioning my hand like I was using a piano, I was having way too much fun with this. Only when the dancing fireflies began to reach the threshold of an irritating burn did I remove my fingers, grasping the sense of flaming coals burning within my hand. That heat submerged itself within me, spreading equally through my whole body with a sense of a euphoric high. My vision sharpened, sound became crisper, my body more in control of my arms than ever. And my heart beat assuredly, strong and steady like an Olympic athletes. This must have been the effect of the Pacemaker Mutation. To grow stronger by absorbing electricity. ¡°Nelson! Come out, you stupid dummy!¡± I yelled to an obelisk in the back of the living room, it lit up in shades of purple and white. ¡°Of course, Ms. Jones. Would you like to face me at Standard-Grade or Iron-Grade?¡± ¡°Iron!¡± My body was itching for action. In the past, punching that thing in its Iron-Grade setting was comparable to punching a concrete wall, I¡¯d already gotten a hairline fracture from it once. A compartment in the obelisk opened, separating to reveal a large sphere half of my length that rolled out and unraveled as it did. Legs, then a torso and arms complete with tough leather gauntlets before a multi-eyed head popped out. A Syntec Mr. Puncher could be programmed to follow thirty different old martial arts and even teach them to you (once you paid for that martial focus¡¯ specific subscription), but I mainly used it for drilling and sparring. ¡°Spar Setting ¡ª Mixed Martial Arts. Maximum Difficulty.¡± The robot shone red. ¡°Maximum difficulty removes the lethality limiter, are you sure you want to confirm? This is a reminder that SynTec holds no accountability over any damage occurred to your physical, mental, emotional, spiritual or sexual health caused by the Mr. Puncher Training Bot.¡± ¡°Confirme-¡± ¡°-d.¡± I swear it didn¡¯t even let me finish before a steel-armed hook threw itself at me. But I¡¯d reacted just a flash quicker than I usually would, it struck my shoulder but I rolled with the strike and gauged the distance with a raised arm. It pounced on me with the ferocity of a starving tiger, a jab led into a straight that twisted into an elbow strike that spurned its waist around to a deathly, whipping kick. I took the strikes as they came, my previous sense of confidence vanishing as the foot of solid metal cracked into the side of my ribs. I staggered to the ground, feeling red-hot, knowing that I¡¯d barely scratched a difference with my previous record. The electricity within me surged, begging to flow to its whims and I let it as the robot calmly circled me. ¡°And you think you¡¯re a fighter?! You¡¯re just another weakling who¡¯s in over their head!¡± I forgot that its mockery setting was also activated by default at Maximum difficulty. It worked, a sudden rush of potential exploded within me as the electricity swarmed in the middle of my back. I vividly remembered the rush of that Iron-Grade AdStim as a pulse of action drove me, how it sent my mind tumbling into the edge between chaos and performance. This was twice the performance for half the chaos, before a glitching screen manifested into my sights. Meta-Mutation has occurred within the Mutation: Pacemaker [9%]; Electricity can be used to stimulate adrenal secretion. A Meta-Mutation? I didn¡¯t quite understand what that was, but the effect was immediately noticeable. Fight or flight instincts pounded in my head, a quick roll saving my head from a deathly stomp that crushed through the digital display. The panic of flight overexerted me, a simple shove off the ground tumbled me against my table as the burning power within me was now a fleeting flicker, artificial strength replaced by an equally hot organic one. The robot came again, leather gauntlets aiming for me when I hadn¡¯t yet come to understand my newfound strength. But I could¡­ feel it. Very roughly, I could feel the circuitry surging to life and that gave me the edge to just about weave between the next few strikes as I gradually adjusted to the expanded force generating through my limbs. It was incredible. Liberating. I felt light as I came to grip the tingling electricity within me and manifest it into movement. The world hadn¡¯t quite slowed down, but it had grown sharper. A sixth sense spoke secrets to me alone and I subdued each of the robot¡¯s programmed punches with intuitive buckling of my limbs as my head and torso twisted around each blow. Despite this newfound expression of power, I was still not used to it. Especially how quickly it was leaving me, you could call this feeling exhaustion, but that wasn¡¯t quite right. It was more like being robbed of your strength, I felt like I was sinking into the quicksand of powerlessness as sparks began failing to communicate with my muscles. So when I witnessed an opening vulnerability, I weaned every advantage of my Compatibility and Gold Warp Energy into my right arm and retaliated with a forceful blow. The limb exploded with pain as it connected. Not because of the impact, I hardly felt that, instead it was as though I¡¯d exerted every fiber of muscle within my arm to their maximum capability and shredded them in a single attack. The leather padding over the metallic frame of the drone buckled under my blow, but my knuckles pushed deeper like it was made out of clay, and the robot launched backwards into my wall. A thick crack stretching from the impact. Lights within the robot¡¯s head flickered, and the voice came out distorted in a way it never had before, as though I¡¯d knocked the wind out of it¡¯s steel chest. ¡°Yoouuh haave exer-ted lethal force. Congratulations; performance grade: 62%. Once you reach 85% you will be eligible to con-tact SynTec for a 10% dis-counted upgra-de to a Bronze Grade Mr. P-uncher.¡± That¡­ that was it? I cradled my right arm and winced, it felt like a crocodile had ripped it apart in its jaws. I¡¯d always struggled to last even a minute against it at that level but with a single punch I¡¯d- -fractured my hand. Only once I set my sights on the bleeding and horribly misaligned fingers did I feel the weight of the pain as adrenaline sank away. I limped over to the lightbulb, gripping its metallic wirings directly as a surge of sparks invaded my Adrenal glands to refuel them once more. ¡°Oh fuck!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but scream, the rushing adrenaline sent my quivering legs crashing to the floor. The remaining energy instinctively flowing back to my injured arm and soothing it like a calm whisper from a nurse. What the hell was this? One second it sent me into a raging fury and the next it catapulted into a lullaby? I really did not understand Mutagen, but I was sure it never acted like this. Was this because I was Gold? Or my ridiculous compatibility? As I sank deeper into the possibilities, a beep from my Neuroframe indicated an update. Meta-Mutation has occurred in Mutation: Unstable Biology [8%]; Increased rates of gene expression for cellular proliferation of Mutated cells, promoting quicker development of Mutation Development during regeneration. Another one? And my Development had increased relatively considering that I had only just received access to these genes less than seven hours ago. And so far, they had increased by at least one percent every hour. Was that normal? Gene Overview:- Implant Tier: Convergence [5%] Tier 0: Yeah, this was too quick, a part of me was tempted to call up Ripley. To know if he was going through something similar, but I felt my gut toil at the thought of talking to him. He didn¡¯t know about Selene and the weight of the truth was crushing me. Sooner than later, I would tell him. For now, it was time for me to get some well deserved rest. Plus some pain-killers. Then I¡¯d need to find some deeper resources into my capabilities as an Adapter. That type of information didn¡¯t come cheap, and the Megacorps held a Platinum grasp on the real secrets of Implants. I drifted onto my bed, lead had replaced my bones and I didn¡¯t even need my blanket to feel a drowsy weight massage me to sleep. Soon, I¡¯d figure out what was going on. I¡¯d set things right. I was gifted with Gold... and that made me one of the few people in this city who could change things. That wasn''t just a wish, but a responsibility. Blood and Steel C16: A talk of Pleasure and Purpose Chapter 16: A talk of Pleasure and Purpose 12:05 AM June 5th Ripley I awoke with only the lightest of headaches compared to the bricks falling on my head when I had gotten my arm installed. The anesthesia Mr. Skeleton had used was as light as a feather. A subtle touch that guided me towards darkness. Waking up left me feeling no difference to my past self; no pain, no irritation and I had already linked to the skin grafts installed over the patches he¡¯d removed. Haithama Real-Skin Dermachrome Grade: Standard Description: A simple grafting of gene-edited skin with light traces of specialized melanin to give a unique appearance of metal with the texture of real skin. It was cheap, durable and not the worst looking. It matched my rust-colored eyes to appear as splotches of bronzed metal, if anything it looked like a cool scar. I opted out of the Imperium grafting Mr. Skeleton approached me with originally, that was way too costly for a bunch of fish skin made to look human. ¡°While you were out I collected the items you¡¯d requested. A man of taste, you are.¡± Mr. Skeleton was busy delicately wrapping the extracted skin in some form of transparent packaging. And near him was a duffle bag filled to the brim so that bits of it were poking out sharply. ¡°Never took you to be a Shard Op¡¯.¡± I remarked, rubbing my fingers over the new skin he¡¯d installed. ¡°And a pretty fucking good one at that. Which one were you first, Shard Op¡¯ or Black market dealer?¡± ¡°I dabble in many things, Ripley. Their order matters not, but my proficiency in them does.¡± Mr. Skeleton finished placing the pile of skin into a chilled box and a droid hastily carried it away to one of those cabinets that emerged from the floor. ¡°You really don¡¯t share anything about yourself unless it¡¯s to intimidate.¡± Maybe the anesthesia was giving me a bit more confidence than normal, but I found my lips moving. He smiled and gave no response to that, but I followed through. ¡°So what¡¯s my balance, with the surgery and the services totaled.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve made a profit of a hundred and seven thousand Shardyne. Congratulations, you¡¯re a tenth of the way to becoming a millionaire.¡± He clapped. I rolled out of the chair, not needing ¡ª or even wanting ¡ª his assistance. ¡°Let me see the goods.¡± ¡°Gladly.¡± I peered down, unzipping the bag that seemed to breathe in relief as it pushed apart. I took my time; I¡¯d never once imagined spending this much money in one go, and damn was I going to make sure I got my money¡¯s worth. Three Bronze Shards; hundreds of Iron Shards; a titanium femur; nanocarbon muscle tubes; subdermal biomonitors; shock absorbers; shock releasers; too many Mag-Joints to count¡­ There were forty six; motors, rotors, floaters, and holders; Neuroframe components and Datacubes; a basic combat protocol and just lots of other miscellaneous parts found in Shardware and firearms. And finally, five Iron-Grade Claw-tips that didn¡¯t exist anywhere else in the world. Was this enough? ¡°You spent more than 90,000 on this, and you still look disappointed.¡± Mr. Skeleton¡¯s voice raised a good point. Was I disappointed? I could have easily bought Shardware for a tenth of the cost, but I¡¯d made the decision of quality over quantity. Skeleton¡¯s stuff was Plat compared to any other vendor, pre-jailbroken into and compatible to use on any build if you knew the right tricks. ¡°I¡¯m just questioning if I made the right choice¡­ coming to Little Requiem.¡± I answered flatly, closing up the bag after spending too long stuffing everything back in. This would serve as a foundation¡­ I couldn¡¯t go into this building the same old junk The Snake Fangs brought me. ¡°Ripley, you¡¯re a Shard Op¡¯ first. You delve into the worlds of machinery, anatomy and ¡ª as much as you may dislike it ¡ª business. A job that requires connections to likened minds who will support your endeavors. Before you decide to attach blades or a scrapgun to your arms, remember that the best way to keep those around you safe isn¡¯t a fancy weapon.¡± ¡°Then what is it?¡± I met the holes in his eye-sockets with my own sleep-edged gaze. ¡°Money.¡± Skeleton rubbed his fingers together, a festering glow in those red eyes. ¡°Enough Shardyne that the sum you received today is what you¡¯d throw to a scrapper if you¡¯re feeling a micro-ounce of sympathy. Careless change. And I have opportunities for you to make up for the value that Missy doesn¡¯t reap by keeping that Gold in your head. Shardyne is the digital equivalent of physical Shards, a resource synonymous with the power of our Implants. Warp Energy, that which can bend the laws of physics to our whims, is but contained in vessels of metal. You control the Shards, you control the universe itself. Money is power, Ripley ¡ª that is the simplest answer, and the only truth of this world the Founders have built.¡± Everything he spoke was true, why become a weapon when you can just hire others? You could have a whole army of workers performing menial tasks while you handled the exciting innovation. But I was no business tycoon, Shardware was my passion from the ground up. There was beauty in the incremental changes you manifested over decades of learning and improvement ¡ª whether the task was small or large. Yet, Shardware Operating was an expensive craft if these basic materials told me anything, and his words were like honey for a man who¡¯d never tasted sugar. ¡°What sort of opportunities?¡± ¡°You''re Gold, but I¡¯ll be blunt with you, I doubt you¡¯re any better than most Iron Grade Shard Op¡¯s. For now. But I can count the number of Gold Shard Op¡¯s that I know personally on one hand, and with just two fingers raised. You. And me. The rest are pinched up by the Megacorps, slaving away with the hopes of being promoted, but that¡¯s if their genius even gets the credit they believe it should.¡± ¡°Your point is?¡± Did he want me to work for him? ¡°When you¡¯re good enough, you¡¯ll be able to work with Gold Grade Shardware, even Titanium to a small degree. If you and I play our cards right, we can establish a partnership that will reap profits off from the rich. You know just how many powerful Megacorp bosses want to hide their illegal Implants? Plenty of them can just scrub records, but those that are trying to keep hidden from the Founders and their immediate underlings? We might be the only people in the world that could lab up the Shardware they desire. The world¡¯s elite playing to our hands, feeding our bellies and curiosity to the secrets they keep.¡± Skeleton leaned forward, his smile casual and even delicate to a degree. I tried to understand, but everything he said held an air of grandiosity. It felt like I was staring up at a tower, and thousands of security drones aimed their weapons at me and it¡­ it excited me? To have not just the spotlight, but all of them focused on me. I wanted it, but at the same time¡­ ¡°I¡­ might have to pass on that, I get the feeling that getting deeper than I already am would put my mother in danger. Did you¡­ did you put in the request I asked of you?¡± Mr. Skeleton showed no reaction to my second refusal to work with him, and it freaked me out. It was like the thing I was speaking to truly was a skeleton, just a collection of animated metal that connected deeper to a real human being who might have very different emotions than this Proxy conveyed. Everything I saw was deliberate, calculated, not a shred of the tiny slips humans made that conveyed their true selves. ¡°I¡¯ve started,¡± Mr. Skeleton nodded. ¡°But it will take a moment to get your mother¡¯s Genetic Database from the city archives. Once she¡¯s paired with a suitable Silver, I¡¯ll share the price with you and get things moved along. It could take months to find a suitable donor considering your mother¡¯s already used two Implants.¡± I wondered how I must have looked right now; for so long it¡¯d seemed like my mother was an ever-approaching comet. Her light would shine bright in my eyes, then one day fade before I knew it. That much had been certain in the last two years, and the next three years. My hands found themselves rubbing the wetness of my eyes, tiny trails of moisture smearing across them. ¡°Um, thank you.¡± ¡°Thank you, Ripley. It¡¯s been a while since lighter pockets have felt so heavy with anticipation. I¡¯m dying to know what you can do. Now, I¡¯d assume our business is settled?¡± ¡°Settled.¡± I agreed, tired at the eventful day but excited too. ¡°Very well, but I have one last thing to give you. Well, it¡¯s more akin to a hint for your situation. Just remind your mother that your grandfather¡¯s still got skin in the game, and that it¡¯s time for his work to be looked upon.¡± Mr. Skeleton said with a cryptic smile, before the shimmering of light within his body disappeared with an electric buzz and the proxy went limp in its seat. Remind my mother that her father still had skin in the game? A man entered the tent, he was dressed in an immaculate suit that I had to guess was weaved in nano-chitin with how extensively it fit to perfectly cover his skin. In fact, there was not an inch of skin bared free through his whole body, even his face was imprisoned in a form-fitting mask of black cloth that submerged deeper into his clothes. The brief outlines in the mask formed by changes in angles of facial features made it almost look like a skull. A section of the floor opened up, a tall and wide cylinder popping out. An elevator. I wish I could say what happened next was dramatic, but it was hardly so. The steel tube led down to an even deeper sub-section of the club that consisted of long tunnels that seemed to spread out like infesting roots of a parasitic plant, and I simply followed the guard. For a long, long time. Twilight made harmless conversation throughout it, commenting that I¡¯d done better than she expected me to. Honestly, after the events of today I was too tired to be freaked out by everything, it worked in my favor I guess. She floated across me at times, teasing out my intentions for the various merchandise I¡¯d acquired. I kept most of it closely to my chest, there was too much she knew about me already. Now she knew about my grandfather¡¯s mysterious existence, and I¡¯d begun to question who he was as well. My mom seldom mentioned him. Hell, I couldn¡¯t even recall his name until today. But for a man I¡¯d never met, I felt a large swell of anger beating out of my chest directed at him. He abandoned us, and left my mom in the possession of an arm that could kill her? That didn¡¯t make sense, and I knew for a fact that once I reached back home I would have to grill her about all¡­ all of this. I didn¡¯t know scrap about my Implant, simple basics sure, but the sort of data I needed was kept up in AbyssNet and Corporate archives that weren¡¯t so easily accessible. Even simpler programs like the Combat Protocol I received from Skeleton were difficult to jailbreak into due to the nature of Warpcode. It would give me some basic combat instinct and over time it would greatly speed up the rate at which I learned basic muscle memory for fighting, even stimulate them in my dreams¡­ but it wouldn¡¯t be as effective as a pure Feature update improving combat efficiency. Those were all thoughts for the future, for now I was stuck with Skeleton¡¯s frightening information network¡¯s revelations. He might have a team of Data-Delvers working for him around the clock, maybe he even had links to The Dogwhistler. Data could be stolen off the servers connected to the Net or grabbed off a corpse, but most corporate technology had protocols to self-destruct once an Adapter was injured critically or identified to have been captured. A similar event to that male corporate¡¯s Neuroframe spattering up coughs of blood back in The Toxin Club. All together, Mr. Skeleton had showered me with gifts, perhaps so strongly that it made me all the more cautious of him. Yet from each interaction it was clear that his words were deliberate, movements mathematical, syllables framed under a careful and perfect approach. To what? Make me appreciative ¡ª or suspicious? Was it a test of some kind? I didn¡¯t trust him, but it was human nature in my heart to feel like I did owe him. And he was enticing, so very enticing with the deals he offered, but I had priorities for my family. Bronze would work to extend my mother¡¯s life, but Silver would cure her. A compatible Silver Implant would not only let her mind manage the flakes of Warp Residue that had wrapped around her nerves but give her control over it. Maybe not 99% of it, but it was control. The only issue from then on would be to reverse the existing damage over her body, and allow her to resume her work in Shard Operating. It was her passion ¡ª our passion ¡ª and a person only ever died once their dreams had passed on. She had taught me that. Which meant her Implant had to contain the Sustain and Technician Features at the very least, the first would improve her quality of life while the second would ensure she could continue her practice. Those two weren¡¯t a popular combination, so the price would stay manageable for plenty of Bronze Implants but the implementation of the third Feature I¡¯d requested in the Silvers would complicate things. Energized. One of the most sought after Features in a BUG, you could never go wrong with Energized. It specifically enhanced control of Warp Energy beyond normal usage, you¡¯d be able to enhance your own effectiveness and even slightly convert it into electrical or thermal energy if you had the right parts and update. With Sustain and Energized, it would be like she was never sick at all. Subconsciously, I found my fingers pulsing at the thought. That¡¯s right, I hadn¡¯t had the time to look into it too much, but my Claw did possess a Feature Link derived from the Energized Feature. Warp Threads, it explained why my manipulation of Warp Energy felt like plucking strings and weaving them. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Feature Links were simple on paper, they occurred either naturally or were forced into Shardware by a skilled Operator using a complex technique called Engramming. In doing so, you¡¯d leave an imprint of a Feature within the Shardware. A popular example was to improve synthetic organs with a Link derived from Sustain, enhancing their life support functions while a Neuroframe linked to Database could massively improve your memory. You didn¡¯t even need the associated Feature to benefit, you could just pry the cybernetic off a corpse and use it yourself albeit at a loss of efficiency and a chance of rejection. Feature Links could never outright replace Features, they mostly served as quality-of-life upgrades to Shardware, but were always considered highly valuable due to how difficult they were to create and the convenience provided. How many Links an individual piece could withstand followed the same rule of thought as regular Implants, Iron for one, Bronze for two, Silver for three. And a single Silver Shardware could cost up to a million Shardyne in raw materials alone. After all, you needed to use a Silver Shard to make one and they were priced at 500,000 Shardyne a piece. My grandfather broke that rule. He could make an Iron-piece as valuable as a Silver. That spoke to heresy of the laws of Shardware¡­ My arm was one-of-a-kind, and worth far more than I¡¯d ever thought. Maybe even millions. It was laughable, to think that the hunk of scraps I¡¯d had a nearly-botched surgery over was capable of paying my way out of every issue I¡¯d ever had. And my mother knew that, she had worn it while she had an Implant, she had seen its specs. She knew it was a Pseudo-Silver. And she continued wearing it even if it poisoned her. Like me, she refused to entertain even the idea of selling it. This was our legacy, no one else would be prying their filthy eyes on it. Three metallic fingers clenched tight, Twilight¡¯s energetic voice was now mellow as she whispered in my ears. ¡°You on edge?¡± My laugh was genuine; I was on edge. ¡°My mother can¡¯t contact me while I¡¯m in LR, it¡¯s a Blackout Zone. It¡¯s been hours since I left and when I head back I¡¯m going to be drenched in dried blood and missing a few patches of skin.¡± ¡°You kept one piece of skin.¡± She teased, her avatar appearing and pointing to my chest. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to let him tear off my nipple.¡± I calmly spoke, but I could feel the embarrassing heat of my cheeks betraying me. Twilight teased me by making a twisting motion with her fingers, her speech riddled with incoherent giggles. ¡°You have a glowing nipple¡­ I want you to just think about that! It¡¯s certainly going to make you unique! C¡¯mon, I¡¯m begging you, work without a shirt on your customers and let them meet your little laser pointer!¡± ¡°I am not doing that!¡± I felt my body tense up, Gold Energy fluctuating to the rhythm of my embarassment. Ever since I¡¯d linked with my arm, my control over the Warp Energy had become even more pronounced, or perhaps less so? It was beginning to simmer and flow to my lightest thoughts, like a feather guiding a river. My left nipple was glowing from the stress of this day. A thin scratchy light peered amidst blood and cloth. Twilight shrieked with joy at the golden glow. ¡°That is so cool! Oh, Daylight is going to have the time of her life with you! If I had a physical body, would you let me twist it? Oh, I wish I could twist it!¡± I covered the patch with my hand, feeling certainly embarrassed with the predicament I had placed myself under. I didn¡¯t like having a torch for a nipple, it was¡­ god, what the fuck did my life become?! ¡°Can this day end?¡± I whispered, praying the sewers would have my answer. And thankfully, the guard soon stopped moving and escorted me into an old service elevator, the rackety noise lifted me higher up towards an uncertain location. Ambient sounds grew louder, a consistent thudding I¡¯d grown accustomed to, rhythms slowly became more vocal and then the beeps and cawing horns of traffic alerted my ears. When I emerged to the light, I was in an old worn down building. I had noticed the elevator didn¡¯t have a button for the city¡¯s sub-sewers; this place couldn¡¯t be used to enter them. Only to leave. Taking a deep breath, I stepped out into the world of New California. There was a saying. In New California you¡¯re the ant, and the skyscrapers are the shiny boots everyone wants to climb into. But boots only do one thing to ants ¡ª stomp them. That certainly felt true today, as no matter how far I stared up, my neck craned as high as it could and I still couldn¡¯t see the tops of the monoliths surrounding me as star-like flickers of dazzling beauty formed ever-shifting walls of light, streaming images on their surfaces and even into the skies around them. Dancing women, muscular men, their inverse, products containing actual animal-derived resources, the newest holo-flicks. And of course, Shardware ads. I strapped up my hood, dissolving into the anonumous crowd of people walking beside the building to whatever next destination they were going to spend their money in. Above me ran a holographic display of Anderson Wellec, the CFO of Imperium¡¯s Olympia program and seven-time New Olympics winner, the undersoles of his feet briefly flooding my location with an artificial shadow. ¡°With the Imperium¡¯s Olympia Hermes, you too can run as fast as me!¡± That¡¯s right, that¡¯s why I hated this place. No where else in Westcrook did the world appear so bitter than The Pleasure Lanes. Several light-born naked bodies wagged their fingers at me, and the thick scent of pheromones injected into the air lulled my senses. ¡°NeoCola! NeoCore¡¯s official drink of the day ¡ª and night! Even the MAL want to take a sip!¡± ¡°With real hunted fur, wear Imperium Solstice to show everyone how foxy you can truly be.¡± ¡°So you want to hang out with people who are not prostitutes? Well then the Mr. Hung is for you. SynTec¡¯s manliest cybernetic.¡± ¡°Simply real. Simply you. Visit your nearest Yuzhou Gene-Clinic to become the you the world deserves.¡± ¡°More blood, more sex and more metal! The Termination 14 arrives in just under one week with Triple-Haitham Award Winning Actor Michael Roscow. Produced by Haithama Studios!¡± ¡°Do you want your kids to be perfect? Consider adopting from a Cradle, where we only provide the best. Mazhyr, where dreams are made real.¡± I felt sick to my stomach. Not because I hated it, but because I loved it. Sky-dwelling displays, constellations of attracting beauties both in people and objects whisked at my imagination of what my life could be. I¡¯d hated that I could never afford even a minute here, despite how much I wanted to. Now I could. And that made me even more sick, that the place I¡¯d once sworn to never step foot in could be so sweet to me once I became worthy of it. Westcrook¡¯s District Center was built in an area once called Great Lake City back before the collapse, New California¡¯s government liked to call it something similar¡­ but for everyone else, it was better known as The Pleasure Lanes. Still, I did have the money to spare now, and that woman was just my type. And it was only two thousand for a show- ¡°You¡¯re walking the wrong way.¡± Twilight¡¯s voice brought me out of my lull. ¡°And get those pheromones out of your system, I¡¯m surprised you haven¡¯t tried it yet with Psyche.¡± I shook my head, trying to make sense of my thoughts. The slimmest thought of clearing my mind from distractions reoriented my thoughts, stretching them to avoid the precise neuron-targeting light rays. The Warp Energy flooded clarity through me. And I covered my nipple as I did so. At once, my head cleared like I¡¯d dunked it into a bath of EasyClean and swiped off years of gunk and addiction. Psyche V.0.07 has been updated to V.0.08 Effect: Increased resilience to artificial stimulation of the brain¡¯s reward centers from the external environment the Adapter deems unsafe. This place was dangerous in a way different than Little Requiem, this city would wring you dry for all that you¡¯re worth if you weren¡¯t careful. In the land where you meant nothing, people would do anything to be something. That included spending all my hard-earned skin-torn money on frivolous matters. Shaking my gaze, I followed the light towards Twilight. ¡°Wrong way? Is there a place I¡¯m supposed to be going to?¡± ¡°Yup, my apartment!¡± Twilight responded in a cheer. ¡°As long as you¡¯re a good boy, she¡¯ll let you stay.¡± ¡°Your¡­ dominant personality? Your author?¡± ¡°Her? Dominant? Pfft, oh no, you¡¯re thinking of Midnight. Elsa¡¯s a mixed bag of all three of us. Though, mostly me!¡± So far, I¡¯d heard her mention Daylight as well. So, with her as Twilight and the recently mentioned Midnight, those were the three Personas? And I finally knew their author¡¯s name. Elsa. ¡°I- I don¡¯t know. My mother¡¯ll be worried sick and-¡° ¡°You¡¯re carrying a bag worth probably a hundred thousand Shardyne. In the middle of the busiest area of the city, I know this place isn¡¯t Little Requiem but remember you¡¯re still in Westcrook. Nowhere here is safe. Just call up your mother, be honest for a bit and tell her you¡¯re staying with a friend until the morning. We¡¯ll get you an automated taxi when the night owls are hooting their dreams up.¡± I took in the suggestion. It seemed to come from a genuine place, but my suspicions still clawed at me. A shame then, I was too tired to think, I¡¯d just gotten out of surgery, met one of the scariest persons in my life in Skeleton, engaged in a fight where Twilight used my flesh vessel¡¯s very inexperienced hands to¡­ to murder. It became easier to accept that fact because of Psyche and¡­ the modifications I made to my frame¡¯s Warpcode software. ¡°Think I could take a shower? I¡¯m- I¡¯m sorry but if my mother sees me like this, I¡¯m not sure what I¡¯d be able to say. I don¡¯t know if I can tell her that I killed someone.¡± In that one sentence, I¡¯d been able to release a falling skyscraper¡¯s worth of exhaustion and shame. ¡°Hmmm¡­ one condition. You shine your nipples in the mirror.¡± I silently leaned against the building, contemplating with the three neurons that hadn¡¯t fallen asleep yet. ¡°Fine.¡± Twilight lived nearby, in a building complex attached to several clubs ¡ª but then again, which complex wasn''t? More people probably spent their nights on a dancefloor than their own bed in Westcrook. I was surprised as the elevator dinged higher and higher, not quite the penthouse but still to an elevated section of the building where only three apartments were placed compared to the twenty-something on the lower floors. Her digital hand pressed against a screen next to her door and I entered, taking in the smell of flowers. Real flowers and not the bullshit perfumed sprays I used whenever trash-seeped rain dribbled down through the cracks of my apartment¡¯s roof. Her apartment was modest, I told myself that, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel like I¡¯d stepped into a massive world where I meant as much as the filth in a bathroom. Her kitchen was larger than my studio, and the living room was twice that. The place was lit by the sharp neon advertisements of the buildings around us, lending an atmospheric glow to the entire space, but Twilight seemed to have instant remote activation of the place and quickly set the windows to decrease in transparency and blur the outside light until only soft and hazy pink and red floated across the surfaces. I didn¡¯t spend long in the shower, most of that time was taken by Twilight asking me to pose with my light-up¡­ beacon. I¡¯d agreed to one and I¡¯m pretty sure she somehow managed to snapshot that memory of me. I¡¯d¡­ also suddenly become aware that Twilight was able to see everything. ¡°You¡¯re honestly not half-bad Ripley, sure you could use some muscle but what you¡¯ve got attached on top of them is pretty good.¡± She meant that, I knew that, but it still felt false hearing it. ¡°Surprised you haven¡¯t made a dick joke, yet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a low blow. Get it? Or maybe¡­ you¡¯re not getting any at all?¡± I sighed, steaming water turning it from one of exasperation into relief. ¡°I spoke too soon.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not really experienced are you, Ripley? I thought you¡¯d be different considering your last line of work.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the issue.¡± I rubbed grime off my chest. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten laid before, Hoaqin had dragged me to plenty of clubs over the last four years. Even I get lucky¡­¡± The warmth of the steam sent a shiver through me. ¡°But growing up in a brothel, seeing what some of those women go through on a day-to-day basis¡­ How they have to carefully present themselves, how I have to change their bodies so that others like them. I¡¯ve seen perfection of the human form, like to think I played a part in it, but I¡¯ve seen how empty it can be to just¡­ you know. In some ways, I¡¯m more experienced with sex than a lot of people.¡± ¡°You ever been in love, Ripley?¡± Twilight appeared next to me, her body clothed and the watter sending little sparks of code flashing against my skin. I shut off the running water, feeling a tad bit embarrassed at being butt naked. My hand gripped the controls a bit too tight as I ignored the question, my thoughts going to someone who¡­ I couldn¡¯t let myself remember. It was just like my father all over again. ¡°What can I wear? Don¡¯t think you want me sleeping on your couch in a towel.¡± Twilight¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, a distinct appearance of compassion falling across her. ¡°I think I¡¯ve got a hoodie and some sweatpants you won¡¯t complain about. Just¡­ I¡¯ve known you for two days, and you¡¯re not that bad of a guy, Ripley.¡± I wiped the towel across my arms and body, wrapping it around me. ¡°I¡¯m a cog in the machine. Good or bad doesn¡¯t matter. Results do, money does¡­ and power. My life has been upended in the last week, I¡¯m lost but¡­ also free.¡± I knew it was my exhaustion speaking, but words continued to trail off as I followed Twilight¡¯s ghostly appearance. ¡°My very brain chemistry is changing every hour, I¡¯m more in control than I¡¯ve been in years even as so much is out of my control. It¡¯s like, the roads that I¡¯d marched on for years have just vanished under an earthquake and now I¡¯m climbing the rocks to a new place. But diamonds revealed themselves in the cracks.¡± For what it was worth, Twilight listened intently as her artificial gaze made contact with me. ¡°I have the opportunity to forget my past, to turn my devils into angels. To kill a person without a shred of emotion. I don¡¯t know what to feel and my Implant reacts to even that¡­¡± ¡°A word of wisdom,¡± Twilight stopped me by a closet. ¡°In the Tier 0 phase of your growth, it isn¡¯t you who is Adapting to the Implant. It¡¯s the Implant that¡¯s Adapting to you, and with your level of compatibility it¡¯s being fed not just the thoughts you think about but also the ones you choose not to think about.¡± I knew what she was referring to. She continued. ¡°If the Psyche realizes that you function better without a certain emotion or memory, it can erase it permanently ¡ª especially with that prior modification in your head. I¡¯ve seen it happen. I mean, it can even develop to the point where you can split off parts of who you are into separate entities, so yeah I get what you¡¯re going through. Whether you choose to remember your¡­ if you choose to remember them, then in my opinion, write it down, everything about them. It¡¯s rare, but sometimes you can reverse the effects of a Feature Update.¡± I stayed silent, putting on the oversized hoodie without caring about the punk-band picture posted on top of it. Making my way over to the couch, I collapsed onto it like the bag of my goods had on the floor next to me when I¡¯d left for the shower. ¡°Twilight¡­ you¡¯re a bit weird. But you¡¯re nice.¡± I half-snored. ¡°You¡¯re the real weirdo.¡± ¡°Maybeee¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re kind of sweet, too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ nice of youuu.¡± I yawned, stretching myself to get comfortable. ¡°Hey Ripley?¡± Twilight¡¯s raised tone was just enough to get me to open my lead-weighed eyes. ¡°Elsa¡­ she¡¯s a lot like you. A lot like me due to the obvious but¡­ she¡¯s not as free as I am. Or as Daylight or Midnight. I think the two of you will get along, eventually. I¡¯ll put in a good word. But be careful, not just with her but with Mr. Skeleton and this whole¡­ Dogwhistler business. I don¡¯t want you to get hurt.¡± I smiled weakly, tapping my Neuroframe behind me. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± She smiled too, an even weaker one burdened with something my sleep-addled mind couldn¡¯t have the tiniest ounce of effort to gauge. ¡°Good night, Ripley.¡± ¡°Good¡­ good, good-night.¡± My world submerged into darkness. Blood and Steel C17: Mirage Chapter 17: Mirage Personal analysis from Lieutenant Jacob Grazhe of the known Mercenary: Mirage She appeared as though she¡¯d always existed. But there are virtually no records of her mentioned before the year 2489, it was around that time that Intelligence on Los Diablos¡¯ Little Requiem virtually fell flat without a scrap of return. Mirage delved deep into our Abyss-Net servers, wrapping each thread of information from our database of criminals into a web of lies and misinformation. As of 2496, not much has changed about what we know of her. She¡¯s the one behind Little Requiem¡¯s shift in management and has personal Emulects that do her bidding. Midnight, Daylight and Twilight. Other than that, she appears to identify as a female according to those who¡¯ve spoken up to the Interrogators. Where she appears, misfortune follows. I¡¯ve put hundreds of hours into investigating her myself, but she¡¯s as elusive as a ghost. Even that damn Skeleton refuses to speak of her, meaning either he doesn¡¯t know anything or that the girl¡¯s too good for him to give up just like the Dogwhistler. My only known lead is the mercenary who she¡¯s known to affiliate with for more hands-on jobs; Missy. But she pulls up even more loose threads that refuse to fit together, because why on earth would a NeoCore Inquisitor become a merc? 11:03 AM June 5th Ripley Claws, blood, thunder, flesh, steel, bone, rip. Rip. RIP. My eyes snapped open, not a thought in the world running through them. Faintly, I noticed a few notifications running through my Lens Display. Psyche V.0.08 has updated to V.0.09 Effect: Warp Energy can be used to control the amount of Melatonin produced by the pineal gland. So I could directly control how sleepy I was now? I¡¯d heard of a few Neuroframe Mods that could do that, but I¡¯d never ever bought one simply because not feeling sleepy didn¡¯t mean you wouldn¡¯t feel the effects of sleepiness ¡ª you¡¯d be an inefficient blunder of a human without knowing why. That brought me to the second alert. Psyche V.0.09 has updated to V.0.10 Effect: Reduced mental dysfunction when under the effects of sleep deprivation. Now that, that would be helpful and it pushed me to V.0.10¡­ if I was right, the next update would give me a Protocol, an ability to use. I got up off the couch, stretching myself in the surprisingly comfortable nightwear I¡¯d borrowed from Twilight¡­ or would it be Elsa? ¡°Hey Twilight, thanks for letting me crash.¡± I said, only to receive no prompt response. ¡°Twilight?¡± I panged again. ¡°She¡¯s not with you anymore.¡± A voice spoke from above, sitting on one of the balconies I hadn¡¯t even noticed ran around the living room was a woman I could only describe as delicately fierce. She was short, probably only an inch or two above five feet. I¡¯d not been surprised to see just how much she resembled Twilight, taking all aspects of the ethereal being and bending them into a physical form. Hair divided between black-and-white, framing over an oversized puffy jacket that hung atop an inner layer of black clothing that was sleek and clung tightly to her body. She had the beauty of Twilight¡¯s digital perfection, and added in the imperfections found in an organic form that were rare among today¡¯s gene-twisted population. Somehow, the light sunken bags under her eyes and irregular freckles over her face only made her more mystifying, and the small piercings of shadowy metal scaffolded her appearance into a sharp and confident form ¡ª but not outwardly proud. No, she seemed almost retracted. Staring blankly with glowing eyes that were most definitely entirely metal, black with several rings of white condensing upon an inner star of violet. Other modifications spilled over her, slight metallic angles bordering around her ears up to her temple that I¡¯d assumed led down into her jackets. My reasoning? Her hands were wicked with sharp claws that were the antithesis of my bulky technician¡¯s Shardware. ¡°You, um¡­ you Elsa?¡± The answer was obvious, but I felt it was a good starting point to get some information across. ¡°Thanks for sending Twilight my way, she saved my life.¡± ¡°Noted.¡± The word was crisp and delicate, like a songbird¡¯s whistle. And nothing else. So I was left completely unsure of how else to understand just who Elsa was. ¡°Did you take Twilight back?¡± In response, she only raised up her sleeve where three glowing lines shone into view. The highest was a cloudy blue-white, the second was an irregularly beaming violet, and the final was a frightening black shadow with swirls of red. I carefully probed my memories to answer. ¡°I take it those are Daylight, Twilight and¡­ Midnight, right? Your Personas? Never seen that sort of development of the Psyche Feature, guess it¡¯s a long story?¡± One she very much was not keen on answering, it seemed. She tapped an invisible something in her display before swiping and finally resting the cold rings of white in her glare on me. Her voice trailed quietly, a blank tone revolving out like a wheel in thoughtless motion. ¡°Twilight¡¯s spent too long in your head, she needs to be taken back in momentarily to prevent her from getting too rowdy.¡± ¡°How long can they spend apart from you?¡± I¡¯m sorry, I was just way too curious about how she¡¯d developed Psyche to let it go. Her vision squinted on me, and I shrunk back a bit. I didn¡¯t know the first thing about Elsa, I barely knew the first thing about Twilight or Mr. Skeleton. Either of them could probably kill me in my sleep, scalp my Implant, and the world would continue ticking without a care. ¡°You have to call me Mirage.¡± That bit of her voice had definition to it, an implacable moment of sturdiness I was not willing to go against. Then my thoughts flickered, my scattered memories all redoubling in their twist as I remembered the name Mirage from somewhere. ¡°Mirage, Mirage, Mirage¡­¡± I repeated quickly under a whisper. ¡°I- Oh, you cracked open the Los Diablos NetShield seven years ago! Spilled out their data regarding Little Requiem, loosening their hold over the place. You- how old are you?¡± Shit, you are not supposed to ask a woman her age. Her lip lifted at that, purple lipstick now no longer confined to a straight line. ¡°Technically¡­ Twenty-three years old. And monopolies are bad for business.¡± So she was two years older than me, but that still put her at fifteen years old for one of the most notorious hacks to ever happen in the city. ¡°So what¡¯s your business¡­? You¡¯re clearly a DataDelver from what I get, but you strike clean and quickly before disappearing for months. No clear motives or-¡° ¡°And I¡¯d like to keep it that way.¡± She got off the legs, dropping down from the railing and onto the living room floor and striding over towards me. ¡°I work however I want.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re not with Missy¡¯s crew? Twilight seemed to know Diamante quite well.¡± I twisted my tongue discreetly. ¡°And I doubt you¡¯d just let yourself get hired to oversee a rookie¡¯s initiation into Adapterhood. What are you even supposed to be for me, a guide? A protector?¡± ¡°You got me.¡± She said with a smirk, the first sign of any real emotion I saw on her. ¡°I¡¯m your fairy godmother. Missy helps me get jobs sometimes.¡± ¡°Like from¡­ Cinderella?¡± I remembered what Twilight had said, even if I didn¡¯t know what the hell it was. ¡°Ah, you a fan of classics?¡± I noticed a distinct perk in her sharp eyes as she sat on the coffee table opposite me. ¡°20th or 21st Century?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± I bit my lip. ¡°21st?¡± ¡°Really? Because I noticed you didn¡¯t have a single second of access to any Old World media-streaming port, much less could afford it.¡± She smirked openly now, catching me in the act. ¡°Okay fine.¡± I sighed, hoping to keep this as friendly bantering rather than a deception. ¡°Twilight mentioned the¡­ was it a movie?¡± ¡°Medieval fairy tale adapted into a movie.¡± Mirage smiled lightly, like remembering a fond memory of the past. ¡°But that¡¯s hardly the question you want to really ask, as it stands I know more about you than you do about me. That¡¯s your real issue, isn¡¯t it? Well, here¡¯s the answer- it¡¯s likely to stay that way.¡± ¡°Bummer.¡± I let it slip out of me, keeping on the friendliness despite the alarms running in my head. ¡°Twilight mentioned you were a tough shell to crack, but you¡¯re not even giving me a chance.¡± ¡°They will say plenty. Each of my Personas is a real personality, much to my annoyance, they all feel their own ways towards me. Twilight is very much annoyed at me half the time, so don¡¯t let her perception turn your own askew. And besides, if you knew any more about me I¡¯d have killed you.¡± She said it with a coldness I¡¯d only ever heard Shaun manage, but then a chuckle sent my barely-contained shiver splattering. ¡°So um¡­ yeah, what is it that I should be doing, exactly? I mean¡ª I know why Missy has agreed to keep me alive with the whole deal we made, but why was I alive in the first place? At 0% Convergence she could have easily taken the Implant out of my head, the only reason she didn¡¯t was because she thought she could gain something out of me.¡± All of it was a fact. ¡°Maybe she just didn¡¯t feel like adding more to the vicious cycle of death and greed in the city. I certainly would have slipped your head from your body, but now it¡¯s my job to keep them intact¡­¡± She smiled wickedly, and even then I gave her a nervous laugh¡­ Then I felt a cold, dread-born choke grab my breath. A fresh, searing storm of what seemed to be lava rained through my thoughts, and it took a spark of Gold into my Neuroframe to cool them. Slipped your head from your body, just like- Elsa- Mirage paused, my face clenched into a blank stare that flashed a momentary shift in concern over her. ¡°Ripley? Are you- Your Personality Matrix, are you using it to suppress memories right now?¡± That poured fuel over the explosive buried in my head, and I squeezed my temples tight. I saw her explode into movement, reaching to my bag without my consent but if I were to take a second off the wildfire burning through my memories then I knew it would consume me whole. She flicked out what one could easily assume to be a broken piece of a dagger, a barely inch-long cracked piece of metal. A shimmer of artificial light passed through it every now and then, turning it from a simple piece of metal into the world¡¯s most valuable resource. A Shard. An Iron Shard, full of Warp Energy. A faint flow of light spread through her arms to transmute that power into the logic known as Warpcode, it was a brief haze of yellow wires snuffed by the presence of Silver barbs. Even I caught the wince she gave. A flash of a second passed and she pulled from the Shard, a thin beacon of energy colored a dull-gray squeezed between her fingers before thinning into a string. I couldn¡¯t ask her what she was doing as she pierced the Iron thread into my NeuroFrame and it felt like a dagger had squeezed through into my brain. ¡°Don¡¯t fight it! I¡¯m giving you a boost for an update!¡± She warned as several more Iron Shards were grabbed by her fingers. ¡°Just focus on your Personality Matrix and draw from Psyche, it¡¯ll blend together but you need to give it a directive if you want some control over it. A state or emotion to keep you together. Anything that has value for you. Your Feature¡¯s overloading itself to keep your mind from falling apart, direct the Feature.¡± Without a second thought, I submitted my agency to her suggestion and submerged my NeuroFrame with Gold threads of my own. The view of my body¡¯s neural pathways glowed brightly, my own shiny Warp Energy delving into a series of quickly rewired patterns of dull gray. A directive? My thoughts swarmed like a hive of buzzing wasps, each trying to sting me. Each time I stared at one ember of thought it seemed like they clawed out to me, leaving a scar that would forever haunt me. My father¡¯s last words to me before everything went to shit ¡ª ¡®sometimes I wish I never listened to you¡¯. My mother, her tearful eyes as I stood by her while we lost everything to SynTec¡¯s cover up of their sins. My dad had stayed strong then, but things went wrong so quickly. Selene, her dead eyes. Dead because I¡¯d performed that surgery on her. NO! Blood dripped down my face, I¡¯d taken a life just yesterday? How could I forget that? Chunks of skull, chunks of brain, chunks of a living being. Once breathing, once dreaming, once alive like me. Each ember was too much like the thousand glares I felt staring into my head when I walked down the streets of Little Requiem. They could see my Implant, they could. Hundreds of hands reached for me, stuffing my head into a chokehold where they could easily expose my neck. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. What was it all for? What was I given this power for? Was it a curse, or was it karma for the shitty life I¡¯d lived for so long. Was there some greater meaning behind that box opening there and then? Had someone chosen me? Or was I just lucky? Maybe unlucky considering the target in my head? My mother was a target too, she could easily be used to take this Implant away from me. Maybe it would be better just to sell it off. Skeleton could arrange it, I¡¯m sure. ¡°Ripley, a directive!¡± A voice yelled, Twilight¡¯s voice but in a stranger¡¯s body. Though I¡¯d barely even known Twilight, how could I feel so comfortable with her? Because I would have been dead without her. The pieces of me glued together with that thought, yes, I¡¯d taken a life. But they would have taken my own. I survived by killing them, I wasn¡¯t attacked by anyone else. They¡¯d seen me, they knew I wasn¡¯t worth the risk. They respected me. All so that I could persevere. That I could stand in the silence of victory and death. It was my right, if there was one thing the Gold gave me, it was the right to live. The right to prosper. To go headstrong first, resisting what life throws at you all to succeed. Resisting it in a fool-hardy manner, despite all thrown in my way of success. So yes, if I had to choose a directive it would be- Preservation I sucked in a deep breath as my world returned, clear as a crystal to see the worried yet intently focused face of Elsa. Of Mirage, grasping my Neuroframe in delicate black fingers that rewired their inner code. I wasn¡¯t surprised that she had the Dataweaving Feature and I¡¯d had a suspicion she needed Network in order to send off her Personas away from her body which came from Psyche. The presence of Three Features was a hallmark of a Silver, to have access to a fourth of all known powers a BUG could have¡­ and I would have a fourth. Shardware has been modified:- Neuroframe: Mazhyr Metronome is now Iron-Grade Warning: The Hardware components of the Neuroframe are limiting the performance. Grade: Iron II Integrity: Iron I Energy: Iron II Capacity: Iron I Neuroframe Mod Installations:- Feature Link has been established¡­ Psyche V.0.10 has been updated to Psyche V.1.00 Effect: Establishing the Preservation Matrix Protocol. Greatly improves the User¡¯s response pathway to the environment, focusing resources to improve the Adapter¡¯s ability to persevere. Can directly link to any Shardware and their associated Feature Links to further act upon the directive of perseverance. A Feature Protocol? Already?! This should have taken months, and it was a pretty good one at that, the ability to redirect all of my body¡¯s resources towards survival was pretty damn fantastic considering my situation. Hell, it¡¯d probably become that because of my situation. We were dubbed Adapters after all. Mirage huffed on my side, not from tiredness considering she barely had a strained muscle on her face, but out of genuine relief. ¡°Ripley, you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I whispered. ¡°I uh¡­ I don¡¯t know what happened.¡± ¡°How long were you using the Personality Matrix to keep yourself¡­ from feeling grief?¡± Elsa frowned as she said it, her hand still firmly placed behind my neck. ¡°I¡­¡± My thoughts came slowly, I¡¯d installed one in me as soon as I¡¯d figured out how to rewrite the code to suit the club. Though it was only once I¡¯d reconnected with Selene that I began to use it intermittently for myself. ¡°A few years, I think since I was fifteen? And yeah, recently things have gotten a bit worse so I guess it was probably on for most of the last 24 hours¡­¡± Elsa looked extremely disturbed by that revelation. ¡°You need therapy, you know that right?¡± ¡°Easy to say that when you aren¡¯t responsible for your father-¡° I stopped myself, no, she already knew too much. Hell, she probably already knew about my father. ¡°Just¡­ It just makes things easy. I can live without being weighed down by¡ª didn¡¯t you sever parts of yourself too? Can¡¯t imagine it came from a place too different from my own.¡± I could feel her tense up beside me, a flash of anger that burned away into some other complex mixture of emotions, a clench of her jaw and the quiet retreat as she pulled back from me told me enough. ¡°It¡¯s different. Believe me¡­ you¡¯re not the right person to know why, but just trust me on that.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t got much of any reason to trust you.¡± I replied flatly, winded down by how quickly my brain had short-circuited. ¡°I did just keep your brain from exploding under¡­ yeah no, I can¡¯t be trusted.¡± She gave a self-pitying laugh, one I was too comfortable with hearing come out with my throat. ¡°Don¡¯t you know, the name Mirage tends to convey things that don¡¯t exist.¡± ¡°And the name Ripley tends to refer to a guy who can barely keep his shit together, now suddenly gifted with a mansion for a brain.¡± My own laugh was too similar to hers, and I got the sense that she noticed with how intent her blank stare into the unknown could be. ¡°Ripley¡­ This life isn¡¯t for you.¡± She held her body stiffly. ¡°What life?¡± I leaned out of the imprint I¡¯d left on the couch. ¡°You know¡­ the kind you were thinking you¡¯d get when you met Missy and heard of the Gold Implant in your head. The type where you¡¯d imagine yourself suddenly getting kickass powers to cripple the system and bring it down, we don¡¯t do that¡­ we barely even keep our own lives from falling apart. You said you wanted change, and believe me, we all start that way, but- but we don¡¯t stay that way. We do change, we twist until you barely recognize the person in the mirror.¡± ¡°Are you talking about mercenaries in general?¡± I¡¯d finally decided I could let go of what I¡¯d suspected they all were. ¡°Or Psyche Shard-Adapters specifically?¡± ¡°Both,¡± I couldn¡¯t tell if her glare was angry or sad. ¡°Combined and separate. If I were you, I¡¯d take the comfortable way¡­ even though our entire life we¡¯re told to do the opposite. In case it wasn¡¯t clear, I¡¯d wanted you to go to Skeleton so that the route was there for you. You could downgrade to a Silver and spend the rest to get a proper legitimate business running up in a few months.¡± ¡°To sell my Implant.¡± My tongue was heavy. ¡°I can¡¯t do that. I don¡¯t want to do that and¡­ neither does my mother. I¡¯m going to get the money to have her get a Silver of her own¡­ I will. But I also want this, to reach the place I think I could get with my Implant. Because-¡° ¡°Because you have perfect compatibility. Never thought I¡¯d see one in my life. Nonetheless it¡¯s two separate Adapters from the same MAL¡­ you know you¡¯ve stumbled onto something big.¡± Elsa revealed that she did know, so she¡¯d seen Twilight¡¯s memories. ¡°Take it you know about my glowing nipple too then.¡± I half-choked, half-chuckled. Her ears got a little red at that, and I¡¯d been so used to her ¡ª Twilight¡¯s ¡ª face immediately jumping to tease me about it that I almost felt bad for putting the clearly more timid girl in the situation. ¡°Yeah¡­ I know about everything, even your insight into Dogwhistler.¡± That got my attention, like a hook speared through my mouth to open it. ¡°You know anything?¡± ¡°Some. But I know that once I share that with you, it goes to Diana Ul- Diana Jones. Her investigation would complicate my own. Dogwhistler is both more powerful and more covert than anyone could ever expect in the city, an enigma that¡¯s proven equally beneficial to the law and the lawless.¡± I still couldn¡¯t help but find some measure of this conversation humorous. ¡°Seems more like an urban legend at this rate.¡± Elsa looked grim, and it seemed like that expression fell naturally on her face. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be far off from the truth. Who knows if it¡¯s one person or a group, an AI Emulect or a real person. If you thought my own reach was as hidden as it is far, then you don¡¯t have the slightest clue of the tiny snippet of a name you¡¯ve heard.¡± A brief silence cut through the two of us, and I¡¯d wondered if I¡¯d run this talk into the ground. ¡°So¡­ I¡¯m a small man caught up in a big world.¡± ¡°Very small man. Very big world.¡± She said it like it was a warning, but I couldn¡¯t help but find some pleasure in knowing that. That there was so much to explore. Was it naivety? Maybe. ¡°Look, just, get a grasp on your Implant for now, if it develops in a way that you like¡­ keep it. If you think you want something specialized then-¡° ¡°I¡¯m keeping it, there¡¯s no two ways about it.¡± I don¡¯t know where my sudden confidence, my trust, in the device came from but something¡­ profound was telling me to keep it. Something so viscerally raw that it beat right next to my heart through the rest of my body, perhaps my compatibility or even the new Preservation Matrix Feature protocol. ¡°But uh¡­ yeah, I¡¯d like a tip or two. I know my way around the technical aspects of Shardware, used to tune Lucille¡¯s Bronze-Grade eyes not too long ago, but the code always escaped me. Numbers are just too large to crunch without a direct uplink into their greater meaning¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re thinking of Warp Energy based data as real code, it¡¯s not the 1s and 0s of Standard Grade stuff.¡± Elsa remarked, almost offended at the simple description. Yup, definitely a Dataweaver Adapter. I found an amused grin fall on top of me. ¡°Tell me then, what did you do to my Neuroframe?¡± She froze in thought, running her finger along a piercing right below her lip. ¡°Just opened it up to your own mind, gave it a boost of Warpcode. The advent of Warp Energy fell along with the First Swarm, that much you know. Then you must also know about the Old_Data, all collections of mankind¡¯s knowledge pre-collapse now under control of a MALtitan. Information from before the Solar Flare at the end of the 21st century crippled an already post-apocalyptic world.¡± ¡°Learned as much from my mother.¡± ¡°Then you know that the data was never truly lost, it was fried and scattered around trillions of known datapoints. And when the swarm attacked, they crept into the old world¡¯s knowledge, condensing all of the archives and re-establishing old comms¡­ anything that ran on 1s and 0s or electricity. Except, the introduction of Warp Energy into the code changed it¡­ or more precisely it allowed the code to change everything around it. Warp Energy; a classification of chaos and alteration. Binary code; a rulebook defined by electrical circuits with precise ¡ª often stifling ¡ª order.¡± I nodded, understanding most of what she said. ¡°Combined, their reaction was odd to say the least. Within organic beings, Warp Energy mutates them to be extraordinary with Mutagen. And when collapsed into physical objects it can tend to bolster their material strength, allowing the creation of so-called Warp Materials. But with code, and in particular with code designed for Artificial Intelligence and machine learning, it accelerates that process infinitely so. The main directives pushed so far that they ¡ª true to its name ¡ª warp into something else entirely. In a sense, Warpcode is nothing more than digitized thought derived from the Old_Data. The smallest embers of it simply repurposed under new orders to follow a certain set of commands, that, yeah, we copied as old 1s and 0s, but now can exist as¡­ as well 2s, 3s, negatives and imaginary numbers and whatnot. Quantum processing taken off the rails by an energy frankly no one knows shit about.¡± I thought I knew where she was going, then I didn¡¯t. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that¡­ what? No one knows what it is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about what it is. It¡¯s about how you use it, its nature and¡­ tendencies. I view it as a storm that I need to catch with nets I weave, blowing that chaotic mess into bubbles and then into specific shapes and commands.¡± She cast her glassy gaze off to the side, a darkness laying in those amethyst depths. "I take those bubbles and make shapes out of them, stringing them along threads of code like a necklace or bracelet." I snorted. ¡°That¡¯s kind of cute.¡± She huffed a tight breath, but I noticed the smallest nervous flick from her eyes. ¡°A common one people take is a tapestry, threads of information pieced together inch by inch in different flavors to tell a larger story. Hence the Feature Dataweaving being named from Mazhyr¡¯s interpretation. In short, don¡¯t think of it as a rule book or language, think of it as a material you can shape and alter depending on your control over Aeth- over Warp Energy.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t really get it, but thank you. So you basically just bubbled my Neuroframe with Iron-Grade Warpcode you took... (or made?) from the Shards. I get that¡­ but how did you-¡° ¡°I only fed it.¡± She finished for me. ¡°Everything else you managed subconsciously, focusing a directive upon your eature to link it to your nervous system. Considering you had an active mod on your Frame with the Personality-Editing Matrix, it quickly adapted that with the purpose you defined.¡± ¡°Hence the name Feature Link¡­ Damn¡­ You know I think I¡¯m getting it a bit.¡± ¡°If you didn¡¯t, you¡¯d be an idiot.¡± She snarled like a knife had been stabbed through her, an abrupt switch so quick that I physically recoiled like the car I¡¯d been in had come to a sudden stop. I stared, blankly, at her eyes. Eyes that were once a dull violet. They were now a deep red. She shook her head like a fly was buzzing around it, grabbing a fistful of hair as the red blinked away into a calmer violet. ¡°Shit¡­ sorry. They do that sometimes.¡± ¡°Your Personas?¡± ¡°That was Midnight.¡± She didn¡¯t meet my gaze and instead made herself smaller by pulling her knees to her chest, that purple stare drifting off to some unknown piece at the back of her mind. ¡°Yeah¡­ we¡¯re similar, alright.¡± I whispered under my breath, before raising my voice. ¡°So um¡­ yeah, I get that you¡¯re supposed to watch over me and keep me from getting myself killed but anything else you can tell me? Like, what exactly am I supposed to do?¡± ¡°Whatever you want, once your month is up.¡± She spoke in a whisper just barely heard on the edge of my ears. ¡°I wish I was in your place.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t get why?¡± In all my life, I knew that often things were too good to be true. ¡°The Gold in my head is fuck-you worths of money, it fails me to understand then¡ª¡° ¡°Because Missy values your life more than the Implant, she might be the only person in this entire city to see you that way.¡± She had an air of finality to her tone, standing up and heading towards the door which opened with a quick touch of her palm. ¡°I¡¯ll be in contact with you.¡± She flicked her finger and I received a Sigil-share request, there wasn¡¯t much she would get from mine that she didn¡¯t already know, so I accepted it. A new Contact has been established: Mirage I nodded, heaving up my bag after ensuring it¡¯d been zipped tight. It didn¡¯t seem like anything had been taken from me, but most of this would be worthless to her anyway. Step by step, I reached her door frame and politely dipped my head. ¡°I¡¯ll be seeing you then, Mirage. And once again, thank you.¡± The voice that spoke back was undoubtedly a different, more cheery one. In her gaze, violet eyes of a much brighter shade had replaced the duller ones. ¡°And what about me? You don¡¯t want to see me too, or have you already gotten a better taste for my fleshier fourth?¡± I pulled back my conflicted confusion, before nodding at the Persona invoked into flesh. ¡°You too Twilight, I¡¯ll be seeing you too.¡± She smiled, closing the door. Then I heard a scream. ¡°How many times have I told you girls to beha-!¡° Which abruptly paused, becoming a quieter mumble I couldn¡¯t decipher. There was nothing more for me to do here, so I lifted the bag closer to me and made my way into the elevator, relaxing against the steel wall as it smoothly glided downwards. ¡°You did amazing! I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen someone open her up like that!¡± A voice startled me, pricking me up and jostling the elevator around with how fiercely I rebounded. There she was, Mirage ¡ª or perhaps closer to Twilight since she was holographic ¡ª except all the darkness had drained away until she only remained a beacon of light, even her hair was a falling cascade of perfect snowing curls. She wore clothes similar to what Twilight had been wearing, a perfectly trimmed and smooth dress except where Twilight¡¯s had portions of tattered shadows. It draped down elegantly over her curves which were much more confidently shown off by either of them. ¡°Daylight! A pleasure to make your acquaintance! Ooooh, I''ve heard so much about you! I can''t wait for us to be friends~!¡± Her voice was a soothing melody, very much Mirage¡¯s, but the stiffness and reservation was now a beaming enthusiasm that shone from sapphire blue eyes. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really jumpy, but don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m not as mean as the other three are!¡± ¡°I, uh-¡° God just who had I been paired up with of all people? ¡°Nice to meet you?¡­ Daylight.¡± I raised up my hand, unsure as she stared at me with her intense blue eyes that twinkled like jewels. She shook it with hands that phased through mine like a ghost, but instead of the tense cold I¡¯d felt with Twilight, a basking warmth ran up to my shoulder. ¡°My pleasure, Ripley! Also, I should warn you.¡± I perked up. ¡°About what?¡± She poked my head. ¡°You dummy, you never called your mother.¡± Blood and Steel C18: A Promise of More Chapter 18: A Promise of More Witness report to the police on the Gold-Grade Mercenary known as ¡®Dreadwire¡¯. Reported March 2498. I really don¡¯t know what I saw¡­ he just swooped down from above like a spider. Four metallic arms hovering around him that sprung from his back¡­ he was quick ¡ª the goons troubling me all dead in seconds. I still remember that gun pointed at me, I blinked and I had blood spilling onto my face. I thought he¡¯d done it to save me, but his eyes said otherwise. They were cold. Pupils so small I thought he had nothing but rust infecting his eyes and a mask covering his lower face. Soon as they were dead, he began dissecting them while I could barely move an inch. I don¡¯t know how long I watched, but the way he moved¡­ each crunch as he severed a limb or tore out an eye with all of those limbs slithering through their organs? It felt like ages. I was watching a predator feast on his prey, and when he was done he took the smallest look at me with those same eyes. Cold and hungry. I thought I was next. Then he leapt up, some golden wire launching from the arms of his spider legs that slinged him higher until he vanished. I don¡¯t think I moved until you all found me next to seven dead bodies. 1:42 PM June 5th 2497 Ripley I had thought that Twilight spoke a lot, but at least with her it felt like intellectual company rather than annoyance. The once pleasant light of Daylight had long since become an annoying beam as she pointed out a ladybug fluttering too far for me to see. ¡°OOOOH! It¡¯s so cute. Can you take a picture of it for me?¡± Daylight was busy chasing the damned thing, at the ridiculous expense of giving me a headache as her Avatar became too much to handle. ¡°Don¡¯t you already record everything you see?¡± I whispered with seething breath, aware of the stares upon me as I talked to myself. ¡°Yeah but you need to have it in your own memories! It¡¯s so beautiful and I think it would do your gloomy face some good!¡± She grabbed my shoulders, but my body phased through the hologram, I pretended like I couldn¡¯t hear her. I had too much on my mind, and the first thing there was dread. I was so fucked. I had 11 missed calls from my mother. I¡¯d gotten so wrapped up with remaining untraceable as I dived into Little Requiem that I never reactivated my Sigil¡¯s communication functions until- wait I hadn¡¯t even been the one to activate them! Mirage sent a contact request over to me despite my closed-off network? Did she reactivate it? I bit my tongue as I ran, as I had been doing since I got out of the autotaxi that had brought me to my Megabuilding, the sounds of my colliding stomps and the ruffling of my bag attracting the attention of everyone around me. I noticed a Scrapper or two shift, eying me with most definite ill intent. They always backed off my ass because of The Snake Fangs, but now that vessel of protection was gone. My Preservation Matrix activated in a blur of thought, everything shifted at once like it had been pulled out of a dream-like state and into a new reality. Memories burned out, even without the Database Feature, like a surge of water into my brain to direct it with a furious river of thought. Scrappers were bad business, while not affiliated with any gang they technically were a brotherhood of ill-fated cyber junkies who had a dependance on one drug or the other and sold steel to make up for it. They needed the cash to fuel their addiction, my mother always spared them a sympathetic look, but my own mind didn¡¯t heed such an emotion. Carrying a heavy bag and very much in a rush, I was attracting attention, it was the same glare I¡¯d seen just the day prior from the three who attacked me. I twisted, some thin veil of memory peeling away as I knew this corridor would lead to a maintenance shaft. Another strand of my thoughts weaned off from the ever-revolving maelstrom running through my head, decoding it to reveal that there was an exit to my floor. Was this the Preservation Matrix? An unconscious flick of my peripheral vision revealed one Scrapper broke out from his group, pushing through the bustling crowds of the populace with a clear sight on me. I disappeared around the corner, lunging for a button to open up the shaft that called up an elevator. It wouldn¡¯t reach in time, my mind calculated thirty seconds based on the countless memories of waiting for similar carriers. Then my ears perked, listening for footsteps as sound droned out of my mind until only a steady ¡®thump¡¯ pushed closer to me. The Scrapper appeared, his intent locked on me like a wolf¡¯s on a rabbit. ¡°Tch, where you running off to with that bag?¡± He was missing a third of his upper face to eroded steel, one eye missing and the other tweaking slightly each second. I didn¡¯t even realize my hands were behind my back, and the weight of a titanium bone extended from my hand. When had I taken that out of my bag? This was certainly one way to preserve myself. ¡°Want me to take over?¡± Daylight offered. ¡°I told you that running would be a bad idea.¡± ¡°Well once I noticed they had taken notice, what was I supposed to do? Stop?¡± I mentally hissed at her, 18 seconds left until the elevator came. With a steady breath, I began to speak with a nervous jitter that was falsified under the eerie calmness my body now possessed. ¡°I- um- I was just getting groceries for my mom. She¡¯s sick so-¡° ¡°Groceries that sound like metal?¡± The Scrapper neared, a permanent droop on one side allowing a sliver of saliva to fall through his mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll be deciding that.¡± He pushed me against the wall, a tough shove that bloomed pain across my ribs and sternum like a hammer had whacked them. Almost jittery, he unzipped the bag slowly with an eye that might as well have had a seizure at the sight of the surplus within. 6 seconds. ¡°What the hell? Where¡¯d a kid like you get th-¡° Whack! Blood sprayed down the alley as the man collapsed with a dent in his skull, the predisposed pedestrians who noticed only hastening to get to their next location. I sucked in a deep breath, quickly cleaning the blood off the titanium femur against the man¡¯s equally filthy clothes. A ding was all I needed to heave myself and the bag into the shaft, barely losing footing at the unsteady compartment. Not even looking at the buttons, I knew I¡¯d clicked my floor as the titanium bone was stuffed into the bag. Then the Preservation Matrix disabled. It was like all the anguish I should have been feeling in my head burst through all at once, a steel crown with studs weighed by lead chains dragging inwards on my skull despite the laws of physics. Daylight¡¯s avatar curved over me, her clothes flowing like solar wind in the dusty confinement. ¡°Oh, that was badass Ripley! You whacked him so hard he¡¯ll be feeling that for weeks! Uh, you okay?!¡± ¡°Head¡­¡± Was all I managed to huff, and at once she leaned into me and cradled my aching skull into her embrace. Then she whispered in my ears¡­ ¡°Let me in.¡± I couldn¡¯t have resisted her even if I wanted to, with a jerking nod she took the chance with one of her avatar arms sinking into my brain. Daylight Protocol Activated¡­ A soothing warmth burnt my pain away into cool droplets of sweat, adding a second layer of existence to the sensations my skin and hair could feel. She kept her bright body in that embrace for a few seconds¡­ and only once I noticed a protruding mound of her chest too close to my face did I jerk back. ¡°Ah- uh¡­ thank you. I feel like I say that to you and your¡­ sisters? I say it alot.¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m certainly appreciative of the thanks you¡¯ve given to all of us.¡± Daylight offered a warm smile that tugged at my heart. Daylight Protocol Deactivated¡­ A small portion of the stinging had returned, but it was hardly bad enough for me to get distracted as the door opened. Hesitation dulled me, what if they were waiting outside? But my more logical half was well aware that Scrappers could barely organize the few belongings they did have, creating an ambush at this pace was beyond them. Tugging the heavy bag across the walkway that might as well have been identical to the streets above ¡ª if you ignored the roof dripping with trash and significant deterioration of materials ¡ª all the way back to my apartment in a half-hog, half-limp. Then I pressed my palm against the door, and it flew open. My mother was burning me with eyes that I could imagine were shooting lasers at me from the couch. ¡°Where have you been?¡± ¡°Little Requiem.¡± I answered honestly, not daring to lie to her after the shit day I¡¯d gone through. Any anger she had felt before vanished like a puff of smoke, her scowl turned wide and every bit of tension born from anger raised up into concern. ¡°Excuse me?!¡± Maybe there was a little bit of anger left. Considering that in a movement I could barely react to, she dragged my arm and threw me to the couch with her one arm, then just as quickly she was patting me all over as though bits of me would have been stolen away by the inhabitants there. Which wasn¡¯t entirely false. ¡°Your neck¡­ your cheek?¡± She held her hand to the patch of metal that had replaced my skin, even though it felt like the real thing. ¡°What¡­ did they do to y-¡° ¡°Nothing. I handled myself well enough there¡­ just¡­ bits of my skin were mutated by MAL-serum from the club, so I needed to get them removed since it was¡­ a liability?¡± I squeezed through my mouth as quickly as possible. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Her voice was a weak shudder, and I felt my heart grow weak at the fear she must have felt. Fuck, I had fucked up. ¡°I-¡° A thought came to me, and Daylight¡¯s face giggled with a child-like joy as she realized all the same. ¡°Let me show you.¡± A quick display of my glowing nipple had raised more questions, and a lot of laughter from the Persona¡¯s Avatar beside me. Finally, mental strain had caught up just in time as she vanished into a cloud of pixels. I was careful with what I revealed. I told her about my contact with one of Missy¡¯s allies and how she¡¯d led me to Little Requiem and lended me protection. The part I did hide was the fact that said ally had only been a digital one for a majority of my expedition. Which naturally meant that I didn¡¯t inform her about the true nature of my fight with the scrappers from yesterday. ¡°You- they attacked you?¡± My mother was as pale as a ghost. ¡°Because of the glowing skin, yes. That¡¯s why I needed to get it removed.¡± I nodded. ¡°I- Ripley, get me some water.¡± She let go of my hand and I hadn¡¯t realized just how tightly she¡¯d been gripping me, as though scared she¡¯d never get the chance to do so again. It was a fear that I¡¯d also known, I didn¡¯t even recognize that my leg had been shivering since I¡¯d sat down. One glass of water and a thoughtful moment of silence later, she spoke with a voice thick with emotion ¡ª every emotion. ¡°Little Requiem, Ripley. What is wrong with you?! I don¡¯t understand where you got the confidence to go there!¡± ¡°I needed to get materials, mom.¡± ¡°The stores here would have been fine...¡± She quietly rasped. ¡°The stores here wouldn¡¯t have anything fit for a Gold.¡± I replied with a sharp bite, feeling guilt at the resolute nature of my voice. I¡¯d expected her to bite back, to shout or to scream or something. But instead, she sank deeper into the couch, fiddling with the glass cup as she stared into space. ¡°Little Requiem¡­ I didn¡¯t raise an idiot, Rip.¡± ¡°I know. It was stupid of me.¡± Exceedingly so, but in the caught-up adrenaline of my own potential I¡¯d taken a risk that put me in danger, that put blood on my hands¡­ hands that wouldn¡¯t stop shaking as I felt the gun peer at me through the bag it was hidden in. ¡°The Ripley I knew wouldn¡¯t take one step into Pleasure Lanes without Hoaqin or S-////¡­ and yet you gladly braved the streets of that forsaken place. But you came back¡­ I- God, I don¡¯t know what to think!¡± The glass shook in her hand with how tight she gripped it. I cupped my own flesh hand over hers, letting emotion drain through me. ¡°That your son is alive¡­ that he did well. And I¡¯m never going there without an escort, I promise you that¡­ and that you¡¯ll know next time.¡± ¡°Next time?¡± She strained my hand with her weak grip. ¡°No. No-no-no! You¡¯re not going back there again¡­ period! Not- not to, fucking hell¡­ Little Requiem?!¡± I wanted to retaliate, to tell her that I was an adult and could delve into wherever I wanted to go. But even Hoaqin would shiver at the thought of setting foot in that place, more than half of the City¡¯s daily homicides could be traced to that area. I had to be realistic and let out the remorse that was truly aching along my bones. ¡°I understand¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°You better be.¡± She wiped a tear with her sleeve. ¡°Forgive me, but my boy comes back missing pieces of his skin from a place where they regularly harvest organs like they¡¯re grown on trees. ¡®Sorry¡¯ is the first thing in a long list of emotions you should be feeling.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. It was, genuinely so, but the thoughts of my emotions ate me. Silently, I prodded at my Neuroframe. At the Personality Matrix. Many of my self-conflicting emotions were concentrated there, they had sunk deep into the forgotten -- like pebbles in a calm sea. No ripples of regret, no fear, no sadness. No empathy. ¡°Ripley?¡± My mother noticed, there must have been some physiological change that I couldn¡¯t perceive without a mirror. Or maybe she knew me just that well¡­ I let the emotions resurface and the calm sea toiled into a stirring storm of regret. ¡°I- Psyche, it¡¯s¡­ making it easier for me to forget my fears. To waltz into danger, I should be careful, I know but-¡° She hugged me, a tight embrace that had Daylight ¡®awwing¡¯ in my head. A close, familiar feeling I¡¯d embraced with home and safety returned at once, something I hadn¡¯t felt since I¡¯d left for the club the day of the attack. Melting was the simplest way to describe how my physical and mental selves reacted. I exploded into a cloud of tarnished guilt, sadness, anger and fear that my Matrix couldn¡¯t erase so easily. A choking wheeze and shiver breaking out of me to make her own body tremble, tears falling from us both. ¡°I¡¯m safe. I¡¯m safe¡­ I¡¯m home now.¡± I hoped my whispers would caress a calmness into her. ¡°You are¡­ you are, my sweet, idiot, boy.¡± She ran her fingers through my hair, holding me close. Letting my worries melt into her. Minutes of weeping stemmed with relief from the both of us, holding the silence close to us which spoke more than any words of comfort could. Only after I was sure her already tightened and aching body was starting to drain her did I let go, wiping her tears with my shirt. Which she finally noticed hadn¡¯t been the one I¡¯d left with. ¡°Where''d you get that from and- it smells floral¡­ did- did you spend the night at a girl¡¯s house?¡± I froze, utterly unsure as Daylight cooed a ¡®You¡¯re in trooouble¡­¡¯ to which only flustered me more and all but confirmed my mom¡¯s suspicions. She sighed, a sad look on her face. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know how to feel about that, Founders, I still remember how you and S-//// used to be inseparable when you were kids.¡± Gold flashed in my head at the name she mentioned, and I quickly rolled it into an activation of my Preservation Matrix. Instantly, dots collided, combined and connected according to an algorithm that had analyzed every memory of my mother when it came to talks regarding the opposite sex¡­ or even the same sex sometimes. Then they vanished, choosing to focus on the present rather than the past. ¡°Yeah, I stayed over at a girl¡¯s house, she was the one who escorted me through Little Requiem. Elsa. I¡­ yeah, the attack in LR hadn¡¯t been the cleanest. As you can see, I¡¯m fine but they weren¡¯t. With how late it was, it was decided that we¡¯d be better off recovering at a secure place like her apartment.¡± My mother nodded, as though she only half believed what I¡¯d said, but a more pressing matter urged itself into her head at once. The one I¡¯d angled it into rather than having her question me spending the night at a lady¡¯s place. ¡°What do you mean the attack hadn¡¯t been clean- did¡­ did someone di-¡° ¡°Two of the three died. Yes. And I confess, I¡¯m only able to handle it right now because of my Feature. Believe me, I¡¯ve vomited enough already.¡± All of that was true, with some meager redaction. My mother paused, unsure, but not surprised¡­ but also not pleased. There were deaths on the operating table, we were both victims of flatlined monitors in our dazed peripheral ¡ª I couldn¡¯t count how many Snake Fangs came to me with bleeding wounds, my mother probably had twice that count in her head. In the end, if I could summarize her look it would be the image of tiredness. ¡°This fucking city¡­ You sure you¡¯re okay? I¡ª I know you saw a lot of death in the attack and during procedures, but this is different. I¡ª god Ripley, I¡¯m scared¡­ I¡¯ve been so caught up with the power of the Gold Implant you got that I never acknowledged just how¡­ much trouble it could bring you.¡± That came as a surprise to me, but before I could further press she elucidated on her own. ¡°Yes, I know you¡¯re wondering¡­ How on earth could I have ever prioritized your success over your wellbeing. Well for a brief moment, I saw my own life changing. I¡¯m dying Rip¡­ and I knew that the Gold in your head could change that. I¡¯d been glad to know you got police protection to an unofficial degree but by The Founders, you¡¯re involved with Metal Heavens! As a Shard Op¡¯, I should have known first what that means.¡± ¡°Actually, turns out Missy¡¯s not a part of them¡­ just rented from them.¡± A momentary wash of relief fell over her, but it turned too quickly into a frown. ¡°I thought the rewards would outweigh the risks. I told you to keep it in your head, knowing how valuable it was, believing you could do so much with it. Now I¡¯m doubting if it''s worth sending you down this path. I was just as curious as you were about finding out where your Implant came from, but now? Now I¡¯m scared, Ripley. Horrified. I¡¯ve lived my entire life around these machines, living and breathing with them in an attempt to understand a fraction of their myriad nature. But there are things we shouldn¡¯t look too deeply into.¡± ¡°You want me to stop? Stop looking into Dogwhistler?¡± I felt a reluctance, a chain of desire towards the unknown egging me to not listen, but I had to reassess what mattered most. That was my mother. ¡°I guess I¡¯m sorta fine with that, I don¡¯t need to get involved in conspiracies.¡± ¡°I¡ª I don¡¯t know. Because everything in me knows your Implant is special even among Golds¡­ that it¡¯s the sort of thing I¡¯d have killed to get. And I know if I were in your position, not even a Megacorp could stop me from solving its mysteries. But I¡¯m not, instead, my life is¡­ dangling by a string. Tied to yours. With three years at best... and finding an Implant that could reverse the damage done to me won¡¯t be easy. It¡¯d have to be like yours to a certain degree, practically born from my flesh if I want the compatibility to be positive.¡± Her hand fluttered to the path of cloth covering her right eye, trembling as it pressed on an empty socket. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Ripley¡­ sorry I can¡¯t be the selfless parent every child deserves. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t ever give you the life you deserved¡­ that I didn¡¯t make the right sacrifices.¡± I held myself tight, afraid that if I slipped for a second that I¡¯d crumble. But if there was one thing I¡¯d inherited from my mother, it was our tendency to self-blame that for¡­ everything. She¡¯d ruined her own body to keep me clothed, fed and educated. I could¡¯ve been a Scrapper if she chose the easy way out and abandoned me like so many other parents would. Restrained sobs lined every word that shuddered out of me as I leaned weight onto her shoulders. ¡°Mom. You made the sacrifices that turned me into the man I am, one who is very proud to have you as my mother. I know I can be¡­ a scrap-brained idiot, but I love you. I- I want to save you so damn bad like how you saved me. When- when dad died¡­ and I¡¯d- I¡¯d felt like I¡¯d been at fault for it. You didn¡¯t hold a grudge, you just held me¡­ told me we would get through it together one step at a time¡­ and I¡¯ve never forgotten that. We will get through it. We will survive. You need a Silver, and I¡¯m going to get it for you. I promise that I¡¯m going to save you.¡± My steel claw clenched tight. ¡°If it means going to Little Requiem or even the big one. I¡¯ll do that. If it means I take a bullet or shoot one, it¡¯ll happen without a thought. For so long, you¡¯ve been focusing on what I deserve¡­ I want you to live for what you deserve. You¡¯ve told me about your dreams, to study Implants and how dad was helping you get your degree. You can still achieve that; I want you to achieve that. You said that a person dies when their dreams die, don¡¯t they? You knowingly wore a poison over your arm because it gave you the edge to support me. I know about the Pseudo-Silver mom. And I¡¯ve only just realized why you kept on wearing it¡­ there¡¯s more to our funds isn¡¯t there?¡± It wasn¡¯t some big gotcha moment, I knew for a long time that my mom was making multiple times what I¡¯d been making under Shaun. I couldn¡¯t hold a candle to her even now with her Implant removed, she was an artisan in the forms of Shardware. Clients had begun to come to our house once she couldn¡¯t manage more than a five-minute walk, and those sheds clearly went somewhere. To a fund I¡¯d only receive once she passed. An inheritance. Kept away from me because we both knew that I¡¯d sooner spend all that money on treatment for her before touching a dime for myself. I didn¡¯t know just how big it would be, or if it was anything close to the amount I¡¯d gotten from my mutated skin. But I¡¯d seen the signs, even with low funds my account always had enough that I could sleep with a full stomach, the house was rarely in disrepair, and I¡¯d regularly be able to afford Datacubes to expand my learning. We weren¡¯t devastatingly broke, I¡¯ve been aware of that for a while, but my mother was too ashamed to look me in the eye. ¡°You¡¯re too smart for your own good, Rip. But I can¡¯t give it to you¡­ I¡¯ve accepted my fate for a while now, let me make peace with the life I¡¯ve lived and pass on, you''ll get what''s yours once I know you won''t throw it away for a woman like me-¡° ¡°I haven¡¯t accepted it!¡± An agony-drenched whisper ripped from me. ¡°You seem to think that I¡¯d be better without you¡­ but I won¡¯t. I need you alive just as much as you need me. I''d break without you. You said it yourself, that when I got the Gold you had started hoping to live. Continue! Please! I have enough money to support myself right now, hell, I¡¯ve already put in a request for suitable Silver-Implant matches!¡± Her eyes shot wide. ¡°That¡¯s pushing more than three million Shardyne, Ripley!¡± Perhaps it was the spur of the moment, but I said something I didn''t wholly believe. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just sell the Gold in my head! We can both live as Silvers!¡± ¡°No, you can¡¯t remove it! You deserve it!¡± Her shout paradoxically relieved me, yet I couldn''t help but feel pissed about how she seemingly cared more about my Implant than her own life. ¡°For you, I would remove it.¡± I silenced the room with my words. ¡°Just¡­ let me help you. Please. I- I couldn¡¯t save¡­ I- I-¡° I couldn¡¯t save S////, but I can save you. Why was it so hard to say those words, to accept them? I didn¡¯t know when the tears and snot had rained over Mirage¡¯s hoodie, but they were drenched at this point. Once again, she held me, but this time there was a genuine resolve in her grip, one that she¡¯d surrendered away over the last year. ¡°You¡¯re serious? You would throw away everything for a dying woman?¡± ¡°I¡¯d throw it all away for you, mom. I don¡¯t have anyone else.¡± I held her with equal resolve. She sunk into me, sniffles sneaking into my ear to betray her steadiness. ¡°I¡¯m not worth it.¡± She hushed over and over again, more to convince herself than me. ¡°You are,¡± I never let go, never would, ¡°and what''s the worst that could happen but another few decades with your asshole of a son.¡± She laughed, and I don¡¯t remember when the last time was that she let herself laugh like that. A burst of joy that was willing to accept a future with more laughs, decades of them. ¡°There¡¯s... more than just the inheritance I left for you.¡± She still held me close. I¡¯d remembered Mr. Skeleton¡¯s words. ¡°Is it to do with grandfather?¡± ¡°You¡¯re too fucking clever. Yes. Yes it is¡­ he was a smart man, and in all my life I¡¯d never managed to crack what he¡¯d left in there. But you could, you with your big fancy Gold. It was meant for Silver but¡­ you could.¡± ¡°Just who was he?¡± Alberich Gravas, a man I thought dead had more secrets than I ever imagined. ¡°Someone who I¡¯m trying not to be.¡± Came the sad reply. ¡°I never spoke of him much because¡­ I knew he worked in illegal Shard Operations to make ends meet when I was younger. My earliest years were strange visitors down in our living room and exchanges of briefcases.¡± ¡°He¡¯s alive.¡± I revealed. ¡°I figured.¡± Her hold on me tightened, she¡¯d felt a certain way at that. ¡°You went to Little Requiem, so you met that guy, then. Skeleton¡¯s always had an interest in my old man, apparently he used to be a hotshot within the sphere of illegal operators.¡± I pulled away slowly, she knew about Mr. Skeleton? And it seemed like she¡¯d also figured that I¡¯d bought from him judging by her next few words. ¡°Only one Shard Operator in all of Little Requiem who would be so desperate to work with a rookie. I don¡¯t know why, but he¡¯s always admired my dad¡¯s work.¡± ¡°Do you know him¡­ personally?¡± I shifted nervously; breath held tight. ¡°No. He just left me a message days after your father died. Saying that if I gave him the contents of what I¡¯m about to let you access, then he¡¯d provide me with¡­ comfort. Working at the club, I used to hear rumors about how he practically owns Little Requiem ¡ª last thing I wanted was to be dragged into that hellhole, even if his offer was worth a Silver Implant.¡± ¡°So, you didn¡¯t give him what he wanted?¡± There could only be one reason why. ¡°No.¡± Her eyes deflected away from mine. ¡°Because it¡¯s worth so, so, so much more.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª My foot tapped against the rumbling floor of the metro car, staring at the location of the storage unit my grandfather owned. Thoughts ran in circles, then looped around in knots, squeezing so tight I thought my brain would explode. It wasn¡¯t a bad feeling. Despite how much the past few days had sucked, I¡¯d never felt as driven in my life as now. Here was my chance to twist fate, but to do so required funds. And so, I was calculating. A compatible Silver-Grade BUG Implant with the features Sustain; Technician; and Energized. Considering my mom was an Adapter of two previous Implants, her case of Warp Withdrawal and Poisoning was severe, she¡¯d be needing Genesplicers to artificially boost her compatibility according to whatever Silver was most suited for her. The introduction of that therapy would increase the cost by roughly 800,000 Shardyne for Silver. According to Fictional Implant Calculators, that was valued at more than 3 million Shardyne. Thankfully, Sustain didn¡¯t typically pair well with either of the two remaining Features in Technician or Energized, so I¡¯d been fortunate enough to not be pushed into the 4 million mark. But in order to make that sort of money, I needed to get a job. If I worked independently, I¡¯d need to find clients. And as an unlicensed Shard Op¡¯ my clientele would largely be in the underground. Criminals, dirty cops, or corpos who wanted something more covert. I could charge extra for that compared to a licensed one, but I would have to build trust and reputation that was hard to gain so quickly. And I¡¯d have to factor in my own expenses, I had researched plenty since I was a kid. Buying Shardware, modifying it, and the tools to surgically implant it were all sizable expenses¡­ oftentimes Shard Ops spent as much as they earned. Which meant I needed to definitely lean in on the more experimental side if I was going it alone. Developing things no one had seen before. Alternatively, I could work under an established unlicensed or a shady licensed group. Maybe join up with a different gang, but this time make real profit¡­ not those borderline slavery terms that I¡¯d gotten with Shaun. Still, that may net me only 20,000 unused Shardyne at earliest in a year. Which left a third option. Shaun had been offered 5 million for the MAL deal while Missy and Diamante had been paid twice as much. If they were being paid for operations like that and I got even 1%, that was one-hundred thousand Shardyne. Merc work was risky, but its pay was unlike anything. I just didn¡¯t even know where to start with that, likely Missy or Diamante could get me work, but only if I proved myself over this month. Of course, I could sell my Implant, or even whatever mystical tech my grandfather had left me over to Mr. Skeleton. Doing so may be the smart thing to do, but it wasn¡¯t what I wanted. I wanted both my Implant and my grandfather¡¯s legacy, they were each my right, one from birth and the other from whatever forces guided the universe. I would have to improve my own Shardware for all of those options. With luck, my grandfather would have left me something to lessen that upfront cost, but the requirements to work on the Bronze or Silver Shardware needed to push my payout to the goal I needed could only work with a Neuroframe and Claw of equal grade. Even that might amount to a few million¡­ Taking in everything: 6 Million; 30 months, give or take. Two-hundred thousand Shardyne a month. 50 thousand Shardyne or 10 Bronze Shards every week for two-and-a-half years. An impossible goal from where I stood, but it had been impossible for Gold to fall into the hands of someone like me in the first place. If I had to, I would grab the fortune or miracle that had gifted me this Implant and shake it by the balls till it puked the funds I needed. And it all started from one place. My Gold BUG, I needed to prove myself beyond just capable in a month. I needed to prove that I was powerful, that I was competent. That I was someone who could make changes in this City. I needed to persevere, against all the odds. Implant Overview:- Tier 0: Convergence [16%] Compatibility: 99% Integrity: NA Energy: NA Capacity: NA Grade: Gold I Tendency: ??? Features: Linked Shardware (Showing Grade and Feature Links):- Blood and Steel C19: The Coffin Chapter 19: The Coffin Alberich Gravas¡¯ (Ripley¡¯s Grandfather¡¯s) Personal Writing This is hardly the situation I wanted to be forced into, even if it was my wish. I¡¯m glad to have Isabel, but to be robbed of time is perhaps the most sinister crime of all. I wish to give her the life I couldn¡¯t have, a childhood of full bellies, of happy memories. Not the war-torn battlefield and ruined city I grew up in. Of scraping together meager shards of metal waiting for the day NeoCore would come to save us. In the end, we had to save ourselves. And perhaps I am both stronger and smarter for it. Euriel, I just wish your smile was here. That would have made things so much easier for me. We had gone through so much together, but for you to leave me at perhaps the toughest challenge I¡¯d ever faced is proof that a cruel god exists. She has your nose, your eyes and most beautifully your laugh. It just pains me that so often I¡¯m not the one it¡¯s directed at. She¡¯s met a boy, sweetheart. A boy, in her first year at university. A kind, smart and delicate boy about to graduate. He has strength too, I can tell, but it is hidden behind the same pain that troubled me as a child. He will come to shape as I had, to a greater purpose. I know it. But his presence does anger me, it means my time is drawing near to leave the life I¡¯d so cherished. I wish you were here every day, my love. To stay with them. To teach them as they grow. They are still young and foolish and I will have to abandon them just as they come into the greatest challenge of life. But most selfishly of all, I wish you were here just so I could hold you once more. 3:57 PM June 5th Ripley I¡¯d read through the paper note several times over, growing more perplexed each time the passages ¡ª written in actual ink ¡ª bore a vulnerability I hadn¡¯t been expecting. From everything I¡¯d understood of my grandfather, he¡¯d abandoned my mother a few months into her pregnancy with me. Apparently this letter was his way of saying goodbye, and I could understand her anger, hell, I could feel it within me. It was one of the only pieces of intact paraphernalia left out in the container I¡¯d been escorted to. A privately-owned storage room larger than my apartment ¡ª he had it rented out for 50 years. Cleansing my anger with a deep breath, I had to admit that I was amazed at the sight of everything in here. In ways, it was everything I¡¯d dreamed of, and somehow less so. At some point this was a workshop, not a shred of doubt about it. Piles of wire-exposed limbs and strewn-together plates of metal fell across the entire floor as though the place had been thrown about in an earthquake. Someone had once been through here quite thoroughly, looking for something. And maybe that something was the metal chest about four feet wide and half as long and tall. It was peculiar to say the least, I didn¡¯t recognize it at all, not a Pandora nor a SecureBox or Pectus. It was archaic in a way, like it had been made of these scraps but elevated with such a high degree of pure mechanical efficiency and intricate development of Warp Energy through it¡­ and it was heavy, like it was just a solid cuboid of steel. A coffin. ¡°Yeah that¡¯s the box. Couldn¡¯t crack through it last time I was here.¡± A voice spoke in my mind, not Daylight¡¯s but my mother¡¯s who was watching through the feedback I played towards her. Daylight too, was also there, in fact, right after I¡¯d consoled my mother about this ¡ª I then spent the ride here comforting Daylight who was so taken aback by my talk with my mom that she sobbed the whole way here. Daylight sniffed, her voice cracking in gloom. ¡°It¡¯s unfair¡­ neither of you deserve this.¡± I patted her on her holographic back in a ¡®there, there¡¯ motion for the hundredth time this afternoon, finally letting just the tiniest spark of my annoyance out. ¡°That¡¯s really nice to hear but¡­ Daylight, do you think I could have a moment to myself? This is¡­ it¡¯s personal. I know you¡¯re looking out for me but this is something I want to face alone.¡± She sniffled again, nodding with tears in her eyes before a silence overcame me as her form depixelated. Fucking finally. A sigh of relief tore out of me and I stretched, getting closer to inspect the mysterious container splayed ahead of me. It seemed to almost be made of something like - I dunno, metallic dragon scales? That was Yuzhou Military design, but a quick scan around the room showed no extremely illegal Shardware around. Most of them were everyday Standard-Grade, utilitarian types for civilians. Maybe some strength adjustment or posture-balancers here and there, but they mostly delegated themselves to integrating into society on a more technical level. Some individual pieces were of interest like arms built for heavy-duty construction or legs built for athleticism, nothing above Iron Grade, but the mechanisms that gave them their importance were missing. Neural-Wiring centers. Joint stabilizers. Nanocarbon Tendons. Yttrium Steel-fiber muscle reinforcement. They were all missing, only their bare shells remained. The scraps on the floor were skeletons of what should have been true-functioning cybernetics. Nothing held them together, nothing of real value anyway. Which could only mean they were removed and put into pieces somewhere else. My mother said the place was identical to the last time she entered, it hadn¡¯t changed since the last decade or so. The only exception to all of these skeletal remains was a small container I¡¯d seen once before. A small vial identical to Hoaqin¡¯s Bronze BUG container, which was smashed apart rather than deliberately pieced apart. ¡°That¡­ it¡¯d always been like that.¡± My mother said, but a hint of her still cracking voice faltered for a second for me to know there was some measure of secrecy in there. While it did annoy me, it was hardly the time to care, considering that the chest ¡ª or coffin ¡ª in the center of the room was demanding my attention. It had no opening locks anywhere, no sign of a hatch, no indication of anything other than pieced together scales of metal curved into that shape of a chest. ¡°There a key? A dataport?¡± I phrased it as a question even though I was sure my suspicions were true. ¡°Nothing. Just that.¡± ¡°Alrighty, leaves only breaking it apart then.¡± I raised my claw towards the box, firmly grasping it with the three fingers whirring to their specific modes. ¡°Tried that, be careful it stin-¡° I jerked back as an electric shock snapped up my arm, a small bark that certainly had a bite. ¡°Noted.¡± I paused, taking in the whole box, the whole mechanism. Everything. Then I stirred further for a while, a question popping in my mind as I rubbed my chin with my steel claw. ¡°Our Shard Op¡¯ Claw? Where¡¯d you find it? Here with the coffin?¡± ¡°Here. It was the only thing here other than the¡­ the coffin.¡± Again, that pause and I¡¯d already been suspicious with the Implant container I¡¯d found¡­ everything was a puzzle begging to be solved. One that only the pieces within this room could answer. I so badly wanted to ask about that Implant container, but I¡¯d been too tired out by breaking out one secret from my mother already¡­ another would push me over the edge today. Especially when the truth was so obvious, someone had taken it. The question was¡­ who? ¡°I think I¡¯m starting to get it.¡± I cast a glance at my claw, a Pseudo-Silver with three Feature Links. Procedure Repetition, Warp Strands and Breakdown. Each respectively born from the BUG Features Database, Energized, and Technician. I broke down each Feature in my head. Database was about the recall and storage of specific memories, allowing one to perfectly memorize a set of instructions or to directly analyze uploaded Shardware-schematics in Engrams. At least when it came to a Shard Op¡¯. Other Database Adapters could learn martial arts in seconds from a simple upload of their movements and techniques. Similarly, Energized redirected Warp Energy within, and external to, the Adapter. Considered essential for high-tier Shard Op¡¯s as either a Feature or a Feature Link within their Claw, it could allow you to manipulate how Warp Energy was concentrated across the technical and even material aspects of technology to a degree, with input on the software limitations mostly determined by Dataweaving. Technician was the simplest, it allowed a simple yet effective understanding of machinery. To create something wholly new, modify or even scrap down Shardware. Typically, whenever someone who wasn¡¯t a Shard Op¡¯ received the Feature they were delegated to some sort of maintenance job, or in the case of Vultures, to remove Shardware or its mechanisms with minimal damage to resell later on. The answer was relatively simple. ¡°Everything here was once broken down using this Claw, I bet. And then pieced together into that chest as one large series of an interconnected jigsaw puzzle. Using the Procedure Repetition and Breakdown Links I can reverse the process of putting it together. The question remains as to how the Warp Strands Feature Link fits into the picture.¡± My mother responded. ¡°Everything you said lined up with my thinking, the only issue is that Iron Warp Energy couldn¡¯t power all three of them simultaneously, at least not for more than a minute. I¡¯d hardly even plucked a single piece out in several days of effort.¡± I grew resolved. ¡°But I¡¯ve got Gold. Even if I haven¡¯t finished converging¡­ it¡¯s enough of a push that I could brute force past the efficiency of training.¡± I knelt down, taking in each piece to try and match them up with the scattered remnants of what might be a hundred different metallic skeletons around me. No wonder Database was involved, with one look I¡¯d bet that you would instantly be able to tell just what went where if you studied enough. Instead, I only had Psyche, which could only go so far as a mental augment. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Finally, I noticed one odd piece that stuck out. A thicker process like a flat slab interspaced between more sharp angles, a Haithama Dyrider Spine Augment used for motorcyclists prone to whiplash. Two scalpels from my index finger dug in between the crevices, a feeling of knowing slipping through my arm. I reached into that feeling, the same one I¡¯d heard countless times running up my shoulder and into my head. The guiding voices that allowed me to leap across gaps of knowledge I¡¯d never had the opportunity to learn, and the smallest drop of Gold in there produced an astronomical effect through Procedure Repetition. It was like I had become a historian uncovering decades of lost knowledge with the lightest stroke of a brush, except with scalpels jutting out of my hands. And then I split that droplet of Warp Energy into two fine streams, letting it sink into Breakdown. Their effects combined, and I glimpsed how this was meshed together in an instant ¡ª and just as quickly, I was aware of how to reverse the careful and precise lock of the knotted metal. My only issue was the reach of my scalpels, there was a nagging feeling in the back of my mind to probe deeper into where the main body of the spine was, that was where it connected to several more pieces. There was but one option left, Warp Strands. I marveled as sensation spread beyond me, around three thin threads slithering like worms through each scalpel blade. I didn¡¯t see them, of course they were too deep, but an inner calling of tactile sensation could easily understand that it was similar to hair. Except a hundred times more sensitive, and more malleable to thought. The three separate Features Links honed in like a trio of soldiers with a single target, each sharing the eyesight of the other. And then I pulled, snapping a thread tight so that my scalpel almost seemed to bend between the curvature. I tugged, and the spinal piece loosened out with a satisfying click. I tried to bring it out further but a resistance kept it just in place enough to tell me that it was only one part of the larger puzzle. Then I grimaced, to unlock the spine I would need to set loose a piece of synthetic pectoralis major muscle, which in turn was dug deeper into a mesh of what seemed like¡­ judging by the fiber orientation, had to be a muscle of the erector spinae group, then I had to return around to a temporomandibular joi- The spine snapped back in place, a painful electric shock running into my threads which were indeed¡­ much more sensitive than my skin. It took me a moment to stop holding my breath in, I couldn¡¯t care less about the pain, all that controlled me was this chest. It was a work of art. Were thousands of individual pieces locked together like this? How long did it take to even conceptualize, let alone orchestrate its creation? And everything seemed to point that it was formed in one seamless procedure¡­ one that I would have to reverse? To say I was amazed was an understatement, I was dumbstruck, flabbergasted. Activating my Preservation Matrix, my voice hardened with the strength of steel. ¡°Mom. I am not leaving until I get this thing open.¡± 6:42 PM My Preservation Matrix kept me going, I¡¯d given up maybe three times now as fifteen pieces of gray-and-black wires and metal would loosen, only to grab themselves back into place. Then I felt myself grow strong, borderline masochistic as I jousted my hand back in only to be shocked. Then I did it again, if this was going to happen frequently¡­ I might as well get used to it. 10:12 PM Psyche V.1.00 has updated to Psyche V.1.01 Effect: Preservation Matrix has increased efficiency during Shardware Operation It¡¯d come after nearly seven hours, the update was slower¡­ but it was meaningful. My strands slipped in, ignoring the fatigue of my shoulder as Warp Energy trickled through it again in a constant stream. I¡¯d made maybe¡­ 40 attempts now? And this one was the best so far, in less than eight seconds I¡¯d unlocked ten different pieces and lasted another two minutes of fanangaling my way deeper into it. Sometimes I wiggled around just to probe, to test the limits and measures of my Feature Links. I was beginning to understand them. 4:35 AM June 6th My Warp Energy had finally hit its limits, I felt a burn constantly running within my skin, muscle and bone. An invisible itch, as ethereal as it was real. And the hollow hole burrowing through my skull left an infinitely shallow hunger leaving me in a daze. The scrap piles weren¡¯t a comfortable pillow, but they¡¯d have to do. 3:26 PM Psyche V.1.01 has updated to Psyche V.1.02 Effect: Increases tendency to fall into a state of focus and concentration during Shardware Operation. Convergence has reached 25%, reconfiguring¡­ Two days after awakening, I¡¯d earned my second Feature at 25% convergence. No coincidence I assumed. But I couldn¡¯t help but feel tight-lipped as I noticed it. If I was right¡­ then I might have a very interesting development of the four Features I would receive as a Gold. You have unlocked Feature: Energized V.0.00 Energized V.0.00 has updated to V.0.01 Effect: Improved coordination of using multiple Feature Links at once. 3:45 PM The effect was instantly noticeable. Unlocking the Features gave me an acute sense of the wires of thought-based energy that I pulsed up and down my body. With a simple swerve of intention, my Neuroframe intensified like a thousand bolts of electricity had run through it, giving me a momentary increase in cognition. That reflected in my updates. Energized V.0.01 has updated to Energized V.0.02 Effect: Increased efficiency in redirection to Shardware involved in Neural Processing. Energized V.0.02 has updated to Energized V.0.03 Effect: Increased output of Neural Shardware. 8:32 PM The second time I¡¯d run out of Warp Energy was the first time I¡¯d eaten since I started. A Syn-To-Go burger stuffed me, and for once I didn¡¯t mind the lab-grown meat submerged in enough sauces to make a mouse puke. I was starving, but it was worth it. The more I leaned into the threads of Energy I slipped into the metal, the faster instinctive knowledge unearthed to me. For the first time ever, as I went from thirty to fifty to ninety detached pieces¡­ I felt like a Shard Operator worthy to be called an Adapter. Energized V.0.03 has updated to Energized V.0.04 Effect: Increased ability to direct Warp Energy pathways within the body. Energized V.0.04 has updated to Energized V.0.05 Effect: Increased range of external projection of Warp Energy. Energized V.0.05 has updated to Energized V.0.06 Effect: Feature Links derived from Energized are now more efficient. 12:39 AM June 7th My internal stores took far longer than I¡¯d expected to regenerate, I guess sleeping might have something to do with recovery since I would be less mentally fatigued. Perhaps it was because my brain was less active and thus had a passive reduction in the amount of Energy it used? The science of Warp Energy was complicated, but once again my Compatibility meant I would recover faster than almost anyone I knew. Regardless, I made myself useful while idle, every minute here needed to be productive even if I didn¡¯t have the Energy to operate on the box. My mind was accelerating, while my body was the same as it always had been. I¡¯d just put in an order for Protein-MAX nutrition bars, and other dietary supplements. I¡¯d never sweat so hard as I did now. Each push up or situp sprawled agony over my muscles, draining away even more of my concentration. My physical health was never particularly bad, but I had never been the type of person to go to a gym. After all, Shard Operating had you lifting more than enough heavy chunks of Steel. But I was intending to be more than just a Shard Operator now. 1:57 AM I¡¯d underestimated Psyche, maybe since Energized had such immediate benefits I never really took into account just how much more mentally tough I had become. Stimulating the Preservation Matrix worked anytime, including working out to keep me going despite the pain and exhaustion. After all, the average human doesn¡¯t go from 10 pushups¡­ to 50 in a day, right? Psyche V.1.02 has updated to Psyche V.1.03 Effect: Preservation Matrix greatly reduces the sensation of physical tiredness when active. 11:34 AM My body felt like cracked stone, splintered wood and bent metal, but an delivered AdStim kept me running through it. I was tempted to buy an Iron-Grade one, but the price still made me queasy¡­ as did Psyche sometimes. Psyche V.1.03 has updated to Psyche V.1.04 Effect: Increased sympathetic nervous stimulation during infliction of pain and exhaustion. 5:22 PM Again, I was hitting a plateau even with two more updates to Energized. By now, at least a fifth of the box was piecing apart, and I was starting to recognize a pattern to determine what it might be ¡ª but it was too soon to say right now. Energized V.0.06 has updated to Energized V.0.07 Effect: Increased flow of Warp Energy to arm Shardware in order to increase precision of Warp Projection. Energized V.0.07 has updated to Energized V.0.08 Effect: Increased speed of external Warp Energy projection. 7:58 PM I¡¯d taken a small break, just a moment to clear my head. By now any piece of technology on the coffin I was comfortable with was disjointed in seconds just based on the pure repetition of my actions. My bottleneck was that the recall provided by the Procedure Repetition Feature Link couldn¡¯t bandage up significant leaps of knowledge. I still needed to know what I was dealing with, only then could I pull out information accurately from within the claw to specifically grasp the issue at hand. So I¡¯d decided to take a few hours and catalog each and every bit of scrap metal here. Hopefully, I¡¯d find the bigger picture soon, and then it would be easy pickings. Looking around, I let Daylight hum into my ear as I swiped my Neuroframe¡¯s ¡®do not disturb¡¯ function off. It wouldn¡¯t actually silence her, but she respected the meaning it had. She spilled into my view, bright light, pretty face and easy-going smile as her grin bellowed out the sunlight I was so deprived off in this storage unit. ¡°Gooood evening! How¡¯ve you been!¡± ¡°How do I look?¡± ¡°Uh, I¡¯ll describe you as rugged.¡± She flowed to my side, puckering her lips over the coffin as she tapped it. Nothing happened, she wasn¡¯t an actual ghost and wouldn¡¯t be able to interact with it unless I formed a Shardware Link. ¡°Real creepy, this thing. Oooh, what do you hope is inside?¡± ¡°Hopefully something useful.¡± I dryly commented, tossing a few piles of scrap to look for meaningful parts that I recognized and noted down on a digital screen. ¡°Would it be hopeful to say I want it to be an Arachne?¡± ¡°Ooooh, one of those spider-limb thingies you lie down on?!¡± Daylight blew a bubble from a ring she formed with her fingers, it expanded into the exact shape I was thinking about. A circular table with rings holding you tight, capable of omnimaneuvaribility for the patient so six-to-eight spider limbs could pry and forge new Shardware upon you. It was a dream of mine to use one. Just looking at it made me feel warm, but maybe that was Daylight¡¯s doing. She teasingly poked my cheek. ¡°Awwww, you¡¯ve got stars in your eyes just looking at the thing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a cool machine.¡± I defended myself, distracting myself by idly jutting down more notes. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t mind owning one myself one day.¡± ¡°Why not try making one?¡± Daylight sat down on the coffin, playing with her snow-like hair. ¡°Buying one costs more than a million¡­ making one? How would I start?¡± I chewed down my dreams, an Arachne was just a fantasy ¡ª it wasn¡¯t truly necessary for Shard Operating. But one couldn¡¯t deny it¡¯s sheer output. ¡°You¡¯ve already started, haven¡¯t you? An Arachne is sort of just like a reeaaallly big Shard Operating Claw, and I know you¡¯ve got all sorts of modifications you want to make assembling in your skull.¡± She kicked the coffin with the back of her heel, a spark of light flashing from the soundless impact. ¡°So what¡¯ll you call it? Mr. Shard Operator?¡± I stopped cataloging the scrap, the shape I¡¯d arranged them in flooding from a once-abandoned river of hope. Four angular steel spikes with three joints spreading out of a vertical line, a rough head at the top, hips and legs at the bottom. Gazing intently, I thought of a name. A smile came through me, one beaming with Gold. ¡°The Arachnodyne.¡± Blood and Steel C20: Buried Remains Chapter 20: Buried Remains VortexEYE guide on ¡®Choosing a Shardware Operator for dummiez¡¯: Did your arm short-circuit again today? Maybe you were petting your Synthdog and they up and exploded? Well boohoo motherfucker. That¡¯s what you get skimping your sheds on a worthwhile Shard Op¡¯. The hell¡¯re you thinking? Grafting flesh on your steel at some back-alley joint where the Op¡¯s probably hazed out of their mind, you get what you pay for. Now I know some of you ain¡¯t here just to save on cash, more than a few of you are looking for something¡­ custom. Thing is I ain¡¯t judging you for being poor. I¡¯m judging you for poor taste in Operators. Shard Operating¡¯s tough shit, ain¡¯t as easy as screwin¡¯ some shit together and taping on an Iron Shard and calling it a day. It¡¯s equal parts medicine and engineering, which for you dumb folks means it¡¯s six years of schooling with a 20% pass rate to be officially licensed. And you wonder why this city relies of back-alley vendors? Point of the matter, the Op¡¯ you choose basically decides whether you live or die. Rot or thrive. Organs harvested or organs igniting. Your future is in your Operator¡¯s hands. Now, first up. If you ain¡¯t got the sheddies for it, don¡¯t even step a foot inside a licensed Shardware Clinic. They didn¡¯t go through grueling AdStim-fueled exams that cost a Silver Shard just for a Scrapper to walk through and filth up their clinic. They serve the masses, the corporates, the fancy bastards who look down upon scum like you. And worse, won¡¯t hesitate to clean your worthless ass out if you pry too much. That leaves you with the unlicensed operators, those who learned through experimentation or were apprentices to other SO¡¯s in our alleys. Half of them ain¡¯t got a scrap of science in their brain, relying on Feature Links, or haphazardly following the orders Technician and Database spill into their minds. They¡¯re bullshit. They¡¯ll stick someone¡¯s old arm on you without a care of whether or not it¡¯s a good fit, one or two might even try something while you¡¯re out cold. The ones you want are those who dreamed of becoming licensed, you¡¯ll see it when you walk into their clinics. A fuck ton of metal lying about, Warpcubes tossed around from late-night studying, their jaded eyes and hunger for steel. Those motherfuckers are the insane ones. And insanity is the first step to artistry. Everything they do is in hopes of being noticed by the city, so you¡¯re going to take advantage of their ambition and string them along for the ride. Make them do experimental work, and they¡¯ll swallow with no questions, more than a few will even go into debt if it means making something worthwhile that they can sell the patents for. Except that is where you make them silent, ain¡¯t no fucking way you¡¯ll let your Shard Op¡¯ get in contact with a corporation. Not unless you want them ¡®disappeared¡¯. They¡¯re just one type of Shard Operators worth your sheds, the others are the old bastards laying about from the Fourth Swarm and earthquake. Now these guys, frankly, are scary motherfuckers. I¡¯m talking they¡¯ve probably killed a MAL or two with their bare hands and had been tossed down the gutter once their duty was over. The stuff they make is Plat, but unlike the young starchasers, these guys are selective with their customers. Reputation matters in this industry, they got repeat customers who ain¡¯t endin¡¯ up in jail or bodybag ¡ª their shit¡¯s good. As for some more tips: 3:01 AM June 7th Ripley Psyche V.1.04 has updated to Psyche V.1.05 Effect: Increased mental resilience during extended periods of isolation. It took that message for me to recognize what the gnawing disgust that had been plaguing me today was. I was lonely¡­ I¡¯d still been chatting to my mom every so often but maybe that wasn¡¯t enough. No, it wasn¡¯t. Daylight was too kind to me. I didn¡¯t show it much, but I appreciated her, even if Mirage had been a cold shoulder, I was glad that I had company in this form of her. She asked questions that I gladly answered, feeding her curiosity. I kept my answers on the chest vague, even when she¡¯d offered to help. This was my challenge, not hers, I was stubborn that way and she seemed to only compliment that. It¡¯d been a while since someone had so many nice things to say about me¡­ Maybe I did like Daylight just a little bit. 10:22 AM When I woke up today, I had a different face greeting me. I had questions as to how or when the swap occurred, but maybe some were better left unanswered. Twilight¡¯s ghastly form of elegant light and sharp darkness blossomed in my gaze, promptly comparing me to a scrapper with how disheveled I look. The staff here had already gotten suspicious with how one guy seemed to consistently need to use the bathroom here and visited every single day. I think they were beginning to assume I¡¯m homeless. Maybe she had a point. 11:55 AM A pattern was forming, as each piece clicked out of place, it would slide right against another joint or fiber in a seamless articulation. I wasn¡¯t just breaking something apart, I was making something anew. This was a puzzle in more ways than one, what I thought was a chest was actually just the compacted form of something much greater¡­ and I couldn¡¯t wait to see what it was. 6:32 PM I thought I¡¯d been smart and my mother a genius. Now I¡¯d seen that we¡¯d only had a small trickle down the family tree of what true intellect could do. This chest was in a class of it¡¯s own, the intricacy requiring extensive knowledge on the hard-fast rules of electrical engineering and robotics alongside the more whimsical and chaotic notions that came from Warp Energy Manipulation. ¡°I think¡­¡± My words slowly came out, piece by piece ¡ª much like the entire arm and ribcage that he had clicked into place through a third of the coffin. ¡°It¡¯s an Endoskeleton?¡± ¡°You might be onto something.¡± My mother responded with bated breath, sending me brief looks of other models. A Mazhyr Starcrest, normally Silver-Grade, was used in conjunction with high-altitude flight-suits. The Imperium Heculean Shell, Bronze-Grade at lowest, allowed an Adapter to lift 2000 pounds with a single arm. A SynTec Lincoln, Silver again, established a response time quick enough to dodge bullets. I wasn¡¯t an idiot, this was just Iron-Grade, but it seemed almost more extensive than a lot of the available commercial Endo-skeletons you could buy. This was¡­ was it military grade? 10:54 PM A new challenge arose, now I wasn¡¯t just unraveling but also holding in place the more complex form that was shifting into place upon pushing the halfway mark. If I wasn¡¯t careful, then a momentary mishap would cause the entire coffin to collapse again and reset all my progress. Energized V.0.08 has updated to Energized V.0.09 Effect: Increased range of external Warp Energy projection. Another bottleneck greeted by updates, but I found this time it wasn¡¯t enough to let me push through. I was stuck in a losing game to the sophistication of the Shardware that the few strands of my claw knitted over to keep it stable in a meshwork much like a net. It had become a matter of how long it would take until they snapped. 4:58 PM June 8th I kept at it, despite every inch of my stinking body begging to go home. To leave it be, to come back once. But then what will I have proven myself for? All that talk about Perseverance only to fall halfway. Come on, Ripley¡­ come on! Energized V.0.09 has updated to Energized V.0.10 Effect: Increased amount of external Warp Energy projection. There it was. Just the push I¡¯d needed, just a little more. My mind sunk through the Shardware chest like water through cracks in stone, slowly eroding it with precision and repeated practice across hundreds of attempts. 55%¡­ 60%¡­ The skeletal suit peering out folded like a shirt back into its compact form¡­ and I felt I¡¯d failed as the last bits of my Warp Energy left me. Even my Preservation Matrix sputtering into gasping snaps of dread and gloom. Stolen story; please report. But Gold always shined, even in the dark. Energized v.0.10 has Updated to Energized V.1.00 Effect: Establishing the Feature Protocol: Warp Sink. The Warp Sink Feature allows the Adapter to push large amounts of Warp Energy into Shardware at once, allowing a momentary boost to your own equipment or to stall other¡¯s Shardware. Convergence has reached 50%¡­ Reconfiguring¡­ You have unlocked the Feature: Technician V.0.00 Technician V.0.00 has updated to V.0.01 Effect: Increased efficiency of Technician Feature Links. My eyes blurred from sweat and tears, unable to take in the third Feature I¡¯d unlocked. Arguably the one I¡¯d wanted most. Technician. With this¡­ I¡¯d truly stepped onto a path of paving avenues to build a legendary status for myself within New California¡¯s underground Shardware circuit. It really had taken from the Claw¡­ Energized and Technician were both Features linked to it. Safe bet then that the next Feature would be Database. I could live with that; it really beat spending hours and hours revising the specs of a metal eardrum. 7:04 PM June 9th Technician V.0.01 has updated to Technician V.0.02 Effect: Increased precision with Shard Operating Shardware. Technician V.0.02 has updated to Technician V.0.03 Effect: Greater knowledge extrapolation from breaking down Shardware. Technician V.0.03 has updated to Technician V.0.04 Effect: Increased speed of diagnostic analysis of Shardware. I¡¯d collected a healthy sum of updates over the last 24 hours, and I was so close, so nearly there! A final push would do it, but combined with the workouts I¡¯d used to drone out my frustration and the lack of Warp Energy in my body, I¡¯d worried that I would go into deficit if that was possible. The Warp Sink protocol was a draining process¡­ It was effectively me pushing as much Energy into the coffin as possible, while not a true link, it gave me momentary access to it¡¯s systems and extended my senses through it¡¯s metallic confines. With a rough jab of thought, I could clog up it¡¯s automated closure system and continue working. It also served to provide me with a sudden burst of potential through my claw, improving the efficiency of Feature Links. So far, I¡¯d been using it to improve my learning from Breakdown. By stabbing the force of Gold into the Link, it massively adjusted the way in which my claws worked. It was a feeling like being inflated like a balloon, but the steel of my claws felt sturdier rather than stretched out. More prepared to learn and divulge secrets, at the cost of my mental exertion. Warp Energy, as it turned out, had a lot of correlation with how smart I was. All this work had my brain scratched raw until it was smooth, even as my edge sharpened with each attempt¡­ the core of it was dulling. A part of me sought to push myself but the last embers of preservation kept me on my toes, warning me not to strain further, goosebumps creeping up my arms just at the thought. I didn¡¯t know what would happen if I pushed too hard, but I followed the caution offered by my very first Protocol. 9:00 AM June 10th Over the last five days, I¡¯d come to view the coffin as containing a living soul condemning me to an endless cycle of failure. The last memories of my grandfather, whoever he¡¯d been before he left my mother, lay trapped within and whether it was his intention or not¡­ He would give me what I wanted. Full of charge and ready for one final push, I plunged my Claw¡¯s daggered fingers into the vertebra I¡¯d always started with. Likewise, a burrowing group of dozens of parasitic worms of Energy pierced through with it, each prepared to follow its own individual path just like I¡¯d trained them. Perfectly, they cut and rewired at a breakneck pace. An unstoppable wave of disintegration followed the scraping of three fingers that trenched along the grooves up, down and sideways according to the schematic I¡¯d drilled more than a hundred times. I barely needed to think, it was a motion that had become as synonymous to my claw as breathing was for my lungs. A significant portion, one-third of the coffin, broke apart in less than ten seconds. They immediately stitched into a different shape as I organized them with hurried but calculated motions, a metallic shell of an arm that extended downwards into a claw of similar design to my own. With the only measure of conscious thought I could muster, I slammed my free flesh hand into the left sleeve and called upon Warp Sink. A slap of my Gold crammed itself into the tech, not as fine strings but as a thick glue that prevented any sort of action against my will. It would last for maybe half a minute within that arm, but that was enough for another leg and half of the torso to peel away and become visible constructs. Two more slaps, and I let out a strained wheeze. I couldn¡¯t falter. I simply couldn¡¯t allow it. With stubborn hope and arrogant pride, I grated my claws further into every nook and cranny, a wave of machinery rippled out of place as I forced them to assume some new foreign aspect of the endoskeleton. Just the head was left, the rest of the form shivering as its inner functioning tried to break apart the hold my Energy affixed within it. I couldn¡¯t wait any longer, pouring all my streams of Energy into my right arm. It¡¯s cybernetics whirred as tools blossomed from each finger, a lather of metallic colors coating it. Iron from the Shards it was made of. Silver from it¡¯s unique rule-breaking existence. And my Implant¡¯s Gold ¡ª my Gold. Just as I felt one of the Endoskeleton¡¯s feet slip away to cram itself back, I reacted with a kick of my own in an ugly muffling of the coffin¡¯s intent to stay dead. I slashed with the remaining time I had left, pushing it through the most annoying bit of the whole chicanery. The Eyes. Various chunks of metal retrofit themselves into orbs, and plunged deep into the two cavities I recently dug out. Then they plopped in place, and I found no further grooves to sink my claws¡­ Observing the skeleton with uncertainty, I released it from the control of my Energy. And the skeleton stayed a skeleton. I had done it. Five days later and 40% more Convergence gained in the process, I had done it. Technician V.0.04 has updated to Technician V.0.05 Effect: Heightened visual mapping of Shardware structure. Technician V.0.05 has updated to Technician V.0.06 Effect: Slight visual aid towards Optic Shardware for Operating. A fucking masterpiece was what it was. Most endoskeletons were bulky and made clear indentations that would have to be covered up by Skin-plates after they installed themselves, unless you wanted your spine to be visible. But this bad baby? Wooh! It was remarkably sleek and encompassing in such a way I¡¯d never thought an EnSkel could manage at Iron. In fact, it might be insulting to call it an endoskeleton when it even had thin layers of fibrous nanocarbon sheaths that could run over your muscles to provide additional strength reinforcement and compact any bleeding vessels to coagulate in seconds. Not to mention, the limbs weren¡¯t just continuous pieces of the suit but were sectioned off into two components with the exception of the right arm. Both legs and the left arm had a bulkier extension atop their skeletal frame, like gauntlets and greaves of black and gray metal that all ran smoothly. I internally screamed at the sight. Shardware that could be used both externally and be accommodated into the Adapter¡¯s body to be shifted into Internal Shardware? That was the kind of stuff you saw on NeoCore Enforcers! Barely holding on for a second, I slipped the left gauntlet over my own hand and no- fucking way! It buzzed, detecting the lightest amount of remaining Warp Energy in my arm and then retrofitted itself by growing slightly before squeezing tight over like a snug glove. External Link establishing¡­ Left Shard-Op Claw (Alberich Gravas¡¯ Design) It wouldn¡¯t be as efficient as my right arm, External Links typically required Integration to be as effective as something you¡¯d stick into your body¡­ but it was both armor and surgical tool. No longer would I be forced to operate with just one hand! I kissed the skeleton, unashamed as pure worship of the nearly extraterrestrial tech was delivered deservedly. ¡°Oh¡­ grandpa Al, maybe I judged you too harshly.¡± ¡°You are such a fucking nerd.¡± Twilight buzzed in my ears, she had an equally amused look on her face. ¡°But it¡¯s cute so I¡¯ll let it pass.¡± ¡°I never turned off ¡®Do not disturb¡¯.¡± I said, even with a cheerful buzz in my voice as I stared at the black gauntlet tipping up with five Shard Op¡¯ Claws on my left hand. ¡°Is there no way to deactivate you when I want some¡­ privacy?¡± Twilight looked mildly offended by that, I wish I could say I cared but I was still gushing over the endoskeleton. ¡°Yeah, you can¡¯t really¡­ deactivate us.¡± Her discomfort as she said the words made me take my eyes off the prized Shardware and give her some honest attention. She turned a smug look and folded her arms. ¡°Consider our silence a form of politeness, well, also Daylight threatened to make my life veeery annoying if I did anything to disturb you. Sorry, she kind of lied about the whole not watching you thing. We saw everything ¡ª we¡¯re in your head, no turning that off unless you¡¯re braindead.¡± I should have been angry, but Mazhyr¡¯s tits when was the last time excitement had come to me this easily? I let myself indulge in all of the glory and rewards I¡¯d reaped, more than pleased with the way things had gone. ¡°I¡¯m going to put in a formal complaint with Mirage.¡± ¡°Please, just call her Elsa in front of me¡­ and¡­ wow, this is a very different side of you. All dancing and prancing like a teapot in Beauty and The Beast.¡± Twilight twinged with confusion, before laughing openly and joining in with my excitement. ¡°Sooo what¡¯s gotten you so happy about a bunch of Iron?¡± ¡°One second.¡± I noticed that, in fact, there was one more groove running up the sternum and platysma muscles up the Yttrium-steel skull. A quick ¡®shing¡¯ with my new claws opened that up real quick, and then all the excitement very quickly faded in a blink as three trinkets unveiled as the thorax and skull split into two parts. The first in the skull was a solid cube of black, pulsing momentary flashes of a shiny white. A Silver shining DataCube, already extremely promising. The second in the thorax was what symbolically took the place of a heart, an irregular sphere smaller than my fist with various small tubes running out plugging into the skeleton itself- a high tier Bronze Warp Generator. The final object was a white-painted vial a few inches long with a few brief words that made Twilight sputter a sound between a choke and snort out of pure astonishment. ¡°No fucking way!¡± My own was quiet, chilled to the bone. ¡°Is this¡­ fuck, I can see why Mr. Skeleton wanted this so badly now.¡± Written on the vial were few words, but they were enough to leave us both frozen in time. Prototype Warp-Material (Silver-Gold Grade) Codename: LIVEWIRE Blood and Steel C21: Promotion Chapter 21: Promotion Excerpt from Episode [The Life and Death of Lieutenant Jacob Grazhe] of the Net-Cast, Western Frontiers, by AbyssNet host: Abraham Parez I remember when I was a boy and still thought that man was ancient! Now that he¡¯s gone, it feels like a chapter has closed on Westcrook, and the new doors opening all have iron sights sticking out of them. Now, for many of my humble listeners, it may come as a surprise that the well-articulated host you¡¯ve all come to love was born in a place like¡­ well, like that. But it¡¯s the truth, so understand my words when speaking about matters like this. Westcrook is fucked. You want to know why the man was never promoted to Police Captain over the whole district? Because he was so good at keeping the peace that the second he gained access to an ounce of more resources including that confirmed promotion to Gold, all ninety-four million citizens of the District would practically jump off a cliff if he slipped his tongue. He was too good to be given more power. That speaks to the kind of man that he was. When he was inducted into the City State Police more than sixty years ago, he was integral in turning a place ravaged by earthquakes and criminal war into a somewhat hospitable place to live. Hell, I¡¯d wager half the gangs running mainstream within the district were set up by him, proxy soldiers he could use to fight wars the police weren¡¯t willing to get involved with. By the time he was a Special Investigator, they¡¯d given him the nickname Blacktongue¡­ and not because he was good at getting the women all loud and steamy. A word from him could shatter your mind, you¡¯d think a guy like him could climb up endlessly. And he did at first, the youngest corporal in the city¡¯s history at the age of 24 before becoming a Sergeant half a decade later and a Staff Sergeant of the Strike Division within another half. At the age of 39, he was the third-youngest Lieutenant in the three-century-spanning history of our city. The Lieutenant of the First Precinct of Westcrook, I¡¯d wager that even dead, he continues to have more influence over the District than the Captain and the predecessors before him. Yet, never once in his career did they even breathe the thought that a man like him should get the rank of Captain. It was always someone else, someone like Ishram Krivash who the Majors and Generals could control under their thumb while Lieutenant Grazhe played the part of a good dog for the last 50 years. He¡¯d been as solid in the history of the district as the concrete beneath our feet. And now he¡¯s dead, slaughtered in seconds by a MAL. I¡¯ve heard reports, gang violence is nearly at an all-time high just one week after his death¡­ the wheels are spinning now, and they¡¯re not going to stop until they crash. And even then, the skeletons will wage their wars against each other, an endless pursuit of power and territory. So, long story short. If anyone wants to become a legend of Westcrook, then now is the time. 11:31 AM June 9th Diana ¡°May we once again stand in salute to the newly inaugurated Third Investigators!¡± The Lieutenant¡¯s voice, a different lieutenant than the one of my own precinct¡­ the Third Precinct, a chubby man that concealed his old days of battle-torn scars with a decade of self-indulgence, raised his voice into the microphone. A chorus of clapping echoed through the hall, a thunderstorm of applause that could have rattled through me if I wasn¡¯t so solidly trapped within my own mind. I was wearing my dress uniform, a sleek fitting outfit of several layers that alternated between blue, black and white from the outside in. On my arm was a band with three small diamonds in place, signifying my new status as an Investigator ¡ª a police personel allowed to handle an Implant. It was said anyone who didn¡¯t die in the police would get here eventually at the age of 26¡­ I was four years early. I held my hand in salutation, my fingers nervously adjusting to brush a free strand of hair as the lights focused on the six of us. Normally, such events would be held every fall and spring semi-annually, but the death of the Lieutenant led to a ceremony that introduced additional changes in the official structure of the First Precinct alongside whole hours of open-talking delegating how the other Precincts should manage themselves with the shifting behaviors of criminals. The Snake Fangs ¡ª while relatively small ¡ª left a hole, what used to be their old territory was now in risk of falling into chaos as two powerful groups collided, maybe in hopes of finding even a speck of Gold there. Los Diablos were making moves on Little Requiem after their data breach a few years ago left them vulnerable. Metal Heavens began openly terrorizing neighborhoods all across the city, fronting more confidence than they ever had before this chaos. A turf war between the Crimson Souls and Muramasa Dynasty was all but openly declared, each trying to claim stake over Snake Fangs¡¯ leftovers. I wouldn¡¯t be dealing with any of that directly, not yet anyhow. As a Third Investigator, I was currently a glorified grunt in the police, just with an Implant in comparison to Officers. Second and First-rate Investigators would slowly be held to higher leadership roles and Special Investigators were close enough in rank to Corporals to keep command over a squad. My goals were simple yet grand, this police station was just the first step in my climb. It wouldn¡¯t be easy, but if I pushed my skills in the right direction then I could get there¡­ all the way to- ¡°Diana?! Are you listening?!¡± I hadn¡¯t even taken a full grasp over the fact that I was back seated on my table. Yvette was laughing, holding me with a gentle yet firm grasp that was accompanied by her sniding. ¡°The promotion got to your head already, Diana, that you don¡¯t even bother hearing out the thoughts of your lessers? And here I thought you were going to take a seat by the people equal to your rank now.¡± I smoothed out my clothes, realizing that a whole lot of the staff from my station were staring at me. Then with a stern look, I raised a sharp and succinct bite at Yvette. ¡°Officer Ingrid, I believe you¡¯re supposed to refer to me as Investigator Jones.¡± Then I let out a laugh, I couldn¡¯t help it when I saw the wash of fear drain color out of Yvette¡¯s face. She smacked me, but this time I barely¡­ almost didn¡¯t feel it, actually. ¡°You ass!¡± My stern tone shattered amidst laughs and giggles. ¡°Is that anyway to talk to your senior?¡± ¡°Okay Investigator Jones¡­¡± She said while exaggerating her face twisting into disgust. ¡°God, I hope you don¡¯t climb any higher, can¡¯t imagine calling you Corporal or Sergeant. But tell me, is it true you¡¯re being paid four Bronze Shards a month?¡± ¡°What if I said I can¡¯t disclose that?¡± A small but teasing smile played over my face. ¡°You¡¯re letting your ego get to your head.¡± She glanced a warning look at me, then broke it with a teeth-embraced grin. ¡°But seriously, congratulations Investigator. You deserve it more than anyone I know. And also, I wasn¡¯t really joking when I said that you should sit with the Investigators¡­ I think some of the ones in the Intelligence department are seated over there ¡ª they¡¯ve been eying you real bad. And not just because you¡¯re hot as fuck.¡± I slapped her arm again, trying to conceal my embarrassment as I looked over to where she pointed. A table in the back with some faces that I¡¯d studied over the last few days in preparation for my transfer. ¡°Promise me you¡¯ll remember where you came from.¡± Yvette held me as I stood up. ¡°I don¡¯t want none of that egotistic nonsense spilling out of your mouth!¡± ¡°She better!¡± Officer Holmes laughed beside me. ¡°We¡¯re rooting for you.¡± Another voice, an Officer Ishmael, joked. Others were silent, the undeniable shifts of envy digging into my back. I stood strong and tall through it all, I¡¯d felt it all during my promotion to First-Rank Officer¡­ hell, I¡¯d felt envious at those who got to Investigator before. A strong salute from my hands shot at Yvette. ¡°I promise. You¡¯re my friend first. Officer Yvette Ingrid.¡± ¡°Of course. Investigator Jones.¡± She saluted back before clapping my back and ushering me away. ¡°Now shoo, I can only handle protocol for so long with your ass!¡± In a few seconds, I treaded my way to the table noticing the shifts of gazes at me from all over. They were the only ones with an empty seat and those sitting there honed in on me like hawks to a rat. I held up high a salute, pulling together my worries and anxiety into a stream of composure. ¡°Officer- I mean, Investigator Jones reporting, I¡¯m transferring to the Intelligence-¡° Snickers and laughters cracked at my words, a few of the patrons on the table visibly choking their laughs back with their sleeves. A tall, well built man with a balding head didn¡¯t do me much courtesy with his chuckling. ¡°Y-you always hold up to conduct, Jones? Relax, you ain¡¯t an officer so we won¡¯t be beatin¡¯ you up anymore. Grab a seat. I¡¯m Tluste Choirmen, Second Investigator. And no, despite my name I don¡¯t sing. Not unless I¡¯m drunk ¡ª which I am.¡± I chuckled, the large dark-skinned man certainly had a friendly enough appearance as he grabbed a free chair for me. The others all slithered their focus upon me, looking at me with a mix of genuine interest and caution. One woman, who couldn¡¯t be that much older than me, had green hair and mechanical eyes that resembled a snake¡¯s ¡ª a mask clung to her lower face, completely metallic that seemed to dig into her jaw. Her voice came out with a slight robotic undertone, but was fairly pleasant. ¡°Diana¡­ Tell me how we¡¯re supposed to investigate criminals when you¡¯re turning the heads of every bad guy in your direction.¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Indra!¡± A man, whose shirt seemed strained with the bulging muscles beneath them despite his small frame, spoke. ¡°Introduce yourself first, you viper! I¡¯m sorry Diana, this is Indra Harmony, a Second Investigator like Choirmen. She¡¯s drunk, so excuse her slip of professionalism for lack of a better word. I¡¯m Kendrick Rorsche, First Investigator and the deputy-leader of our group, you¡¯ll normally come to me when Data needs cracking.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a DataDelver?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but blurt. The man looked every bit ready to smash two heads into the ground, and it seemed like Tluste Choirmen agreed with that sentiment. ¡°See! You should come on the field more regularly!¡± ¡°We¡¯re not talking about this. We¡¯re talking about Diana.¡± Kendrick Rorshce spoke in a sharp hush. Indra Harmony quickly took advantage of the silence to probe me with a question I knew the rest of the police force were curious about whenever a new Investigator was sworn in. ¡°So what Grade you got? Heard Anabelle¡¯s got a favorite in you, considering she transferred you into your favored department.¡± ¡°You knew?¡± ¡°It¡¯s our job to know, honey.¡± Indra¡¯s eyes smiled where her mask couldn¡¯t. ¡°Now what¡¯s your grade, what¡¯d she give you?¡± Fuck¡­ I knew it had to come out sooner than later. With a confident yet quick voice I hoped would go ignored, I spoke the false grade I¡¯d accepted. ¡°Silver.¡± Every table for several meters went silent, and the regret swallowing me was instant. Shock was the last thing in their eyes, if anything the five around me looked at me with hunger. But it was a different voice that spoke to me, the last person sitting on this table. A younger man with messy gray hair and slate gray eyes that I¡¯d only seen on two other people. He spoke in a harsh whisper that stemmed most definitely from anger and a sprinkle of hurting. ¡°My aunt gave you Silver?!¡± ¡°A-aunt? You¡¯re the former Lieutenant¡¯s grandson?¡± I felt my body tighten, this was¡­ fuck, how didn¡¯t I recognize him immediately? I¡¯d seen his face during my crawl on the Net for who to look out for. He was Anthony Grazhe. His picture depicted a solidly built man with assurance and certainty, but the man before me was a spluttering mess, gripping an open booze bottle and slurring every other word. ¡°You- you took something like that- from¡­ ! From us?! Who are you- you- you were there!¡± ¡°Tony.¡± Investigator Rorsche spoke quietly from my side. ¡°Have some restraint or-¡° Anthony yelled his words aside the warning. ¡°He died because of you!¡± The words struck me like a spear. Like the one that had snapped through Enforcer Archangel¡¯s back. And that thought drew a curtain over my breathing, a rag holding me from taking a clear breath. Stop, clear it out. Breathe, breathe, breathe- ¡°Investigator Grazhe!¡± A voice like a battle-ax tore through my shattered thoughts, a shorter woman slammed her hand on the table. ¡°Hold it together or it¡¯s another week of suspension!¡± Now, this was an important person to know. I didn¡¯t know which squad I would be assigned to in the Intelligence Department but each of them was held under the control of a Special Investigator and Corporal. This was S.I Risa Wickett, a Bronze-Grade in the Second Tier. Otherwise known under the codename: ¡®Wicked¡¯. She hardly looked like a police officer, truth be told, her hair alternating between shades of pink and blue and was both short and more on the heavier side. Although that was out of pure muscle mass- or metal mass if the steel hand imprinting into the table was any indication. Every word out of her was spewed like poison towards the current Lieutenant¡¯s nephew. ¡°Investigator Grazhe! Need I remind you that you are already on thin ice that not even your aunt can save you from. Behave well, or else you¡¯ll be receiving three months of a pay cut as well.¡± He opened his mouth as though to say something back, but the tightening grip of Rorsche seemed to hold him back. Still holding a defiant glare, he stood up and walked away. I relaxed a little, already hating the fact that I¡¯d set myself up to have an enemy so soon into my transfer. The S.I scanned the table for a second, halting on me for a second. ¡°Third Investigator Jones¡­ go clean up, your eyes are¡­ shining.¡± She said with toughness, but the constrained tone in her last word made me notice that it was a cautionary warning. I hurried up, walking briskly to the nearest washroom. Throwing the door open, it was moments before I stuffed my mouth with a splash of water and a set of three pills. The cooling took a few minutes, the biting strands of energy in my eyes fading slowly. I had grown too quickly and too strong. I didn¡¯t understand it, frankly. I¡¯d been practicing my control daily, slowly amping up the voltage I could take but¡­ surely this was beyond the ordinary? Gene Overview:- Implant Tier: Convergence [34%] Tier 0: I¡¯d destroyed that combat bot by now. Hell, I¡¯d destroyed half of my apartment with how addicted I had become to the feeling of drawing electricity into myself. I held my hand up in front of my face. Just a few days ago I¡¯d fractured the knuckles, my Med-Scanner told me. But Pacemaker gained another Meta-Mutation to counter that. I think I understood them now, where Features derived links into Shardware and their own specialized protocols¡­ Meta-Mutations were split from currently developing mutations that often derived from other possible paths that copied a mechanism to support the Main Mutation. That data was only gained in the form of a footnote of the SIM preparation guide I¡¯d gotten uploaded to my profile a day after I received the Silver from the Lieutenant. All but confirming my thoughts. Except one¡­ they were insanely rare barely anyone even decided to discuss them. The chance of a tier 0 Gene developing a Meta-Mutation was around 5% for an Iron¡­ going up to 40% with Gold over a Mutation¡¯s development to it¡¯s completion. I''ve received one for each so far, and two for Pacemaker. My calculations for probability had never been a strong suit, but with multiple guaranteed Meta-Mutation, my powers would be far more stronger than others at the same Tier as me. Pacemaker could now increase the rate at which my body healed itself as well as heighten my adrenaline release, and its further gene development granted me greater control over the level of strength I could unleash. And it was Unstable Biology¡¯s Meta-Mutation that was fucking me over right now. I¡¯d gained it in the middle of today¡¯s event, a response to the three pills I¡¯d already swallowed prior to my standing on the stage. It could now counter the pills. Specifically, it was worded in such a way that said I would develop my genes faster when my mutations were suppressed. Mutation-suppressing medicine was expensive, and used to contain criminals¡­ having a Meta-Mutation that could counter them was dangerous not just to me but to the police force in general. But only if I was killed. My other two Meta-Mutations could prevent that. Electrical Conduction¡¯s Meta-Mutation was the development of a small electric organ on my fingertips to store and focus electricity. Whereas, Electromagnetic Sense gave me the innate sense to differentiate between sources of radiation based on current strength and direction. For example, I could tell the difference between a Hologram projector or computer just after associating their specific circuitry with the sensation I¡¯d been able to feel of them. To me, it felt like the difference in shades of color. Right now, I could clearly feel a Neuroframe peering at me from behind the corner of the doorframe. It was especially troubling to me that I could now identify Neuroframes. It let me know just how many people looked at me. And those at the table had almost definitely seen my eyes, the only physical appearance of my mutations visible aside from my electricity. I¡¯d been followed. ¡°That you, Indra Harmony, right?¡± Her snake-like gaze followed through, raising her arms up in surrender. ¡°Guilty as charged. Just came over to make sure you¡¯re okay, you looked stressed when you left¡­ take it the sparkles are something you don¡¯t want others to know about?¡± ¡°Sparkles?¡± I laughed, so they had seen something. ¡°Ah yeah, about that. My Silver¡¯s a bit¡­ yeah, it does that.¡± ¡°Sheesh. Elemental Manipulation¡­ that shit doesn¡¯t come up until like Tier One at the earliest from what I know. An Esper, then?¡± She snuck up next to me too quickly. ¡°Damn, Silver and electrical powers? Remind me not to piss you off. Worked an Iron for the last two-and-a-half years, close to getting it to Bronze now but girl¡­ shit¡¯s tough.¡± ¡°You coming here with words of congratulations or¡­¡± ¡°A warning.¡± Her voice slithered. ¡°Not from me. As impulsive as I can be, I¡¯m not going to crawl my hands into your body and pluck it out¡­ but you know that grades are publicized thanks to the mayor. Won¡¯t be long till every gang in Westcrook hears of a rookie Investigator with Silver. Makes sense why you took the Intelligence Department then, less on field activity¡­ fewer patrols and whatnot.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going on the field.¡± Was my calm response, and I knew that made me sound like an idiot just from the way her face froze up in astonishment. ¡°Shit, Jones. You got balls. Might be more fucked in the head than me!¡± She laughed, a noticeably steely tone of metallic vocal chords slipping through. Now that I took her in, Indra Harmony was hiding a lot of steel under those clothes¡­ the amount that makes someone a bit woozy in the head. On closer inspection, that mask¡­ seemed to be her jaw. ¡°Well¡­¡± She said with a hint of glee as she turned to leave. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll be seeing you on the field.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I questioned, but she had already left. Then it hit me, I mentally clicked to open my netscroller as a browser opened up in my lens¡¯ vision. A quick hop onto the police database and further filtration into the Detective Department squads led me to scrolling around names. And there it was¡­ Squad 13 Looks like I¡¯d just met my new coworkers. Blood and Steel C22: Intelligence Squad 13 Chapter 22: Intelligence Squad 13 Structure of the New California State Police Hierarchy in comparison to Old-World Police Force, a paper written by DataDelving Journalist Kashim Mirja. While originally just a police force when New California was established by Mazhyr in the late 22nd Century, the New California civil war in the 2430s following the Fourth Swarm sent the leadership structure fracturing in three directions. The corporate faction sought to join the Five Corporate Nations as a SynTec affiliate, the Free-California faction delegated for even less integration of the corporations into the city and finally, the Iron-Sword faction sought to establish themselves as new power within the city. Mostly consisting of immigrants from The Floridian Gulf and existing Police members. In a brutal war lasting six years which only ended due to the Yellowstone Earthquake, the city was torn apart until a treaty was signed delegating peace across all three factions. The Free-California and Iron-sword factions had turned to each other to combat the resources of the corporations. Although the exact details of the treaty cannot be surmised, it is known that power over the city was split between the three factions. The Free-California set up an electoral system and frame of law in which existing corporations could work, while the Iron-Sword were orchestrated to take control over the city¡¯s security. This was the formation of the modern Military Police State, in which the Police Director contains equal power to the decade-elected Mayor of the city. Currently, the police appear to hold a combination of ranks from both military and old-world crime-fighting organizations such as the CIA, FBI and standard USA police. Integration of Implants into the police ranks differentiates Officers from Investigators, with 28% of the police being Officers and the rest being Investigators or higher ranks. While both Officers and Investigators are split into three ranks, the latter has a unique exception in the Associate Special and Special Investigator. Considered an exception since it¡¯s delegated specifically to Investigators who opt out of the option of applying to further leadership positions ¡ª through becoming a Corporal ¡ª and instead prefer a higher control of on-ground operations. S.I themselves are not equally graded among themselves, being differentiated through four sets of rankings. Department, Precinct, District and State. Depending on the ranking of the S.I, they may hold an officialized authority of a rank higher than Corporal. For example, an S.I Ranking in the State¡¯s top 10 are known to apply the same authority as a Captain, while the top 3 each hold their own to Majors. The rankings and their responsibility are listed as follows: Corporal (In charge of 1-3 squads); Sergeant (In charge of around 3-6 Cpls.); Staff Sergeant (In charge of a department); Lieutenant (Oversees a Precinct); Captain (Oversees 2-4 Precincts); Major (Oversees a District); while the ranks of Colonel, Major General, General and Director all hold ranks overseeing the general military affairs of New California as a whole. 2:47 PM June 9th Diana The proceedings ended with a funeral ceremony in which Jacob Grazhe was posthumously double-promoted to the ranking of Major. I felt bitter at that, especially with how shit things were going following his death¡­ a man of his importance should have held the ranking well into his life ¡ª or perhaps this City was right for withholding it from him. I couldn¡¯t claim to have known the man personally enough to feel true anger¡­ as his family could. Anabelle and Anthony Grazhe, his daughter and her nephew, were stone cold and pale throughout the ceremony. I was thankful that Anthony had sobered up, or maybe he was just drunk with grief with the shaking I could see through him. By the end of it, we were all told to resume with our normal police duties. Which for me, meant formally meeting the members of my squad at the Intelligence department ¡ª located on floors 31-45 of the First Precinct tower. Floor 38 was higher than I¡¯d ever been allowed but my updated Sigil easily passed through the elevator¡¯s identification and took me there. I navigated the cubicles and artfully arranged well-being centers ranging from scenic gardens to meditation and fitness spaces, past a few restaurants and stores of every kind until I received a warm welcome to the section of squad 13. Which was ranked 13 out of the 48 squads, so thankfully it wasn¡¯t the stony and bland offices of the lower ones primarily dedicated to crunching DataShields away. There was some life to this place in the form of walls painted with Old-world depictions of a more peaceful time and decorative trees and appliances over the space, a contrast to the dreary warnings and protocols and commemoration of the former Lieutenant. If I had to hear the words ¡®commemorate the dear life¡­¡¯ one more time¡­ ¡°You¡¯re here, Investigator Jones.¡± It was Rorsche who spotted me, the shorter man measured just about my height but sported enough muscle to toss a human around¡­ and he was one of two First Investigators here. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to have you with us. Indra told me you¡¯re more interested in the on-field jobs here, so we¡¯ll be sorting you with them for the time being, later on in the day you can meet the investigation and analyst teams. Busy day, so we¡¯re going to have you put to work immediately.¡± ¡°That works for me.¡± I said with my best pleasant smile, not too bright so he wouldn¡¯t get the wrong idea but kind enough that I wouldn¡¯t give off that ¡®bitchy¡¯ vibe Yvette said I always carried. I just¡­ wasn¡¯t too much for pushing myself to socialize. He carried on with no particular notice. ¡°In case you¡¯re wondering, I primarily keep control over the field operations and some input into investigation.¡± ¡°An on-field Datadelver? That¡¯s unusual.¡± I questioned. He shook his head, long brown hair swaying over his glasses. ¡°Oh no, I manage operations from the safety of my office, but I have my ways of being present on-field. And as far as I¡¯ve heard, you already have some experience. Corporal Shetty gave you that job with the Snake Fangs correct? Guess it must have come pretty quick if they couldn¡¯t get anyone from Intelligence to do it.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. I rolled my eyes. ¡°Please, he told me upfront that he just sorted all available staff into an algorithm of who was most likely to get in the good graces of the club¡¯s management. When it used the parameters: non-visible Shadware, gene-modded women in their early 20s¡­ I uh, yeah, I came up first.¡± He chuckled, before completing with a warm smile. ¡°It also put in attractiveness, which you can guess where you were ranked at.¡± I stiffened, a warmth shedding from my ears as I took a cool breath to calm myself¡­ I¡¯ve dealt with my fair share of flirts. Rorsche was an attractive guy, very much so, but¡­ he my commanding officer and I knew how this game of office politics was played. ¡°Thank you.¡± I replied swiftly. ¡°You must hear it all the time. Never seen an officer with silver hair before, it¡¯s a good look.¡± He continued, to which I tried to brush aside. I let a lie slip through my tongue. ¡°Ah, actually, I just dye i-¡± A tough and raw voice yelled from behind us. ¡°First Investigator Rorshe! Third Investigator Jones! If you¡¯re done philandering then meet in the hall now!¡± I spun on my heel, tilting my head down to salute Special Investigator Risa Wicket. She was about a foot shorter than me so I dipped my head slightly. To which I only got yelled at for. ¡°Keep your head high when you salute, Jones! It¡¯s only more disrespectful to look down on your commanding officer!¡± Shit, she was right about that. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am! I apologize!¡± ¡°Tch¡­¡± She clicked her tongue with an amused grin. ¡°I think you won¡¯t be half bad, get her used to how I run things Rorsche! I want her to be able to navigate this place with her eyes closed by the day¡¯s end!¡± He sighed, giving her a tired salute. ¡°Yes madam!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that, you make me sound old!¡± She snapped. ¡°Take a lesson from Jones or else it¡¯ll be her getting to Special Investigator before you!¡± I jerked a little at hearing that, but it wasn¡¯t surprising since everyone had dreams of getting somewhere beyond First Rank. The S.I route was a risk, perpetual stability was one of the perks of the general hierarchy, but as an S.I any inactivity or failure to produce results could send you plummeting down the rankings and losing out. Which is exactly why I was going for it, it was the only way I could climb as quickly as my Gold had the capacity for. The bureaucratic sequence of promotion required too much politicking for my comfort, I was best when I was on the field and in motion. So, head still held high, I proclaimed with every ounce of belief. ¡°I have every intention of doing that to you, First Investigator Rorsche.¡± The S.I didn¡¯t laugh, which is what I was hoping for, but she did share an amused look with Rorsche. ¡°Be careful, Rorsche. You¡¯ve got a dangerous one here, I¡¯ll be leaving her in your care.¡± Risa Wickett carried herself powerfully, I could feel the self-respect radiating off her with how she walked, and as she did just that away from us, I felt relieved that I got into a squad I could see myself spending a year or more in. ¡°She¡¯s a personality.¡± Rorsche commented, an easy smile on his face. ¡°As long as you show etiquette and bring in good results, she¡¯ll like you. Which is what you¡¯ll want if you do intend on getting there before me. That¡¯s a dangerous thing to say, by the way, never know if I¡¯ll do everything in my power to slow you down.¡± Rorshce walked me through the hallway, casting me a sarcastically threatening look as I passed through a doorway he opened for me. ¡°Try it.¡± I cast an equal glance back at him, returning the serve, as they said in tennis. I think. It¡¯d been years since I played, but they had a court somewhere in this building. It wasn¡¯t long before I met up with the rest of the squad. Everyone was present except for Anthony Grazhe who was given a few days off to grieve with family, something I was internally grateful for. His aunt, the new Lieutenant of my Precinct, wasn¡¯t offered the same grace. The day went by pretty peacefully, wandering the hallways and getting my own office was a highlight. Occupying a fourth of the 38th floor, the squad had considerable real estate and every Investigator had an office overlooking the cityscape. I was never bored of that sight, from high up here, it would be easy to get lost with how far you could look both down and up and never quite see everything this City had to offer. Great Lake Lanes, or its more colloquial term of The Pleasure Lanes, had a few good memories attached to it. Then it came to case briefings, in which I didn¡¯t have much of a choice as most of everything was already smooth and running, nothing new had come up yet¡­ for a rookie to the team, anyhow. I questioned internally as to whether I should bring up The Toxin Club case, but it wasn¡¯t yet time. Rorsche scanned a file, relaying to me what I needed to know. ¡°So then, Diana, we¡¯re assigning you to the case of Johnathon Kubrick¡¯s murder alongside Choirmen. A simple case of an inheritance gone wrong, his brother hired a merc known as Tonguelasher to kill him¡­ You can imagine how they found the body. Everything traces to him being Sharded out, expected Iron which means probably a high Tier I. Other than that, a warrant¡¯s been put out for his brother¡¯s arrest so we should expect a ping on him soon that I¡¯ll have a few Officers head for ¡ª we¡¯ve put a BOLA out on his car so results should come soon. As for the merc, previous investigation from Harmony has identified several vehicles of Tonguelasher¡¯s as being sourced by an Autorepair shop at Eastside by the Carlton Hills, an area influenced by a small-time crime-family known as the Jaegers. Warrant¡¯s ready, so you¡¯re free to enter. Have any further questions?¡± I did. ¡°Mentioned a crime family¡­ Jaegers. Anything I should know about them?¡± ¡°Third-generation immigrants from SynTec soldiers brought in during the Fourth Swarm, they brought over weapons from South America¡¯s Free City and have a pretty firm grasp on Standard Grade arms dealing. We don¡¯t know if Tonguelasher is in their pocket, or just an associate, so tread carefully.¡± That was when a man rushed in, still in civilian-clothes. Anthony Grazhe, and I immediately clenched my fist as he stumbled into the meeting with pursed lips as though he was trying to pretend like this was normal. When he wasn¡¯t drunk at 9 AM he was surprisingly well-dressed and articulated in his appearance, his gray hair and eyes were about as gene-edited as mine. Rorsche smacked his tongue at the intrusion, his voice gentle yet firm. ¡°Investigator Grazhe, you¡¯ll be assisting Jones and Choirmen. Get ready and depart in 10 minutes, two cars. Everyone else already has their cases, so get your asses to it!¡± We were running now? I hadn¡¯t even gotten a new gun yet?! Rorsche noted my confusion and raised a hand as the rest of my squad scattered to their duties. ¡°Right, I nearly forgot Diana, you put in a request for a new gun a week ago? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got it transferred right here.¡± He reached for the side behind a drawer, pulling out a small case no larger than my hand. ¡°Oh. Thank you.¡± I took the case, unlatching it to view the gun¡­ or more precisely the new Braceshocker I¡¯d been given. A sparkling steel bracelet that could at an instant could form into a snub-nosed pistol to shoot pellets of electricity. Within the box was clearly a labelling of Iron and a few cartridges the size of my fingers each holding¡­ a lot of energy. I commented, puzzled at the Iron Grade of the weapon. ¡°I only put in a request for Standard, though.¡± ¡°I know, but the S.I holds the view that we shouldn¡¯t skimp out on outfitting our agents. Life¡¯s dangerous in the brooks, Jones¡­ Now be on your way, read up on the case while you can.¡± Slipping away as I clamped the weapon on my arm and slapped the remaining magnetized ammo clips onto my belt, I saluted a farewell as I hurried into the operations elevator that allowed direct access to the Intelligence Squad 13 Motor vehicles. It was time for my first operation as an Investigator, and I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little excited. Blood and Steel C23: Auto-Repair Shop Chapter 23: The Auto-repair Shop Indra Harmony¡¯s findings on the murder of Johnathon Kubrick. Johnathon Kubrick was a married, 29-year-old male identified dead in his home located in San Lagos on the 3rd of June, 2497, by his wife of two years upon coming home from a business trip. Mode of death was due to bleeding out from the mouth by a slashed-off tongue, however, we identified contusions around his mouth and neck, as well as chipped fingernails. They indicate that he was constrained by a ring-like apparatus we believe to have latched onto his face for purposes of prying his mouth open. Time of death is estimated to be at 1930 on the 2nd of June. The mode of death aligns with the M.O of known mercenary, Lennon Culpa, otherwise known as Tonguelasher. Witness reports and security footage put him within the neighborhood at 2100, multiple claims of hearing disturbing screaming from Johnathon¡¯s apartment at 1900, however they failed to report due to ¡°how frequently his wife brought out the leash and whip¡±. Lennon Culpa is known to have began his mercenary work three years prior but has been engaged in the criminal sphere since birth, having bought human meat and often making disturbing posts on the Abyssnet Forum page VortexEYE on topics regarding the taste of it and often claiming the tongue tastes best. On April 4th 2494, his seven-year girlfriend, dog and 2-year-old son were found dead with dissected tongues, and since then he has adopted extensive facial augmentation to keep his identity a secret. Previous investigations have pinpointed his location by tracking the various cars that eventually lead him to the garage on Reminghunt 1498, owned by a Nathaniel Overrink. These cars were typically sent in for service, and would then be used for his crimes. As for the reason why Tongueslasher was hired, Johnathon¡¯s brother, Horace¡­ 5:15 PM June 9th Diana The rest of the file dictated a complex family tree and history that could be summed up as Johanathon¡¯s brother being a black sheep in the family of a long line of Corporates. Although Johnathon¡¯s Neuroframe had been scrubbed clean, his wife pointed out her husband¡¯s brother had sent death threats that she had relayed over to Indra Harmony during the initial assessment. Admittedly, it still wasn¡¯t clear if his brother had sent out the call, but it was pretty damn convincing that Tonguelasher had done it. ¡°What¡¯s the bounty on him?¡± Choirmen said beside me, he drove calm even when speeding quickly through the city¡¯s bustling traffic. A voice, bitter and groggy, spoke from our comms. ¡°Forty thousand.¡± ¡°Damn¡­¡± I whispered. ¡°His record says seventeen kills that we know off¡­ and that he receives Shardware from the Jaegers in exchange for protecting them. So why are we only going for him now?¡± ¡°Because he killed a damn corpo¡­¡± The voice from my comms was harsh. ¡°Hell, that¡¯s where 30k of the bounty came from. Placed by the widow.¡± ¡°Dead or alive?¡± Choirmen swerved between two cars without breaking a sweat, I suspected he had a Mutation to deal with high speeds. ¡°Both are fine. Widow wants him to rot slowly, wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she¡¯s gonna bribe the judges into getting him in the Talonhouse.¡± Anthony said. ¡°Talonhouse.¡± I felt sick just hearing the name. ¡°Maximum security, really think they¡¯ll let an Iron in? Place could hold a Gold.¡± Choirmen slowed as we turned a corner, pushing me aside slightly. ¡°Talonhouse needs a few Irons every so often, gives the big boys something to play with.¡± The voice from my comms came like a sting. ¡°Grandpa said to know when to give the dog toys, and when to take them away.¡± The rest of the twenty minute ride went by smoothly, little small talk and mostly about gauging each other¡¯s capabilities. I¡¯d informed them of my ability to absorb electricity and use it to boost my physical strength already during the initial getting to know each other, but never had the opportunity to show it off. Truth be told, it wasn¡¯t protocol for me to be assigned on a case like this so quickly, either they were testing me¡­ or hazing me. On-field assignments for SIM-Adapted Investigators would typically wait until our geneticists prepared a report to our squad of our capabilities. Based on that, we¡¯d be grouped up. Then again, they thought I was Silver. On par with the Liuetenant¡¯s Grade, so maybe their expectations of me were twisted¡­ or this was an elaborate trick to get me killed. I didn¡¯t squirm at the thought, I couldn¡¯t let myself. Most likely, I was just being tested¡­ I chose to believe that. As conversation continued, Anthony relayed that he had a weaker version of his aunt¡¯s and grandfather¡¯s ability to influence others with his voice, although didn¡¯t indulge into the exact mechanisms of the mutation. While Choirmen possessed something he called¡­ blood missiles. Alongside a few mutations specializing in recovery and durability, he compared himself to a human body shield. Once initial assessment of our powers were done, the conversation switched. ¡°Got any family, Jones? How was your life before joining the force?¡± Choirmen finally raised as the lights and towers of the city shrank in the rear view mirror. As the tall steel overlooks faded to bark and leaves, I saw within their fluttering mirage a child with short silver hair. It calmed me, who knows how many times in my life here I¡¯d imagined abandoning it all to just return to that life, before I chipped metal into my neck. Before my biological father found me¡­ before reuniting with Yvette and following her into this life. My voice came quietly, nostalgia settling in as my eyes trailed along the streaks of leaves. ¡°A father. Never knew my mother. We lived in Seven Woods where it was quieter. Spent a whole lot of my life hunting, plucking fruits from the trees, fishing by the lakes¡­ then I moved here. Wanting to make a difference.¡± I answered honestly, didn¡¯t have any point to hiding that, but I saw the confusion in how he raised eyebrow. Typically the situation of parenting was the opposite. Choirmen chuckled, moving past the difficult part of my childhood. ¡°Me and my wife just had a son, beautiful boy¡­ both of them. Husam just turned seven, the whole squad threw a small party for him. You would have loved it. Anthony-¡± ¡°Shut it, Tluste!¡± The voice shouted over our comms. Choirmen quietly turned off the comms with a tap on the car¡¯s dashboard. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Anthony, he¡¯s not a bad kid. Just troubled and keeps on finding himself in it. But he¡¯s trying¡­ the Grazhe¡¯s are a tough family. As for the story, yeah, I let him do tricks on me, basically Jaden could ask me to do anything and Anthony would make me ¡®suggestible¡¯ to it.¡± ¡°What¡¯d your kid make you do?¡± My curiosity was piqued. ¡°Ah, kid asked me to do a backflip.¡± Choirmen groaned, rubbing his back. ¡°Felt it break right through my mutations, been bruised since then.¡± A precious smile fell over me, the faint crack in the window allowing the smells of petrichor to send me to the time of my fourteenth birthday, when the only thing that mattered had been dinner, and when we¡¯d go and hunt it. ¡°That¡¯s adorable.¡± ¡°Your old man?¡± Choirmen stiffened. ¡°How is he?¡± This was the part where my smile shifted, but I just kept myself focused on the trees blurring green and brown like wet paint mixing on a canvas. ¡°He¡¯s proud. I¡¯m getting far, and I¡¯m¡­ doing good. Yeah, the Toxin Club was bad and still fucks with my head but I see a future. We see the future.¡± Or maybe¡­ I did. Yorrick Jones, the man who had adopted me from the Cradle suffered from his own¡­ complications. There was just distance between us, an unreachable distance between what our lives had become. I knew he had¡­ moved on, but I- I just wasn¡¯t ready to confront him. Another few minutes and we stopped by a small run-down group of concrete blocks that the car winded through until we found the garage, a tall and wide concrete cube in which around twenty cars were serviced. ¡®Nathaniel¡¯s wheels.¡¯ ¡°Looks like someone¡¯s home.¡± Anthony¡¯s voice came through, and we all got out of the cars to carefully survey the scene. Though there wasn¡¯t any sign of human activity, not immediately through the few windows, but the lights were shining and the buzzing sound of machinery ran through the building. Choirmen held Anthony¡¯s shoulder, a warning glare digging into the younger man. ¡°We do this clean, Anthony. Knock open, no sneaking through the back. No use of your powers, you know how the courts throw that out. Your grandfather and aunt know when to use them, focus on your other Mutations right now.¡± Anthony¡¯s return was sharp-tongued. ¡°Yeah but you really think his widow¡¯s gonna let it- fine.¡± He tugged his arm free, striding up to the door and raising a loud, almost deafening sound from the voice I¡¯d been so used to as a quiet sulk. ¡°This is the WBPD First Precinct! Intelligence Department! We have a warrant, come out with your hands raised up!¡± No sound, another ten seconds passed and he banged again. ¡°We won¡¯t wait anymore! We¡¯re armed and-¡± ¡°Hold your fucking steel man!¡± A nervous voice bellowed through, the door quickly opening to reveal an older man with a thin arm of rusted steel ending in a wrench. ¡°Wh-what do you want?¡± Anthony pushed the man aside, delving deeper into the garage and disappearing further in as we heard tumbling steel and the sound of drawers opening and closing. Choirmen, on the other hand, helped the old man from stumbling ¡ª whether the good cop . ¡°Sorry about him, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°You can read the sign right? I¡¯m Nathaniel Overink¡­ run this place, I- did we not do our taxes right? Was there an issue-¡° ¡°Nothing like that, we just believe that one of the cars here was used to commit a murder. Now, do you know who touches up these cars? Anyone else in the building who works for you?¡± He seemed genuinely caring as he pulled a seat from the reception. ¡°Just me, my brother, Kyle, and his boy. They¡¯re deeper in¡­¡± A soft smile rose on Choirmen¡¯s face. ¡°Y¡¯know, couldn¡¯t help but notice the nice wheels here, noticing some stuff I¡¯ve seen only in those pre-collapse books. Nice shit man.¡± ¡°People in the hills can¡¯t get enough of it. Only way I can afford a place like this.¡± Nathaniel said quietly, then alerted as the sound of another man yelled. ¡°The hell do you think you¡¯re doing here!¡± I rushed, flowing through the corridors to the sound of voices growing more chaotic. Anthony had a gun drawn, a thick piece of metal as long as half his forearm that was poised at the two men. ¡°You¡¯re all under suspicion of harboring a known mercenary by the name of Tonguelasher.¡± The older of the two men, well-built and balding, also held a gun in his hand but it wasn¡¯t drawn up. Kyle, the co-owner of this Autorepair, and Nathaniel¡¯s brother. ¡°Look we ain¡¯t got nothing to do with that shit! Just look around but don¡¯t damage the merchandise, they¡¯ll bust our balls off man!¡± The younger of the two ¡ª his son ¡ª however, slunk further in the back with eyes wide in fear. ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking move, kid!¡± Anthony¡¯s sight switched onto the boy who couldn¡¯t have been more than seventeen years old. Seeing that, I sent harsh grit into my thoughts, sending them through our police Neuralink. ¡°A-anthony, stand down. I¡¯ll send them over to Choirmen, the two of us¡¯ll take a look through.¡± ¡°Nah, they stay where I can see them. You¡¯re all under suspicion for harboring a criminal mercenary under the alias ¡®Tonguelasher¡¯.¡± His voice grew that same rebellious, almost childish, edge ¡ª but there was something in his eyes, a strange wisdom that grasped the reflection of the vehicles here and twisted their fallacies. ¡°T-tonguelasher¡¯s switched his identity. Could be an-ny one of them ¡ª heard other Mercs do wo-r-rse.¡± The younger man nearly fell just from hearing that name. ¡°What the fuck¡¯s a T-tonguelasher? A type of MAL?!¡± ¡°Keep moving and you¡¯ll wish you had a MAL in front of you! Tonguelasher¡¯s a wanted criminal and suspected of killing over 17 individuals! Put your weapons down, hands up and step backwards to the sound of my voice!¡± Anthony¡¯s voice began to take a deeper reverberation, reaching into the depths of my head. His gun remained on sight for the younger man, while his father pleaded by throwing his gun to the floor and turning his backside to us. He was unarmed. ¡°L-look, I¡¯m dropping my gun! We¡¯ll follow your orders, just¡­ keep things civil! Kid hasn¡¯t done anything, I swear¡­ he¡¯s just scrap-brained!¡± That fear in his eyes¡­ I didn¡¯t like being looked at that way, but Anthony was right ¡ª Tonguelasher could have disguised his identity¡­ though how would the merc have infiltrated a family business? My voice sank colder, equally aimed at Anthony and the two men. ¡°Investigator Grazhe, I¡¯m going to take them to Choirmen. Look around, find any Datacubes if you can and copy them for Rorsche.¡± He grumbled with a nasty side-glance, but I¡¯d already stepped ahead of him and taken the older man¡¯s shoulder. I pulled his shaking body aside with the younger man orderly slipping into my view. ¡°We don¡¯t know no Tonguelasher.¡± The older man whispered, a mixture of fear and apprehension in his voice. ¡°This is some misunderstanding, y¡¯all.¡± Stolen novel; please report. ¡°It is¡­¡± His kid hushed, his eyes glanced down. ¡°I know what this is¡­¡± His father suddenly raised his tone like a knife. ¡°It¡¯s cus you¡¯re always on that Net talking to strangers! Fucking hell, Jay! What did you do this time!¡± ¡°Nothing!¡± The kid, Jay, protested with a tense shudder. ¡°I- I- just have friends, that¡¯s all!¡± ¡°Friends,¡± His father clicked his tongue, the disapproval in his voice too eerily similar to what I¡¯d hear from my biological father, ¡°like you ever had any.¡± ¡°Enough.¡± I barked as Choirmen nodded at my arrival with them. ¡°Both of you, cooperate and this will be cleared soon.¡± Choirmen kept them all in the reception, noting me a job well done and ordering me and Anthony to dig deeper into the facility. I searched the ground floor, jacking into several Datacubes that relayed their information through my lenses. Account details, workshop inventory and specific mods of vehicles that were ordered¡­ some of those were bordering on breaking the law. I noted it down, but didn¡¯t press it forward right now since it would only derail the investigation. ¡°First floor¡¯s clean.¡± Anthony grumbled from a ledge above me. ¡°So is the ground.¡± I replied, before curiosity slipped through me. I funneled my Gold into the equipment around my wrist, feeling a sharp warm sting run up my arm and float around my skin. Instantly, I felt the resonating hymns of a hundred more electrical devices run around me. And beneath me, it was like a labyrinth of circuitry too scattered and varying in width and strength to be the city grid. My voice connected to Choirmen and Grazhe. ¡°There¡¯s a basement.¡± ¡°No records of it for the building¡¯s history.¡± Choirmen responded before a minute long pause. ¡°They¡¯re saying they don¡¯t know anything about it¡­ but mentioned the place was recently when they bought it two years ago. The younger one, Jayden, says he thinks it¡¯s back from when this place was run by old gangs in the earthquake. Jaegers used to own this place according to the records, and could have sealed it off once they sold the place away.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll look for an access down.¡± I said, before honing back on the electrical wavelengths flowing all around me. It felt like walking through a cloud with patches of thickness followed by a gap, but there was a pattern I¡¯d come to know over the last few days. I absorbed some more charge from my inert gun, not even enough to constitute a fifth of a round but it spiraled an aching shiver up and down my arm. To my senses, it was like my breathing developed another lung that stuffed information in, a shower of pricking air that held secrets from me. Air that flowed, running off to deposit into nodes of importance. I just needed to track downstream, or maybe it was upstream? Beneath me was a river of energy alongside reservoirs, but what I was looking for was weak and would be clouded by these huge fields of energy. Anthony yelled from across the space. ¡°Jones, are you just going to stand around or will you help?!¡± ¡°Give me a moment.¡± I said, too quietly for him to hear, while I was concentrating. If only we had someone with an Analyze function. Instead, my brain was on fire, I¡¯d tried separating the various fields into imaginary colors and sizes and depths and weights, but there was too much information running through me. It was like dunking my head into boiling water and deciphering the bubbles. I searched until I found a prickle, a small sensation I¡¯d come to know whenever any electrical sliding door opened to view. I walked over to where it would be directly underneath me, sensing the net of wires that spread off it like a spider¡¯s cobweb. And then it rose higher, the wiry threads spat up to this floor until it was running beneath my feet and running into an empty car-lift to take the vehicles higher up, except whereas the others only had wavelengths stretching upwards¡­ this one also pushed downwards. Bile sank into my throat, this would only be accessible by a worker here. ¡°I-it¡¯s one of them. Choirmen. Anthony was right-t.¡± I said sharply through the Neuralink. ¡°C-car lift goes into the basement, one of them has access to it.¡± The voice that came after wasn¡¯t the carefree one I¡¯d come to know, it was grim and tough like chewed bark. ¡°I understand.¡± I dropped into the lift, puzzling my way through the various controls until I found the wiring that ran downards wasn¡¯t in the actual gearbox but rather a hidden switch underneath it. ¡°Anthony! Need some backup! Found the way down!¡± He came in slowly, a displeased grimace planted on his face that stepped in right next to me. ¡°Got a bad feeling, one of us should stay back.¡± ¡°Choirmen¡¯s Second Rank and a Tier II Bronze.¡± I said, more to myself. ¡°He can handle it.¡± His stare fixed on me ¡ª ¡°I¡¯m Bronze Tier II as well, you know?¡± ¡ª but he nodded and I got the sense of an actual understanding between us. I clicked the button and we descended with a slow scrape of metal and concrete. Down into what I could only describe as the lair of a psychopath. ¡ª-------- Everything was lit brightly in effulgent green lights to a sickening degree, like they were trying to be so putrid to mask up the even more vile objects erected here. Shelves upon shelves of clear vats, each holding a pink slip or rod that was distinctly fleshy. Then I held my hand over my mouth, as though I thought it safeguard my own tongue from slipping in to join the collection. There was a thick smell of spices and gunpowder intermingling against the dampness of rotting flesh, harbored against a wall was a decaying but headless corpse stripped of all flesh where it¡¯s bones were used to prop up what seemed like circular bands with sharp legs sticking out of them. Anthony¡¯s voice broke from it¡¯s typical angst into one of unadulterated and sickened shock. ¡°What the fuck! There has to be like¡­ forty of them here!¡± Anthony¡¯s face was grave, anger and disgust sketching over him with bulging veins and fading color as we trailed deeper into this basement. Each container of a tongue had a name, gender, age and date alongside¡­ marination. Finding a Datacube, I opened it to find a recipe for¡­ a tongue sizzler with a portion for two. ¡°Oh¡­ what the¡­ what the fuck.¡± Anthony covered his mouth, stumbling back and gripping a table as his gaze shook against the dimly lit corners of the basement. He pointed over to another shelf over a workbench, and then I felt my stomach drop. There weren¡¯t just tongues. There were pieces of faces, chunks of jawbones, cheeks, skulls with eyes still in them ¡ª several of them buzzing with electrical wires stretching out of them as though they were still alive. I was thankful I decided against lunch. Loose skin sagged over metallic skulls like morbid taxedermy, facial augments to replace someone¡¯s image ¡ª and life. Another machine resembled a printer of sorts, weaving together a black cloth that briefly shimmered and took the texture of human skin. The one I was staring at, however, was one I¡¯d seen clearly when I first entered. Nathaniel, the old man who owned this shop, had his face sagging atop a steel skull. Pieces were ripped off like he was a cloth rag tossed into a shredder, edges of the skull it draped over poking out as though to torture the man in death. Tonguelasher had assumed his identity. I slammed my palm over the elevator button again and again, there was no time and the comms in my ear confirmed as much when Choirmen¡¯s voice broke throuh. ¡°Fuck, you two get over here now! Hostage situation!¡± At that point, I was hoping I could somehow charge energy into the elevator to get it¡¯s pitiful ascent to speed up, but that aspect of my power escaped me. In the end, all me and Anthony could do was hear the commotion growing as the elevator neared. A voice, aged and stiff with fear, yelled out. ¡°What the fuck are you doing Nath! Let me go!¡± ¡°Shut up or I¡¯ll rip your fucking tongue! God you don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ve wanted to do it! All your nagging and the way you treat the kid, I bet it would make good dog food!¡± That voice was utterly ragged and distorted, like multiple people speaking atop one another. ¡°Let him go, or I¡¯ll shoot!¡± Choirmen bluffed. ¡°Shoot if you want! I¡¯ll drink his blood from any hole! Drop your fucking weapon or I¡¯ll slit his throat¡± ¡°Stop, uncle Nathy! Let him go! Please, Investigator, just listen to him!¡± We threw ourselves into the reception like hurtling comets, my Braceshocker raised and ready. Nathaniel held a blade to ¡®his brother¡¯s¡¯ neck, a sharp wicked thing that swung out from the side of his thin arm like an army knife¡¯s many contraptions. His ¡®nephew¡¯ on the other hand was cowering in a corner, tears building at the edges of his eyes. Choirmen held his hands high¡­ his gun was on the floor. But his skin¡­ the veins on the back side out of Tonguelasher¡¯s view were bulging a crimson red. Blood missiles, I remembered. Choirmen¡¯s sly shift of gaze communicated his plan to me instantly. Nathaniel¡­ Tonguelasher forced his blank stare on us, it instantly lit up with glee as his voice dripped with malice. ¡°Don¡¯t make a move! I¡¯ve put an explosive in the boy''s frame¡­ one step and we all die!¡± Incoming Neurolink Comms: Third Investigator Anthony Grazhe I accepted, a sharp squeeze fixing into the back of my skull as- ¡°Disengage the comms now!¡± Tonguelasher screamed, a crazed laugh carelessly tearing a thin streak of red on the hostage¡¯s face. ¡°Think I wouldn¡¯t know! Think I¡¯m not smart! I can see that twitch, the drill of another¡¯s thought into your mind from miles away! I would know-! Hahaha!¡± Anthony¡¯s voice slithered out as the comms disengaged, his eyes dilating. ¡°What do you want?¡± I knew he¡¯d used his powers, but it was like a faint whisper compared to the oppressive atmosphere compared to the overbearing pressure of truth I¡¯d felt from his grandfather and aunt. Subtle¡­ ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious!¡± Tonguelasher squealed, his voice only growing more maniacal as his blade dragged along the skin of his false face, revealing pure wiry musculature underneath. ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever tried it? Maybe I¡¯ll feed you one so you know what you¡¯re missing out on! This bastard¡¯s shop was good cover, now I¡¯ll have to find a new one!¡± Kule tensed, trying to struggle. ¡°What the fuck are you talking about, Nath, did you take your meds-!¡± Tonguelasher¡¯s strained the blade so tight against Kyle¡¯s throat I¡¯d feared a stray breath could tear his windpipe. ¡°Oh, like you have any right to talk! I wonder which way I¡¯ll cook your tongue, or maybe I¡¯ll feed your boy to you!¡± ¡°Nath, what the fuck are you-¡± ¡°Tonguelasher, maybe I¡¯ll take you up on that offer¡­ would you cook a meal for me?¡± Anthony said, a turn so sudden I¡¯d briefly been taken off from the tense situation. Tonguelasher¡¯s eyes went wide, like a drug was circulating inside of him. ¡°So you see it then¡­ it¡¯s a remarkable feeling to consume your own kind. Assimilation, ever heard of it? They say that¡¯s the secret to the MALswarm¡¯s strength, I¡¯ve been telling everyone for years about how good it feels to make another¡¯s flesh your own.¡± ¡°What made you start?¡± Anthony asked, his own eyes widening as though to take in the entirety of the situation. Tonguelasher looked like he¡¯d been caught in a hypnotic trance, his focus held on Anthony like he was about to eat my partner. ¡°I was a Nomad once, needed to eat so I killed one of my clan¡­ I¡¯d felt disgusted¡­ until, until I wasn¡¯t. The Implant showed me where it tasted good, that I could indulge where I used to feel pain. In the city, everyone¡¯s clean¡­ there¡¯s no radiation spoiling your genes. This place is a restaurant to a starving man.¡± Anthony¡¯s voice grew coarser, strained, his eyes becoming bloodshot. ¡°That why you killed the corporate, Johnathon Kubrick?¡± ¡°Oh no, I stay far away from the corporates¡­ I just cleaned up someone else¡¯s mess there. Corps are too nosy, even I know that but¡­ but¡­ the scrappers are everywhere, no one cares about if they go missing. May not taste as good as someone who¡¯s body is unspoiled, but the tongues¡­ they can¡¯t be spoiled.¡± It wasn¡¯t him? If that piece of information troubled Anthony, it wasn¡¯t shown. Dribbles of sweat poured across his face, and his eyes were so red I was questioning whether he or Tonguelasher looked more on drugs at the moment. ¡°What would it take for us all to walk free?¡± ¡°The girl¡­¡± Tonguelasher¡¯s eyes held me in the center of their wide orbs. ¡°She¡­ she¡¯s gene-edited ¡ª my Implant tells me she¡¯s from a Cradle. Perfection. I can feel it, she¡¯s special. I don¡¯t just want her tongue¡­ I want everything. Her bones, her flesh¡­ I want to know how it tastes.¡± A primal dread scratched my bones, begging me to move but as I saw the kid¡¯s face contort with each words out of the man who replaced his uncle¡­ I couldn¡¯t show weakness. Anthony¡¯s expression shifted slightly, but it was like hands were holding him in place. ¡°We can give you anything you want, but for that¡­ we need you to do something.¡± Tonguelasher himself was also afixed in gripped hands hidden from my sight, every bit of his body was frozen solid under the weight of the conversation. ¡°What¡­?¡± Anthony¡¯s eyes met mine as he nodded. ¡°You need to drop the blade.¡± The blade fell like a pendulum, as though it had grown too heavy for the mercenary to hold. It almost seemed like a careless lapse of thought, and that was something I¡¯d only grown more assured off when he suddenly squeezed tight and began to lift the blade back up. I didn¡¯t have the time to question it. I¡¯d already started moving since I wouldn¡¯t have a clear shot from the angle I was in, my electrical pumps of adrenaline pushing me over the edge as the hand I stretched open arced threads of jolting blue around my fingernails. He panicked in slow-motion, clear as day when he seemed stuck between the options of attacking me or taking out the hostage. I hoped it would be me, and it seemed that way as I saw his face twist in fury and the bladed arm slowly curved away from the hostage. It¡¯s scythe stretched across the distance in a maddened slash, I¡¯d let it hit me¡­ even if I was hurt, the charge resting would awaken and drill into him. That would give Choirmen the opening, just another second and- A crimson streak slapped Tonguelasher¡¯s cheek, drenching into the musculature underneath. Blood splattered the walls, on top of me and around the entire room. I froze, my body shaking as I stared at the scene. Half of Tonguelasher¡¯s face was gone, a metallic skull exposed and dented as bits of brain dripped from the fractured steel. His body slumped lifelessly. But it wasn¡¯t him I was staring at. The hostage¡­ the kid¡¯s father¡­ Kyle, he was- half of his neck was missing. Choirmen quickly put pressure on the man¡¯s neck and immediately sent out a ping for MEDevac. It happened so quick, one second Tonguelasher was hesitating and then the next both fell to the floor with parts of their head and neck exploded. My eyes fell on the guilty face of Choirmen, and anger ¡ª promoted to fury by the adrenaline ¡ª slipping out. ¡°Why¡¯d you take the shot.¡± ¡°He could have killed you¡­¡± Choirmen huffed, his right hand dripping with an open wound of torn skin and burst blood vessels on its back side. ¡°I saved you. Civilian deaths happen, I ain¡¯t letting you die¡­. That was a stupid plan from both of you, now let¡¯s clean things u-¡° Motion flashed. Blood sprayed. Tluste Choirmen¡¯s body crumpled over the reception floor as someone stuck a mechanical blade through his side. Kyle¡¯s son, Jayden, pushed me aside and wrestled the blade deeper into Choirmen before a whack sent him stumbling aside. I went to stop him again, but something was strange, the way that kid moved his eyes ¡ª a gaze that was too calm, not the kind you would see in a kid who just lost his father ¡ª swept over me. Then he jumped back, mechanical shifts and whirs exploding over his body from his arm down to his legs. I grabbed Choirmen¡¯s wound, a laceration along his ribs that I¡¯d definitely felt were sliced through, blood fell like a waterfall over my hands and I didn¡¯t know if spraying an Iron-Grade MedSpray over the wound- ¡°Get him, Jones! I can take this!¡± Choirmen pushed me aside to stare at Jayden¡­ his arms were thin blades and his legs bulged with pumping chords of Bronze fluid. ¡°That¡¯s Concealed Combat Shardware! Kid¡¯s a merc too!¡± Jayden blurred, moving too quick for my like a sentinel of mechanical death. But not towards me, his feet skated backwards to dodge the three shots launched by Anthony¡¯s pistol before gritting his face into a snarl and slipping through a doorway. ¡°Diana, we can¡¯t let him go!¡± Anthony yelled, pushing forward to chase the kid who retreated back into the main garage. ¡°Go! You fucking worry too much!¡± Choirmen yelled, and that pushed my adrenaline to just the limit I needed to force my legs to blast my body forward. Who the hell was that kid? Were there more people in Tonguelasher¡¯s operations? I¡¯d only know once I apprehended him. Blood and Steel C24: Tonguelasher? Chapter 24: Tonguelasher Chat between two Users of anonymous Abyssnet Forum-site, VortexEYE. Jaymeat: Hey, you¡¯re the merc who kills people and takes their tongues right? T/L: I¡¯m a connoisseur of finer taste, what¡¯s it to you? Jaymeat: Nothing much, just curious¡­ I tried it you know? T/L: Ate a tongue? Jaymeat: A cat¡¯s. Didn¡¯t taste like much, too chewy and rough. T/L: Cats have sharper folliates on their tongues to clean themselves, that¡¯s why you need to try it with real humans. Jaymeat: But I can¡¯t¡­ it just feels¡­ wrong. T/L: It felt wrong for me once, but let me tell you a secret. Jaymeat: A secret to what? T/L: To feeling nothing but joy. You need a BUG with Psyche on it, it¡¯ll twist your guilt into joy. Jaymeat: Sounds kind of fucked¡­ wouldn¡¯t even know where to get a BUG. My family can hardly even keep our garage afloat. T/L: Your family, they care for you? Jaymeat: Not really. T/L: Don¡¯t worry, this is a safe space. I¡¯m here for you, we¡¯ve got common taste after all. Jaymeat: My uncle¡­ he hits me and does things to me. My dad drinks after my mom left¡­ I¡¯m not very happy here. I want to run away. T/L: I used to be hit as well. My mother. Jaymeat: Does it get easier? T/L: Once they¡¯re no longer there, it does. Jaymeat: Like when I leave? T/L: No. Only when they¡¯re in the grave. Jaymeat: ¡­I hope that happens soon. T/L: I can help you with that. Jaymeat: I don¡¯t have any money. T/L: You don¡¯t need it. I¡¯m just helping a friend. Jaymeat: I¡¯m not sure we¡¯re friends. T/L: Do you want to be? I don¡¯t bite¡­ when they¡¯re alive. Jaymeat: Lmao¡­ maybe? I just feel really alone, even the others think I¡¯m weird. T/L: You¡¯re not. You¡¯re someone who has found a joy the lessers cannot. Jaymeat: Maybe. T/L: You always say maybe, when was the last time you were sure about something? Jaymeat: I don¡¯t know. T/L: Do you want help with that? We can figure it out together. Jaymeat: How? T/L: Let me cook you dinner, we¡¯ll talk it out there. Jaymeat: They won¡¯t let me stay out that late. T/L: Then lunch. Jaymeat: I think that could work. You won¡¯t kill me, right? T/L: Not someone who is as special as you are, let someone who understands you take care of you for a few minutes. I wish I could¡¯ve gotten what I¡¯m offering you. Jaymeat: It sounds¡­ appetizing. ;) T/L: You¡¯re a funny one haha. I like that, I think we can get along very well. Jaymeat: You think so? You¡¯re a mercenary¡­ I¡¯m just a 13 year old kid. T/L: To you, I¡¯ll be Uncle Lennon. 7:58 PM Diana I didn¡¯t understand what was happening, all I knew was that Jayden¡­ the kid had stabbed Choirmen with Shardware that he couldn¡¯t even enter a store to peruse at. Anthony slid into cover behind a parked car, a whizzing shot sparking off the hood and ricocheting to snap dust in a wall to my right. ¡°Shit¡­ he¡¯s got speed implants, not a good shot though. Must be used to his blades.¡± Anthony whispered as I took cover beside him, checking the charge of my gun. Braceshocker Charge: 94% Current shot output: 30% (Non-Lethal) [Will use 9% charge per shot] I¡¯d got ten shots per rod, and enough ammo to put an end to this. Another bullet sent glass shattering above me, the door vibrating against my body. As it was, the multiple levels of cars stored on elevators could easily be used by him to gain verticality and pressure us from above. Those piston-like legs were fast and strong but lacked dexterity. I just needed to charge my own body¡­ I reduced the output to 10% before shooting myself in the arm with a crunch of electricity which sent a violent spasm through my arm. ¡°Shit, Jones!¡± Anthony began, but I covered his mouth with a hand not cradled in biting strands. ¡°Quiet¡­¡± I whispered, but the pain transformed it into a snarl, ¡°kid could be above us in the elevators, can¡¯t let him escape. We could split up or-¡° ¡°No, I¡¯ll need you near me for this.¡± He breathed deeply, stuffing air into his chest which shot out in a tearing yell that shook my bones. ¡°Jayden! That¡¯s your name, right!¡± A voice yelled back, still on this floor but concealed by cars of all ages and shapes. ¡°It is!¡± ¡°That was your father who died, you must be feeling pretty bad right now, let us help you!¡± ¡°I never cared about that bastard! But you killed uncle Lennon! I don¡¯t want your help! I¡¯ll kill you bastards!¡± The voice shifted around, jumping from the side to above like a mantis. Lennon¡­ that was the name of Tonguelasher. ¡°Then do that! Come out here and fight us!¡± Anthony yelled, his eyes bloodshot and breath jerking. We heard a thumph close to us followed by a gut-wrenching scream. ¡°I will!¡± The yell might as well have been right by our ears, and when I lifted my head over to see where he was I saw him standing openly on the other side of the car with a foot planted on it. The leg was a large mechanical contraption, wires and chords tangled through it towards a large piston where his foot was supposed to be. Bronze mist expunged as the piston slammed forward, the car tilting slightly over us. ¡°Fuck!¡± Anthony yelled, then pushed out his lips in a whistling shape to expel a pellet of copper-shaded air in between us. It exploded into a wave of force that knocked us both aside just as the car rolled over like it had been t-boned by a truck. ¡°Why are you doing this, Jayden?!¡± I held my gun out, still prone on the floor but refusing to shoot. There was always another way. He was just a kid, his father died so his emotions were getting the better of- He leaped towards me like a starved panther, twin bladed-arms slamming down to pierce where my head had been moments before I commanded the electricity to flow into my legs in a desperate bid to avoide the next slash. My back slammed into a wall as he yelled, torn concrete by his feet. ¡°My name isn¡¯t Jayden!¡± Air knocked out of my lungs, that was hardly the thing I could waste my brain on when he struck out like a coiled viper to stab at me. Again, I wrenched the energy through my body like a violent snap of a whip, pushing my limbs to avoid him. Metallic blades skirted over my hair, but I was in close range now. Three shots from my gun each struck his Shardware arms, sending sparks and embers scattering off them. They spasmed out of his control for a moment, but he recovered too quickly for my next two shots. I tore a second to look at Anthony who was trying to get himself off the floor, his eyes were entirely red with blood and a weak wheeze was all to comfort me. I would have to do this one my ow- He kicked me before I could even blink, the piston crushing into the softness of my abdomen like a meteor. Pained throes boomed from my stomach as my body slammed into a car, every sap of electricity in my body carelessly shedding into the metal. Black swirls clouded my vision, and my body felt numb as the energy fueling my increased spike of focus slipped away. The only thing I could feel was a warm bath in the darkness. Jayden walked towards me, those piston legs pounding into the floor like an elephant¡¯s. I tried to fight the inevitable failing of my limbs, begging them to listen. To resist the aching misery. Pain unlike any other clawed from my foot to my chest and eyes, my vision teary eyed but still clearly making out one of the man¡¯s bladed arm¡¯s scythed into my shin. A vision clawed at me, one of Ripley with his own leg twisted under rubble. I tried to gag, but the overwhelming agony grabbed me so viscerally that I was both frozen and shaking in place. My hair was grabbed to stare at him, those emotionless eyes so blank of thought there might as well have been nothing there. Then he lifted a device out from a compartment in his legs, it resembled a spider to a degree with four mechanical arms sticking out of a round ring. He fastened it over my mouth, each invading leg taking refuge against my lips and fastening to the back of my head, prying my mouth open until it was painfully stretched so wide I thought it would tear. ¡°Now¡­ I can get that tongue without you biting me¡­¡± He purred as he leaned in so close, so fucking close that his very stare was a violation. I tried to raise my hands but they betrayed me with exhaustion, all I wanted to do was tear his eyes out! ¡°You know¡­¡± He began, his voice chuckling with glee. ¡°Uncle Lennon always used to take things too fast in my opinion, he would slash their tongues out and then prick them in the neck and be done with it¡­ I take my time. I remove it and let you bleed out¡­ but the best part is that I have fun with you while it happens¡­ you understand?¡± Fuck you! I summoned every bit of resistance left with a grasp of my arms around his throat, but an easy whack from his arms pinned then down, then¡­ fuck! He reached with his hand¡ª the two violating digits entering my mouth and- His body flew to the side, a bullet of compacted air slamming into him just before he could reach for my¡­ for my tongue. I so badly wanted to gag, but my mouth was extended so far out of shape I couldn¡¯t even move it. I bellowed forward a pained cry in hopes that it would get me to act, helpless to watch as Jayden lifted himself off the ground in seconds, staring at his aggressor. Anthony¡¯s voice had never been so nice to hear, even if it came from a man who looked like he¡¯d torn his own vocal chords and could barely stand. ¡°You said your name isn¡¯t Jayden?¡± It¡¯s Warp-modified cadence froze my attacker in place, his furious gaze covering Anthony in the shadow of their eclipse. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then what is it?¡± Anthony was once more stuck in that phase of blankness, red-eyed and layered in sweat. ¡°Tongueslasher.¡± Anthony laughed, exaggeratingly so with every bit of mocking intent. ¡°That so, your dumbass was so fucking uncreative you just added a letter to that name? Your wannabe ass is just a knockoff! Prove me otherwise!¡± It was like an invisible rope yanked Tongueslasher forward, his body contorted in such utter rage and fury I could feel it in a radiating cowl. Then he pushed out of the patches of my sight, disappearing into the swirls of faded darkness. All I could hear was the ensuing slashing, grating metal that shivered me down, scraping away at my consciousness. I just needed electricity but damn it! My gun had been knocked away! The ammunition in my pockets was useless, they were just chemicals that reacted! I needed my weapon, but it was hidden behind the veil of fatigue. Yet, I could feel it, a comforting warmth from a few meters away thanks to my mutations. I wish I could¡¯ve bit my tongue to distract me from the clawing darkness begging me to succumb, but I only had my thoughts to get me through it. That warmth, it was so much like the fireplace I¡¯d sat by in my childhood. The good parts, the later parts after the Cradle, before my biological father stole me away from my true one. That man whose last name I carried. Yorrick Jones. My body clenched, arms reigniting just a tiny bit to push against the car behind me. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Everywhere I went, people were out to take advantage of me. And for what? I was pretty? I was gene-edited? I¡¯d never chosen that, that was designed by the Cradle engineers so I could be sold as a luxury product. The only person who didn¡¯t take advantage of me, ironically, was the man who¡¯d bought me. Yorrick Jones. He¡¯d saved me from a worse fate at the hand of the corporations. Now, he was less visible to me than a flicker in the disappearing embers that sparked off that fireplace. But true warmth wasn¡¯t just fire¡­ it was¡­ safety. That heat which could melt away the frigid wind of your thoughts, of a time you¡¯d hated. But needed. Yvette¡­ I remembered that night like it was yesterday. How cold the january wind was, the stolen jacket I huddled under as The Pleasure Lanes breathed in revelry unbeknownst to the misery I had gone through. Running away from Brian Ulrich had been necessary, but it was so difficult. But all that cold led me to the warmest hug I¡¯d ever received. It led me to my best friend, Yvette¡­ and my life had changed after that. It had order, I became a part of keeping order. Of saving people, of being their warmth. I was close. Close to both the darkness and the light. There was only one thing left I could cling onto. The Gold inside of me, the power to adapt, to change no matter what life throws. To fight. To beat the shit out of people like Tonguelasher. Could I just fade away like this? I didn¡¯t even know what my Gold meant, why did I have a 99% compatibility? Why did we have 99%? Who was the Dogwhistler? Why orchestrate an attack on the First Precinct only to shift their plans halfway? The thoughts gnawed at me, enough to keep me away from the darkness¡­ enough that I could grip the fire shaped in the form of a gun. The embers scattered into me, their warmth burning off the cold in an inferno that stormed through me with a vendetta. But it wasn¡¯t enough, so I squeezed the barrel into my palm. The instant shot of fire reminded me too much of the wound on my leg, but it still wasn¡¯t enough. I shot again, and the bubble of darkness popped into a shattering roof of sound and vision. I still needed more! ¡°Output!¡± My voice wrenched out like a banshee¡¯s. ¡°Maximum!¡± I shot myself again, this time feeling my entire body burn like I¡¯d dipped myself in lava. The world screamed at me to stop, but the next shot hurt even more, then the third hurt less¡­ then it was out. Everything was so bright, so damn bright! Lights around me flickered, one snapping out after the other like an angry ghost was crunching them¡­ each drawing energy deeper into me until there was a bubbling volcano yelling from my core. Both of my hands reached up to the contraption keeping my mouth open, then I dropped them. I didn¡¯t need them. My mouth slammed shut with the fueling storm writhing within, crunching the metal that I spat out along with blood. My silver eyes locked onto Tongueslasher, his blade held out to Anthony¡¯s tongue which forcefully pried out of a gaping mouth held in the same mechanism I had been in. I pushed forward with a single step, my next foot landed in the Tonguelasher¡¯s jaw. Lightning snapped through him, crackling out of his Nueroframe in an instant. His eyes rolled back into his skull ¡ª but I wasn¡¯t finished! My hand gripped his throat, a thunderstorm tearing through his body with every moment of contact. He tried to raise his arm, but a single wrench from my own disarmed him. Literally. Torn scraps of metal tossed into the air as his arm came loose like a child breaking apart a toy. I held the bladed-arm above him, and it came down like a scythe from the reaper. Blood spurted from the back of his neck, and then he fell. I killed him. Jayden. Tongueslasher. The thought came like some foreign entity was telling me a fact about myself I didn¡¯t know. But as I felt the droplets of blood sliding down my face like tears, it hit me about as hard as my kick had hit him. Adrenaline kept me standing, my vision flickering between dream and reality¡­ but then it settled onto reality. Bile and puke spilled from my empty stomach onto the floor. Forcing myself up, I gave a shallow stare towards Anthony¡­ oh fuck, his mouth was still in that mechanism. Cleaning my trembling fingers against my uniform, I grasped them over the contraption, a few painful crackles of blue visibly burning over where they flaked into his skin. Then the metal bent and snapped off. He took a deep breaths the moment it was off, wide-eyed staring at me then flicking to the body of Tongueslasher, then back at me. ¡°Diana¡­ what was that?!¡± He touched around his own mouth, flinching where small patches of red had come from contact with my fingers. ¡°What the¡­ what the hell? You just got your Implant, right?¡± I stayed silent as I offered my hand to help him up, but then the way he cautiously stared at them told me that was probably a bad idea. I nodded ¡ª ¡°Yeah, sorry.¡± ¡ª then pat my hand against a car¡¯s hood to discharge the remaining energy off me. It¡¯s headlights exploded¡­ and he just continued staring at me. It seemed that the moment lasted for hours before his lips finally moved. ¡°What kind of Implant did you get?¡± The Warp-drenched question clawed at my head, but the surging pulse of energy within me cleared it out easily like a single fire singing a dried leaf. Despite that, despite all of that¡­ my heart drained away as I looked upon the body I¡¯d left lifeless on the floor. This was my first time killing someone, and I¡¯d done it¡­ when it wasn¡¯t necessary. Why did it feel¡­ so empty? So false? Like I¡¯d had the right to? I know he didn¡¯t even ask it with the assumption that I¡¯d had anything other than a Silver, but out of pure confusion. I was already lying to myself about the fake self-hatred I should be feeling, as I paradoxically debated within about the necessity of it. Death was the furthest thing from rare in this city, but to have it spill into the crowded streets from your own hands? All I felt was the nagging itch that I¡¯d betrayed myself, that I needed to make up for the falsehood I¡¯d become. ¡°Gold.¡± I said the fact like I was ashamed off it, but instead I was met with a maniacal laughter pouring out of Anthony. ¡°Your father gave you a fucking gold? And I thought nepotism was bad in my family.¡± ¡°Not my father.¡± I really wasn¡¯t surprised that he knew. He was the Lieutenant¡¯s nephew after all. ¡°Then from whe-¡° His eyes widened even further than I thought possible. ¡°The club? The MAL?¡± As my gaze dawned on the man I¡¯d killed, his jaw already shattered and a blade struck through the broken mouth, I whispered. ¡°Yeah.¡± Anthony took a deep breath. ¡°You¡¯re explaining this over drinks.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª 12:32 AM The cleanup had been messy¡­ three dead bodies. A civilian death and two mercenaries, no family so there wouldn¡¯t be any additional charges¡­ but that was the least of my concern ¡ª everything was signed to a will for Jayden¡¯s mother, his parents had been divorced. I still had questions, but they wouldn¡¯t come to be known until much later once the Analyst team figured out what was in the encrypted Datacubes of the basement. I reorganized my thoughts, choosing to focus on the here-and-now¡­ right now, I had to figure out a way to make sure I didn¡¯t become a raging alcoholic with the way I was downing this drink. We sat in a quiet corner, me and Anthony. Choirmen was in critical condition with a punctured lung and diaphragm, but he¡¯d stopped the bleeding with his blood-mutations. He would survive, but be out of active duty for a week to recover. ¡°You healed your leg too, you know.¡± Anthony¡¯s words shook me out of the day¡¯s events. I ran my hand over the dress I¡¯d worn now, lingering on the scarless part of my leg. Not that I¡¯d ever had a scar in my life, my genes weren¡¯t allowed to produce flawed skin. ¡°I heal using electricity.¡± ¡°Like the MAL?¡± ¡°¡­Like the MAL.¡± I sighed. Anthony stayed quiet at that, then whispered conspiratorily. ¡°My¡­ own powers don¡¯t work at an instant. Which means you told me about your Implant out of your own will. They take a moment to get in tune¡­ I need to align if that makes sense.¡± ¡°Align?¡± ¡°I need to probe into their thoughts and identity, and put them into a form of hypnotic state. Not the exact variant my grandfather and aunt have, but it has the capacity to grow beyond theirs. The more I understand and reach into who they are¡­ the more I really feel like them, the more I can suggest.¡± ¡°You¡¯re telling me this, why?¡± I took another exhaustful sip of my drink. He stirred for a second, looking off to the side. ¡°Because you trusted me, been a while since someone did that.¡± I nodded, not entirely listening, but sort of appreciative of the openness. ¡°You mean you¡¯re keeping this a secret.¡± ¡°I spill about you, that puts a target on me from your dad. Besides it¡¯s bad enough having a rookie Silver, a rookie Gold would have people purposefully committing crimes just for the chance they could get you to investigate. You know what I¡¯m saying?¡± I did. ¡°It would be better if I was off the field.¡± ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re not going to listen to me.¡± Anthony gulped his beer down. ¡°Hell, I didn¡¯t listen to that when my aunt said it to me.¡± I slid my tired gaze over to him. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°My power, my vocal mutation¡­ It works through digital communication as well, assuming it replicates my voice perfectly. Something in the specific frequency of my voice changes, peering deeper into your soul as I call it. Doesn¡¯t require me to be there in person.¡± I spilled my drink hearing that, a good thing then that there was barely anything left. ¡°You said my mutation was special. How does that even work?¡± ¡°I just¡­ resonate with them, I guess. My mutation requires me to literally think like a criminal. Hate it when they have Psyche, especially when they enter a negative feed-back loop like the Tonguelashers did.¡± I paused, there was something in the way the kid¡¯s face changed in a moment. I¡¯d seen it before on Ripley. ¡°Elaborate.¡± ¡°Psyche keeps your mind safe, ensuring that it isn¡¯t overburdened and stuff from the shit you think. Like, look, depression occurs during periods of your life when the stress of life and emotional strain takes a toll on you, so your brain shuts off the feeling of¡­ feeling. It¡¯s an adaptational response. Psyche is like a thousand times worse, it can warp the things that made you feel shitty into neutral things, then into positively reinforcing goals. Tonguelasher likely cannibalized out of desperation back when he was a Nomad, and the Feature turned his grief into enjoyment for the sake of survival.¡± ¡°Does compatibility have anything to do with it?¡± I felt a tightness in my throat. He scrunched up as I asked the question, but released more information regardless. ¡°I suppose? The higher your compatibility, the more you consciously control your Implant¡¯s development. Higher than 80%, there¡¯s even subconscious input, small things reflecting in big changes. But less than 1% of Adapters are that high, even fewer in the 90s¡­ like I¡¯m thinking less than one in every hundred-thousand?¡± I¡¯d researched the numbers on my own, it still boggled me. ¡°What compat do you think they were at? The Tonguelashers.¡± ¡°Kid might have been in the 80s, older one¡­ high 70s. Shit¡¯s rare, but it happens¡­ Anyway, enough about this. The MAL¡¯s Implant, how?¡± I took a deep breath, guess it was my time. That conversation took a while, involved alot of blank stares and ¡®what the fucks¡¯ and maybe the drink slipped a little too much out of me when I confirmed that¡­ ¡°So yeahhh Ripley¡¯s got the Gold. His mother¡¯s also really cool, we met and talked about how the police may have been targeted.¡± I could see him enter the world of 20th century television with how much color vanished off his skin. ¡°You know¡­ you knowingly let a criminal escape with Gold, right.¡± Sober me would come to regret a lot of the words I said. ¡°He¡¯s not a real criminaaal. He¡¯s more like a stray puppy, just one that¡¯s surrounded by a lot of big bad wolves.¡± ¡°Yeah but he¡¯s knowingly associated with criminals. Metal Heavens at that. This is big, Dogwhistler, the potential attack¡­ all of it. And¡­ fuck, fuuuuck!¡± He grabbed his hair. ¡°What?¡± ¡°My grandfather. He said that the raid was big in a family group chat not too long ago, said that he had good feelings that things were going to change for¡­ well, for him and my aunt.¡± I noticed the absence of his name in the equation. ¡°He knew there was something up with it, had to have, maybe he was in contact with Dogwhistler or maybe somewhere they slipped up information and he got it from a contact. And now¡­¡± ¡°Maybe your aunt has all of that in her hands.¡± I rested my head against the table, this was too much. ¡°Which means that maybe¡­ just maybe, I can get her to tell me something.¡± ¡°You¡¯re helping?¡± I tried to sound sincere, but I couldn¡¯t budge my head off the table. ¡°I mean- I, look, I never wanted this job because¡­ I¡¯d seen it for what it actually was. You can thank my grandfather for that. But they¡¯d tested my Implant with everyone in the family, I had the highest compatibility at 77% so it wasn¡¯t a choice.¡± ¡°Cool lore¡­¡± I sighed, knowing I sounded like an ass but it was all I could manage. ¡°Like, understand this ¡ª I didn¡¯t want this job. Still don¡¯t. Sure my life before the force wasn¡¯t the best, but I did everything I could to get myself fired so I could do what I actually wanted. They didn¡¯t let me, so I just went for whatever was most exciting. Fucked me over today. But¡­ hearing what¡¯s going on in the background. If I can get involved with it, I think I¡¯d actually make a difference.¡± ¡°Are we not?¡± That was a question I think was meant more for myself. He still answered, I guess there was some wisdom in there from his familial police-rooted tree. ¡°We¡¯re keeping the status quo. But this, this is huge. This is¡ª a chance to help people. To uncover something big.¡± The enthusiasm that spilled from him was something I¡¯d never expected from him, and it was what drew my head up from the table. And I was surprised, the man I¡¯d seen with a scowl or a glum frown now had an almost hopeful glint in his eyes. I chuckled. ¡°You said you had a dream before the force, what was it?¡± His face shaded pinker, but steeled to look me in the eye. ¡°I wanted to sing.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ who would have thunk?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Anthony was at least a gentleman, getting me safe back to my apartment before we bid farewell. It would be a long, hungover day tomorrow, but I suspected I had something to help with that. The Mutagen I had gotten. First though, I¡¯d need to replace my lenses, pushing all of that energy into my body required me to reboot my Neuroframe and had fried my lenses as my dried eyes had quickly known. Meaning that in a stroke of luck, the recording footage of the day had been scrubbed off my frame¡¯s memory. Only when I connected to my laptop did I see the improvements in my Mutations. You have developed the Mutations: Electrical Conduction, Pacemaker and Unstable Biology to 100%. Implant Tier: Convergence [62%] Tier 0: Barely a week, and I¡¯d crossed 50%¡­ shit, and another Meta-Mutation for Electrical Conduction, Unstable Biology and Electromagnetic Sense. To conduct electricity from further ranges when additional Warp Energy is used, to develop my mutations faster during healing, and to map the electromagnetic fields I sense in a¡­ spatial visualization. It was the same way you could close your eyes and have a rough idea of what your room looked like. With three Mutations developed¡­ I was thinking it would be safe to add on the rest I¡¯d bought with Yvette. Four injections into my femoral artery of eerie, candescent liquid went through. Maybe I was pushing the limit, but my body was dealing with Gold¡­ Iron Mutagen should be a cakewalk. The laptop took a while to register the change, my Frame sending a painful spark down my spine. You have injected yourself with mutagen¡­ analy-z-z-zing. Ah yeah, shit, I¡¯d definitely fucked something up with my frame after today¡¯s overcharge. I needed it checked out. Maybe it would be a good excuse to see Ripley, it¡¯s been a while¡­ But for now, I surrendered myself to the comfort of my bed. A good night¡¯s rest was long deserved -- and the only thing that would distract me right now... My sleeping thoughts fluttered dimly to the faint pressure I''d felt as my foot his Tongueslasher''s, he''d just been a kid. Not knowing any better. Next time, I would find a way to change things. I had to. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Incoming Message from Non-contact [NeoCore ID: Archangel] [The Herald said we should talk, let¡¯s meet.] Blood and Steel C25: Livewire Chapter 25: Livewire On the concept of Warp Materials. private findings by NeoCore researcher, Dr Hamza Sayeed; PhD in Warp Chemistry and Warp Physics. It has been contentious among the scientific community as to whether the atoms within Warped Elements should be classified using the periodic table or not. The introduction of various Grades and even Tendencies into the particles can alter known elements and compounds into extremely varied materials with unique properties. More commonly known as Warped Materials. Or even as Aetheriums, to some scholars. To produce Warp Materials is no easy feat. It requires an exact understanding of a pre-existing chemical formula, then requires a specific grade of Warp Energy and Tendency associated with the needed Warp Material to be used with a molecular fabricator. More commonly, they are harvested directly from the bodily remains of the MALswarm. Once a Warp Material has been created in sufficient quantities, it has the ability to ¡®infect¡¯ any mixture containing its original non-warped formula. As such, each Warp Material is patented, their formulas kept hidden from competing corporations. Warp Materials tend to combine existing qualities of known materials, for example water¡¯s ability to fill a vessel can be combined with metal to provide an almost mercury-like substance that can store vast quantities of electricity. Mazhyr has come to coin this substance as Surgesilver. Syntec owns the patent to Holo-wire, which is actually an electromagnetically-controllable gas that absorbs specific frequencies of light and converts it into kinetic energy. Imperium holds control over Yttrium Steel, a form of wood grown on gene-modified trees that can absorb the element Yttrium and produce a complex alloy on their bark serving as one of the most widely used materials in Shardware. Haithama¡¯s hold over the ultra-lightweight yet durable Wildfiber possesses the qualities of carbon-fiber while also maintaining the ability to produce an electric current under high temperatures. As of today, there are 187 known and unique Warp Materials, and many more Warped Elements can be formed under the right conditions. These are often used as the mechanism in Esper¡¯s and Mutant¡¯s control over the forces of nature. Warped oxygen tends to be extremely flammable and is common in Pyro-type Espers, while some Mutants can warp parts of their body such as their blood into becoming as hard as iron through an alteration of their platelets and coagulation cascade. The question arises then, how can we as the scientific community study and constrain such variable substances under the norms of the rules we established pre-swarm? Although scientific evidence exists for a degree of order within the nature of Warp Energy, there is as much proof of the contrary. Only time will tell whether we can truly quantify these quote-un-quote ¡®mystical¡¯ properties of thought-based energy. 11:12 AM June 10th Ripley If I was stressed carrying around 100k worth of Shardware just five days ago, I was on the edge of crumbling to my knees wearing the removable parts of the Endoskeleton and holding the Optics plus those three trinkets in my jacket. As for the EnSkel itself, that locker room had been secure enough my entire life so I figured it would be best to leave that hunk of weight there for now. But on my body was perhaps the most troublesome object¡­ the Livewire, a fucking, never-seen-before, Warp Material?! My mind had already run an obstacle course just trying to understand how my grandfather had managed a military-grade EnSkel, but to create a Warp Material required two things. Luck, and the smarts to understand that luck. Sure, you could tinker with chemicals all year long, inserting millions of Shardyne worth of Warp Energy in there and you might never even know you came across a Warp Material until you played with it a bit. Even then to determine exactly what formed it required you to tinker with every single variable; what Grade did you use, what was the temperature, concentration? PH, atmospheric makeup, light intensity, catalysts, did flakes of your skin get on it, were you looking at it, how were the stars aligned? I wished I was joking. It¡¯s known that Leapstone, a Warp Material that was incredibly bouncy, for some reason only formed on leap-years. And¡­ god, Livewire? That could refer to so many things, but I¡¯d promised my mother I¡¯d show her what I came across first first before experimenting. ¡°Ripley, cmon, pretty please, will you just let us look at it?¡± Twilight egged me on for the hundredth time since I¡¯d left. ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡± I cautiously muttered, I didn¡¯t even want to say the word out loud for fear that anyone could suspect something. ¡°With your luck.¡± She pouted. ¡°We¡¯re going to get attacked again, those skimpy arms make for a nice chew-bone.¡± ¡°Hey I¡¯m working out now!¡± ¡°Yeah but like, until you start gymming out there¡¯s no way you¡¯re ever going to impress me. Midnight might though, she has a thing for guys like you.¡± ¡°Guys like me?¡± ¡°Yeah, men who are too weak to look her in the eye. The kind who she can gobble right up.¡± She skipped ahead of me with a teasing glint in her violet eyes, it was becoming easier than ever to hold the Avatar in my sight for hours on end now, a mix of my Neuroframe¡¯s upgrade and the progressing Convergence between me and my Implant. I decided to indulge in her teasing. ¡°Maybe I should meet her then, you and Daylight aren¡¯t so bad.¡± ¡°Yeah but like¡­¡± She tapped her lip as though to think of a specific phrase. ¡°Midnight is just different, she holds our darkest parts.¡± ¡°That I got from the name.¡± I¡¯d just stepped into the twelfth-floor entrance of my mega-building and quickly navigated my way through the miniature town on this floor with a quick tram-stop and elevator ride. In another ten minutes, I was knocking on my door. The door swung open, and¡­ my mother wasn¡¯t alone. Hoaqin had opened the door, his eyes wide like he¡¯d just gazed upon a corpse. In seconds, his big arms wrapped around my body and held me tight and slowly¡­ slowly I moved my arms around his. ¡°I fucking missed you man.¡± I didn¡¯t know how long I wanted to say those words, until they broke out of me like a shattering dam. ¡°Ripper, you- you fucking stink man¡­ missed you too.¡± He chuckled before squeezing me in even tighter. ¡°It¡¯s been a fucking week man, I- I thought you were dead.¡± ¡°Might as well have been.¡± I kicked him, letting him feel my mechanical leg to which he openly gaped¡­ to the sight of what I quickly realized were in fact, two mechanical legs since I had outfitted the Endo-Skelton¡¯s outer segments on them. Before he could get the wrong idea, I lifted my pant-cuff to show the steel wiring and plating below my left knee. ¡°Just one, the uh¡­ the others are just some old junk my grandfather left. Same as my claw.¡± ¡°Uh, oh yeah.¡± He still stared at my metal leg. ¡°Your mother mentioned something about you collecting your inheritance a bit early. Anything interesting?¡± ¡°Just this shit. Not like he had a Silver Implant hidden there, would have used that a looong time ago.¡± I only half-joked as I eyed my mother through the door, she sat on the couch giving a guilty stare to the floor. I knew it. There had to have been a Silver Implant at some point to complete the set, the question was then what had happened to it? ¡°Shit man.¡± Haoqin rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Feels like it¡¯s been years, so much has happened man. Sorry I never called after the first few days, in my defense¡­ I was¡­ you know, my uncle and- everything just got so complicated.¡± I brushed it off with a snarky comment of my own. ¡°In my defense I was recovering from an amputated leg.¡± ¡°True true, just¡­ Do you know what happened there? To the club after we all left? To S-////?¡± His face twisted into an uncharacteristically serious expression, I¡¯d only seen it happen before when his grandfather died. My Neuroframe buzzed within my mind. ¡°I don¡¯t know, man. I took a pretty bad hit and fell with that grenade, everything after was a blur.¡± ¡°Shit just¡­ I haven¡¯t been able to contact her.¡± Please stop talking about her. I nodded, walking through the door with a light push aside that I could tell left him a bit stunned, but my sudden lightheadedness drew me onto the couch beside my mother. ¡°Is the smell really that bad?¡± My mother gave a light snort, squeezing her nose. ¡°You smell like a corpse as much as you look like one.¡± ¡°In that case I must be the perfect image of Cinderella.¡± ¡°The fuck¡¯s a Cinderella?¡± Hoaqin chortled. ¡°Old World movie¡­ think it also used to be a book? I just know she¡¯s pretty or something.¡± I laughed, doing anything to stop thinking about that day. Blood. Steel. Heads¡­ Heads will roll. I stared at the ceiling, my eyes hazed. ¡°Reminds me, Hoaqin. I have something for you, took it from that day before everything went to shit.¡± I pried into my pockets where I¡¯d always kept that beacon of comfort. The first Implant I¡¯d ever seen, Hoaqin¡¯s Bronze BUG. His eyes practically could have popped out of his skull. ¡°Uh-wait, what do you mean- uh, that¡¯s mine?¡± ¡°Was in Shaun¡¯s table when the Lieutenant smashed it apart, found it with the grenades.¡± I held it gingerly in my hands, staring at the reflection of the Bronze metal. ¡°Take good care of it.¡± He approached me as though I would have snapped his fingers off, then as I held it out to him he took a few solid seconds flicking his gaze between me and the Implant before carefully plucking it from my tentative hold. ¡°Who are you and what have you done with Ripley? The old one would have stolen an Implant off my dead body, even if it was a SIM.¡± Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Things change when you stare death in the face, Hoaqin.¡± I returned my gaze to the ceiling. ¡°It¡¯s yours, I could never take it.¡± ¡°Not even selling it man? I mean¡­ I wouldn¡¯t have known and your moth- you guys could¡¯ve seriously used it!¡± My focus sat on him now, the way he anxiously held the thing with both hands as though he was scared a single fly could ruin it was kind of¡­ kind of pathetic. It was only Bronze. But a month ago, I¡¯d have ripped my own heart out for it. Fucking hell, what kind of friend was I? I leaned forward, resting a more solidly grief-stricken face that came too naturally to me. ¡°Look man, I just- I¡¯ve been through alot in the past week. Been through so much damn pain that I don¡¯t ever want to relive for a second, I couldn¡¯t have you hating me too. That would¡¯ve pushed me over the edge.¡± A rain of genuine sorrow drew down his face. ¡°O-oh, sorry amigo¡­ I get it, I really do. Things with Shaun haven¡¯t gone well any easier, he¡¯s recouping but at this point we¡¯re barely even a third of what we were two weeks ago. They¡¯re feasting on us like dogs man, Muramasa and Crimson Soul. Not even Vultures are this bad.¡± ¡°I- uh¡­ are you guys still operating?¡± I bit my lip, was there an opportunity for me here? ¡°I mean, Shaun¡¯s not the type of guy to stop. My uncle just pushes through hard times, says it makes you stronger, he¡¯s more sad about losing his rifle than the club. That bitch Diana really did a number on us.¡± Hearing her name almost pulled me out of the state I was in, somehow it had slipped my mind that Diana might be the most wanted woman alive for them. I nodded along. ¡°She really did.¡± An awkward silence impregnated the air between us, causing us both to stir for a moment in our own thoughts. Thankfully, my mother interjected on my behalf. ¡°Hoaqin¡­ it¡¯s been a pleasure having you over, thank you so much for coming so quickly. But there is something I urgently need to discuss with my foolish son¡­ I¡¯ll be inviting you for dinner soon. So please take care.¡± ¡°Of course, Mama Don, I get you, it¡¯s no worry. I bet he¡¯s had your head in circles over the last few days.¡± He politely nodded, before a more stern gaze shadowed me. ¡°I¡¯ll uh, be seeing you around Ripper. Take care, man.¡± ¡°Take care.¡± I raised my hand. He walked to the doorframe, before pausing and giving me a lookover once more. Then I knew something was odd, he had called me by my actual name rather than some nickname. ¡°Ripley. Nothing weird happened that day, right? To you?¡± ¡°Besides a MAL crushing my leg?¡± I chuckled, and he returned one baked in worry and anxiety at me. Then he nodded again, closing the door on his way out. Relief burrowed through me, my attention all on my mother now. ¡°Why¡¯d you-¡° ¡°Invite him over, Ripley?¡± She held my hands, both steel and flesh. ¡°I didn¡¯t invite him over, he came over worried about you¡­ and me. I know we said we¡¯d keep it a secret but¡­ he was your best friend for the last five years. I¡¯m a bad liar, you know that.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah I know but-¡° ¡°I¡¯m just saying that¡­ I know you wouldn¡¯t abandon Hoaqin like that.¡± She didn¡¯t stare at me accusingly, instead it was worry swimming across her expression. ¡°And the way you lied so eloquently? Is the Psyche is messing with your head? How far has it gotten along?¡± I felt a stinging peer into me. ¡°It¡­ may have reconfigured.¡± ¡°You have a protocol?¡± Her grip tightened, the balance between her curiosity and need to parent faltering towards one side. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called a Preservation Ma- Preservation Protocol. Keeps my mind focused on staying alive and focused, basically never lets me give up. Only reason I worked out that chest if I¡¯m being honest.¡± She opened her mouth to ask more about it, but I didn¡¯t want to lie anymore so I instead sprinkled some other interesting tidbits in there. ¡°I also got the Energized and Technician Features, it seems the Implant took after the Claw after all! I¡¯ll probably get Database next!¡± ¡°What?¡± She pulled closer, a light of curiosity shining through her. ¡°That- that¡¯s, no Implant has ever done that, ever!¡± ¡°Also I have a Warp Material in my jacket.¡± ¡°¡­Excuse me, what?!¡± ¡­ Yeah, so after the excitement and paranoia of having a material that could be worth anywhere from millions to potentially¡­ billions aired out for a few moments ¡ª and my mother forced me to take a shower ¡ª we set about actually understanding what Livewire was. By the time I got out of the cramped bathroom, there was a whole setup of wires and spare Neuroframe Processors on the table hooked up to the Silver Datacube, which was thankfully not encrypted by a Datashield. ¡°Gene-locked to something it calls the F-gene, works with me.¡± She touched something visible in her lenses. I hooked up my own frame, feeling a coolness swim over me as data flooded over my mind. Gene-lock verifying¡­ Presence of the F-gene identified. Access granted. There were instructions on how to make Shardware on this? Even Feature Links? Shardware Engrams: It wasn¡¯t a whole lot, but it was enough to make modifying both my Claws and the Endoskeleton a whole lot easier. Feature Link Engrams: Those would make putting new Feature Links into Shardware significantly easier, the left Claw I¡¯d taken was blank but if I got my hand on a BUG with either of the associated Features for those links ¡ª I could melt it¡¯s Warpcode down to fit over the scaffolding the Engram would create. Finally, I took sight and mentally flexed over the Livewire option. Livewire: Okay, okay, hold on a fucking second. There was a lot to process as streams of calculations and molecular diagrams crammed into the screen in front of me, but if I was getting this right¡­ ¡°A nearly super-conductive material as strong as steel under Silver conditions, that constitutes as a memory-shape alloy when Warp Energy flows through it ¡ª and it can transmit Warpcode?¡± I questioned it all, this might be more puzzling than even the MAL? I had already been pushed so far into realm of absurdity that I couldn¡¯t even say ¡®what the fuck¡¯ anymore, but seeing Twilight¡¯s mouth completely agape might have made it worth it. ¡°You¡¯re reading this, right, Ripley?¡± My mother spoke, tears flooding her eyes as she gripped hair with her one arm. ¡°What on Earth? How- he¡¯s made one-hundred-and-forty-two models of it¡¯s possible composition had it been a physical substance. Modeling it after elements that don¡¯t exist and¡­ noble gasses?¡± ¡°Just when you think it stops¡­¡± My hand reached for the vial in front of me. ¡°I¡¯m opening it, this can¡¯t be real. Has to be some long made-up joke from Skeleton.¡± Mist poured as I twisted the lock on the vial, an odd orange light examining me from within. Carefully, I tilted the vial as a solid cube of vibrant orange, around two inches on all sides, shook out onto the table in front of me. The candescent glow overtook the table, casting an evening glow into the entire room despite the white lights all around us. I might have even been shaking if it wasn¡¯t for the Matrices within me keeping my thoughts as light as a feather. I poked the cube, sending a single strand of thread-like Warp energy into the material. It exploded into a catastrophic mess of yarn that dragged into every inch of the room, some of it went into my mouth. And as soon as I retracted the strand out of shock, the effect was equally catastrophic as it pulled back all the threads in a snap, crunching our coffee table and nearly cutting both of us in half if I didn¡¯t panic a megaton of Warp Energy back into the material again, until it unraveled so quickly that it seemed to engulf us in a cotton-like web. ¡°Ripley- Ripley! Whatever you did, control it! I¡¯m pretty sure I just got whiplashed by it!¡± My mother screamed but a fit of laughter fell through. ¡°Did you see that!¡± ¡°Pretty sure I did!¡± It was everywhere, like those annoying confetti you had to spend hours vacuuming after someone decided to use them on you for a party. ¡°I¡¯ll um¡­ try to imagine a shape.¡± I dove into my claw, hoping it¡¯s Procedure Repetition would have some sign of working with this material before, but nothing came to me. So instead, I focused on the arm itself, imaging the threads slowly unwinding into it like a yarn ball spiraled against a string. My Warp Energy followed through expertly to my imagination, twisting slowly to pull the threads around my arm. My mom yelled. ¡°Ah wait! Some of it¡¯s in my hair!¡± A lot of untangling later, and after a bit of too much exertion from my mind siphoning into the material, it wrapped around my forearm like a tightly wound bracelet of glowing cloth. ¡°Okay, okay¡­ we got it under control, nowwww how do I get it off?¡± I fixated my Warp Energy with a push from my other hand, the wearable claw splashing out a golden rain that sank deep into the cloth, as though heating it to melt. It did just that, slipping downwards before I froze it, wondering. The shining orange metal creeped upwards like sentient goo, its volume stretched much further than I¡¯d expected a two-inch wide cube could be. I¡¯d need to do some more experimenting later, but for now¡­ Across the divots and slits in my arm¡¯s mechanical shell, the liquid metal slipped through like water through a ravine before I fastened my control around the outskirts of my arm. Like a thin membrane skimming right under it¡¯s metallic carapace, then I waited for a second¡­ ¡°Uh¡­ how do I set a new shape? What if it turns into a cube while it¡¯s in my arm?¡± ¡°Give me a second.¡± My mom scanned so fast, I thought she might as well have had a Database feature. ¡°¡­in order to set a new original shape, you must establish the Warp Energy to spread equally across the structure¡¯s lattice before slowly draining it back towards you over the course of a minute¡­ in the usage of Shardware, draw it into the tech before settling it with your Implant.¡± So slow and steady, I had to accustom the Livewire to this shape¡­ easier said than done. This was draining me much faster than the coffin had, that was a small sip of my energy whereas now it was a thirsty camel slurping my being right into it¡¯s hump. A part of me had to fight against the hunger it held, then also appease it whenever I felt an uncomfortable tightness take hold of my arm. But slowly, threads loosened, and metallic plates dislodged give more space for the Livewire to settle within my arm. It was hardly done with finesse, my arm felt sluggish with some tougher plates stiffening my joints, but I could clear that up in time. It almost felt like too much was in my arm. Then I remembered something, and a whole avalanche of thoughts came rumbling one after the other. The Holo-Wire conundrum that Mr. Skeleton had set me out to solve¡­ wasn¡¯t this the solution? And by patent did he mean that he wanted to know how to make the Warp Material? Was this what he knew I would find? This was all too connected to be a coincidence¡­ I knew that, and I¡¯d only grown more cautious of the black-market dealer now. Yet, I could hardly focus on that when I felt the thicker whirring of my arm¡­ ¡°Mom¡­ how would you feel about spending the next few days on some upgrades?¡± Blood and Steel C26: Upgrades Chapter 26: Upgrades Ripley¡¯s Notes on the Twelve Features available to Shard Adapters. There are twelve features, everyone knows that, it¡¯s why I like BUGs so much compared to SIMs. There¡¯s way less randomness involved, all you have is what you wanted and the Shardware you take to enhance it. You can plan ten steps ahead if you¡¯re smart enough. I like to think I¡¯m plenty smart. Twelve Features, and I can encompass a third of them, I never thought it would be possible ¡ª but here I am. 7:15 PM My mom¡¯s measuring tape snapped close as we did a tenth set of measurements and performed fifty more calculations ranging from resistance to torque. We hardly had any of the fancy technology in big Shard Op¡¯ clinics, mostly scanners of different types, vital monitoring, automatic calibrators. Infact, all we really had was this measuring tape¡­ I contacted some of the shops upstairs, we would be getting a considerable order tomorrow using the funds I¡¯d gotten from my skin donation. 12:54 PM June 11th I tiptoed around the scattered mess of machinery around the floor, it seemed like every hour our already limited floor space was diminishing and I half-thought that we should transfer over to the container where the EnSkel was located, but then remembered that it wasn¡¯t exactly powered. So I put in an order for sleeping bags and a Warp Converter. 2:09 PM Waddling around on one leg with barely an inch of free floor was hardly my favored mode of transport, even the couch was littered with papers sprawled with drawings and equations. I had gone early in the day to bring over the metallic framework Enskel¡¯s left leg to begin masking it over the titanium bone I¡¯d bought from Skeleton. It wasn¡¯t as good as the Enskel¡¯s, but I thought I¡¯d experiment and see what I could manage on my own before completely adopting my grandfather¡¯s work. A simple test on the Endoskeleton¡¯s parameters told me that it required a fairy strong Capacitance, and I¡¯d only know mine once I finished Converging ¡ª for all I knew, it¡¯s leg might just weigh me down. As I began tearing open the shell and piecing together joints and stitched Neurowiring between the shell and leg, I thanked the Founders that the MAL only consumed my pinky and ring finger, if it took away the magnetic screwdriver in my index or the sewing needle in my middle, I would have been fucked. 3:17 PM Okay, so Livewire could most definitely hold my bodyweight. Infact, it was strong enough that releasing my hold over it could yank my couch off the floor when I tested it out with the Bronze Warp Generator¡­ but if I tried it with Gold¡­ I threw the thought out of my head, afraid the neighbors in the apartment above wouldn¡¯t like a piece of furniture launching from the floor beneath them¡­ but still¡­ That thought was interesting. 7:18 PM You know what, I¡¯d taken the training I¡¯d gotten from the coffin for granted. It had certainly altered the feeling of Shardware Operating, I was no longer dealing in the cold hard truths of metal but now delving into a more imagined war of conflicting currents and resistances. It was sort of like what Mirage had said. It was your perception of Warpcode that counted, then why was I imagining myself as a general leading pawns of gold to their certain death? 2:14 AM June 12th As the new first prototype leg shaped into view, I whistled at the marvel I¡¯d created. It took some inspiration from the Engrams ¡ª blueprints too complicated for me to confidently replicate right now even with Procedure Repetition. They were mostly just schematics of specialized civilian Shardware modified to their maximum output, but they were outdated by a few decades. Technician V.0.06 has updated to Technician V.0.07 Effect: Increased understanding of synergistic components in Shardware. Reading them gave me an understanding of my grandfather, as though piece by piece his history was appearing in front of my vision. He worked with what he had, what the people around him had. Often scraps but in them he could find diamonds, piecing together an amazing contraption the likes the world had never seen. 11:54 AM I¡¯d returned to the container, flexing my new leg and taking my sweet time to truly push its limits. It was nothing unique, no scything blades would come purring out from it nor any rocket propelled kicks. Not that I needed to when I pushed off from it, I¡¯d thought the wearable thing was special but when integrated into my body directly it proved to house the strength of a horse. Let¡¯s just say that my shoulder hurt from how hard I slammed into the wall. Internal Link Established: Custom-made Lower Leg Integrity: Iron IV Energy: Iron I Capacity: Iron II Grade: Iron I Description: A custom-made lower leg made by Ripley Donovick connected to the hamstrings and quadriceps, as well as to an outer shell forged by Alberich Gravas running over the skin of the upper leg. Using Nano-Carbon tendon reinforcements and thin strands of Livewire, it boasts considerable durability and strength. 3:23 PM I¡¯d found myself doing something I didn¡¯t really expect, I was redoing the Coffin¡¯s trial. Both in reverse and back to normal, it was easier now that the connected generator wasn¡¯t resisting my control and there were no more electrical shocks. So I¡¯d needed to make it harder for myself in a way I was truly regretting. This time, anytime I found myself relying on Procedure Repetition, I forced myself to pause and consider why I was subconsciously performing those actions. What was it that my conscious brain was lacking in? The Datacube¡¯s Engrams helped a ton, it had terabytes of information about every single piece of tech used to make this thing. Infact, it was essentially a guidebook dictating how he¡¯d come up with this specific variant of the Endo-Skeleton which seemed to focus on survivability and maintaining muscle tone for high-strength augmentation and durability, hence the membranous films for coating over flesh. Still, my head hurt when I¡¯d realized he had come up with multiple iterations and variants of the EnSkel as if one wasn¡¯t bad enough. He hadn¡¯t even labeled which one was the actual version I was working on, which I supposed worked to only make me more knowledgeable. Oh well¡­ at least it was working. Technician V.0.07 has updated to Technician V.0.08 Effect: Increased understanding of Shardware stability mechanisms. June 13th The day had been a repeat of yesterday. Half the day spent on the coffin, the other half on tinkering with Livewire, my leg and my claws. Everytime I pried a plate apart, I could find some flaw or irregularity I¡¯d let slip by in my last attempt. It was insufferable, and Twilight turned that around in saying that I¡¯m the one who was insufferable by focusing on the quote-unquote tiniest errors of my work. I had a 99% compatibility with my Implant, an almost perfect number. And you know what, that was what I wanted. Perfection. June 14th The schematics of my claw¡¯s next iteration had finally pieced in a way I was satisfied with. And the setup I¡¯d built in the container wasn¡¯t half bad. An Iron Grade Warp Generator fed into another Iron Grade Warp Converter, the difference being that one consumed shards to break their material down and release their Energy and the other used said Energy to produce electricity. Alternatively, I tried hooking myself into the converter. The single pulse of gold just drained three thousand from my bank-account as it burst into flame and three hours of my inner store of it. Right. I had high potency but low quantity, it was a miracle I could even work for hours with it, which only made me more curious about how powerful it would become once my rivers of forced usage became trickles of subconcious thought. Other than that, I¡¯d managed a new benchmark on my coffin troubles. Now rearranging the entire mechanism in around three minutes without Procedure Repetition. It was time to do it without Breakdown. ¡°You know you¡¯re a masochist, right.¡± Twilight spoke into her palm. I laid my eyes only on the coffin. ¡°The word you¡¯re looking for is narcissist.¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Twilight scrunched her eyes. ¡°I- I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s not? But it might fit either way. You¡¯ve got a real ego now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Gold, aren¡¯t I?¡± I snarked, maybe a little too haughty with how I felt. ¡°Might as well act like it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re insufferable.¡± She rasped, floating over to me. ¡°Insufferably endearing.¡± I began to tear steel open, my blood pumping with excitement at every step of progress I was making. Twilight clicked her tongue. ¡°Yup. Narcissist works.¡± June 15th I was glad to be able to have company in Twilight even if she could be meddlesome at times. To say I was taken for surprise when the often chiding voice turned cheery was an understatement. ¡°You can do it, Ripley! Show that metal whose the boss, make it scream ¡®uncle¡¯!¡± Daylight had returned¡­ and yeah, no questioning it. I didn¡¯t want to know how Mirage had switched them out, the thought of her sneaking into the container was bad enough, but if she could get into my house without me or my mother knowing then- Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. How easily could she breach through my DataShield? Skeleton offered me quality, and he had, but just how good of a Delver was Mirage? Yeah, I won¡¯t question it for the sake of my own sanity. Psyche V.1.05 has updated to V.1.06 Effect: Reduced anxiety to surrounding danger. That had only increased my anxiety, but whatever¡­ I was making good progress on both the coffin and my Shardware. My understanding and control over Livewire had improved by leaps and bounds, too. While I couldn¡¯t snake it around like an actual piece of living wire, I¡¯d discovered the reason for its ¡ª at times violent ¡ª bursts. It was an almost super-conductor, which meant that the flow of electrical energy was¡­ fast in layman¡¯s terms. Fast enough that the ensuing magnetic fields could cause it to expand apart rapidly if I unraveled its molecular structure with Warp Energy. And so I was not at all surprised to find that I could coil it around copper to turn it into an electromagnet. A, uh, powerful one, let¡¯s keep it at that if my bent wrench had something to say about that. There were many applications for it, my mother assured me, but it was better to take things slowly. But I¡¯d already taken apart the gun I got from Little Requiem and was experimenting with Livewire applications in the launch mechanisms for about¡­ let¡¯s say two days? Energized V.1.00 has updated V.1.01 Effect: Increased control when projecting Warp Energy into an Warp Material. Technician V.0.08 has updated to V.0.09 Effect: Increased understanding of electromagnetic applications in Shardware. June 16th Livewire¡­ here are the facts. In the neutral state as a cube, its dimensions are exactly 8 centimeters across all sides giving it a volume of 512 cubic cm, and it weighed approximately 40 grams. This would turn out to be wrong, as according to my grandfather¡¯s notes it¡¯s mass was quite a bit more. Things got a little wonky when electricity was run through it, causing it to create a magnetic force that lowered it¡¯s actual weight. As my grandfather had been kind enough to calculate, it had a density of around 2,300 kg per cubic meter, making it lighter than Yttrium Steel, with the value ranging up or down depending on the grade of Warp Energy used to condense it. Expanding it with my Gold was enough for me to throw all calculations out the window, it¡¯s airy fluff could float on water yet was all but invulnerable to the close-proximity lasers of my Shard Op¡¯ Claw. It could stretch like a rubber band if my Gold was freely flowing through it, but the second I settled it into place it was as rigid as¡­ well, I didn¡¯t have anything to compare it to. Tensile strength wise, it was unparalleled, I wasn¡¯t sure if anything could snap the wires I made from it. Everything about it told me it would be the perfect material to integrate into musculature, but the finesse and precision needed to handle that were¡­ currently uncalculable. I was pretty damned sure that any bones below Silver-Grade would snap too, so that was thrown back into the drawing board. In fact, reversing the flow of Gold almost acted like a contraction mechanism not too dissimilar to how muscles flexed. It would just fall back into the last shape I set it in, whether it was contracted or expanded. The applications were daunting to say the least, and I hadn¡¯t even scratched the tip of what was sure to be a very large iceberg. June 17th The dinner with Hoaqin had been delayed, his Implant had sent him into the same state of faltering consciousness I had been in. Something I felt bad for being relieved off, I¡¯d been on a roll using the Preservation Matrix to keep my steam running, even managing to get up to seventy pushups a set. And yes, I¡¯d learned what a set in working out meant thanks to Daylight. On the other hand, I also began testing out the Combat protocol Skeleton gave me, installing it now that my Frame was slightly more efficient from Mirage¡¯s improvements to it. The installed set of maneuvers didn¡¯t make me an expert in any particular field, but Daylight¡¯s enthusiasm about how my punch was ¡®fantastic¡¯ delighted me. Even though that might have just been her lying. Activating it in my sleep put me through a strange trance-like state where I vaguely remembered a boxing ring and featureless opponents. The effects of nocturnal simulations were debatable, they never once brought me a Feature Update, but it did leave a certain confidence when I practiced the movements in my spare time. Then Daylight had a request. ¡°Oh let me get into the ring with you!¡± She turned up a simulation, and promptly beat my ass. Her dress fluttering like rays of sunlight through mist and her digital fists imprinting a searing pain where they met my face. Moving on, I¡¯d also come to learn why I gained updates in Technician slower even before it reconfigured to V.1.00. Simply put, I was already good at it, so when it came to general Shardware modification and installation, there wasn¡¯t much for me at this difficulty for me to adapt to¡­ Other than using my left hand. I¡¯d always been right-handed and installed the Claw on my right arm for the last three months, so when I disengaged the arm and began the process of modifying it in preparation I was¡­ clumsy. My left hand shook like a glove had clamored over my nerves to conspire against my success when Technician came as my savior. Technician V.0.09 has updated to V.0.10 Effect: Promotes Ambidextrous usage of both arms in Shardware Operation. The only other thing I hadn¡¯t adapted to was experimental Shardware designed by the world¡¯s brightest. The five Claw Tips were dangerously well-put together, each holding enough functionality within to be compared to a full Operating Claw in the civilian stores. Wickedly long, sharp as knives and curving down like a talon¡­ it could easily be mistaken for Combat Shardware by the police. So, with consolation from both my mother and Daylight, I set to limiting the tips¡¯ capabilities. Technician V.0.10 has updated to V.1.00 Effect: Establishing Feature Protocol, Reverse Engineering. This Protocol significantly improves the rate at which the Adapter can extract information about Shardware creation and modification by breaking it down. I froze, if that meant what I thought it meant then¡­ I turned my attention from the tips onto something far more precious to me. My claw; my mother¡¯s claw; and formerly my grandfather¡¯s claw. My family legacy¡­ I set to tearing it apart. June 18th To extract design information from the deconstruction of machinery, it was everything I needed and more. That was the basis of Reverse Engineering. Knowledge flooded like a downstream river into an estuary with every carefully detached wire or click of metal out of place, I was the thief of forbidden knowledge. Of civilian Shardware¡­ and my own. I was stealing away the blueprints of my own arm, scavenging up secrets even though I had worked on it plenty of times. The Engrams were useful, but there was something different between reading another¡¯s details about the claw and coming to my own conclusions. I¡¯d made a few improvements here and there throughout the months, but it was never my own creation unlike my leg. But even that was built upon the instructions of my grandfather. I was determined to build upon his legacy, not recreate it. As I slotted five joints into place, I hadn¡¯t just reformed the arm, I¡¯d improved upon it. From breaking down one finger, I¡¯d learned how to make it, then by breaking down all of them, it became easier for me to see the next steps to build the two I was missing. There was a cycle here, Breakdown told me how to dismantle without fatally damaging it. Then I rebuilt it with the gained knowledge, maybe making a mistake here or there that I would recognize in a blink when I tore it down once more. Then Procedure Repetition would guide my left hand into sticking the pieces together with the aided knowledge of Reverse Engineering. And you know, this was the first time I¡¯d truly taken advantage of the visual aid updated in my lenses. I could see the next steps, a holographic framework of the skeletal and ¡®muscular¡¯ components stemming out from what was present in reality. As for the coffin? It had become my treasure trove once more, the hurdles of knowledge where I¡¯d stumbled upon were cleaved in to opportunities with each intrusion, I siphoned off its inner workings into my memory to gain a deep understanding of each exact piece and their purpose. In fact, I was beginning to believe that if I could afford all these pieces then I could build the Endoskeleton from scratch. The perfect combination of Features and Links in my arm synergized in seconds, maybe a shred of understanding dawning on me of just how out of the ordinary a Pseudo-Silver was. And about that¡­ I still had no clue how my grandfather did it. To implant a Link Engram I¡¯d have to extract code from an Implant that had that originating Feature or use my own Feature to self-establish it. And with the one unknown Iron BUG I¡¯d gotten from Little Requiem, it wasn¡¯t looking likely I¡¯d be able to do that just yet. That required delving into Dataweaving, something I was sure I wouldn¡¯t get unless I upgraded my Gold into Titanium. Unless¡­ or until? I snickered to myself, feeling very proud of who I was. June 25th Three weeks had come and gone since I¡¯d met the MAL, and my life so far this week consisted of staring down the same concrete wall of the container until there was no more I could learn from my claw or the coffin. Instead, I¡¯d put my sights on all the other Shard Op¡¯ claws on the market, if I wanted the best then I¡¯d need to learn from my competitors. Syntec. Imperium. Mazhyr. Haithama and NeoCore. The last would be nearly impossible to get unless I went to Mr. Skeleton, but all the rest? I had money to spare at the stores in my megabuilding. 50,000 Shardyne fell from my bank account like a waterfall, and the last two days had seen me shattering each claw into pieces before remodeling them together. The newest in the markets of Standard Grade and the higher quality components of Iron Grade each fell to the floor like snow, carpeting the already littered floor with inches of steel. There was one Old World story I knew about, Frankenstein, or more precisely¡­ Frankenstein¡¯s monster. The act of piecing together conflicting bits of matter together under a synonymous hold, except my arm wouldn¡¯t be a raging beast with the intellect of a child. No, I would do what Dr. Frankenstein couldn¡¯t. Old schematics tore and new ones drew over digital mind-maps, my mother grew worried of my absence from home and the commitment to my project, while the switching Daylight and Twilight who each held their own views about the admittedly ¡ª fine, yeah I was a bit masochistic thanks to the Preservation Matrix¡­ but- Bones of Yttrium Steel sculpted up. A fine meshwork of Carbon-nanotube muscles stitched over them. Shards fed glowing veins of Iron across their thick chords of Neurowiring. Solid gray metal-plating swerved around each bulging mountain of metallic musculature to compact it into a sleeker model. Until five claws pierced the light reflecting off them. Wickedly sharp, but not curved anymore, they were straight and ended like razor-blades. Turns out being curved isn¡¯t the best choice if you want to launch them into someone else¡¯s Shardware, that option would work maybe for grappling and clawing but with Gold I had luxuries few else could afford. I jousted my claw forward as though I was poking someone¡¯s eyes, laughing a smooth current of both electrical and Warp Energy navigated through my spine, through the brachial plexus into my shoulder and spiking down into my arm like a winding serpent with fangs that combined with my own sharp claws. They leaped out as one combined force of metallic venom, the hand-crafted launch mechanism I¡¯d managed being more than sufficient. My hand flinched as twin nails of index and ring shot out like harpoons into the coffin and pierced into it through several inches. A thick chord of orange-lit rope connected at the highest joint of each finger, the Gold strengthened wires tight and more solid than steel. The coffin stirred as threads of my Warp Energy dove through the Livewire like a pack of scrappers down on a careless corp, slashing away at the seams of Shardware. The formation shook violently, bursting open into a complete endo-skeleton so quickly that it briefly hopped off the floor. Then I specified instructions to alter it¡¯s own structure ¡ª joints loosened as muscles sagged and tendons decoupled. Just as quickly as it had appeared, the skeleton crumbled to the floor, proof that I¡¯d conquered it. Not a single inch of my body felt sorry at the crumbled jaw bone or fractured bones bending in odd angles. After all, if I ever wanted it again¡­ I could just put it back together. Well, except the eyes. I was admittedly pretty shit at altering optics. Besides, those had Feature Links, proven by the Shardware Scanner I¡¯d bought. But the skeleton was just an empty shell used to hide away the real goods of information and Livewire, sure, it had promise and ingenuity behind it¡¯s creation but it never was anything more than just pieces of Civilian Shardware smashed together under an artisan¡¯s guile to match Military grade stuff. But what about Combat Shardware? What if you were to integrate power like that into the Enskel? Piecing together a mass creation to topple the works thousands of corporate engineers had been involved in. It would be difficult, I knew, expensive and time-consuming. But it would pay back millions. It wouldn¡¯t just be perfect. It would be mine. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª I¡¯d wondered why I never received another Feature at the 75% mark, maybe I was wrong about Features arriving every 25%? Maybe I was developing too quickly for my Implant to decide? But deep within me, I figured the real reason was because it had to be worth the wait. I¡¯d received many more updates in Energized and Technician, all vastly improving my control over Warp Energy and the speed at which I could break apart and recreate Shardware ¡ª even allowing me to calculate how two different pieces could me put together into a new whole. Psyche on the other hand had just received one update, an improvement that allowed me to stress my Preservation Matrix for longer periods of time. That all paled to what I saw when I reached 90% Convergence. Recalibrating¡­ You have unlocked the Unique Feature: Data Mimicry V.0.00 Data Mimicry: Allows the Adapter to read the Warpcode within a BUG or another Adapter¡¯s Neuroframe, temporarily allowing them to simulate one of the Implant''s Features among other effects. Data Mimicry V.0.00 has updated to V.0.01 Effect: Ability to read Implant Warpcode. Daylight stared, wide-eyed and jaw-dropped. ¡°Ripley, I know you keep on hearing this but¡­ What the fuck!¡± Tier 0: Convergence [90%] Compatibility: 99% Integrity: NA Energy: NA Capacity: NA Grade: Gold 0 Tendency: NA Features: Linked Shardware (Showing Grade and Feature Links):- Blood and Steel C27: Data Mimicry Chapter 27: Data Mimicry On Unique features, a lecture given by Professor Joanna Carlson, Bsc. in Warp Physics, PhD. in Warp Engineering; Head of the New Atlantic University¡¯s Faculty of Shardware Operation. [Classified Information] Unique Features are in one word, unique. Found on only one person in the whole world, either as part of a Feature Recalibration or one of their base Features attained at Convergence. They are about as rare as the tendency for a SIM Adapter to develop a Meta-Mutation every single one of their Mutations at a specific stage. Less than one-in-a-hundred-million. Currently, only 65 Unique Features are known in the entire world. A majority of them are possessed by the Founders and their compatriots in Platinum or Titanium Grades. Only one has ever been found in Iron and Bronze, four in Silver and nine in Gold. Although, this number may be significantly higher in reality due to the secrecy their Adapters will need to keep regarding these features. Indeed, all of the known Unique Features that have been recorded outside the Five Nations arose from corpses. As for what exactly each Feature can do? It varies on the user, in the case of NeoCore Founder Michelle Silva, she has an almost perfect foresight into the future. Yuzhou¡¯s Founder can modify his Shardware into any weapon he chooses, even forcefully altering the bodies of slain MALs or Adapters. Syntec¡¯s Founder Nolan Trask wields a hive-mind of millions of drones around New Atlantis. Throughout this report, I will delve into some of the wider known Unique Features, discussing their origins and abilities. However, there is one thing that you should always keep in mind. Their applications are limitless, and equally dangerous. 11:31 PM June 25th Ripley I wasn¡¯t sure if the Iron BUG was staring at me, or if I was staring at it¡­ we both seemed to equally judge each other at that moment as strands of my Warpcode hugged it. I don¡¯t know what I was expecting at the sensation, maybe a knowing similar to Procedure Repetition. All I felt was cold metal, dead metal. So inert it might as well have been any plain old iron orb, but I¡¯d seen it crawl out of Steel-fist¡¯s Neuroframe with my own eyes. I¡¯d seen the brief desperation of a debatably living creature spurn out into the wilderness of the city air, the worm-like face once scorning my appearance for harming its master. A master who¡¯d held it for an entire year, slowly grasping the knowing eyes it cast upon the people. It watched everyone pass, slowly, taking in their identities, their ideals and lifestyles all to understand ¡ª to adapt. I blinked, confused. What was that? Had I¡­ become the BUG for a moment? Data Mimicry is reading the BUG¡¯s Warpcode¡­ 5%¡­ 8%¡­ So something was happening? A droning buzz like a thousand insects humming in the back of my head grew louder every so often as though trying to judge me, my worthiness. My worthiness? What gave an Iron the right to judge a Gold? My strands dug deeper, turning the embrace into a strangling grasp and then that droning scattered free into a piercing yell of pure data plunging into the depths of my head. My Presevration Matrix flashed active, burning away the sound in a wildfire of subconsciously erupting spouts of Gold. 30%¡­ 40%¡­ 50%¡­ Whatever I did, it was working. I kept up the pressure as, slowly, that stubborn shield cracked apart, a crumbling roof of Iron falling to reveal the light of my Gold into it. 80%¡­ 90%¡­ 100% Data Mimicry V.0.01 has updated to V.0.02 Effect: Ability to view extracted data off a BUG BUG scanned¡­ Grade: Iron Tier: 0 [Convergence] Features: Analyze V.0.08 Previous Adapters: Rhodeus Kimber [One and a half years]; Judy Shona [Four months] You may mimic the Feature: Analyze. I slipped my thoughts deeper, choosing to accept that option which sent my Gold sinking deep into the Implant before it reeled back into me like a fisherman¡¯s line, caught on its hook was a treasure of a lifetime. Mimicking Feature: Iron-Grade Analyze V.0.08¡­ Update summary: An iron bulb sunk into the back of my brain, a tickling sensation that fled into my eyes and brainstem as a buzzing circuitry of information sparked up and down. My vision blurred before clarity polished over my sight, as though any nicks or bumps in a camera lens had been cleaned off. Each reflection of the light scattering among the sea of scrap beneath me refracted into hidden stories of a past once known, in seconds everything hadn¡¯t just become more clear. They¡¯d been stripped bare of any secrecy. I was beginning to see what the former Adapter of the Implant could, as a Scrapper he would need to be able to recognize weak targets with valuable trinkets or Implants. My only issue was that here in the container, I¡¯d already known too much about the value of everything. So I set myself outside, and even the wind seemed to whisper sweet mysteries now. Every passing person held an enigma that my vision took it as a challenge to uncover, to gauge and determine just what I could gain from the slightest sign of weakness. There. I saw her from across an ocean of bobbing heads, each too distracted to take notice of my rusted eyes piercing across them. Her gait was uneven thanks to heels she wasn¡¯t used to, but the clear metallic lining running along her temple was a Haithama-brand Comms Link. A corporate¡­? No, she held that briefcase close to her body like her life would end if it was an inch away from her, the glistening sweat under climate-controlled streets and grinding jaw was all too telling of anxiety. Not the kind you would see in a seasoned corporate too proud to know the feeling. She was young and inexperienced, the watch on her wrist didn¡¯t have any sign of wear beyond just a few weeks ¡ª one that grossly outmatched the value of any other article of clothing on her body. A gift, then. As I snuck in between gaps of the crowd, I spotted her turn the corner, slipping into an alley that caused my mind to explode into thought: ¡®the perfect ambush¡¯¡­ Subconsciously, my body moved to the cover of the corner, she wasn¡¯t alone now after joining up with a rough-looking female scrapper, which meant I¡¯d need to observe for the perfect moment to strike. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Uhhhh. Ripley? Why are you following the nice woman?¡± Twilight¡¯s tone held confusion, and that multiplied into my own head as my thoughts separated from the sensations of Analyze. Why¡­ was I thinking of ambushing her? Those were very un-Ripley thoughts in my opinion. I couldn¡¯t steal a gold watch from a rat if it was sleeping on it. No way in hell could I steal a watch from a- ¡°¡®Embrance. Do you have it? God, this job is killing me.¡± The woman¡¯s faint voice came from within the depths of the alleyway. ¡®Embrance? A deep anger I didn¡¯t know was there for the drug swallowed me, it was common enough in the city¡­ and it had done terrible things. It was a drug I¡¯d lost someone to. That was what the police said, anyway. My father fell to deep into the remembrance of a happier time, and did something stupid enough it got him killed. ¡°Yeah-yeah¡­¡± A rougher tone followed, a woman whose voice had been torn away by smoking if I was right. ¡°Transfer the sheds.¡± A silent moment passed, a quiet exchange of shuffling bags and thanks¡­ Then the woman passed right by me without the faintest notice. I was just another civilian to her. I didn¡¯t think twice about what I would do next as I stepped right into the alleyway where she¡¯d exited and another woman smoked an e-cigarrette a few meters from me. Twilight flared in my head. ¡°Ripley? What are you doing?¡± I didn¡¯t say a thing, my feet were in perpetual motion as a blank stare from me dug into the dealer. ¡°You selling ¡®Embrance?¡± ¡°Shit.¡± She muttered with her husky throat. ¡°You with the pigs? Don¡¯t look like one. Look kid, if you¡¯ve got the Sheds, just transfer it. Five Iron for a Standard vial¡­ fifteen for the Iron vial.¡± ¡°You got Bronze?¡± I kept a safe distance from her, my Preservation Matrix snapping my senses into place¡­ I sensed a distinct cry from within me as another Feature was molded into my perception. Analyze. ¡°You a corpo¡¯s son or something? But nah, wouldn¡¯t carry that shit on me, just¡­ look¡­ you want it or not?¡± She was on the edge of impatience. ¡°I want it gone.¡± My voice held no emotion. Dumbfounded didn¡¯t even begin to explain her expression. ¡°You- what?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want ¡®Embrance anywhere in this city.¡± Not after what it¡¯d done. She laughed, her left arm sizzling with sparks as it¡¯s skin colored coating folded apart to become a strong, roaring mechanism of Iron-Grade claws. My vision fixated on the armament, it was a civilian¡¯s Shardware modded with combat claw attachments¡­ and Analyze seeped into my memories as Technician¡¯s visual aid in my lenses saw the inner workings like I¡¯d installed an X-Ray into my eyes. Iron Haithama SpectraFlex [Modded with unknown combat appliances] The words were simple, and the mimicked Analyze shot through the weapon and in seconds determined it¡¯s value based on some metrics I¡¯d never been too aware of within the Underworld. Value: 8,000 Shardyne (160 Iron Shards) I smirked, and my own arms crackled with a faint hint of¡­ Bronze. Yeah, I¡¯d learned enough that Warp Grades could be instinctively sensed or even visualized within Shardware itself, hence why I used the Bronze Warp Generator to charge up my four limb¡¯s inner batteries. It was the equivalent of a faint trickle of my own Gold, but I¡¯d tested out it¡¯s effectiveness. It was good enough. And subtle. She was an Iron, just an Iron. And I was Gold, I could keep my nervous system running on it while my limbs flexed their store of Bro- Her claw was at my neck in seconds, and I¡¯d stumbled backwards off my balance. My left leg leaped back as though a chord had yanked it into position, saving me from a fall. I did about the only thing I could think of, my Preservation Matrix pushing my new Claw into position using some of what I¡¯d learned from my Combat Protocol. I¡¯d tested out the Bronze, and in controlled situations it had proven efficient. In controlled situations. The speed I needed, the strength, the effective push that could roll a boulder up a hill. That was all in Gold. I was an inch off, even the longer Claws I¡¯d just modded onto mine were a hair¡¯s length too short to meet her steel forearm. Then the launch mechanism spun, the Bronze in my right arm vanishing into sputters. Two curved daggers connected by a wire shot out, their arcs hitting ¡ª but not where I¡¯d intended. Blood spurted out from the index tip lodged under her clavicle, while my ring finger hooked into her metal-wired biceps. The Matrix within my Psyche function didn¡¯t let me waste a moment, a shining pulse of Bronze sprinting through the wire like an athlete. It sunk into her arm, and my mimicked Analyze revealed the panic on her face forming as an unknown presence drilled through her arm. The bronze threads digging through the cracks and seams of her arm were nostalgic, each a path I had tread upon countless times. Passing through landmarks of muscle orientation, bone curvature and joint stability until spiking up like a soldier''s lance into a weakness of the formation. Her shoulder fizzed, a sharp pop of smoke and tumbling scraps sending me a wave of relief. Except she pulled away, yanking me by the still connected strings of Livewire. ¡°The fuck is this?! Holo-Wire?¡± Again, my legs moved without me thinking. My brain flared like a can of gasoline had poured onto a bonfire the second her fleshier hand retrieved a knife from her pockets. I pulled back the Livewire with a release of the Bronze forming their shape, they tried to snap back but it was too slow¡­ it was only reeling my more unstable body towards her with a sudden tug. Psyche V.1.07 has updated to V.1.08 Effect: Situational usage of other Features within the Preservation Matrix Protocols. Energized V.1.04 has updated to V.1.05 Effect: Instinctual release of Warp Energy to empower Shardware during high-danger scenarios. My feet were sweeped of the floor, and it took me a blink to realize that so was she as the two claw-tips came reeling back, Gold Energy shooting them back into my arm. I rolled across the floor as we just missed crashing into eachother, the sensation of concrete burns and rashes gnawing at me from all over but as usual my Matrix didn¡¯t give me the chance to give it proper attention. Like a ravenous, blood-starved genefreak, she came hurtling onto my body with a knife aimed at my torso. My metal arm slammed against her organic one, the painful crunch of a bone breaking against a steel sending a scream through her. The knife clattered onto the floor, but then I submerged all the desire begging me to shriek. Warm blood trickled down my left arm, a fountain of it. Tearing my eyes down, I saw her pained figure gripping onto my arm for support¡­ with five metal blades curled into my fleshy shoulder from her now recovered right claw. A dam shattered as the pain overwhelmed the threshold set by Psyche, the sensation of my humerus being sawed into choking me. My mind turned blank as the hot white of the feeling took me to my knees, but my metal arm struck out to her neck like it¡¯d been commanded to by a general. I squeezed meat, my palm tightly wrapping around it until I felt a hardness. Cervical vertebrae, some inner knowing told me, then I heard the snap and just like that the pressure digging into my arm gave way¡­ her arm falling to the floor, followed by the thud of her body. Her neck was bent with a sharp angle and a bit of bone poking out. ¡°Ripley!¡± For the first time, I¡¯d heard Twilight as I collapsed with even more blood seeping out of me, the dam had truly collapsed under the weight of my severed nerves and arteries. ¡°What the fuck, Ripley! Wha- why did you just-!¡± ¡°Twilight¡­ twilight¡­ I can¡¯t- everything¡¯s too-¡° Everything was fading, blood spurting out in a river over the numbness of my left fingers. If I¡¯d had an Iron-Grade AdStim before this I could power through or had a MedSpray but¡­ fuck! ¡°Am I dying?¡± ¡°Shit, shit, shit!¡± Her avatar paced the alley. ¡°Fuck, why couldn¡¯t Daylight be here! Ripley, listen to my voice, your um¡­ brachial artery, I think? It¡¯s been severed so you¡¯ll need to stop the bleeding. You think you can make a tourniquet? Have any Med-Sprays on you to clot it up? You¡¯re a smart guy and-¡° My arm surged at a thought buried beneath all the pain, too deep for me to consciously act on, the five fingers unraveled into spider-legs of various tools but settled on one. Tiny flame plumes whistled out of each then boiled into my arm, sending my eyes rolling back as they cauterized the wound. Twilight tried shaking me, but her digital form only sunk into mine like a phantom trying to possess me. ¡°Fuck! Ripley, before you go, give me control!¡± It felt like my brain was being rubbed on sandpaper with every syllable I spoke. ¡°I- I give you¡­ permission.¡± Then my mind collapsed under the hot embrace of agony and exhaustion. Until it was all I felt. Blood and Steel C28: Consequences of Freedom Chapter 28: Consequences of Freedom Interview with Professor Elliot Svengard of the New California Institute of Implants; B.Eng, BM, PhD, MD. Author of The Limits of Adapters. Conducted during the World Expo of 2494, hosted within the Imperium capital city of Pyramid¡¯s Valor. His response to ¡°What correlation exists between Compatibility and an Adapter¡¯s potential?¡± Adapters have proved to be, paradoxically, both inconsistent and unchanging in their responses to Implants. Determined stages of development do exist and probe continuous cycles that can be tracked via genetic and neural resonating Warpcode within the Neuroframes, as designed by Mazhyr. How one develops at each stage is dependent on their circumstances and the specifications of their Implants. Likewise, an Adapter¡¯s original biology and mentality causes significant alteration to their Implant¡¯s development, especially at higher compatibilities. Statistically, less than 1% of all Implant Users are above the 75%, yet they make up more than 90% of all Evolved Adapters at Tier IV. As referenced in the research paper Stevens, Ibrahim, Mosegor et al. an Adapter with 70% progresses at a similar rate of a Higher Grade Adapter at 50%. While Adapters at 80% can progress equivalent to a higher grade at 70%, and above this, each five percent difference causes a significant speed increase in development. At a hypothetical 99%, a Bronze Adapter may even develop at speeds comparable to Gold or Titanium at 80% compatibility. As for 100%, the exponential constant governing the rate of Implant Development seems to no longer exist within such ranges. It could be classified as a limitless potential if it were to exist, as one¡¯s mind merges with the notion of warping reality. Whether compatibility is dependent on one¡¯s genetics or psychology has been debated upon, with many scientific claims leaning towards one or the other and oftentimes both. However, one thing is certain. An Implant never shares the same compatibility with two different recipients, even monozygotic twins are known to carry differentiating compatibilities. Tests conducted with controlled childhoods within the Cradles, where identically cloned individuals are tested with Implants continue to show high degrees of variability. As such, the nature of compatibility can be considered random despite all scientific input towards its understanding and quantification. Despite that, the trends of compatibility can be understood, even if they prove difficult to be measured. 4:42 AM June 26th Ripley Stirring awake, I was all too aware of the lack of sensation in my left arm. Where I should have had some sense of muscle tone or the prickle of hair against whatever surface I laid on, was instead just weight. Dead weight. ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± It was a voice I¡¯d heard before, steeled up as though coming from a speaker. Diamante¡¯s voice ¡ª he was that guy who stuck the new leg onto me, Missy¡¯s right hand man and made entirely of metal. The lights above were blinding, but within them I saw that fight repeat itself again and again. An overcast illusion of my failure. My eyes stayed open, not blinking once.¡°You um¡­ didn¡¯t cut off my arm?¡± Diamante¡¯s body moved outside my vision, the shuffling of steel in a trenchcoat droning in my ears. ¡°Didn¡¯t seem to like it the last time I operated. Besides, it would be a bit tiresome if everytime we met you, you had to get a limb removed.¡± A dry chuckle escaped me. ¡°Maybe I should just cut them all off to save you the trouble¡­¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± I heard a snort at the end of it, he thought I was joking. I wasn¡¯t. I tried anything to remove my mind from reality. ¡°Which organic part is the worst to get removed?¡± ¡°The axial skeleton. Many people think it would be your organs but it isn¡¯t.¡± He sounded confident in his response, those red eyes moved into my view, their uncaring blankness stripping my vulnerability down. ¡°Your ribs and vertebrae are a bitch, organs don¡¯t have too many pain receptors except for some slow-pain nerves. But for your axial skeleton? For month¡¯s it¡¯ll feel like an insect is biting away from inside of you. I¡¯d been handcuffed to stop me from digging in.¡± That made me all too thoughtful of what I¡¯d come across. ¡°Found an Endoskeleton, but you already know that thanks to Mirage. It¡¯s the type you plate over your bones.¡± ¡°Heard about it, yeah¡­ lucky ass. Your grandfather, Alberich, damn what I would¡¯ve given for him to just use a screwdriver on my body.¡± Diamante¡¯s metallic arms drifted above me, holding a crimson bag that replaced one that was empty. Diamante explained as he hooked it up to me with an already-present catherer stinging into my thigh. ¡°Synthetic Blood. You lost a lot on the way here¡­ or Twilight did anyway, had to get her to Mirage before you passed out. Pain in the ass hooking it up to your femoral vein by the way.¡± ¡°Tch. Surprised you aren¡¯t berating me for all of this.¡± I hastily breathed out, if he wasn¡¯t here to taunt me, then was this when they scalped my Gold out for themselves? ¡°Don¡¯t need to.¡± Diamante seemed to hold back a chuckle, those crimson beams of light turned somewhere my body couldn¡¯t afford the energy look to. ¡°Not gonna waste my breath when others will tell you the things you already know.¡± ¡°¡­Are they here? Mirage¡­ Missy?¡± ¡°Yeah, both of them. And your mother.¡± I jerked up, pulling the IV stand to the floor and taking Diamante by surprise. ¡°What- why is she here?!¡± Finally, staring at the robotic man¡¯s face and steel mustache, he didn¡¯t look too pleased at me. ¡°Because¡­ she¡¯s your mother.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly why she shouldn¡¯t be here,¡± I shouted, to which he only awkwardly shuffled. ¡°Kid. Turn to your left.¡± Fuck. And as I did, there she was in all of her glory sitting upon a couch not too dissimilar from the one in our home. Even with the only lighting in the small room being the spotlight above me, I could still make out the dried tears that had been running for god knows how long. ¡°Ripley¡­ you fucking idiot.¡± Her voice was beyond broken, shattered to pieces. ¡°You¡­ you attacked and kil- you¡­ do you know what you¡¯ve done?!¡± ¡°Saved his own life.¡± Another voice, Mirage¡¯s, came from my right. ¡°Even if it was his own fault that it almost ended.¡± My mom shot a nasty look beyond my shoulder, but I was too tired from all this sudden moving. ¡°I- you need to understand-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t! Every day my boy disappears for all of daylight, and when he comes back all he does is grumble about what? Not getting a fourth Feature? Failing to crack apart thousands of Shardware pieces in less than a minute? Not understanding a Warp Material? All things that shouldn¡¯t even be possible! Then, one day he just doesn¡¯t come home at all, instead I get a knock on my door in the middle of the night and I¡¯m driven here to see you¡­ like this! At this point I¡¯m not sure which of us is going to live longer!¡± Another person put a calming hand on my mom¡¯s shoulder, it¡¯s long metallic fingers leading up to a grim complexion. Missy, the mastermind of all of this, was comforting my mother. ¡°Isabel¡­ I¡¯m sorry you have to go through with this. He¡¯s certainly, yeah, an idiot. But look at him ¡ª at his face. You saw the video recordings, he had a purpose behind it.¡± With that, all of them looked at me, awaiting an answer. My lips moved slowly, but the words spilled out aching in rage. ¡°She was selling ¡®Embrance.¡± My mother froze in horror, she immediately knew all too well why I did what I did. To the others, it only perked up even more confusion. Mirage¡¯s voice rendered from behind me. ¡°Remembrance? That psycho-drug used to hallucinate old memories¡­? Why would you go after someone for selling it?¡± My words choked, failing to come out. I couldn¡¯t stand remembering that agonizing day, the weeks that followed, when our lives truly crumbled down to the trash-heap we lived in until I finally put an end to my agony by inserting the Personality Matrix to¡­ forget about everything. My mother answered for me, her thin hair a frayed curtain against the pain within her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s how his father¡­ my husband¡­ died.¡± The room stood still in silence, awkward breaths stifling around me. Even the ventilation of Diamante¡¯s iron lungs seized. Missy¡¯s arm cradled around my shaking mother, her voice dripping with an empathy that was rare in this city. ¡°My condolences Isabel, I can see how you and Dominic raised your son to be his best despite all that life threw at him¡­ take a moment to breathe outside. Topaz? Be a dear?¡± As though slipping out of the shadows, a man who couldn¡¯t be that much older than me ¡ª with a dark complexion and buzzed blonde hair ¡ª appeared beside the couch. He gave my mom a look that could only be described as pained, before offering his arm for support. My mother stood up by herself, leaning on the couch as precious air escaped her. Hurried gasps in between giggles almost manic in nature. ¡°Been almost three months since I- I- left the house, and where do I go? Little Requiem.¡± ¡°What? We¡¯re in Little Requiem? You brought her here!¡± A worried puff of air left me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it Ripley.¡± My mother took a hold of the man, Topaz¡¯s, shoulder¡­ but her teary eyes cleaved into me. ¡°I¡¯m just going to see a little bit of what you''ve been getting yourself up to. Then you¡¯ll know the feeling.¡± Every part of my body that could move flinched in some way to hearing that, the terror flooding even into a phantom space where my left arm lay limp. ¡°Mom¡­ I-¡° But she¡¯d already started walking, and I couldn¡¯t say a thing before the door closed on her way out. Missy approached me as my words failed, her steel fingers holding a warmth I didn¡¯t know I needed as they cupped my cheek. ¡°You¡¯ve been through a lot Ripley¡­ you and your mother both. The two of you only have each other. When I left the Gold in your hands, it was because in my foolishness ¡ª in my¡­ I don¡¯t know, my belief in humanity ¡ª that I thought you could do good with that Gold. Good that you and your mother could be proud off.¡± Tears trailed down my eyes, hollow husks staring at where my mother once sat. ¡°But I stained it.¡± ¡°No, Ripley. You made a choice, and you got to face the consequences. Your left arm, even with a Bronze Medspray, the nerve damage caused by the burns you inflicted ¡ª that isn¡¯t coming back. Blood vessels, maybe, but it¡¯s going to be paralyzed until you thread in some neural wiring. And we¡¯ve only got a few days until infection beats the spray.¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting it removed.¡± Somehow, making that choice made it easier to climb out of the sinking pit of my mind and I saw it reflect in Missy¡¯s eyes as she nodded with the faintest smile. ¡°Smart choice¡­ but you have to think. Was this worth it? I can see it in your eyes Ripley, you believe in doing great things. In changing the world, in proving yourself. You once lived in a twentieth floor apartment in the Pleasure Lanes, now you¡¯ve crashed down beneath the earth. I know how that feels, how it is to lose everything¡­ to want revenge against those that did it. Even at the cost of yourself, of losing the people around you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing this because of her.¡± My voice cracked. ¡°I-¡° ¡°Ripley.¡± Missy¡¯s sweet voice sunk into a firm, hard, truth-speaking tone. ¡°You¡¯re doing this because of you. Because you want to save her even though she doesn¡¯t know if she wants it. You attacked that ¡®Embrance dealer because you had a reason to. Outfitting yourself in borderline combat-shardware because it¡¯s what you want.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. I let my thoughts float on that for a while, turning my head to speak to the woman I¡¯d met before, towards Mirage. ¡°You asked me about why I didn¡¯t like ¡®Embrance. But you already knew about my dad¡­¡± ¡ª and now rage slipped into my tongue ¡ª ¡°You knew the reason, I know it. Probably, all of you have dissected each thought I¡¯ve ever even conceived. But why ask the question when the answer had already been given?¡± Mirage twisted in guilt, her legs hugged up to her knees and her blank violet gaze drifted across the floor. ¡°Your dad was a chronic Remembrance user, yeah, I¡¯d read about what happened after he lost his job. How your family shattered when he died attacking an Investigator while drugged out, when your mother had to take that arm and an Iron BUG even though it would kill her.¡± ¡°He wasn¡¯t¡­¡± Pain, rage, agony¡­ it all slithered out of my mouth. ¡°He wasn¡¯t a fucking ¡®Embrance user! They killed him, he knew what Syntec was doing so they fucking silenced him! He wouldn¡¯t have touched that shit even with a metal arm! Not when he had me!¡± Diamante, for the first time, looked genuinely conflicted even with his entirely steel body. I could already see it, the disbelief, the same fucking look everyone around me had whenever I spoke this truth. And now, now the only person who believed me was dea- ¡°I believe you, Ripley.¡± Missy¡¯s voice sank a relief so deep that it pained my soul, like I¡¯d had every nerve let go of the stress at once. ¡°I know how these companies play, it¡¯s more likely than not. And I¡¯ll take your word anytime over a cop¡¯s or corporate¡¯s.¡± ¡°I believe you too.¡± Mirage¡¯s voice slid from between her knees. ¡°For what my belief is worth.¡± Diamante¡¯s fists shook like a jackhammer in place, an intensity dancing behind those metallic eyes. ¡°You¡¯re a messed up kid, Ripley. But it¡¯s not your fault, none of this is. You got a deck with a high card of one¡­ and now they¡¯re all aces. To even see that drug get circled around after how it tore your family apart, yeah¡­ I¡¯d have done the same. Maybe just a little cleaner.¡± I laughed at that, and hearing everything made me feel¡­ a way I hadn¡¯t for a long ass time. The belief and the¡­ acknowledgement in a world where I had been an ant for all my life. Missy laughed as she focused closer on my face, and only now did I make out the faint angular scars of a head modification. ¡°You¡¯ve got quite the smile, Ripley. In fact, there¡¯s a whole lot of stuff within you that once polished could shine. I was bestowed the responsibility over your Gold, and I decided to let you do as you wish simply because¡­ I felt you¡¯d make better use of it. And I still stand by that, but now I¡¯ve come to understand that it doesn¡¯t mean you should be left alone. You needed more than just Mirage¡¯s Personas.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, Twilight and Daylight have been more than enough honestly.¡± An honest chuckle found it¡¯s way out. Mirage seemed to feel the same way as her humored noise came to me, red eyes glared up and a manic smile twisted. ¡°Oh, is that so? If I was in your skull that day, I¡¯d have let you died. Don¡¯t think my sisters kindness means we care.¡± Missy joined in with laughter. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Midnight, that¡¯s just how she is. Point is, this is a cross-road in your life Ripley. You went into that fight with the confidence of a Gold lacking the strength to back it up, because everyone around believes that it¡¯s the Implant that¡¯s making you special. It¡¯s not. It¡¯s you who determines that, you who weaves the future into the path ahead¡­¡± Then her voice dropped low, holding a swell of pain. ¡°And the path we walk isn¡¯t a very good one¡­ come with me.¡± She unplugged the IV with a delicate pluck, a quick spray from her finger cooling the miniscule wound and scabbing it in seconds. Then she held my hand to get me off the table, and I found the weight I could lean on her had made her seem like a bastion, like an umbrella was covering me from the thunderstorm raging around me. Gingerly, she walked me until I steadied my pace to turn around and walk to a table that had been right behind my head. It held a corpse. I recognized it, I¡¯d killed her just a few hours ago after all. That bent neck and bloodshot eyes were all the evidence I needed. My mother had been¡­ staring at that? At plain and damning proof that her son was a killer? ¡°You killed her with your Psyche Feature¡¯s protocol¡­¡± Mirage said with a tightness. ¡°A flash of Gold up your hand snapped her neck seconds after she gripped your arm, she didn¡¯t die immediately¡­ but she was paralyzed for around an hour-and-a-half below the neck thanks to her Tier I physiology. She died in the car-ride over here¡­ asphyxiation in the trunk¡¯s limited air supply.¡± My breath became cold air as the blood-red eyes condemned me, her left arm bent in an odd angle, all leading my Preservation Matrix fluctuating into an active state. ¡°I¡­ I did it to survive.¡± ¡°You had threatened her life first.¡± Missy said in a cold voice that planted my shaking feet in place, the last time I felt this commanded by a word was when the former Lieutenant made me close that box. ¡°I asked her to stop selling the ¡®embrance.¡± Diamante spoke this time. ¡°That is her life, Ripley. Emily Wilbur, aged 29, has been on the streets since she was a kid and had one herself when she was 15. Was a sex worker from then on¡­ drifted from broken relationship to broken relationship, until her current boyfriend landed her in with Muramasa. He was one of their hired guards, siphoning out some product to her that she sold without them knowing. To support her fourteen year-old daughter.¡± I didn¡¯t question how he knew that much about her, nor did I question if it was true. It was true. It is true. I¡¯d orphaned a kid, another poor child losing their parent to that drug. Left in the care of a man who wasn¡¯t her father. I¡¯d been around that age when it happened. ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t know.¡± Mirage spoke softly. ¡°You made the choice, Ripley.¡± And these were the consequences. ¡°What can I do about it?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t support a child that you''re not ready to take care of, Ripley. There¡¯s only one thing to do. Live with the consequences without losing yourself to the numbness ¡ª that¡¯s the curse of freedom. It¡¯s not about doing whatever you want, it¡¯s about making your own decisions and understanding they¡¯ll have consequences for everyone around you ¡ª long into the future.¡± Diamante quietly put a hand on my shoulder, the dense weight not doing a thing to weigh me down when I was already feeling so heavy. ¡°Striving forward even with the guilt, living on in the silence of being the last man standing. Hoping that by the time this all ends, we did more good than bad.¡± ¡°Ripley, where we stand¡­¡± Missy put another weight on my more dead shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s on a mountain of corpses just like this. Not only from the city, but from the whole world.¡± ¡°You guys¡­ are that big?¡± Now I really didn¡¯t have a clue as to what I was getting into. ¡°Just her.¡± Mirage coughed. ¡°She used to be a NeoCore Inquisitor back during the Fourth Swarm.¡± And before I could ask, Missy spoke. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m more than a century old. It¡¯s a long story, one that I¡¯m quite shy about¡­ but I understand that you need to trust us. Diana mentioned the NeoCore Herald Ruby, she was a¡­ close friend of mine back in the day. Though my differences with the organization led me to defect, I still do have some contacts in the company. Since then, I¡¯ve been around places and for the last few decades¡­ I¡¯ve been here.¡± ¡°Working as a mercenary?¡± From NeoCore Inquisitor to a merc? I¡¯d heard of the opposite happening with an Inquisitor callsigned Frostbite but I¡¯d never heard of this. ¡°Working to survive.¡± She said all too seriously. ¡°And to make a difference in this world, one person at a time.¡± One step at a time¡­ my gaze returned to the body. My Matrices working in tandem to shield me from feeling too sorry about it, but the fact that I had felt less than I should be only ate at me. ¡°We all have our scars, every single one of us.¡± Diamante said, a hint of reluctance to the fact peering through. ¡°And everyday I wished I could go straight, but as they say ¡®the grass is always greener on the other side¡¯.¡± ¡°Assuming I forget all of this.¡± I lingered on the corpse of Emily Wilbur. ¡°Assuming I go straight, I¡¯ve done the calculations. Unless I sell out, either the Livewire, my Implant or the EnSkel¡­ I¡¯d never be able to save her. My mother.¡± Mirage echoed from my side. ¡°You¡¯d still be choosing to sell a different part of yourself then.¡± Then Twilight. ¡°You¡¯d be choosing to sacrifice your morals over material wealth.¡± Her voice drilled down into a sinister whisper with Midnight. ¡°Soooo many more orphans.¡± And then light broke through, Daylight. ¡°Whatever you choose, I¡¯ll be rooting for you, Ripley!¡± That idea, the one of me selling my morals over my material wealth¡­ It rubbed me the wrong way. ¡°It¡¯s not just the value of the Shardyne that I see in those pieces of technology, it¡¯s a reflection of something¡­ I guess the only word coming to me is arcane. Selling it away would mean losing a part of my history, my identity¡­ There''s so much I don¡¯t even know about myself. All of that is a clue, all of it is a guide, but it¡¯s not a map. I¡¯ll have to chart everything out myself, forge my own way through it all. It¡¯s up to me! I have to-¡± Missy relaxed me with a squeeze. ¡°Seems like you¡¯ve made up your mind, Ripley. Now do you remember what I said in our agreement over the month?¡± I never forgot. ¡°To see if my life would be worth the fifty million in my head. And I know the answer now, I¡¯m-¡± Mirage¡¯s voice lingered on for a moment. ¡°Uuuuh about that¡­ I haven¡¯t told them about the compatibility or your fourth feature.¡± Mirage kept it a secret? I gulped in my mind, revealing either of that would only raise the worth of my Implant, tempt them evermore to take it. As it stood, they knew too much about me already and this would be tipping the pool out of my hands, it would be raising the value of my Implant much higher. Then concealing it, however, would be an admission that it would be worth less than my life. Every neuron of my mind swarmed against the syllables coming out of my mouth, but they pushed through, unyielding. ¡°Me and Diana share a compatibility of 99%, and I have a unique feature allowing me to imitate any Feature within a BUG or apparently even read it off a Neuroframe. Data Mimicry.¡± A pin-drop could be heard throughout the room¡¯s silence, like a god had gripped everyone¡¯s voices tight with a heavenly hush. Only after Diamante stumbled at my side, did he speak with robotic eyes torn open to take every detail of me inside their quaking lenses. ¡°Missy, you sure you don¡¯t want to take that Implant? If that¡¯s true then, then that could change everything.¡± It was the outcome I¡¯d wanted the least, but had been expecting the most. A primal part of my brain screamed to run, and I¡¯d almost done so until Missy¡¯s quiet demeanor struck through me with a parting off her mouth. ¡°New estimate of your Implant¡­ Five-Billion Shardyne. Now, we¡¯re a bit early by a week so if you want that time then I¡¯ll give it to you¡­ otherwise you can tell me here and now. Are you worth it? That much?¡± Five billion¡­ I could buy an apartment in space and a lifetime¡¯s supply of Shardware and still never run out of money. Yet somewhere, in spite of all the shocked faces and piercing glares that had hounded me over the past few weeks¡­ I¡¯d found a pride. One that had led me to losing an arm, but it was still there as a roiling storm hurting to lash out. Slowly, my mouth carved a grin on my face. ¡°Am I worth five billion? I¡¯m a diamond mine in a sea of coal, Missy. I¡¯m worth so much more.¡± For her to meet my grin with an equal was beyond my calculations, the laugh that followed shattering any and all possibility I¡¯d held in my head. ¡°Well then, do with the Implant as you wish.¡± ¡°I want in.¡± A deep hunger starved within me. ¡°I need to get in. To save what¡¯s close to me, to take all of this and harness it for a purpose befitting the recognition that I- that I deserve.¡± ¡°Well then¡­¡± Missy held a concerned look on her, and I wasn¡¯t sure why. It didn¡¯t hold an ounce of malice, it was the kind you would see in those old movies where a student surpasses his master¡¯s expectations. ¡°We¡¯ll need to hold a vote. I¡¯m counting you as well, and you want in. I¡¯m supporting that.¡± ¡°Against.¡± Diamante turned to me, his voice stubborn. ¡°Just spend the remaining time you have left with your mother. You¡¯ll regret it otherwise.¡± ¡°Same. Against.¡± Mirage raised her hand, then her eyes shone brighter as Twilight spoke through her. ¡°Have to agree, Ripley. You¡¯re not cut out of this¡­ and forcing your Implant to adapt is only going to hurt you.¡± Crimson red spilled into her irises. ¡°You¡¯ll die.¡± Blue light sparkled next. ¡°I support you Ripley!¡± Missy still smiled even against the overwhelming vote in me not joining. ¡°Me, Daylight and Ripley against Mirage, Diamante, Twilight and Midnight.¡± ¡°Vote¡¯s over.¡± Diamante hushed. ¡°Sorry, kid.¡± ¡°Not quite.¡± Missy pointed towards where my mother had left, the door was now open and that other guy, Topaz, stood beside my mother. His voice was calm and cool, determined with a focus on me I couldn¡¯t expect from a stranger I¡¯d never met. ¡°Taking Missy¡¯s side. So I¡¯m in support.¡± ¡°Four against four now. Quartz isn¡¯t here and he doesn¡¯t care either way¡­¡± Missy stared beyond me, at the last person there. ¡°Isabel, it¡¯s your vote for your son¡¯s future.¡± She stood there in silence, dried tears too close to welling up again. I didn¡¯t know what to say, if I should even say anything. Her gaze scanned all those present, all those she would have to trust with taking care of me if I were to join. Her mouth moved slowly, as though she hadn¡¯t made up her mind even as she was speaking. This wasn¡¯t just my future being voted on, it was her future as well. She had the freedom to make a decision, and the consequences of what it would bear. ¡°Ripley¡­ you really want this?¡± My voice struggled to affirm its place, this wasn¡¯t about me. ¡°Mom¡­ the question is. Do you?¡± Somewhere, a knot untangled within her as tears fell unashamedly down the contours of her face. ¡°I- I just want you to be safe. I just¡­ want to keep taking care of you. To see you grow, and have a family¡­ and I- I don¡¯t want to die. I want to see everything you become.¡± Finally, she could admit it and I said the only thing that mattered. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you die.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± She sniffled her tears back in. ¡°Then promise me. That the next time you lose a limb, it will be of your own choice.¡± She broke out a tearful laugh, even Missy and I followed with a chuckle. ¡°I promise. ''Bout time I turn these Externals into actual cybernetics.¡± Missy put a hand on my shoulder, her eyes radiating with mirth and care. "We may know a guy who can help." Blood and Steel C29: Workshop or Workout? Chapter 29: Workshop or Workout? Interview in the year 2328 with Inventor of the Neuroframe and Founder of the Free Cities: Beauregard Mazhyr Response to the question: ''What would you say makes a good Shard Op¡¯? Considering you¡¯re the very first one to ever exist?'' That¡¯s an interesting question, Margret. You could dissect it a number of ways, and then diverge it into the several sub-classifications of Shard Operators working throughout the world. Obviously, Operators need to have extensive knowledge in the realms of both medicine and engineering. But that isn¡¯t to say that you need to be an expert in both fields, I studied Medicine in Harvard and Bioengineering in Yale¡­ it was only after The Collapse that I spent my decades up in space studying every other field to have escaped me. In short, I became good at almost every field of science available to me. Was I a world leading expert in any of them? No. But I was the first one to see all the pieces, how they could fit together in creating the Implant-Adapter Link that would pioneer into the Neuroframe project. Obviously, I didn¡¯t work it alone and had the Free Cities¡¯ brightest minds working to put my theoretical experimentation into a practical form. But if you were to look back, Shardware had existed far before Nueroframes had. The term ¡®Shardware¡¯ simply refers to any piece of mechanical and computer engineering with an input from a Shard in its creation or modification. And people were sticking Shards into everything they could the moment the Swarming started. So, it¡¯s debatable if I could be called the world¡¯s first Shard Op¡¯. Again, I was just good at finding the pieces. Experimentation and invention has always been at my core, but other Operators are experts in combining genetic modification with inorganic appliances, some marvel at rote engineering while many find their havens in code. The realm of Shardware is wide, almost as large as the database of mutations we know off. So it¡¯s a complex question with a simple answer really. What makes a good Shard Op¡¯ is simply being good at what you do. If your heart is out to turn a piece of scrap into treasure, be good at it¡­ and if it¡¯s the opposite? I think you know what I¡¯d say about that. 5:58 AM June 26th Ripley Even in a place like Little Requiem, the sunrise could be beautiful. There was a strange allure to witnessing the rising star climb in between the scaffolds supporting decayed steel ribs, their golden rays daring to breach into an area besieged by such death and destruction. I took it as a chance, that it was okay to hope even amidst despair and the unknown. Everything I¡¯d heard today was undoubtedly the truth, I had fucked up by overestimating my Claw and Features¡¯ ability to bridge over my lack of experience. The path of a mercenary would mean death, lives would end at my hands. Two already had. This city has one of the highest homicide rates of the world, it¡¯d been the promised land once but with so many refugees hoarding in after the Fourth Swarm¡¯s destruction of a Free City in the East Coast leading to a civil war, it no longer could be. Desperation got to them, then combined with the Yellowstone eruption, the latter half of this century was spent in a bid to rebuild what once used to be a stable society. My grandfather, Alberich Gravas, had been one of those refugees. Dissecting his notes, lately, he constantly mentioned growing up in a battlefield and ruins of a war-torn city. There was only one place that could be. The former Free City of The Floridian Gulf, what used to be a massive sprawling network of buildings stretching from Florida to Mexico was now nothing but a place for the MAL to build their hives in. And then he¡¯d had enough funds, somehow, to send my mother to one of the most prestigious Universities in New California. I didn¡¯t doubt his skills to go straight, but with how little information there was in the city¡¯s database¡­ he wasn¡¯t a legitimate Shard Op¡¯, he was on the path I¡¯d just embarked on. One of secrecy and under-the-nose modification. My right arm raised in the sunlight, and I took a moment to marvel at what I¡¯d done with the claw. It had slimmed down massively, the older version used outdated technology from half a century ago which made it bulky and out of proportion for my body. If I had an extra two inches in height, maybe another fifteen kilos of muscle on me¡­ then maybe it would fit. But the new version was sleek, no wires spilled out and it¡¯s shell was tight and durable ¡ª not to mention, sexy. The output of it¡¯s strength had nearly doubled and I still didn¡¯t even scratch the surface of what the new Claw Tips could do. In all my studies of them, I¡¯d come to know that they weren¡¯t just tools to rewire Shardware but also had various scanners and diagnostic tools. If I could get an Analyze-derived Feature Link installed, it would become the envy of all Shard Op¡¯s in the world. ¡°You haven¡¯t taken a sip yet.¡± My mother¡¯s voice came like a soothing melody. ¡°You know I hate this artificial stuff.¡± Just for show, I took a sip of the mug in my hands. Synthetic coffee courtesy of Imperium, just a few droplets of caffeine mixed in with food coloring and taste-modifying chemicals. My face scrunched up at the bitterness. ¡°Don¡¯t know why they made it taste like soap.¡± ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be bitter. That¡¯s how coffee tastes.¡± My mother smirked, joyfully taking her own sip but I could tell from the way her lip puckered she felt the same way I did. ¡°The real stuff is better.¡± ¡°Been¡­ a while since you tried it, right? Dad never let me touch the cabinets back in our old place. Maybe I¡¯ll buy you some soon.¡± I flexed my hand, coffee''d been a luxury nowadays. The MALSwarm had taken over forty percent of Earth¡¯s land, along with any natural resources they might provide. ¡°That¡¯s not necessary, you¡¯re already doing enough.¡± She smiled, but her eyes sunk lower to the streets of Little Requiem from this balcony. Turns out there were reputable hotels here, and Madam Hong ¡ª the old lady who¡¯d taken me underground ¡ª just so happened to be a much more important person than I¡¯d assumed. I took a sip of the disgusting thing, at least it kept me awake. ¡°We¡¯ll be back in a highrise in no time.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need a highrise to be happy. I just need you, Rip.¡± ¡°And I need you.¡± The words I said visibly carved over her face, pushing her so far as to place the cup down so she could take a deep breath. ¡°That¡¯s not fair, Ripley.¡± ¡°None of this is¡­¡± I placed my eyes on the ribs of the town, keeping all my attention on them. ¡°Which is why I have to work to make things better.¡± ¡°Ripley¡­ promise me that you¡¯ll remember me, the things I taught you.¡± The words came out suddenly, injecting into my body like an AdStim. ¡°We- we¡¯ve already been over this, mom I¡¯m not letting you-¡° She put her finger over my lips, shushing me eyes soaked in years of endured pain. ¡°I¡¯m not finished. I know. I know¡­ it¡¯s what we both decided, it¡¯s what we both want but¡­ You¡¯re entering a world neither of us even wanted you to think about. The people you¡¯ll be working with¡­ I think you drew a good lot. But you can¡¯t trust them. Not in the way you trusted me. Everyone¡¯s out for something to gain, and¡­ I¡­ I just don¡¯t want them to be taking from you. So much has already been taken from you.¡± She wiped her eyes. ¡°You have to stay strong, stay yourself, stay as my little boy. The same one who tore apart my laptop as a kid, proudly showing me how you rewired it to be a music box. Who made that beautiful necklace for me and your¡­ The one who dreamt of helping people. The one that wanted to be a hero. And I know you are one. I can¡¯t stop you from fighting, because that¡¯s exactly what you have to do from now on¡­ it¡¯s what you¡¯ve always been doing. And I¡¯m not talking in the sense of guns or fists. Fight on Ripley¡­ as yourself. As the child I love, as the man I¡¯m so proud of. You¡¯ve finally gotten just a small ounce of the treasures you deserve and- I just don¡¯t want you to get lost in the greed of this world¡­ it¡¯s so scary.¡± Slowly, I cupped my hands over my mother¡¯s¡­ letting the uneasiness of my heart break into me. ¡°I promise.¡± ¡­ We drank the ¡®coffee¡¯ in silence, taking the moment to appreciate the sunrise. To contemplate and remember the memories that made us who we were. Then it was time to go our separate ways. My mom left to the safety of our home and I travelled with Diamante and Topaz in an old coupe to a place pretty far from the District center. In fact, it was governed by an entirely different Precinct of the police. The Fifth Precinct. I didn¡¯t know much, either than that the whole Precinct of Saint Yorinobu was notoriously infected by the Crimson Souls. One of the more recently formed criminal organizations around 30ish years ago¡­ and the fastest growing. We were heading to a clinic based in their territory, but I had my questions. ¡°Why¡¯s an old gym got an Operating Clinic attached?¡± That part still didn¡¯t make sense to me. Topaz, who I still barely knew a thing about, was much more¡­ friendly than I¡¯d assumed from his otherwise quiet disposition. ¡°Place is known to be a common ground between gangs for friendly competitions, like who can lift the most and all that. Our man, Harold Anderson, happens to be somewhat of a friendly face to them all. Works on efficiency augments mostly, but also takes care of a Combat piece here and there under the table.¡± ¡°Right.¡± It made sense now. ¡°Heavy lifting causes wear and tear in synthetic muscles, they don¡¯t regenerate like organic ones would. Not unless you¡¯ve got a Sustain Feature in your system alongside some internal reconfiguration mechanisms like a hefty swarm of nanites.¡± Diamante scoffed, turning the wheel smoothly. ¡°Andy does a lot more than that. Might be one of the few Shard Op¡¯s in this city to have my respect. Runs both legitimate and underground, and does premium work on both ends.¡± ¡°You a Shardware fanatic?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but chime in. ¡°Couldn¡¯t tell, really. Not like your entire body is made of steel.¡± ¡°Kid.¡± Diamante took his eyes off the road to focus on me. ¡°I¡¯m a Shardware Enthusiast, you might be smart but a single look in my body would have you scratching your brain out.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± My Claw Tips opened to reveal an arsenal of tools at my disposal. ¡°I did all the maintenance work for around thirty cybernetically enhanced gang members for the last five years of my life, and only three months of that involved a Shard Operating Claw. Plus, I didn¡¯t have an Implant.¡± ¡°Riiiight. Snake Fangs, wooh scary.¡± His robotic voice took an exaggerated pitch. ¡°You ever knew they were in debt? To the Muramasa Dynasty of all people. Most of their weaponry is second-hand or shit they pried off from Officers and Vultures, Shaun¡¯s just trying to imitate the works of his superiors with a tenth of the income. The stuff you were modifying was cheap, nothing you couldn¡¯t find a guide on somewhere on the SecondNet. Actual gangs, the stuff we use, is Military-grade¡­ actual Shard Op¡¯s don¡¯t have guide books. They can¡¯t just break apart something they don¡¯t understand like that coffin in your grandpa¡¯s container. They don¡¯t have weeks to spend on the mundane.¡± Actual Shard Op¡¯? I took offense to that. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re acting like I didn¡¯t integrate an unknown Warp Material into an equally unknown piece of Shardware.¡± ¡°You¡¯re acting like that shit means a thing to me.¡± Diamante took a more sudden turn. ¡°It¡¯s impressive, I¡¯ll admit. But you had time, Ripley. It was a pet project that you had luxuries with, all of the pieces were meant to come together. Not to mention Skeleton conveniently selling you Claw Tips that had a very compatible connection to that Livewire of yours. In the real business, we work with unknowns. We work with two pieces that were made to be at war with one another, not tech that¡¯s all buddy-buddy. Half the time, our Shardware rejects another piece because no company only wants to have only half of you. They want it all, a complete market share of your Shardyne. Not to mention, the million safeguards in Military stuff that tries to poison you if you don¡¯t have the credentials to access it.¡± ¡°Then build your own.¡± I commented. ¡°Build your own? You lost a screw?¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious. It¡¯s possible.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t the same as your arm, man. You can¡¯t just slap together seven different Shard Op¡¯ claws into one piece and expect them to work like they don¡¯t know their enemy is beside them.¡± ¡°Yeah, of course I knew that!¡± I flourished my arm. ¡°Like look, the neural processor takes after Haithama at first glance, but a closer look shows that it¡¯s actually been jailbroken to have Syntec coding along with Mazhyr Warpcode-recognition. It creates a feedback loop believing that Mazhyr code is the same as Syntec, then the Haithama centerpiece spreads to my motor pieces which are a blend of Imperium and Maz-¡° ¡°Your tendon flexors are a hybrid?¡± Diamante nearly braked the car in the middle of the highway. ¡°Calling bullshit! Not possible unless you stabilized them with a-¡° ¡°Syntec synovial fluid with built in mechanoreceptors for wear and tear. Noone does it better. Haithama¡¯s ability to be Warpcode-malleable, Mazhyr¡¯s endurance and Syntec¡¯s functionality. Oh and by the way the Synth-Muscles are a blend of Yuzhou Mustang-Compressors pieced up by a-¡° ¡°Shandian Electro-Magnetic coupler!?¡± Diamante sped up as though the realization jolted through him, cutting between two cars which resulted in a horn blasting at us. ¡°You used Yuzhou¡¯s daughter company to integrate a piece of tech that can scale better with your Gold Grade even if it can¡¯t fully utilize it! That¡¯s how you created the launch system for your claws as well, isn¡¯t it? Wound up some Livewire around the couplers located in the base of your knuckles, using experimental rail-gun schematics from the net?!¡± ¡°Bingo.¡± I snapped my fingers. ¡°Fucking hell¡­¡± Diamante focused only on the road now for a quiet few seconds before blowing air from his mouth. ¡°Not bad¡­ for a rookie. For your joints, should have used the Mazhyr EM synchronizers in their Ionic-River guns. That way you can give your punches the same oomph as your claw. Mazhyr¡¯s Shard Op¡¯ stuff is good, but no respectable Operator uses¡­ what, you must have bought a Shred-Scrapper?¡± He had guessed correctly, but I wasn¡¯t going to let him know that. ¡°And where exactly do you propose I get an Ionic-River pistol?¡± ¡°No.¡± He wagged one finger of the steering wheel. ¡°Not a pistol. You need their shotgun, the pellets are exacted into the center of the gun and just a micrometer before they exit, their fields are reversed as their electrons are pulled back into the weapon for their next load. No-one really thinks about it, but the stabilizers used even for their lower Grades are much more technical than even their AR brand.¡± ¡°Could also take apart a Syntec Braceshocker-¡° I started before I found about twelve flaws in that weapon¡¯s integration that Diamante was not going to let slip by. ¡°Actually¡­ no you¡¯re right. Ionic-River huh¡­ interesting.¡± Topaz¡¯ voice startled both Diamante and I as he made himself a part of the conversation, a fluttering of snickers floating from the back of the car. ¡°If you two are gonna hook up with this weird Shardware mating ritual going on, at least kick me out the car first.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Eventually, we got to the gym. An old place by the edges of the Yellowstone Valley that the Green River now drained in. It was a quieter settlement known as a smaller town of St. Yorinobu which contained a mono-rail station capable of getting here in under fifteen minutes from the Pleasure Lanes. The drive had taken two hours, granted we were using the highway designed for the more¡­ slow variant of cars. Vehicles also had grades involving the Shards used to manufacture them and Aerodyne vehicles along the skyway could have made this journey in a tenth of the time. Parking the car, I still had trouble believing that this was an area known for being littered with gangs, and that the modest-sized gym ahead of us was some sort of common ground for them. Arnold¡¯s Fitness Center. It held a logo of an extremely buff man lifting a barbell labeled as ¡®1 Ton¡¯, the only thing odd about the logo being that half of the man¡¯s face peeled off to reveal a robotic Endoskeleton living within. ¡°Okay, so can someone explain to me what exactly is this whole place?¡± I vividly showcased my confusion in hand movements spreading across the whole location. ¡°Technically speaking¡­¡± Topaz whispered, before shrugging and letting his voice out to the known world. ¡°Crimson Soul Territory, used as a connection for operations between Westbrook and Yellowstone. Every building here is in their protection or ownership, a solid fact as much as how Little Requiem has fallen from the sky. Though it¡¯s a bit more than that, St. Yori¡¯s festivals are a bit like a convention for gangs¡­ anytime shit gets real bad or a new mayor is elected, half of the criminal underworld convenes here. As the electors for criminal co-operation, Crimson Soul makes a show by allowing open borders with some¡­ strict rules.¡± ¡°Like?¡± My interest was very much piqued. ¡°No firearms in specific territories. No gang-affiliated mercs. No drug deals. No Muramasa unless it¡¯s summit time. You want to make a deal here, you contact a Crimson Soul fixer and they do it on your behalf. No details needed, just a buyer and the product handed over with a small fee.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s stopping some big gang like Los Diablos from tearing this all down?¡± ¡°Stability. It¡¯s proven useful time and time again to have this place running. Plus¡­ it¡¯s kind of popular. Like¡­ look, obviously the gangs all have rivalries and competition with one another. At the same time, they¡¯re run by people. People tend to do stupid things like make friends with people their bosses don¡¯t want them to and in the city¡­ that¡¯s bad. Here, however, it¡¯s an outlet of some sort to just forget about crime for a moment. They come here, ship off their workload to Crimson Soul who have shown themselves to be honest as hard as that may seem¡­ then just spend a week lounging around. It¡¯s like a resort of sorts.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why this gym is popular?¡± We neared the location, standing just in front of the building now. Topaz coughed. ¡°Yeah, sorta, mostly cus the guy running it is one hell of a Shard Op¡¯. Been running the place far before Crimson Soul came in and has more or less become one of the most popular Operators to go to for general maintenance when it comes to combat-grade stuff. Sure it¡¯s far, but that means the people who come here are those who know and trust Harold''s work. Keeps hush, but also doesn¡¯t take too many deals he knows could get him in trouble. Important thing is, they respect him.¡± So I was getting my arm done by a guy who was familiar with Combat tech. ¡°This guy¡­ owns the gym or the Shard Op¡¯ clinic?¡± They both smirked, opening the door with a pleasant jingle. And suddenly, I was in my worst nightmare. Hundreds of sweat-drenched men and women wandered from one set of steel racks to the other, several had biomonitors hooked in as they ran on treadmills blurring in my vision, even more were shouting loudly as they lifted hundreds of kilograms in a bench-press or deadlift. And at least half of them froze as Diamante and Topaz entered the gym, each and every single one of them brandishing some sort of identifying feature that deigned them to a specific group within the criminal underworld. Metal Heaven¡¯s steel crown chained over their follower¡¯s forehead; the piercing facial implantations of Crimson Soul; Interflame¡¯s holographic tattoo of shifting blue and white fire; the black metallic teardrops under each eye of Los Diablos; Serpentine tongues of The Gorgon¡¯s¡­ and so many more from the countless smaller gangs inhabiting Westcrook. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Di! Where the fuck you been!?¡± A loud woman, three steel droplets under each eye, approached Diamante with a tightly gripped barbell that weighed enough to crush my ribs. She tossed it without a care, and Diamante caught it like it was a paper towel. ¡°Lucard here thinks his form¡¯s right, won¡¯t believe me despite my ranking. Let number 9 show him the way!¡± Number¡­ 9? Diamante snickered. ¡°Alyssa, you really think a man like him deserves my time? Much less, you?¡± I cringed as the woman took heavy, stomping, footsteps with the grace of a bear. She stopped just inches away from Diamante¡¯s face, before a laugh broke out from her. ¡°You ass! Been what, three weeks in the top ten and you got an ego now?! Who helped you spec out your back to get you in there with the deadlift!?¡± Diamante pulled her in for a hug. ¡°Whatever do you mean? Didn¡¯t I tune your legs to get you to the top thirty? Pretty sure you¡¯ve taken my help far more than I take yours.¡± ¡°Still keeping your arms a secret?¡± She patted him on the back, sending a clap of thunder through the room. ¡°My pride and joy, Lisa.¡± They let go, each of their eyes lit with a fiery spark. ¡°Tell you what, you get that kid into the top hundred and I¡¯ll share how to better modify your equilibrium tuning.¡± ¡°Yeesh, not making it easy for me Di. Kid¡¯s joined only for a month, thinks he¡¯s hot shit all of a sudden.¡± ¡°Oh believe me, I know the feeling.¡± Diamante joust a thumb in my direction. ¡°Found a kid we think is worth investing in, the problem is his arm¡¯s¡­ well¡­ you can see. Hubris and all that.¡± My Matrix flashed into an active mental whirring as the Los Diablos woman turned to me, her smile curving into a sinister snarl. ¡°Oooh¡­ little boy thinks he can join the big leagues? Don¡¯t you need a working arm for that? Must¡¯ve gotten into a pretty nasty brawl to get it all ripped up, wait¡­ isn¡¯t that¡­ Shard Op¡¯ tech?¡± Before I could respond, Diamante answered. ¡°Never said we wanted him to fight, kid¡¯s here to meet up with Harry. For let¡¯s say¡­ a job interview.¡± Then he whispered something into her ear, something that caused her entire form to light up in a sadistic glow as she tried to stuff down cackles shaking the room. ¡°Oh that¡¯s vile. I love it.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± I finally let out. ¡°I thought I was just getting my arm replaced.¡± Topaz slid out a cheerful tone from his voice. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you are. Just might get an employment out of this too if you play your cards well.¡± A new job¡­ here? That actually sounded very compelling, having access to Shardware tuned for fitness and combat would be incredible with my skills. ¡°Oh well, fuck yeah then, where is this Harry guy anyway?¡± ¡°That¡¯s Mr. Anderson to you.¡± A voice boomed out from behind me, a voice I¡¯d only ever related to those Holovids of military training exercises where a Lieutenant was training up a bunch of new recruits. It was loud, domineering in every aspect to even rival Jacob Grazhe¡¯s mind-piercing whispers, and when I turned around to meet the frightening voice. I saw that it was pitch-perfect to the man I¡¯d envisioned. A tall figure of overbearing muscle and machine, his artificial skin covered in more tattoos than I¡¯d ever seen on a human body, curving between steel and flesh. Each limb was a mountain of wires and chords plated in smooth gray, almost pyramidal in shape but each segment was carefully arranged to allow maximum range of mobility. He looked like he should be charging a squadron of men through a battlefield, but here he was managing Shardware instead. ¡°Your vocal box fried, Ripley?¡± Oh so he knew my name¡­ perfect, probably knew too much about me then. I raised my voice, the Preservation Matrix within my head blanketing over the fear that should be trembling through me right about now. ¡°Nope, completely organic. Just¡­ truth be told you¡¯re kind of terrifying and one arm of yours has more mass than my entire body. Was just taking it all in.¡± He snorted, and that sent forth a wave of rumbling snickers and laughter through the entire gym. Mr. Anderson waved one of his hands at me, pulling my attention to a door in the back of the building. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you¡¯re as good at Shard Operating as you are at being honest.¡± I nodded briskly, taking a faint look at Diamante and Topaz who were¡­ heading away from me. ¡°Wait, you guys aren¡¯t coming?¡± Diamante didn¡¯t have the pleasure of giving me a response, as he was already being drowned in the bodies of several muscleheads. Topaz, though, clicked his tongue and pointed at the duffel bag he¡¯d left by my feet. ¡°Yeah no, we ain¡¯t babysitting you for that long. Got our own things to do, don¡¯t worry though you¡¯re in good hands. Just make sure you don¡¯t do anything to piss him off.¡± He gave me thumbs up, before turning into friendly conversation with people who should be at each other¡¯s throats. Heaving the heavy duffel bag containing a part of my grandfather¡¯s Endoskeleton, I carried it into the hallway as I followed the mountain of a man who was supposed to be my boss. ¡°So uh¡­ you work here long?¡± This hallway was seemingly endless, and we passed by too many doors with odd alphabetical identifiers. ¡°Bigger on the inside than I expected.¡± ¡°Nothing like those corporate gyms, believe me.¡± He gruffed. ¡°Founded the place, not too long after the war.¡± ¡°Are you a veteran?¡± Was this guy nearly a century old like Missy? ¡°Yup. Born in Yellowstone back when it and Westbrook used to be one district, got drafted twice, and returned with three fewer limbs.¡± He pushed open a door labeled as ¡®Operation¡¯, walking me inside. ¡°The limbs your choice? Or not?¡± ¡°There was never a choice.¡± He said as he turned on the lights, the view of the room sent my heart fluttering. It was clean and sterile unlike the constant gunk of my old place thanks to The Snake Fangs contaminating it, neatly organized containers of various tools and Shardware ordered around the room. Four Operating chairs clung to the walls of each side, each a massive bulky bed with hundreds of gizmos sticking in and out, biomonitors and Warp Energy stabilizers and more. But one of them was unique. Where the others were huge and made to allow the Operator to alter the human body on a three dimensional axis¡­ this one was a sleek circle with only minimal restraints. Instead, six huge spider-arms drew out from under the circle, all of them as capable as an Operating Claw. ¡°You have an Arachne.¡± My words fell in utter disbelief. ¡°Oh that, it¡¯s a bit old.¡± He didn¡¯t even glance at the marvel of modern engineering sitting in the corner of the theater. ¡°Needs to be replaced one day, it¡¯s a bit¡­ wonky. Prototype. Not the kind that got shipped off onto the bigwigs, it¡¯s the same type they first made in the Swarm.¡± ¡°A first generation?¡± This was insane, I¡¯d never even dreamed to see one of them¡­ but to bear witness at one of their first ever iterations? ¡°H-how does it work? I¡¯ve always wanted to see one.¡± ¡°I mean¡­¡± He scratched his chin, taking a comfortable seat. ¡°You¡¯re going to be using it, so figure it out for yourself.¡± ¡°I- hold on, I¡¯m going to be using it?¡± Suddenly, my mind felt a record scratch play out. He pointed towards the duffel bag hanging from my shoulder. ¡°Yeah, on yourself.¡± He said dryly. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ not going to be doing the surgery¡± Then this all took a really bad turn in my head as the realization stood as proudly as the Arachne did. ¡°How the fuck am I supposed to cut off my own arm?¡± ¡°Arachne has a bonesaw built in, just chuck it off. I know buyers for the marrow in it, you¡¯ll get around a thousand.¡± He was too casual, each of the metallic orbs in his eyesockets following my shock. ¡°Kid. No respectable Shard Op¡¯ lets another delve into their body.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Clumsily, I dropped the bag. ¡°Gotta just, whack of my own arm.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± He nodded¡­ before the slightest snicker broke through his stoic wall of a face. ¡°I know it¡¯s overwhelming for your first time. Hell, you¡¯re probably going to fuck up, and if you do, it¡¯s goodbye from me.¡± ¡°Meaning¡­ it¡¯s a test?¡± I sucked in saliva through my dry throat. ¡°I do this without you interfering and I get a job¡­¡± ¡°Yup.¡± He nodded. ¡°So¡­ I want to know what I¡¯m getting into. This job.¡± I unzipped the bag, pulling out the arm pieces of the Endoskeleton that we¡¯d taken the time to recover on our drive here. ¡°You work for me, doing a bit of maintenance.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not enough information.¡± I lifted my head, steeling my gaze over his own. ¡°This place may be licensed, but the work done here isn¡¯t¡­ that much is obvious. Somehow you¡¯re keeping the pigs from sniffing this lion¡¯s den out. How do I know I¡¯m not falling into a trap, this isn¡¯t my first time.¡± ¡°Right.¡± He clicked his tongue, sounding entirely unimpressed. ¡°Snake Fangs, you worked for Shaun ¡®The Bloodmuncher¡¯¡­ I believe his name was. Kid had his head in the clouds while his feet were stuck in the mud.¡± It felt weird hearing someone else call Shaun a kid, but I ordered up my various pieces. Yttrium Steel plating, the Bronze Warp Generator, an Endo-Skeleton arm and of course the External mimic of my old Shard Op¡¯ Claw fitted for my left arm. ¡°The Bronze Warp Generator.¡± Mr. Anderson pointed at it. ¡°What year was it manufactured?¡± My mind coalesced in thought, my grandfather was born during the Fourth Swarm and most of the pieces used in the arm were several decades old. A Warp Generator, however, was much more expensive. In terms of raw value of the materials, it overshadowed each piece of the Endo-Skeleton¡­ which meant it was older to compensate for value. ¡°Early 2400¡¯s, probably around 2430.¡± My mind clicked on. ¡°I asked what year, not decade.¡± He stood up, walking towards me with a razor-sharp glint in his eyes. The massive compartment of his right hand steamed open, splitting apart to spawn out two separate forearms each with a Claw. One of them delicately plucked the Generator up, while his careful eyes dissected each facet of the globe. ¡°2432.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing¡­¡± To be able to determine the year of manufacturing just from a simple moment of glancing¡­ he was a cut above many Shard Op¡¯s. ¡°Being able to read isn¡¯t amazing.¡± He turned the orb around, one of his fingers scratching right under a legible indent in the generator¡¯s surface. ¡®Manufacturing year: 2432¡¯ I felt like an idiot, heat rising up to my ears. ¡°Uh¡­ fuck me.¡± ¡°Look Ripley, Missy cashed in a favor to have you here. To have this opportunity. That doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ve won all of this already.¡± He placed it back down, exactly where it had been before. ¡°I know, it¡¯s just¡­ a lot¡¯s happened and-¡° ¡°Nope don¡¯t want to hear any of it.¡± He sat down, the firm squeeze of the chair to support his weight sending a shiver through me. ¡°Two things Ripley. I never said you couldn¡¯t look at the generator, take every bit of an advantage where you can. And second, the less assumptions you have to make ¡ª the better. Information is half the fight, execution is the other half.¡± Right, right¡­ this was an opportunity far more than I could ever ask for so I should just get this all done and- No. I couldn¡¯t just let myself fall for any opportunity now, I needed to fall into the best possible options. Already, I¡¯d suffered in Shaun¡¯s workshop believing it be the only way I could manage myself out of the hellhole I lived in, I couldn¡¯t afford doing it again. Take every advantage you can, no assumptions. ¡°Payment, clientele, work hours and expectations, training¡­ I want to know exactly what I¡¯m falling into. What¡¯s this gym and clinic¡¯s revenue and how will this operation work with my input.¡± The rust in my eyes was clearing a bit every day. A small smile curled up on his lips. ¡°Gym has four-hundred members in different tiers, labeled Iron to Gold. Silvers are afforded one Iron-Grade checkup a month, Gold have them weekly or one check on their Bronze-Grade Shardware monthly. On membership fees alone, I make around thirty Bronze Shards a month¡­ The real money is in the checkups. I charge four-hundred for maintaining an Iron piece, and two-thousand for Bronze¡­ but it can depend on the complexity of the cybernetics.¡± I nodded as he spoke further. ¡°In general, we get around fifteen-to-twenty checkups in a week, with at least thirty Shardware Operations a month. Other than the gym, we also get clients who¡¯re looking for some more¡­ extensive modifications as you know.¡± Combat Shardware. ¡°Cosmetic implants are also a big money-maker, we work within the volume of a human body and some are open to breaking past that. While others want to keep a more organic look. All of that nets in quite a healthy sum, one I¡¯m not sharing the details of. As for how you play into all of this¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m assuming you know some stuff about me.¡± I tightened my grip. ¡°Gold and 99% compatibility¡­ that was the only thing that made me even consider you.¡± He smirked. ¡°That Data Mimicry feature¡­ that¡¯s when I thought that maybe you might be worth it. I don¡¯t know the specifics of your Shard Op¡¯ing skills, but if you¡¯re half of what I¡¯m expecting then I can manage something out of you. Feature Links. If you can spread the mimicked code out into Shardware and establish a good Link, then you¡¯re worth it even as trash. Though, Feature Linking generally requires a Dataweaving Feature if you¡¯re going to try it at the lower Tiers. We¡¯d have to wait until you¡¯re Tier II to really figure it out.¡± I hadn¡¯t even considered the possibility, but it was theoretically sound. If I could mimic a Feature, I could naturally impose a Link without exhausting an Implant¡¯s Warpcode in the process. ¡°Other than that, you¡¯d be doing general maintenance work, scaling Shardware to size or altering their parameters. Nothing too fancy out of the box, they trust me¡­ not you. But if someone comes up to you and proposes a private deal, I¡¯m not getting involved unless it¡¯s something that can fuck this place up¡­ and believe me, I will know. You can also modify your own body past closing time, unless you want to work overtime, and I¡¯ll charge on an hourly basis of two Irons Shards.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± I flatly declined, my heart stammering up. ¡°I could be working on a Bronze piece at that time, two Shards for something that complex? I want it on a piece-by-piece basis. One Iron Shard for a piece of the same grade, ten for a Bronze.¡± ¡°Hourly. Three.¡± He barked back. ¡°Hourly. Eight.¡± A mischevious smirk danced up on me. He puckered his lips, a perfect poker face staring down on me. ¡°An Iron for Iron, and six for a Bronze.¡± ¡°Ten for a Bronze.¡± I repeated. ¡°Eight.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± ¡°Only if you can replace your arm.¡± He tore up a slight smile. ¡°About that, I have an offer.¡± It was something I¡¯d thought of when he mentioned tiers in the gym membership. ¡°I would like a Silver Membership.¡± His face turned at that idea, and a small look of appreciation fluttered up as he realized what I was doing. ¡°It¡¯s two thousand a month, you¡¯ll already have a Gold membership if you work here.¡± ¡°But I want one now.¡± I remained steadfast. ¡°Very well¡­¡± His eyes glowed for a moment, as they aligned with my own and a contract spewed into my vision¡­ it was long. It also had an entire section dabbling into non-disclosure agreements about the Shard Op¡¯ clinic, which I focused on¡­ Included in the monthly check-up:- So I could do it¡­ I mentally signed up the contract, briefly cringing at the price of 2,000 Shardyne a month. It was twice the cost of my apartment. The contract closed as an alert in my Neuroframe indicated a transfer of the amount, but it had been necessary. ¡°Guess I¡¯ve got my check-up now then.¡± ¡°It appears that you do.¡± His eyes rolled. ¡°What¡¯s the thing you want me to look at-¡° ¡°Warp Generator. Need to fit it into my body, I was thinking of putting it into my arm but that would localize its output too much. I¡¯d read up on it, if I want it to spread throughout my body then it needs to be within the midline of my body for equal distribution.¡± ¡°Because you want to hide the fact that Gold is running in your veins. As long as it¡¯s within you, you can redirect your own energy¡¯s flow to the Generator and have it¡¯s output spread to your Shardware.¡± He commented, correctly. I continued. ¡°Only problem is that it''s a heavily invasive surgery used mainly for Combat tech. Spinal modification is the most common but requires the replacement of my spinal cord, something out of my price range. Only other options are my heart and lungs, but they¡¯re also costly and the piece I have is too large to-¡° ¡°Liver.¡± Mr. Anderson froze on. ¡°Partial transplant. Quicker healing time and no cutting through bones. Even synthetic, it still has to take in large volumes of blood, so it can diffuse the Warp Energy into your blood vessels and nerves. Iron-Grade SynTec Hepatic-All good for you? Four-and-a-half if you¡¯re buying it.¡± ¡°With surgery?¡± I gauged my option. ¡°Seven thousand.¡± He sent out a contract, but I declined the surgery option and just went for the purchase as my credit lowered even more. ¡°So you got one on you right now or¡­¡± I erred, blinking as he tapped invisible buttons in the air while the room made a weird sound all around me for around a minute. Then a ding rang out as the sound disappeared, a trapdoor within one of the walls flung open like an oven and within it was a brown-red organ around the size of my two-fists. That was quick, and it was already around the size I¡¯d need to fit into my body. ¡°You got an Energized Feature, yeah?¡± He motioned me over to the artificial organ which he plugged in with wires connecting up to a computer. ¡°Installing an Engram on it, Warp Conduit. Have you ever formed a Feature Link before?¡± ¡°Once, self-established the Neural Matrix in my frame. Did it more subconsciously than with a clear goal in mind.¡± I rubbed the steel box on the back of my head, it was the Feature Link allowing my Preservation Matrix to hold so much control over my body alongside the Personality Matrix. Those three together governed much of my response to stimuli in such an orderly fashion. ¡°Yeah that¡¯s about how all self-established ones happen. It¡¯s like shaping water ¡ª your Features ¡ª into a specific form within the Shardware. Dataweaving is about the only Feature able to stay consistent in linking.¡± He pulled out a wire and held it up to me, without hesitation I plugged it into the back of my Neuroframe. My neck flinched as my mind opened up to the liver. Establishing connection¡­ SynTec Hepatic-All (Liver Replacement) Integrity: Iron II Energy: Iron II Capacity: Iron II Grade: Iron II Decription: A Synthetic Liver manufactured by SynTec; holds all normal functionality of an organic Liver, along with additional identification and breakdown of toxins. It is also capable of analyzing your bloodstream, providing real-time updates regarding blood pressure, hematocrit, and immunity. Engram installed¡­ Warp Conduit¡­ ¡°Now¡­ you should also understand why we don¡¯t just hook up anybody to a piece of Shardware and use their Features to create new links for another person.¡± Anderson slowly inserted Iron Shards into a cylindrical device, their form dissolving as a pulse of their internal energy soaked into the liver. I squeezed my eyes tighter as the liver unfurled fangs at me. ¡°Because it fucking hurts!- And¡­ incompatibility. Unless you¡¯re using a BUG to form the link then there¡¯s a chance that using one formed by another person could cause a digital auto-immune response.¡± ¡°But you can mimic the specific Warpcode of others¡­¡± His voice whispered out. ¡°I can form Feature Links on their behalf.¡± My eyes widened. ¡°Claimed to have used a BUG instead¡­ but how would I re-¡° ¡°Focus. The vessel¡¯s the engram and your Feature is the water. The Iron Warp Energy only serves to get things moving, you need to whip it into shape.¡± And as he said it, I felt a bite of retaliation from the liver unless I formally linked to it then- hold on, why was I making this harder for myself? Establishing Link¡­ Internal Link Established The liver was ending up in my body anyway. And it seemed I did the right thing as Mr. Anderson humorously relaxed as though he was wondering why I waited so long. Which was probably exactly what he was thinking. Summoning my Warp Energy, I cupped my focus on the idea of the Energized function, not pulling any specific capability of it but rather grasping the fundamental idea of it. All Features held a simple basis as their root from which they branched into a unique path for all BUG Adapters, Energized was simple. To redirect Warp Energy beyond its conventional paths. And that core motif drenched through the thick wire connecting me and the Liver, flowing like water in a pipe to drain into the synthetic organ. As true as he said, the Engram had already placed down the foundation for the Link, and I inebriated the Iron Grade Energy of my linked organ with the concept of Energized. Feature Link established¡­ Warp Conduit [Energized]. He clapped once, almost mocking in a way but I got the sense that wasn¡¯t what he tried to convey. ¡°You did it. Congratulations, but you were also wrong.¡± Huh? ¡°Wrong about what?¡± ¡°Why you cannot have someone else make a Feature Link for you, not if you want happy customers. You Link your Feature to Shardware, it carries your data. Linked Shardware has the same signature as their Adapter, think of it as two waves of energy of the same frequency meeting and converging under perfect conditions. Only through that method can a Feature be self-established without the use of a BUG.¡± He placidly disconnected the wires from my liver. ¡°Then¡­¡± That only confused me even more. ¡°How the fuck am I supposed to make Feature Links for other people?!¡± ¡°You swear a lot don¡¯t you¡­¡± He looked at me like a disapproving grandfather. ¡°Because you aren¡¯t using your Feature, you¡¯re using their Feature. It''ll be quality worth charging Plat for.¡± ¡°Does that¡­¡± Hold on a second. ¡°So any Feature Link I make with a mimicked Feature can¡¯t be¡­ used by me?¡± ¡°Won''t know it until you try, you¡¯ll likely feel the resistance of another¡¯s code mingling in your system. Who knows how your Unique Feature will react?¡± Anderson shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re the only Adapter I know with that sort of overarching compatibility to foreign code.¡± ¡°Also¡­¡± He added. ¡°Should have negotiated for payment per Feature Link, would have gotten you a pretty penn-¡° ¡°A third of the cost of the BUG that would have been used to make it without my help.¡± I interrupted. ¡°We¡¯ll negotiate that if it turns out you can do it. If you can¡¯t¡­ then you¡¯ll be a good chore-boy.¡± He then pointed to my liver. ¡°Now, I¡¯ve got to get back to work, you fit in the generator and liver together, scrap up your arm and put it on yourself. You have till the end of today, gym closes 5 PM but the clinic¡¯s open till 7. I¡¯m giving you till 9. Take a bench in the corner office, test out the Arachne and work while you can¡­¡± Satisfied with our consultation, Harold Anderson showed me off to a quiet corner where I got to work while, slowly, one-by-one, others filtered in for their own consultations with the operator. Once they were done, I''d have to remove my own arm, and a part of my liver. I hoped this was going to be a long day. Blood and Steel C30: Self-Improvement Surgery Chapter 30: Self-Improvement Surgery 12:43 PM June 26th Ripley The last four hours had been spent mindlessly putting together, removing and rebuilding the arm according to my own measurements. I¡¯d never come to truly appreciate just how much I used my non-dominant hand for Shard Operating until now, all the little things I would hold or stabilize now had to be managed by careful and precise movements of my right Claw. Shard Op¡¯ Claws weren¡¯t confined to the normal range of motion used in most day-to-day Shardware. They needed a mix of flexibility and durability to dig deep into overheated electronics, each of my fingers were nimble mantis-legs bending inhumanely¡­ prying deeper. Even Procedure Repetition couldn¡¯t perfectly build up the arm for one simple reason, everything was mirrored. As such, I had to take things slowly, layering everything from the ground up and soldering each article according to the floating schematic I¡¯d drawn up in my lens. Fortunately, my work on the experimental Claw Tips had been fortunate enough to let me modify the plethora of broken down tips from my expenditure into a proper set of claws of my own creation. Were they as good as the ones in my right hand¡­ no. They weren¡¯t compatible with the Livewire. And speaking of the Warp Material, it seemed like Harold Anderson was not aware of that specific information regarding me. Or at least, he wasn¡¯t showing it. Still, I focused on everything other than the idea that I¡¯d be cutting my own arm off today. If I was fortunate, Psyche would update to give me a way through¡­ if I wasn¡¯t, then this was going to hurt. A lot. It was noon when I was finally satisfied with the rough design I¡¯d scrapped up. A simpler redesign of my right arm, using the Endo-Skeleton bone-plating along some cheaper steel cores from the broken down Claws I¡¯d bought. It was disproportionate to my right arm, weighing slightly more and not as strong or mobile, but it was still an incredibly high quality Claw for an Iron Grade. Custom-made Shard Op¡¯ Claw Integrity: Iron II Energy: Iron II Capacity: Iron I Grade: Iron II All these different parameters, I¡¯d still never truly understood what they meant. All I knew was that they¡¯d be more important once I finished converging¡­ which I was quite close to. 95%¡­ if I was lucky, a few more updates today would get me there. And so, as I prepared to delve into the mysteries of a synthetic liver, I pulled up two Iron BUGs when the room was empty. Both from people I¡¯d killed, the first from the man in little Requiem, and the second from Emily who I¡¯d slain yesterday. I didn¡¯t know when, but at some point when I¡¯d lost conciousness I¡¯d lost the Analyze Feature I¡¯d mimicked. So I tried to regain the ability once more. Reading Data¡­ Data Mimickry V.0.02 has updated to V.0.03 Effect: Increased speed of reading Warpcode Data that has already been mimicked once. Features Available: [I] Analyze Not finished yet, I flexed up my Energy into the second BUG, hoping that another reading would get me another update. Reading Data¡­ This one took much longer, maybe six minutes as my mind sat in stillness poking and prodding around the hidden streams of information within the Implant. 100%¡­ Data read successfully. BUG scanned¡­ Grade: Iron Tier: 1 [Foundation] Features: [Iron] Overclock V.1.02 Previous Adapters: Emily Wilbur [Three years] You may mimic the feature: Overclock V.1.02 An Overclock function? I couldn¡¯t see what use that would be for a drug dealer other than to temporarily push her Shardware over the limits for combat but as a Shard Op¡­ I mimicked the Feature, feeling it¡¯s inner workings merge with my own. Update Summary: Alot of it could more or less be covered by my Energized Feature, but that was more generalized compared to Overclock. Synergized together however? And with a Feature Protocol layered on top of it, the effects would be nasty, I pulled in the Warpcode like my mind had become a vortex of endless hunger and- Error: Warpcode Limit has been reached, unable to Mimic full capacity of Feature¡­ Error: Unable to Mimic the Feature Protocol: Frenzy; Warpcode too complex, unable to synchronize Protocol Data with current limitations¡­ Data Mimickry V.0.03 has updated to V.0.04 Effect: Higher instinctual awareness of Warpcode complexity during Data reading. Data Mimickry V.0.04 has updated to V.0.5 Effect: Reactive limiting of Mimicked Feature output if at risk of harming Iplant. And I felt like I needed to puke, seriously, it felt like my stomach had just taken all of my neural burden all at once. I would have probably passed out from the stubborn nausea if it wasn¡¯t for the next few lines of information peering mercy at me. Report: Feature is underdeveloped and Neural capacity is too limited to make full use of Overclock¡¯s capabilities¡­ adjusting¡­ Feature: Overclock is acting at 65% of its full capacity. Then it stopped as my brain fastened a glorious wall to block off all the invading streams of information from tearing my brain apart. At once, I felt the Feature¡¯s knowledge become one with me in the simplest passage of my arm. The image of someone with the Overclock Feature was all too simple, you visualized a tired tank-of-a-human, arms and body beefed up like they¡¯d injected the muscle mass of a horse into their arm. They had just killed twenty assassins chasing after them, foreign blood drenched their clothes and every step seemed like it shook between the line of death and life. Then a new enemy appears, maybe they¡¯re tough ¡ª maybe they¡¯re fast. It doesn¡¯t matter, because you¡¯re tired. At least, you should be. You activate the Overclock feature and your arm-cannon charges up so bright it almost melts, and in the blink of an eye you have one less head to worry about. Yeah but I didn¡¯t have an enemy like that on my tail right now, so what difference could this make? A whole lot, it turned out. The higher the grade, the more specific your updates to the specific stimuli developing them. Which meant Iron Grade was a loose boost to all capabilities in most cases rather than a targeted approach. Something that was fine in the short run of things, but not all too feasible in the long run. While I would have liked something solely for my brainpower, the quicker response time and slight boost to my Shardware was an added bonus. I¡¯d also needed to adjust my strength now, even light scratches from my claw were now a cleaver to these metallic sculptures. Not a deadly, slash right through my foes cleaver ¡ª but a softer, denting metal and putting a heavy hole in their wallet kind. My arm was a machination of engineering, burning my wisps of Gold into tangible results out of brief images I¡¯d thought too technically articulate for me to feasibly manage in this short period of time. In record time, I had slimmed down my left arm by about twelve-percent, condensing or cleaving off mass that had been redundant. It didn¡¯t seem like much, but every percentage in every parameter could make a difference. ¡°Good.¡± Harold gruffed as he leaned over an unconscious patient, his body prone in a chair that was faced away from me. There were no cameras, none that I could see from here anyway, but it was directed to me. With enough Gold to run me in this state for another hour, I started to work on the liver. 2:49 PM An hour was an overstatement, Overclock users were generally burst of energy types of people. It was easy to see now, what should have been a minute long spur of work from me ended up being a solid twenty minutes of confusion and terrible management of my limited resources until my internal storage sputtered out into exhaustion. Harold hadn¡¯t even ordered me food, but Topaz had been kind enough to get me a burger before he left. He said someone would be coming later on the day to pick me up, then left. Crunching the plastic-feeling lettuce between my incisors, I mulled over the liver. It reminded me all too much about why I preferred the musculoskeletal parts of the human body, they were simple and it was that fact that allowed them to be so readily modifiable. You don¡¯t often hear of a man transforming a gun out of his intestines now, do you? Muscles and bones held a basis on the integrity and movement side of things, they rarely needed to produce complex hormones or chemicals needed to keep the body in stasis. Other than bone marrow, off the top of my head any way. I wasn¡¯t an expert in anatomy, but I knew the function of the liver pretty well. Hormone production, blood filtration, and toxin removal. All using a complex mixture of cells layered in discs which composed even more sophisticated manners of lobules and lobes. With this artificial organ, it would be mimicked by machinery, intricate scanners would track through my blood and perform the necessary tasks if needed. In summary, even minute damage could spiral out of control since the machine lacked self-regenerative properties. The good thing about an organic liver was that it had some healing capacity, and recent gene therapy could even keep an alcoholic¡¯s liver in prime condition if they had the Shardyne for it. A good thing was that buying Shardware always came with a library of various manuals ranging from safety to insurance ¡ª which I would very quickly be voiding by intermingling the Warp Generator into the fold. At least it showed me which parts of the liver served what function, so by the time my burger was finished I was a little more confident in what I was handling¡­ Let¡¯s get to work. 6:23 PM My right hand burned, the metallic joints and muscles feeling like they¡¯d been dipped into scorching acid and left raw. An adverse effect of Overclock was burnout of your Shardware, it even climbed upwards into my organic back as the various muscles connected to my scapula ached from the vibrations breaking them apart. So that might be the reason why every Overclock Adapter was beefed up. I pushed the pain aside, my Preservation Matrix keeping my thoughts in order as I derived more from my Technician Feature¡¯s Reverse Engineering protocol. Turns out there was a time limit and also a sort of cooldown for my Data Mimicry. The more I used the Feature, the more I utilized some sort of internal store of the memory until it was depleted and I¡¯d need to read the Data again. But it was like trying to fill a bucket with holes in it. I found the next attempt had lowered the capability of Overclock to 35%, and it drained even quicker than my previous use. After about an hour of no mimicry, I had now switched over to Analyze which fortunately seemed to be much longer lasting. Maybe it was because the Feature wasn¡¯t updated as much, or since the Feature itself took a more passive role. Either way, it was a tiny boost to my understanding, it let me know which parts of the liver and Generator held value and which served a more aesthetic purpose. The gym was closed now, and Anderson was busy taking notes on a pad in the opposite corner of the room as I held two pieces of living metal in my hand. He hadn¡¯t addressed me at all, even skirting past the questions of other clients who pressed on about my appearance. I was running out of time. The Warp Generator had been broken down and rebuilt at least seven times by now, the liver twice. And as I quickly sewed up two springy blobs of carbon together that made a third time. Then I got another update to my Technician Feature, the third one today. Technician V.1.02 has updated to V.1.03 Effect: Increased understanding of bio-integrational units of Shardware. Technician V.1.03 has updated to V.1.04 Effect: Internal calculation of Warp Physics is now more more efficient Technician V.1.04 has updated to V.1.05 Effect: Reverse Engineering Protocol is now more efficient in reconstructing internal organ Shardware. Each update just teased me closer to the edge. 98% now¡­ I was so close, but each increment was slower. What should have been solved by one update now took several. The table rattled as my nerves got the better of me, my steel fist reverberating from the light impact. What else could I improve? Energized? Psyche? No, there was nothing today that warranted them to be pushed beyond their limits. Nothing else but to just step on ahead into the abyss of my own operation and combine the liver and generator into one seamless piece. I¡¯d spent a while already just tinkering with the Warpcode of both, they were ready to merge on the digital aspect. If I had a Jailbreak Feature or hell, even an Integration Feature¡­ this would be much easier. Maybe even Dataweaving but¡­ I didn¡¯t, I had a limited amount of resources. I laughed¡­ limited? If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I had four fucking Features! I could mimic any Feature I had an Implant for! I had a gold mine and yet I couldn¡¯t even cough up a piece of coal. The two technological pieces in front of me were entirely compatible in a theoretical point of view but I just couldn¡¯t find a way to blend them together into a seamless physical element. With my Claw, I¡¯d only ever put together pieces of the same thing in different shapes. It was easy. This was like trying to mix water and oil without an emulsifying agent. ¡°How long would it have taken you¡­?¡± My tired voice radiated to the other side of the wide room. ¡°An hour, at most.¡± The succinct reply only weighed on me. I could do the arm now, that was part of the deal but I needed this liver arguably even more. My Gold was a walking treasure map pointing at the base of my skull, any Operating I do here without it would be like waving a treat in front of a starving dog. All sense of camaraderie this place had built would crumble under the weight of my value. So then what could I do? One arm was hardly enough to manage all these pieces together, so then- Of course. I felt like an idiot. I didn¡¯t have one arm available to me, my gaze landed on the wide disk with six spider legs sprouting out. Silently, my chair rolled towards the machine as it¡¯s connection dock fit into my focus. The thick chord spilling was two inches thick and ended with an equally arachnid vessel, a hollow pyramid glowing with faint wires of bronze that would fit right over my Neuroframe and synchronize me to the Arachne. Holding the hefty port right behind my neck, I aligned the two¡­ and then my mind screamed out as a gaping hole tore through it. External Connection Establishing¡­ [Redacted] Arachne Mk 1 7:21 PM I couldn¡¯t believe it had taken me this long to use the operating machinery that I¡¯d been dreaming of for so long. It was everything I imagined and more, my own body was slumped over as I saw it through the cameras of each arm, our connection pulling an overwhelming flood of information spilling into my mortal vessel. With a mental blink, I could see into various spectrums¡­ visualize my organs, trace out my nerves and blood vessels, align my skeleton and muscles at a glance. Not to mention, each arm held a fiesty hunger to drill into metal, their heads clamping open and shut like lotus buds fed a diet of steel. Of course, they couldn¡¯t do that. Arachne¡¯s were infamously brittle since they were loaded up with all sorts of sensitive equipment. They were more delicate weavers of steel than the hungering clamps of an actual spider. That title belonged to the Yuzhou model: Tsuchigumo, a massive exoskeletal suit that provided four additional arms loaded up with cannons and blades. An entertaining thought flowed through me; I had Livewire which sort of had a thematic resonance with the reflection of weaving, but it was just an idea¡­ for now. The liver sat on the operating bed, in pieces. The Warp Generator was in a similar state, the actual mechanisms providing it with the ability to shift grades up and down were conserved even if the overarching structure was dismantled. The theory behind it was all too complex for me to confidently shatter the processor with the hope that I¡¯d be able to put it together again. Even if I managed to keep it mostly the same, there was no way to tell if I¡¯d screwed something up in the long run. For the important bits, there was an input funnel that would consume my Warp Energy from the hepatic plexus, which fortunately ran along a surplus of blood vessels entering and exiting the organ at the portal triad. Then there was the much larger processor which held the divine secret of shifting grades to be placed within any empty space of the liver¡¯s actual body, and a much simpler outflow stream that could sink into my Inferior Vena Cava. As for the liver itself, I¡¯d mostly exposed the rudimentary bits and shaved off what was more aesthetic. The vital core components were largely untouched, at its simplest what I needed to do was uncrowd enough space that I could fit in the generator to complement the blood vessels without removing any functionality from both. With the Warp Generator¡¯s complete size being a third of the liver, it was proving to be difficult. But with the Arachne came some¡­ benefits. Each arm held a unique Feature Link. Feature Links: Shardware Scanner [Analyze]; Resuscitation Synchronizer [Sustain]; Warp Stability [Energized]; Precise Operation [Technician]; Shardware Slicer [Technician]; Data Syncing [Dataweaving] I don¡¯t know how I never saw it, that each arm was in itself a unique Iron-Grade Shardware all connected to a central Bronze-Grade network. That way, each arm could hold a unique Link without joining that same Pseudo-grade my Claw was held at. Controlling all six arms simultaneously was impossible with my current state. For all my life I¡¯d only ever used two, with thrice as many I was constantly jumbling my focus between them and praying that one day an Integration Feature would fall into my hands. It was one of the most sought after Features for this very purpose, it allowed the nervous system to adapt to foreign tech with ease without permanently adding it to your system. As four arms lazily swayed, two other arachnid limbs moved to the hold I had drenched over them. At the same time, they spurred to motion in a way both rapid and clunky. They acted in a rehearsed manner that was stumped by my lack of control, blades and hooks evolving from their sharp tips to pry and lift bits of metal and carbon. Keeping the lifted pieces steady in the air, the second arm whizzed from beneath to delicately pluck out wires. Switching my control, a third cut into their outer casing while a fourth brought out new wires from the liver. The fifth soldered them, and the sixth sprayed a new insulating case. It was a conveyor belt of action, each arm focusing on their specific purpose on the production line. I repeated the process with a careful focus, one-at-a-time, until I could safely ensure that I hadn¡¯t screwed anything up¡­ Energized V.1.05 has Updated to V.1.06 Effect: Increased control over non-Adapter Warp Energy in External Shardware Right, I technically wasn¡¯t using my own Gold to control them. Instead, my energy connected to the central network which had its own Bronze Storage unit used to power the six arms. I mentally clicked to check my progress¡­ 98%. So two more updates if my calculations were right. Just a few more hurdles, then I would be past Tier 0. I would be a true Adapter. Unfortunately, by the time I was finished with the liver nothing else had come. I only had one last challenge to the day, my own surgery. 8:12 PM ¡°I can¡¯t sedate myself, can I?¡± I framed the question more towards me, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel relieved when I got an answer. Harold Anderson answered amidst a mountain of Shardware in his hands. ¡°Nothing that impacts your own mental faculties.¡± ¡°So localized anaesthesia¡­ as I remove my arm. And my liver.¡± A groan carried all my dread at the upcoming procedure. I¡¯d outlined the entire process in my head since the day started, a complete removal of my left humerus and everything below it. At the very least, this would without a doubt get me some updates to my Features. I can¡¯t imagine I would want to adapt to anything more than removing my own flesh at this moment. A breath drilled out of me, this wasn¡¯t my first limb replacement. Around four years ago I¡¯d lost my right forearm while disarming a container for Shaun, and four months ago I¡¯d gotten the same procedure as today. The rehabilitation would suck, but it would be quicker now that I¡¯m an Adapter. A Gold Adapter. Lining myself up on the Arachne¡¯s bed, I flinched as my limbs were strapped in place and the chord in the back of my head buzzed tightly. The droning of bees drowning my thoughts as my vision slowly overlapped with six more eyes, until my organic ones rolled back. That pain of opening your mind up to a machine, it was like a festering wound bellowed at the back of my skull until my entire presence could fall through. The aching disappeared in seconds, but the hollow void of the gateway existed as an annoying presence in my thoughts. I stared at my body through the cameras in each Arachne arm, six overlapping images formed an understandable sphere of awareness I could flow through. I poked my shoulder lightly, and the phantom sense of awareness in my physical body flinched in the sight of the Arachne limbs. A witness to my own mutilation, how morbid. I could quite literally see the tortured expression in my face as each thought passed into the mechanical limbs, the momentary relaxation as I thought that this wouldn¡¯t be so bad, to the all too dreadful tension as I envisioned my blood vessels. I still held onto the mimicked Overclock Feature, perhaps out of the desperation that it could possibly blitz the arms into completing the procedure for me. In the end, there was nothing else for me to do but start. Each limbs injected a precise vial of clear liquid through my arm, but since I lacked a clear circulation and most of the nerves were already disconnected there was little sensation except for my shoulder. I had amputated arms in the past. It was one of the most common requests as a Shard Op¡¯, and the procedure was always the same. First, my skin was cut lightly by blades to expose the underlying muscles of my shoulder and parts of my clavicle. Then the blood vessels were sealed or redirected, nerves were severed in precise locations of the brachial plexus that my prosthesis would later connect to. Like a puzzle, my body unraveled from a living being to a mass of interconnected flesh and bone. Staring at my exposed shoulder and collar muscles, I couldn¡¯t help but envision myself as a statue of some kind¡­ a statue very much in pain. Careful injections relieved me, but I couldn¡¯t push any further into my neck or else I could seriously fall asleep while performing my own surgery. Besides, I hadn¡¯t even cut into the bone yet. Once blood vessels were no longer an issue, a thick slab of metal slid forward into two of the Arachne limbs. They began to hum as a blurring ghost of their own image drifted over them, yeah this was going to suck. The pain medication was just enough that the second I pierced my deltoid muscles I didn¡¯t awaken to scream at the alien limbs dissecting me. It didn¡¯t mean I was okay though as the fleshy chords seized up in reflex, their tightness exploding away as I sawed around the lips of my clavicle and scapula. A painful minute later and I removed the flap, my blood pressure and respiratory rate spiking high that prompted an intravenous release of agents to relieve it. A moment later, I dug deeper again. I could preserve the muscles of my scapula, but I still had to disconnect them from the humerus. The rotator cuff fell loose, the four muscles keeping the arm stabilized now flapped back and pinned until further use. The arm itself completely limp. One more checkup on any bleeding and exposed nerves, and then the saw hummed deeper as its fangs grew bigger. I couldn¡¯t sedate the nerves within my bone, not without risking serious risk to the procedure. Even then, I underestimated the pain I would feel sawing through them. Psyche V.1.08 has updated to V.1.09 Effect: Increased tolerance to self-inflicted pain. It was a translucent cloth atop the searing light of agony. I couldn¡¯t even spare a moment to check my progress until the few inches of bone were entirely cut through along with my biceps and brachialis muscle. Slimy webs of my bodily fluids grasped in desperation as the dead arm was lifted off me, blood desperately clings with a thin thread until it snapped. Only air remained beneath my left shoulder. A few lighter cuts removed any bits of my remaining humerus bone, a quick transfusion of blood keeping my body stable. Technician V.1.05 has updated to V.1.06 Effect: Increased efficiency in removal of organic components during Shard Operating. That would have been good to have two minutes ago, but it didn¡¯t clinch in any notice that I¡¯d gotten past Tier 0 of Convergence. As the metallic twin of my left arm came up in view, a deep sense of loss perforated through the tired motions of the Arachne. My arm was truly separate from me now, a piece of my human body. That same arm I¡¯d used to hold onto my mother, that had been with me since I was a child and grown along my life, now sat dead on a tray. I was hardly the sentimental type, but¡­ I don¡¯t know. I was just sad. 8:34 PM Metallic strips lined my new wound, a mound of metal sculpted to create a dark-steel stump over it. My nerves fed through the processor, branching out into muscles and the new bone that replaced my old organic pieces. The biomonitor showed my signs as stable, the linkage process already underway subconsciously. The operation was a success, but it had taken too much from me. I¡¯d been scraped raw, like my mental skin had been torn against miles of concrete and tarmac over the ordeal. But I hadn''t finished, not while there was still the liver. A more personal project in an ironic sense. Even though I¡¯d secured my place here, the heavy organ lifted up in the claws of three limbs that I pushed on. That I persevered with. Another few injections under my ribcage prepared it for the sharp sting of a scalpel skirting beneath the curvature. I won¡¯t go into the details, but the amount of blood I¡¯d suctioned out was proof of my inexperience, the clamped arteries and veins only proving to be highways that many smaller roads stemmed from. The dull thud of my organic liver on the tray was exhausting, my blood pressure had lowered until I could feel the grogginess wade into the limbs. Biomonitor alerts flashed one after the other, and I¡¯d made the metallic droids work to keep me stable but I was¡­ I was¡­ I¡¯d messed up somewhere. Maybe it was too much organic trauma for one night, maybe my Preservation Matrix just couldn¡¯t keep up with it. By the time I¡¯d set the new liver into the arachnid arms, I was just¡­ so fucking tired. Sleepy and¡­ oh god, I was probably dying. Even with a shunting vessel pathing an exodus of blood into my heart, I had fucked up predicting the sheer shock my body would face all at once. I should have taken things more slowly and methodically, rather than just performing one step after the other out of the fear that if I took a moment¡¯s pause then I¡¯d never start again. And Harold¡­ yeah, he was probably going to let me die. A Gold Implant would literally fall into his lap, maybe that was his plan all along. I carried on, or atleast that¡¯s what I would like to say. My Matrix pushed my mind into conformation, yelling out orders into the alien limbs that attempted to fumble my blood vessels into specific paths. I needed to use more arms at once, but I was failing at managing even one now. One alert called out another into my vision, then another, until I was swarmed by a sea of noise and light all spelling out my impending death. I was scared, I was so scared until- Psyche V1.09 has updated to version 1.10 Effect: Reduced fear of death. ¡­ 100% Convergence achieved¡­ calibrating¡­ Darkness snapped over me. Calibrations complete. Implant is reconfiguring¡­ Adapter is now in Tier I: Foundation; with the Implant and Adapter now acting as one functional unit, they will now build a foundation until further modification can occur. Grade calibrated¡­ Gold I Integrity calibrated¡­ Iron IV Energy calibrated¡­ Iron V Capacity calibrated¡­ Iron VII Tendency Calibrated¡­ [Requirements not met] Compatibility calibrating¡­ 99.9% Feature pathway analysis¡­ And then my six eyes snapped open. Aware in a way they never had been before, each and every trickle of information a light breeze of profound data. All of them buzzed to work, in a synchronized manner they sealed blood vessels and spliced nerves to join with the wires of my liver. Fastened into a pool of my blood, the liver was a bug caught up in the web my six soldiers knitted. Warp Energy burned through them, my own Warp Energy, working them to the bone as they spurned like puppets to my every thought. In minutes, my liver was tied up in organic ligaments and electrical tubes. Then my skin was sewn tight, a soothing spray spacing in between any clots wanting to form. Slowly, my mind pulled back into my human body, returning to experience what had changed. The first conscious breath I drew was unlike any other I¡¯d ever had, it was flavorful in the essence of life. The oxygen within was telling in the way it seeped into my blood, rushing through my heart to vitalize my body. I never imagined that coming out of a surgery could feel so¡­ energizing. As my new liver set itself to work, I had an acute grasp over the composition of my blood and the cleansing it experienced. Muck and grime that had built up in me for years washing away as each heartbeat left me clearer and focused. ¡°Something else isn¡¯t it. A new liver.¡± Mr. Anderson was leaning on the wall right beside me. ¡°Of couse, that¡¯s not the only thing that¡¯s new to you. No longer in Convergence?¡± I shook my head, and in doing so I was amazed at how much I could glean from the muscles in my neck. Their exact position, their tension and expectations. ¡°Feels like I¡¯ve been born again.¡± ¡°Except this time without being covered in your mother¡¯s juices.¡± He barked, much to my ajared wince. ¡°Takes some time getting used to, did your compatibility go down?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± And I left it at that as my eyes honed in on the new number. 99.9%¡­ now it had an additional decimal added after that. It may not seem like a lot but in a sense I had one-tenth of my old incompatibility at 99%. A 1% turned into 0.1% ¡°With a BUG¡­ you won¡¯t be feeling any massive improvements to your body like you would with a SIM. All we get is a boost here.¡± Mr. Anderson pointed at his head. ¡°But that means there¡¯s a whole lot we can do with the Shards in our hands.¡± ¡°Makes sense.¡± The vibrations running through my tongue as I spoke were precisely filtered into my consciousness, I could feel the confidence running through me. ¡°Now, from what I saw. You¡¯ve got potential. Honestly, that¡¯s almost all that you have. Doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re bad though, quite the contrary. Credit where it¡¯s due, you did something I wouldn¡¯t have been able to commit when I was at your age or skill level. Even with a Gold, I wouldn¡¯t have done it.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± I quickly got to the point. ¡°So I have the job?¡± ¡°You do. You¡¯re my assistant, starting tomorrow.¡± And here it was, finally. A new job. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Harold Anderson stared at the man who was Alberich Gravas¡¯ grandson, his body slumped over the desk as well-deserved sleep cast over him. He had doubted Missy, not just when she informed him of who Ripley was but also what he had. Today was eye-opening to say the least. He had a principle of not getting involved, it was better this way. Yet he couldn¡¯t help but feel like some part of him should say something, after all, everyone deserves to know who their family is. And a man like Alberich? Harold both revered him, and hated him. Maybe in some sense, it was time for revenge. In another, it was time to grow past it, he was growing too old to waste his life on matters like revenge anyway. Yet neither of that was why Harold had accepted Missy¡¯s request. It was curiosity. What would happen if a man like Ripley, detached from any corporation or gang, was to develop his powers to the fullest. What would he become? Blood and Steel C31: True Colors Chapter 31: True Colors Anonymous chat between two friends on the topic of dating a Cradleborn. Lunarious: Hey girlie, guess what? This bitch matched with a Cradleborn on Chromble! Justabird: Shit, send me his profile. Lunarious: Here it is. Justabird: What an insufferable prick. Which Cradle is he even from? Lunarious: I dunno, are there different types? Justabird: Just saying, if he¡¯s from a Luxury Cradle, he¡¯s probably one of their failed children and couldn¡¯t get the attention of a corpo. More likely he¡¯s from a Workforce Cradle, that¡¯s where they grow children to send over to the military and corporations and shit. Lunarious: Wait, fr? Is that even legal? Justabird: Considering that Implants make you borderline infertile and humanity¡¯s gene pool got ass-fucked by nuclear war and a solar flare, what fuckin choice do we have? 7:35 PM June 17th Diana A week had flown by since the Tonguelashers incident. Officially, the blame was put on the younger one for the death of Johnathon Kirby. Delving into their data archives showed a confirmation that Kirby¡¯s brother had paid the younger Tongueslasher ¡ª Jayden Overrink ¡ª to kill him, while his ¡®Uncle Lennon¡¯ took care of the mess. If the younger one hadn¡¯t been so novice, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to track them down. The analysts on our team managed to piece it all together. The two Tonguelashers first engaged on Abyssnet forum VortexEYE, where Jayden showed interest in Lennon¡¯s taste for human flesh. The two also shared their past, Lennon¡¯s abuse from his mother and Jayden¡¯s¡­ history with his uncle, Nathaniel. A few more threads of conversation led to a plan, one that conceived in Lennon killing Jayden¡¯s uncle and taking his identity. Afterwards, there was no more digital communication between the two, the reason all too clear. A short while after, ¡®Nathaniel¡¯ purchased ownership of the garage, claiming to have gotten a windfall of gambling. In reality, it was a property he already rented from the crime family of the Jaegers, he¡¯d quite literally invited Jayden and his father to live with him. The most disturbing part of it all had to be the cookbook, notes written down about what meal Jayden¡¯s father would be served best in. I scanned the mile-long report of everything gathered after our fight, there was a lot. As a mercenary, Tonguelasher had an extensive contact list with encrypted names and identities, not to mention a killswitch. A whole lot of data was destroyed the moment he died, and Choirmen was being eaten alive by Special Investigator Wicket, even while in treatment. In a hostage situation, me and Anthony had¡­ taken a risk. Choirmen didn¡¯t. We talked afterwards, and the words he said still weighed on. ¡°I saved your life, Third Investigator Jones. You best remember that. Maybe it was a lack of communication, but my powers are volatile, my blood explodes other people¡¯s blood. It was either your life or the hostage¡¯s¡­ I knew who to save. I trust that you would know who to choose if the roles were reversed, you¡¯re a part of this team and are a damn good asset. Saving your ass means saving my ass, and I ain¡¯t letting my wife become a widow.¡± Since then, it''d been relatively slow. If we didn¡¯t have any cases assigned, we still had a duty to join patrols when we could, or to look through all the remaining information in hopes to find something. That¡¯s what I was doing now. ¡°Everything good, Jones?¡± Indra Harmony, her mouth clasped in a green mask as always, chimed in from behind me. ¡°You look pretty tensed up for someone so-¡° ¡°Someone so what?¡± My eyes sliced up towards her. ¡°Look, I appreciate the flattery Indra, but¡­ let¡¯s keep things professional.¡± Her own gaze was a deer in headlights, she slowly stepped back with a heavy look in her eyes. ¡°Uh, at least you know that about yourself. But no, I was saying ¡®for someone so capable¡¯. Heard you took down an alley-side firearms deal yesterday all before the officers could even raise their guns. Four arrests, nice.¡± A taste of guilt built in me. ¡°Sorry, just¡­ a bit tired. Last week¡¯s operation is still on my nerves.¡± Indra lowered her head. ¡°Anthony¡¯s report was enough to make me queasy. Geez, didn¡¯t know it would go so south¡­ sorry you had that as your first mission. Doesn¡¯t normally happen like this.¡± She grabbed a chair to sit beside me. ¡°My first mission was rough¡­ you weren¡¯t there but I was sworn into the police as a Third Investigator about three years ago.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ wait, so you had an Implant before joining?¡± I never learned much about my squadmate¡¯s pasts¡­ never really was the type to get sentimental here. Better that way. ¡°Still on the same one. Iron-Grade Network BUG¡­ used to run in with an old merc group that my older brother was in charge of. I was always fancy with tech so I became the brains, had a stupid frame strapped to my neck when I was thirteen. Outgrew it too quickly. Messed up the nerves of my mouth, that¡¯s why I wear a mask.¡± Guilt now festered fangs around my throat. ¡°Shit, Harmony¡­ I¡¯m really sorry.¡± She snorted. ¡°Please girl, call me Indra when Rorsche or Wicket aren¡¯t around. But other than my mouth, it wasn¡¯t too bad honestly. We had fun, robbed a few gangs and corpos, until one day I got caught by Rorsche himself¡­ and yeah, I exchanged their whereabouts in return for immunity. Call me a snitch, heard it before but¡­ it was a way out. I didn¡¯t know how bad I wanted it until I got it.¡± ¡°How¡¯d that end with you joining the police?¡± I asked curiously. A teasing twinkle sparked in her eye. ¡°Ever heard of Juliet¡¯s Gambit?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t say that I have.¡± I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s actually named after Anthony¡¯s mother.¡± Indra¡¯s eyes smiled where her mask couldn¡¯t. ¡°Anthony¡¯s mother?¡± I didn¡¯t know much about Juliet Grazhe¡­ other than that she had passed away. ¡°Don¡¯t uh¡­¡± Indra tapped her mask as though she regretted bringing it up. ¡°Just forget that, it¡¯s basically an unofficial protocol where a First or Special Investigator takes a look at an incarcerated criminal and decides they¡¯re better worth with a job than rotting in a cell. They effectively become your parole officer as long as you do some work for them¡­ in my case, it was Kendrick Rorsche. Stay in line long enough and they officially integrate you into the force.¡± Her eyes skirted around the office, almost sneaking around the cubicles. ¡°My first mission was to hunt down my brother and well¡­ it didn¡¯t go too well. So let¡¯s just say I know a thing or too about missions that end up with bodies you didn¡¯t want. What about your case got your hair in knots?¡± She scooted past me to lean over the computer, not letting me get another word in regarding her revelation. I felt like I should have shared something, anything, but in the end I felt safer just remaining a mystery. ¡°It¡¯s all a dead end.¡± My worries clenched up in my fist. ¡°Sure, there are contacts in the data, but a search of a ¡®Mr. Skeleton¡¯ and other shit on our archives pulls up nothing. Like¡­ look at these weird names.¡± ¡°Underworld pseudonyms¡­¡± She started looking through on her own. ¡°Their civilian IDs are disabled half the time. An Datashield encrypting their signature, masks and a false name prevents us from reading them with our archives but¡­ Mr. Skeleton? I think I heard that one a while ago, fixer in LR. Is it your access-level not letting you dig through?¡± ¡°Probably. It¡¯s remarkable how much they don¡¯t share.¡± I laughed. ¡°Yeah, they don¡¯t want the rookies stumbling onto something above our level. That¡¯s what they say, clear as Haithama¡¯s nutsack they¡¯re just protecting some of these scumbags¡­ gimme a sec.¡± Harmony began to work on my laptop, pulling up long pages of shifting code that she typed through before opening up a new page on my screen. ¡°Got you into Rorsche¡¯s access.¡± ¡°What?!¡± I looked through for a moment, and where my ID should have read ¡®Diana Jones¡¯ now held ¡®Kendrick Rorsche¡¯. ¡°This is uh¡­ couldn¡¯t we get in trouble for this?¡± She waved it off. ¡°Nah. I do this all the time, don¡¯t worry, just made them think you plugged off the main network for a moment. Anyway, look through.¡± Begrudgingly, my curiosity got the better of me and I began to look up a list of names I¡¯d recorded and didn¡¯t find any information about. A blurry image of a metallic skeleton in a suit flowed over the screen, I swore those red eyes were staring right into the camera despite how zoomed in the image had been. ¡°Mr. Skeleton¡­. Known criminal arms dealer and fixer, works primarily out of Little Requiem like you said; estimated grade: Silver-Gold; been active for a decade and even more so ever since Los Diablos were jousted out of Little Requiem. Has ties to almost every major gang.¡± Indra hummed. ¡°Seems like he¡¯s pretty big. Probably off the lower-records by providing the police some fancy intel or weapons.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t surprise me.¡± I sighed as I looked up more of the names Tonguelasher had either been in contact with or mentioned. ¡°Let¡¯s see, Stranded. Assassin with a bounty of 70,000¡­ get¡¯s her name from leaving her victims stranded in abandoned warehouses alive but without their legs. They die trying to escape. Lagoon, another merc with a bounty of 65,000¡­ an Esper capable of launching water out as blades. Sunspit, flame-thrower wielding pitfighter in Little Requiem, has a bounty of 90,000.¡± ¡°Tonguelasher senior had one of 40,000¡­ placed by us obviously.¡± Harmony mentioned. ¡°Looks like he was targeting someone with a higher bounty, wanting to prove himself better. Any addresses mentioned?¡± ¡°Nothing like that¡­¡± I scrolled through a few more names I didn¡¯t have access to before. Until curiosity got the better of me. Missy¡­ and her search came up with nothing. Sighing, I continued with the rest, delighted as I could finally sort of get a start on understanding who these people were and why T.L had an interest in them. Then there was an oddity, except for Missy only one other name came up blank. It was mentioned in a log between Tonguelasher and Mr. Skeleton ¡ª who appeared to be Tonguelasher¡¯s source for Shardware. Specifically, the name came up in a threat. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. [Don¡¯t go after Simon Jugosla, unless you want Soul Killer after you. It¡¯s too soon for that.] Simon Jugosla wasn¡¯t even on the police¡¯s hidden archives, pinging him normally I found that he was a famous, award-winning, chef who worked out of a hotel. Tonguelasher must have been going after that guy, either as a meal or to force into cooking meals of human flesh. As for the other one¡­ Soul Killer. There was something odd about that name, a sense of foreboding dread grabbing me just from reading it, and my search came up with no results as well but I didn¡¯t have a second to mull over the confusion before Indra Harmony slammed my computer shut and rebooted it. ¡°Fuck! They pinged that? How?¡± Harmony was alert and confused, had that name been under special attention? ¡°Uhhh¡­ nice talking to you, Diana, but this is where we part. Good luck!¡± ¡°Good luck? Good luck with what?¡± I screamed as she leaped past the empty office cubicles, hurrying out door. Whatever! I wasn¡¯t done getting to the bottom of this! Continuing my own search, a sudden noise pulled my head aside as I turned around to the door swung wide open like a gaping mouth. My commanding investigator, Kendrick Rorsche, had his arms folded. The veins on his muscular forearms were ready to pop, his body seemed suffocated in a sense. ¡°Basement. Now.¡± The ride down was quiet, nerve-wracking. It only gave me time to reflect on my own discoveries as a means to distract myself from whatever was to come. Soul Killer¡­ and the use of his name was a threat. In fact, that simple message was only ever read and never responded to, as though the name was enough to ward him off. So let¡¯s see, a Mr. Skeleton who organized a web of all these various criminal freelancers and gangs within Little Requiem. Then there was Soul Killer, someone who seemed to be above the food chain. ¡°Get out, follow me to my car. My personal one.¡± Rorsche¡¯s voice was quiet but demanded an urgency. I complied, following quickly behind him to a sleek and out-right designer looking car ¡ª entirely black with opaque windows, it was almost like the typical american muscle car but slimmed down to race city streets instead of mountain highways. Having limited expertise on cars, even I could tell this was a beauty. And the inside of the car seemed just as luxurious as the outside did. It was a brief respite from the nerves I¡¯d felt coming down, but I was then all too shocked as the First Investigator heaved out a breath that he seemed to be holding in for too long. ¡°In the name of Trask¡¯s beard, Jones! Next time you want access to information¡­ ask me!¡± He didn¡¯t seem panicked, rather worried. ¡°You poked a bee hive with that last search.¡± So I had landed on something. ¡°You mean Soul K-¡° ¡°Don¡¯t even say that name!¡± His voice snapped like a whip. ¡°SK is a boogeyman for the cops, a force of nature like a plague that takes out anyone too interested in them. You¡¯re good ¡ª good enough that you could feasibly make progress ¡ª but believe me, progress is the worst possible thing you could get. Even Special Investigators run away from them, just treat SK as a myth like they do. That¡¯s the safest option.¡± Soul Killer¡­ a mythical cop-killer? How had I never heard this before? ¡°Is this¡­ well known?¡± ¡°No. And stop asking questions about this, you¡¯re going to get yourself killed.¡± His voice held the sternness he normally weighed against Anthony, and it seemed like he recognized that as he sighed apologetically. ¡°Look it¡¯s just, you¡¯re a fish who¡¯s searching for a long-lost kraken in the sea. I don¡¯t know anything about SK, just that when I was in your position, I got a much harsher warning. And that I¡¯ve seen what happens to people who push it. They die at best, at worse¡­ families go missing.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I released a worried chuckle. ¡°You¡¯re right, barely survived a merc copycat. Need to get my feet a little more on the ground before I¡¯m ready to race a proper criminal athlete.¡± Rorsche nodded, the silence between us growing but not awkward. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Rorsche broke the quiet with a light laugh, his hand crawling to rest at edge of my carseat until his pinky just grazed my leg, ¡°I saw the way you kicked that kid¡¯s jaw, seemed Olympic worthy and then-some to me. Your mutations are solid, I¡¯d kill to have something like that even with how my own BUG suits me.¡± ¡°Yeah I just- I could have kept him alive.¡± That sensation flashed into my body, the moment of impact as I discharged a lightning bolt into his mouth. It was captivating. It was morbid. I shifted my leg away, Rosrche slowly pulled his hand back to himself before speaking, but there was a strain in his voice. ¡°You kept Grazhe jr. alive. Speaking off, you had a real influence on him. Never seen the kid so motivated to get things done around here. I was sure he was about to quit a few days ago, but you changed that around huh¡­¡± I rubbed my neck as I tried to find an answer far from the truth; that Anthony was trying to get in his aunt¡¯s favor to get her to trust him with information about Dogwhistler. ¡°Yeah well, almost dying together has a way of bonding. We drank for a bit after the mission, got an understanding of why the two of us were here in the first place.¡± He leaned closer, a relief flowing through him. ¡°So are you two sleeping together?¡± ¡°No, nothing like-¡° I blinked. ¡°What? Excuse me?¡± Rorsche raised his arms defensively, but a sly smile played on his mouth. ¡°What just curious, couldn¡¯t help but wonder if you¡¯re wasting your time on a man as sorry as he is. I was just thinking that maybe his new burst of energy came from you giving it up to him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I shifted to the edge of the seat, my hands reaching the lever to push the door. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s any of your business. Nothing happened, now let me out.¡± The door didn¡¯t open. A small pit gaped through my stomach, and my breaths came quicker and sharper as Rorsche¡¯s gaze took me in. All of me. Of ¡ª fucking ¡ª course, his chuckles left me wanting to knock his teeth out. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s there to worry about? I don¡¯t care who you sleep with at all, my lips can be kept silent with the right distraction¡­ Just wanted to let you know that your performance is already on track for a quick promotion. I could help you.¡± ¡°Stop it, First-Investigator Rorsche. Don¡¯t push things.¡± I warned him just as I¡¯d warned plenty of others before¡­ I wasn¡¯t looking for another transfer so soon. ¡°Calm down, you¡¯re overreacting.¡± He relaxed into his seat. ¡°I¡¯m just looking out for you. I know plenty of people in this damn job that¡¯ll help me get you out there as a Second Investigator by the year¡¯s end. All I¡¯m asking is that we get to know each other beyond just as coworkers. Founders know that so many others would envy your position. Hell, the things I did for my bosses to get where I am¡­ you wouldn¡¯t want to hear about them. I¡¯m giving you a choice, they didn¡¯t.¡± He held a sympathy in his eyes, one that I wasn¡¯t foolish enough to take. ¡°Rorsche, this is going to be a mistake if you push it.¡± ¡°A mistake? You mean¡­ if you tell Brian Ulrich? We both know you¡¯re too proud for that. I know you are, you¡¯re just as Cradleborn as I am. A luxury.¡± He was born in a Cradle? And¡­ ¡°You knew?!¡± My hand touched his dashboard, I could feel the electronics within. The energies lurking within were burning for me to use them. ¡°You fucking knew?!¡± He shifted closer to me, uncomfortably close. ¡°The Lieutenant sent a debrief to SI Risa Wickett, she told me to keep it a secret from you and the others. But I want you to trust me, to be able to rely on me. After all, we¡¯re adults here. Choosing to¡­ entertain this between us, it¡¯ll be enjoyable and beneficial. I can promise that, for both you and me. Hell, you can even call me Kendrick. We¡¯re kindred spirits coming from a place like the Cradles¡­ the truth is, we¡¯re simply better than them. You know that, even if you won¡¯t admit it. Deep down, you know that I¡¯m the best choice between all these fuckin¡¯ scrap-brained idiots who envy us.¡± Thunder rumbled through my heart, my voice shaking with betrayal, fury and spite. ¡°Well¡­ listen up, Kendrick. I am a professional. I do not want any of what you are insinuating. This is your last chance.¡± He laughed it off. ¡°Don¡¯t be so dramatic, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m threatening you. Just saying, might as well cut the chase between us. But if you¡¯re really going to be a tough sell like that, maybe I should try my hand with that friend of yours¡­ what was her name again? Ah, right, Yvette Ing-¡± My hand struck the side of his face, energy zapping from his car¡¯s electronics that incurred the fiery rage burning within me. A sharp flash of sparks went towards his mouth which I desperately wanted to shut up, his lips went burnt to gratify me that much. ¡°Keep her name out of your fucking mouth, you perv!¡± ¡°What the hell you bitsh, you haf one more shance-¡° ¡°No.¡± Silver eyes crackled with thunder. ¡°That was your last chance, now open this door before I fry it apart! Unless you want to know if there¡¯s more to me than just silver eyes!¡± I saw his defeated look fill him up in slow motion, and I relished it. ¡°You¡¯rfe going to regrhet this, jhust because you have daddy watshing over you doeshn¡¯t mean you¡¯re safe from thish shit!¡± The door clicked, and a pull of the lever swung it wide open to my release. My body burned as adrenaline coursed a fury I struggled to contain. ¡°Do your worst¡­ sorry, I meant ¡ª ¡®do your worsht¡¯.¡± He scoffed audibly, almost running me over as he zoomed out of the parking lot. Then I nearly collapsed, the leftover sparks draining out into the ground as I released my Warp Energy¡¯s hold over them. Leaning against the cold, dark wall of the garage. a guttural groan bellowed from the depths of my soul. ¡°Every fucking time!¡± My hair tightened as fists curled on them. ¡°I hate this fucking job! Everyone¡¯s corrupt and sleazy and¡­ arrgggh!¡± Somewhere in the screaming, tears dribbled down my face and I felt so weak just feeling their wetnes. I had to be stronger, I had to grow beyond them all. This wasn¡¯t the first time a senior officer had tried something, I¡¯d been careful before¡­ Normally I could see the signs. But Rorsche? I felt like an idiot, I should have known something was up. Being placed in a relatively esteemed squad, my quick promotions up the ladder. There was no escaping my father ¡ª he had to have planned this. I¡¯d thought maybe by joining the police in secrecy after running away that I¡¯d be able to make a difference under his nose. How long did it take for him to figure out I joined? Maybe he always knew, his eyes were everywhere¡­ Was this his way of trying to get me to run back to him?! Was Rorsche meant to scare me off the squad, the precinct? Everything had its reasons now, I was sure of it. It would be easy, so easy with my current abilities to just contact my father and let him know I want out. Or Rorsche gone. But maybe that was exactly what my father wanted me to do. To contact him, to bring myself back into the life he offered me. A good life. A glamorous life like he¡¯d intended for me to have as a poster girl for NeoCore or the police or whatever for the sake of improving his own reputation. An actress, that¡¯s what he said I would be. It was so business-like and transactionary when he had told me about it. No choice in the matter. Safe. Rich. Famous¡­ I could have everything, but it wouldn¡¯t be satisfying. That man had torn me away from the only family I had, kidnapped me into a part of the world I¡¯d only ever seen on a screen but had promised me wealth. Fuck that. There was a reason I ran away from him, it was suffocating, it wasn¡¯t human to be around him. Those days out in the raining slums, without a roof over my head, it had been the best sleep I¡¯d had in the months since I¡¯d been removed. It was all thanks to Yvette, meeting her again after all these years, that I even joined the Precinct. Something I¡¯d been regretting more and more lately, from false charges to protection deals and the immunity these assholes had. I¡¯d grown sick of it all. Incoming call from: Yvette <3 Speak of the devil¡­ ¡°H-h-hey Yvette-e.¡± I tried to stay strong, but a stray sniffle gave me away. ¡°Have you-u been crying-g?¡± Yvette¡¯s voice peaked higher, instantly recognizing my strained voice. ¡°D-don¡¯t hide it fr-rom mama bird! What¡¯s got my p-poor baby sad?¡± ¡°Men.¡± The answer came easily. ¡°T-that¡¯s why you-u should be bi¡­ I¡¯ve been telling you from d-day one that w-women are just b-better! Also WHO IS THE B-BASTARD!¡± ¡°Rors-sche.¡± The name fell from my mouth like dead weight. ¡°W-what! A-and he was kind of cute too! (Even if he was short) W-why is it always the men-n who actually-y could have had a chance that s-suck so much?¡± ¡°I slapped him. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to ha-happen next.¡± Yvette¡¯s voice panicked instantly. ¡°Oh honey, where are you? Two margaritas are c-coming right up! If he to-uched a hair on your head then screw p-protocol I am castrating this son-n of a bitch!¡± ¡°Mentioned your name. I slapped him, it sent electricity into his mouth. Maybe should have done it to his tiny friend.¡± I let a chuckle through. ¡°T-that¡¯s how-w you fucking d-do it! Now come on-n we need to find ways to get r-revenge! Where you at-t?!¡± ¡°Parking. B-but don¡¯t bot-ther, got somewhere el-lse to be.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve got-t a date after-r this? I th-hought we agreed that men s-suck! Screw them, come with m-me instead you dirty who-¡° ¡°Who said it was a man?¡± And with that I let the call disconnect, that would keep her guessing for the next few hours. After all, it wasn¡¯t a man I was meeting, instead it was someone far more terrifying. Someone who first contacted me a week ago. The NeoCore Enforcer that fell to the Gold MAL from the club. Archangel. Blood and Steel C32: Meet your hero Chapter 32: Meet your hero Interview with NeoCore Enforcer: Archangel, a former Imperium NetStar and Actress known as Alisha Noori. Host: So tell me Archangel, what is it like transitioning from stardom to becoming a hero of the people? Archangel: Please, call me Alisha. And to be honest, it was totally-like mind boggling. You know me, girl, I do my own stunts and so when that MAL attack happened near the studio¡­ I knew my shit. They didn¡¯t know what hit them! So hearing from my agent that NeoCore called me up a few days later? I was amazed. But I also knew it was a calling, a responsibility to go from being a heroine on the screens to a real fighter for the people! Host: Couldn¡¯t agree more Alisha! You¡¯re such a motivational figure, and you¡¯ve talked about your past before¡­ your family used to be Nomads? Archangel: Yeah, on my dad¡¯s side! They¡¯re such lovely people and I spend each summer with them, they taught me all my spear moves! It was my mom¡¯s side that helped me into showbiz but I couldn¡¯t have done it without the people of the Noori clan! They¡¯ve been fighting the MAL of for so long, I hope I¡¯m making them proud! Host: I¡¯m sure you are Alisha. Tell me, what do you see yourself becoming in NeoCore? Archangel: Michelle Silva is totes my role model. I really admire her mission to keep humanity safe from the MAL, I plan to work my ass off taking care of the scum until one day I¡¯m a Herald standing by her side! Host: I¡¯m certainly rooting for you¡­ and I¡¯m curious, how will you bring your stardom into the NeoCore fold? Archangel: Oh I¡¯ve already got a whole team ready, don¡¯t tell anyone but a new documentary starring yours truly is in the works. I plan to spill the tea on all NeoCore gossip too on my socials, who knows what those big grumpy Inquisitors are like under closed doors! Host: Haha, can¡¯t wait for that! So, if there was one piece of advice you want to give to all the other girls out there, what would it be? Archangel: To be yourself! Don¡¯t let any greaseball say who you can or cannot be! I know I won¡¯t be kneeling to any of my NeoCore overlords¡­ unless it¡¯s Ruby. Have you seen how hot she is?! 10:27 PM June 17th Diana A bar in the good old Pleasure Lanes, the last place I would expect to see a NeoCore Enforcer. Certainly not one like Alisha Noori, her constant online presence was drowned in product advertisements for a cleaner life within the Imperium states of Africa. The Pleasure Lanes were, while clean on the surface, one of the most grime-infested lands in the whole world in the mental sense. Everywhere I went, it was one headache after the other as light, noise, smell and sound all hounded my attention. Especially those fucking brothels and their pheromone sprays, it boggled me how those weren¡¯t illegal yet! The bar itself was on the quieter side, an underground place that was chic with a nice wooden ambience accompanied by the pleasant tunes of a piano in the background. Not too busy either. Scanning my surroundings, I spotted quite a few people but no one held the bedazzling magnificence that was Archangel. So I sent out a message, maybe I was early¡­ she had said to reach by 10:30 PM. [I¡¯m here.] Archangel is typing¡­ [Turn around, I¡¯m wearing glasses.] I did so, spotting a gorgeous seated woman with straight black hair and bronzed skin raising up her cup at me. I approached, feeling nerves spitting goosebumps all over my body. A NeoCore Enforcer? I was actually having a private meeting with one of them? As I neared the table I took in the image of the woman in front of me, she was as beautiful as she was in every poster or comic book they¡¯d made on her. In them she¡¯d been captured as the essence of feminine power, a striking and powerful pose radiating both her fierceness and sexuality out at the world. In a way, I admired her, she wasn¡¯t all too older than me and had made quite the name for herself. In other ways, she was everything I didn¡¯t want to be. ¡°Um.¡± God, I felt so awkward already as I took a chair opposite hers. ¡°I¡¯m uh¡­ Diana and you¡¯re-¡° ¡°Yes, yes.¡± She bashfully waved. ¡°It¡¯s me, Archangel in the flesh, but please call me Alisha. Besides, you¡¯re quite the interesting person yourself, Diana Ulrich.¡± ¡°Jones.¡± The need to correct her overtook any sense of politeness at the moment. ¡°Diana Jones.¡± ¡°Ah, forgive me, I¡¯d read up on your file¡­ god, your bio-dad¡¯s nasty to do that isn¡¯t he? I never got to work when he was around in NeoCore, but the people say plenty about who he used to be.¡± She offered me a glass of wine, which I wholeheartedly accepted. ¡°I¡¯d rather not talk about him.¡± I sipped the wine and its pungency had a rather delicate aftertaste, not the kind of thing I had locked up in my cupboards. ¡°I um¡­ by the Founders, this is a lot.¡± ¡°I can imagine.¡± She flicked her glasses down so I could get a proper look into those hazel eyes, beautiful and sorrowful all the same. ¡°A MAL attack is tough, I know firsthand. You were so strong to be able to kill it without the Inquisitor and I there, remarkable Ul- Jones. Absolutely remarkable.¡± ¡°Thank you, but please, both of you played a strong role in weakening it, and besides you actually saved my life at one point. I¡¯m really grateful for that.¡± I rubbed the back of my neck, still not sure if this was even real. ¡°I uh¡­ I¡¯m assuming you know about the Inquisitor and Missy thing?¡± ¡°Ah yes, I¡¯d been informed. Not to worry, Emizren is being handled by the Herald herself¡­ I¡¯m here for a more on-the-ground purpose. That MAL is¡­ was, quite the enemy. I¡¯ve killed Silvers before but the speed at which your MAL adapted and overcame my strength was frightening, not to mention it¡¯s aftereffects.¡± ¡°After¡­ effects?¡± Worry grabbed me whole. Archangel¡­ Alisha tapped her waist which was strapped up in a metallic girdle that extended pistons and levers down the curves of her leg. A rehabilitator Exoskeleton, it was similar to what Choirmen was using right now but far more advanced. ¡°Oh¡­¡± My eyes went wide. ¡°I¡¯m uh, so sorry. How did-? I thought that NeoCore medical facilities could-¡° ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± She laughed it off. ¡°It made a spear out of two Silvers, remember? Not sure what Features they had, but something in that weapon severed my spinal cord¡¯s connection to my Implant and yeah, it¡¯s been worrying but progress is showing signs of improvement.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯m wishing you a quick recovery.¡± My eyes couldn¡¯t detach from the sight of the metal clinging to her hips. ¡°I um, sorry, is there any way I can help?¡± Her breath stifled and tears welled in her eyes, I moved my arm in a manner to comfort her but stumbled midway as she spoke. ¡°It¡¯s um, certainly a change. Paralysis of this length hasn¡¯t been recorded in Tier III Adapters, it¡¯s a severe case. And they don¡¯t know why, they can¡¯t know why until they, you know-¡° And then it dawned. ¡°They can¡¯t figure out the cause because they don¡¯t have the MAL¡¯s Implants¡­ you want me to¡­ give it up?¡± She sniffed up but it didn¡¯t quell the twin river streaming on the contours of her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry that this has to be done, but I¡¯m ready to give you a contract for it. I just- I need the Implant for my recovery and it¡¯ll be beneficial to all of NeoCore.¡± Okay this was a whole lot, I was expecting something related to Missy or Dogwhistler¡­ not an Enforcer bawling in front of me. ¡°I- I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve gotten pretty far into the Convergence process and wouldn¡¯t that be dangerous to me? I mean-¡° ¡°But I¡¯m a NeoCore Enforcer!¡± She was full-on bawling now. ¡°I can save a thousand lives for every one that you save, besides the contract will give you a Silver and a placement in NeoCore as a Field Agent!¡± Wait, I was getting recruited by NeoCore? That was¡­ everything I needed. A place far enough that my father wouldn¡¯t have his mittens on me anymore¡­ but still lend me influence over him. It could work. Except it wouldn¡¯t help me solve any of the impending crises here at Westbrook; Dogwhistler¡¯s attack on the police, the origin of my Gold Implant or this new police boogeyman known as Soul Killer. I was ready to decline it. ¡°I ca-!¡° A contract buzzed to view, it was all true. My starting salary would be huge, I would be relocated to a NeoCore Castle for training, I would be receiving a Silver Implant that was eerily similar to my current capabilities. And it was already signed off by an Inquisitor at that. Inquisitor Tusk. The very same man who was ready to kill me for my Implant. I should have leaped at the opportunity, but the memory of that man¡¯s hands over my head ¡ª the glee in his face as my skull would slowly deform¡­ This was wrong, all of it. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± It dropped out with a finality. ¡°I¡¯m at a very high Convergence, several mutations have already finished developing¡­ I¡¯m almost there and, I¡¯m sorry. But what does the Herald have to do with this? As far as I¡¯m aware, Herald Ruby was supposed to contact me regarding the origins of the MAL. I get it. It¡¯s all fucked up and I¡¯m sorry from the bottom of my heart about everything that¡¯s happened to you but-¡° ¡°My career will be ruined.¡± Archangel tried to stand up, a painful drawn-out whir slowly pushing her back to straighten up and her legs to crack in place. ¡°I can¡¯t feel anything below my legs, I should be healed, but I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°We can find a way.¡± I pleaded. ¡°If we figure out what that MAL truly is, I¡¯m sure that we could find a way to solve your problem.¡± ¡°Tch.¡± Anger seethed between her teeth. ¡°Will you just sign the contract, it¡¯s a good deal. Take it or leave it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving it. I don¡¯t trust Tusk, he tried to kill me and this is all too fishy now that I¡¯m thinking about it. NeoCore has tech to bypass your spinal cord, you should be fine. This is- there¡¯s something more isn¡¯t there? This isn¡¯t Ruby¡¯s doing.¡± Alisha¡¯s face drained of all emotion in a moment to become blank, like the feelings had been vacuumed away. Then she sighed, long and exhaustive. ¡°I told Tusk this wasn¡¯t going to work considering your file. Yeah, congratulations, you got me. I was an actress before I was an agent and yeah- I¡¯m paralyzed but even with these lousy prosthetics I¡¯m more deadly than any Investigator here for miles.¡± I fucking knew it. ¡°If I can have one day without someone lying or trying to take advantage of me¡­¡± ¡°Wrong world, Diana.¡± She dribbled from her lips, for the first time it seemed like honesty was what was coming out. ¡°From the moment we¡¯re born, we¡¯re resources to them. Manpower; brainpower; sexuality; emotions; genetics; Shardyne; they¡¯ll never run out of things to take from us.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah¡­¡± I¡¯d learned that too long ago. ¡°So, what exactly is your deal? Alisha?¡± She chuckled as she raised two fingers, the same eyes that were bawling a moment ago were now stone-cold. ¡°Two directives, one from Tusk; one from Ruby. Neither can afford the time to deal with you directly with the upcoming Swarm right now, so they decided that even a faulty Enforcer like me could be of use. Tusk told me to deliver the Implants, either yours or Ripley Donovick¡¯s. Yes, I know about him, and Ruby warned me not to touch him since he¡¯s in Emizren¡¯s care. ¡°And second, Ruby wants information about the MAL¡¯s source. Seems like it was developed artificially to be a rapidly growing, constantly mutating, ever-learning version ¡ª could be weaponized. She¡¯s researching on her own end, not sure what, but she has her own eyes and ears. Gold MALignants take around a day to get to the strength of the one in that club even if they¡¯re left in a pool of organic and sharded treasure. Yours pulled up three Tiers in a matter of an hour.¡± ¡°And it was supposed to be delivered to the police station,¡± I added, to which her eyes opened up a bit wider. Finally, something she didn¡¯t know. I explained to her in brief what me and Ripley had discussed, and she nodded and hummed through the whole ordeal. I was briefly afraid that the location was not suitable for such a topic to be shared but then she confirmed that all the patrons here were on her payroll¡­ turns out she owned the place. ¡°So that complicates things.¡± Alisha sighed. ¡°This figure known as the Dogwhistler trying to commit an act of MALterrorism. Could¡¯ve been worse than Asmodea¡¯s bout with those cage-fuckers, don¡¯t even want to know how bad things could have gotten if that thing decided to propagate more little spawnlings in a treasure trove like the police contraband depository. So, whoever they are has got friends in high places, maybe even the megacorps. Definitely works deep in the Voidnet layer. You¡¯re looking for someone in Gold at the very least, maybe Titanium. BUG, though can¡¯t deny the possibility they¡¯re a Dual Adapter.¡± Half the things she spewed didn¡¯t make sense. ¡°There¡¯s a layer beneath the Abyssnet? And what the hell¡¯s a Dual Adapter?¡± ¡°First of all, there¡¯s four layers. You should know this stuff since there¡¯s an exam after you sign the contract. SurfaceNet; AbyssNet; VoidNet; and OldNet. And as for a Dual Adapter, yeah that¡¯s someone with both a BUG and a SIM¡­ you¡¯ll find some in NeoCore. Only way possible to do it without killing yourself is if the Adapter gets both Implants from the same MALignant. You know, you could kill Ripley and become one yourself.¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll stoop that low.¡± I laughed it off. ¡°Consider it, seriously.¡± She then took a more threatening tone. ¡°I know he would. Dual Adapters are scary business, the synergy alone makes them worth nearly ten other Adapters of the same Grade. Hell, you should probably stop contacting him all together, maybe you trust him but I wouldn¡¯t trust Missy or her pals.¡± ¡°How much you know about Missy¡¯s friends?¡± ¡°Just the basics from the Herald¡¯s report. Missy herself is an unstoppable force using her old skills from NeoCore to tear her victims a new one. There¡¯s her second in command, Diamante ¡ª former Metal Heavens something turned into a killing machine according to rumors. Mirage is a ghost with several faces digging through the Abyssnet, she even brought down Los Diablos¡¯ control over Little Requiem single-handedly. Topaz is just freaky, pops up out of nowhere and snaps your neck and his brother Quartz is a reclusive Esper with unknown abilities, just that once you look at him you can¡¯t stop.¡± Alright this was a lot all at once. But I kept up my hope. ¡°Dogwhistler?¡± ¡°Nada.¡± Alisha shook her head. ¡°Maybe one of the puppeteers knows something about them.¡± ¡°Puppeteers?¡± I was getting a headache. ¡°The big ones in Westbrook, those who have their fingers in all the pies. Mr. Skeleton¡¯s the newest with a chokehold in Little Req; but you¡¯ve also got older legends like Hammersmith though he¡¯s gone AWOL. Then there¡¯s the big leaders of the main gangs: Metal Heaven¡¯s Archbishop; Crimson Soul¡¯s Queen and Heart; Muramasa¡¯s Bladefather; Los Diablos¡¯ Luciente¡­ and just a couple of older farts who have been around since the Fourth Swarm and the civil war.¡± ¡°So, all people who I should not be touching with a ten foot pole.¡± Great, just great¡­ this was getting nowhere. ¡°There is also Soul Killer¡­ but nah, that¡¯s a different kind of crazy.¡± I could have shot out of my chair at the name popping up. ¡°Wait¡­ no! Tell me about them!¡± ¡°Can¡¯t say much honestly.¡± She shrugged, but for once I could hear nervousness tickling her voice. ¡°They¡¯re ancient. Have been doing their own thing since the early 2400s and are just mainly behind a whole lot of kidnappings and missing person¡¯s reports. They like experimenting with genes from what I know.¡± How on earth was someone like them still up and running? With barely a spark of intervention from the police? ¡°Okay, okay, that¡¯s a good lead.¡± ¡°It¡¯s one that will get you killed.¡± She tossed out placidly. ¡°I¡¯m serious, we¡¯re talking about someone so dangerous even the criminal underworld pretends that they don¡¯t exist. I only know this because Ruby provided me with reports curated by our Founder herself. Only really read through this file because it was specifically labeled as: EXTREME DANGER FOR ANYONE BELOW TITANIUM. So naturally, I looked through it, more out of curiosity than anything else. What wasn¡¯t redacted was extremely troubling, this is someone who killed hundreds, maybe thousands of people.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s exactly why I need to look into them.¡± Resolve plastered over me, Rorsche saw me as just a pretty face ¡ª I¡¯d prove him wrong. I¡¯d prove them all wrong. ¡°Jesus, it¡¯s your tombstone you¡¯re thinking about.¡± Alisha rubbed her forehead, before taking something out from her pockets and placing it on a table. ¡°Just do me a favor, alright, I¡¯m going to leave a Datacube with you, install it onto your frame. You ever flatline, I¡¯ll know your location and come for your Implant.¡± I laughed. ¡°You¡¯re joking.¡± ¡°Very serious.¡± And her stern gaze reflected that. ¡°I either need your Implant or I need information about it. That¡¯s my terms of the deal with my bosses. The contract¡¯s also staying with you, if you¡¯re smart you¡¯ll sign it. Shit¡¯s only going to get harder from now on, you¡¯ve got a gene-clinic appointment coming up so pray your father¡¯s meddled in that but also¡­ there¡¯s already a price for the information about your Implant. That contract is a respite.¡± My body grew colder. ¡°What do you mean there¡¯s information about my Implant?¡± ¡°Exactly what I mean, some people know that NeoCore didn¡¯t kill the MAL. That the Implants are out there. It¡¯s circulating in the webs of some high-paying mercs looking for a job. Been out there for days, just be glad your father¡¯s name is attached to what they¡¯re looking for. They could come for you any day, through your friends and family¡­ not that you have many. The only shield you have is that you share a branch in the family tree with the Corporate Advisor of the New California Police State.¡± I was frozen in place as she continued speaking. ¡°The smart ones won¡¯t get involved, can¡¯t cash in your Implant if they¡¯re going to die anyway. But the dumbasses are who you need to look after, the ones with a screw loose won¡¯t care about your daddy. It¡¯s not a matter of ¡®if¡¯, but ¡®when¡¯. That info will spread like a plague in time. They¡¯ll come for both you and Ripley. That contract is the only way to get your name out of a death warrant. Bounties rarely go below the Implant value, meaning someone¡¯s willing to pay more than 50 Million Shardyne for your head.¡± ¡°I still can¡¯t do it.¡± Now the words choked out, like I¡¯d lost a sense of my unwavering resolve. ¡°It¡¯s not worth it. Sacrificing my Implant.¡± ¡°You think I haven¡¯t sacrificed bits of myself to get where I am?!¡± Alisha¡¯s fists gripped the table. ¡°You know you should have just done what Rorsche asked? Yeah, I saw a recording of you talking with your friend in the parking lot. It was an easy way out, could have made things a whole lot better in the long run, just be glad it was someone actually attractive and not a sleazebag producer with pounds of fat that consumed his cock. I¡¯ve done worse, and it¡¯s helped me get where I am ¡ª away from them. The only way for women like us to survive is if we have one hand down their pants and the other with a knife to their throat.¡± My teeth clenched so tight I thought I would break them. ¡°You think you know me so well, then you already know what I¡¯d do if that contract was made of paper. Fuck you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a dumbass Diana.¡± Her cold glare burned. ¡°The exact same kind who would go after your Implant, the kind that doesn¡¯t care about death staring them in the face. And with you, you¡¯d be lucky if death was all they had in store for you. You know what kinds of mail I get sent everyday, the ¡®admirers¡¯ I have? Be a good girl and go back to him on your knees, that¡¯s how you survive.¡± ¡°I want to live!¡± I shouted with every speck of my soul meaning it. ¡°Dammit, what the hell happened to you? I used to admire you, you know that? You were 23 when you became a NeoCore Enforcer, just a year older than I am now! And what? You said it in an interview about how no greaseball can say who you can and cannot be? What the hell happened?¡± ¡°I acted. Even then.¡± Her words cut through me, a flinch of sadness in her eyes. ¡°You¡¯d be wise to do the same.¡± Now I got why they said to never meet your heroes, I stood up ¡ª done with the conversation. ¡°Some fucking role model you ended up being.¡± ¡°Diana! The cube!¡± ¡°Keep it!¡± ¡°Take it or else I¡¯ll make sure the dumbasses know who you are, I¡¯ll make them know about Anthony, about Yvette, about Ripley.¡± Alisha growled. ¡°Take it. Use it.¡± Begrudgingly, I swiped up the small shimmering cube of gray up, leaving her with one last look of nasty eyes that I didn¡¯t bother hiding anymore. Slamming the door on my way out, the rest of the walk and tram ride back home was a blur of rage-fueled methodical navigation. ¡°They want to come for me?¡± I set the training robot to activate. Tier One. Maximum difficulty. Before it could even make a single move, a shot from my weapon travelled through my leg as a bullet of pure vitality. The lightning-fueled, twisting kick shattered the robot and sent its pieces scattering through the room like thunder erupted through it. ¡°Fucking come for me!¡± Blood and Steel C33: Medical Checkup Chapter 33: Medical Checkup 2:34 PM June 18th Diana Sitting outside the quiet hallway, a digital number floated in my view. Today was the day I was supposed to be fitted for my new Frame and Lenses, I¡¯d used any replacements I had on me and Indra was beginning to tire out from all the requests to repair my equipment. I couldn¡¯t blame her, not like she was getting paid for it¡­ but I did owe her several lunches now. A buzzer ran out, a screen on the wall flickering as a new number was alerted to transfer to room six. And would you look at that, token 17, the same as mine. I pushed through the door, an elderly woman with frayed blonde hair welcoming me into the gene-clinic. A spacious room with an operating chair and several racks of vibrantly glowing vials, mutagen. The doctor introduced herself with a stretched arm. ¡°I¡¯m Dr. Faltest, and you must be Diana Jones? This is, I believe, your first visit as an Adapter? Curious, normally most people would visit a clinic to test out their compatibility with the SIM.¡± ¡°I¡¯d already had it tested out privately.¡± I said calmly, this was so easy. ¡°Ah of course. That must be why we don¡¯t have it on the system, you have a Silver Grade, correct? Just sit down on the chair, I¡¯ll take a few blood samples, some skin curettage and a pluck of your hair. That¡¯s the bare minimum your offices require, unless you want me to opt for muscle or bone testing as well.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not Silver.¡± My voice was firm as a lake frozen over. ¡°I¡¯m a Gold, but you probably knew that. My father figured it out, didn¡¯t he?¡± Dr. Faltest froze in place, her eyebrow raising then falling in a moment of indecision between what I knew was truth and deception. ¡°Diana Ulrich¡­ yes, your father had his suspicions, but how did you know that I would be the ?¡± Yesterday¡¯s games had sent me on a streak of paranoia, but it turned out for the better. ¡°Just did some research on the employment records of everyone in this Gene-Clinic. You struck out since you were transferred one day after my promotion, from a forensics lab off in the Yellowstone Police District. Nothing concrete, but I just knew it wasn¡¯t a coincidence. So in summary, yes, I got the Gold from the MAL.¡± ¡°And the Silver he gave you?¡± Dr. Faltest dimmed her glasses down, robotic eyes unveiled with a Bronze glow. ¡°Still have it, does he want it back?¡± I flashed an equally shiny orb from my pocket. Dr. Faltest sighed, whatever my father had hired her to do was now thrown in the drain. It wasn¡¯t a position I envied. ¡°I¡¯ll have to communicate this with him, but, I¡¯d imagine he already has a plan in mind. So¡­ Gold then, how does it feel? The compatibility alright?¡± I knew she was trying to seem calm and steady, but that nervous jitter in her eyes told me that she wasn¡¯t used to things going the unexpected. My findings pinned her as former mid-level corporate researcher before her office was defunded and she switched over to the police. She was willing to take a deal with my father, because he offered her something good. I had to offer better. ¡°Compatibility is good.¡± I quieted quickly, waiting to see if she would elaborate more. How much they knew about my Implant was still unknown, especially my 99% compatibility. ¡°Well, my job is still the same.¡± Dr. Faltest typed out something on her pad. ¡°Although¡­ more complicated. Now I¡¯ll need to dip into some fraudulent recording¡­ Founders, I¡¯m asking for a raise from your dad after this. He already had his suspicions since the abilities you showcased were different from the Implant he bought. He thought you took an Iron or Bronze until he saw¡­ well, I think you know what event I¡¯m talking about.¡± I had my guesses. ¡°When I took off a Tier One Bronze¡¯s jaw out in one kick.¡± She clicked her tongue. ¡°Even for a Gold, that¡¯s impressive. Your own cybernetics seem to have short-circuited, bioelectrical genes are rare but pose incredible strength with time and development. There¡¯s a NeoCore Inquisitor, Thunderheart, he¡¯s Gold too but from what I¡¯ve researched he didn¡¯t begin manifesting physical strength out of his electrical powers until the second Tier.¡± ¡°Yeah and I¡¯d imagine he didn¡¯t start with Gold out of the blue.¡± Most NeoCore operatives were hired from various military or private security groups, pulling in promising Bronzes or Silvers and training them until they were powerhouses. Archangel had been Bronze a few years back, and now she was a Silver. ¡°Nope. Bronze, I believe he worked in SynTec¡¯s military.¡± Dr. Faltest pulled up something on her lenses, her hands pulling and pushing invisible screens until a final wave discarded them. ¡°Point of the matter. We need to observe your Mutations with a more discerning eye, the stronger the Grade of the mutation ¡ª the deeper it alters your body. An Iron Grade gene of the same variant would remain only superficial, maybe you¡¯d be resistant to a taser but not a fully-charged shot from your gun. We also need to check out your heart, make sure you aren¡¯t prone to popping it in simpler terms.¡± Ah yeah, I¡¯d had that idea in my head. After the fight with Tonguelasher, I¡¯d been having pain in her chest for days until¡­ well, the doctor would probably see. As I sat on the chair and various tools and medical equipment were strapped and spun around me, I pondered whether this was a good idea. It disgusted me, truth be told, that I was willingly going ahead with my father¡¯s plan but there was a way to spin this around. A sharp sting on my forearm had my blood dripping into a vial, then she scraped skin from the inside of my cheeks and finally plucked out a few strands of my silver-white hair. Then she plugged into my Neuroframe which was all too loud as who-knows-how-many-times it¡¯s internal circuitry had been overloaded. ¡°Diagnostics are showing you¡¯re healthy, but your frame is in critical condition.¡± As she spoke, I grimaced¡­ always hated having my Neuroframe plugged in, it was like worms were wriggling into my skull. ¡°Good thing you got a non-invasive model, otherwise your brain would not be¡­ okay. I¡¯ve already prepared a custom model with an insulative casing, but you might need to visit a Shard Operator soon to tune it further. I¡¯ve got a contact that can¡­ keep secrets.¡± ¡°They¡¯re on my father¡¯s payroll aren¡¯t they?¡± I sighed, and she didn¡¯t bother confirming an answer we both knew. An option prompted in my lenses, which were blurred and dry on my eyes by this point. [Allow external device to view Implant data?] Allow. I thought, and it followed through with a painful needle ejecting out of my neck, non-invasive models were not suited for external connections like this. The doctor nodded as a screen showcased my Implant¡¯s specs, then she stumbled in her words as she grasped the severity of what she was seeing. ¡°A total of 19 Meta-Mutations?!¡± Diana Jones Implant Data:- Type: SIM Grade: Gold Classification: Mutant/Esper Warp Tendency: [Unknown¡­ possible derivatives: Spark; Fire; Water] Development: Tier 0 [Convergence: 87%] Gene Capacity: Calculating¡­ Base Amount: 10 Integrity: NA Energy: NA Capacity: NA Mutations: Tier 0 [8 Mutations]:- ¡°Holy shit.¡± Then Faltest repeated it in a long, whimsical tone. ¡°Hoooly shit.¡± ¡°I know Meta-Mutations are supposed to be rare but, what I want to understand¡­¡± There had been something bugging me for the last week. ¡°Is why all the mutations I got from my police-issued Mutagen are just¡­ not what they said they would be. Muscle Endurance, Quick Sleep, Reflexive Vision and Skin Conditioning were what I bought.¡± ¡°Generally, they won¡¯t always be exactly what¡¯s on the bottle, but you¡¯re right¡­ they¡¯ve all somehow Mutated before even being expressed within your genome. I think this is¡­ Parallel Convergence?¡± She said it like it meant something to me. ¡°Explain.¡± She was pulling up various screens and graphs on the screen while her voice hurried. ¡°You are aware how advancing the Tiers effect Mutations right?¡± I was aware of the basics. ¡°Once you reach the threshold, your Mutations sprawl out and spawn derivatives, typically combining to form hybrids. Like if my Skin Hardening combined with my Elastic Muscles, I could potentially harden my own muscles.¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°In the loosest sense of the phenomenon, you¡¯re right.¡± Faltest said. ¡°However, something within you caused the Tier 0 Mutagen¡­ the most basic of all Mutagen with no precursors, to differentiate according to your needs. Elastic Muscles, for example, compensates for the increased blood flow and tension your muscles would face under the exertion of Pacemaker. Think of going up a Tier as like eight threads that shoot out, some of them will knot up with others while the rest stay by themselves except stronger. This is very different because you¡¯re having genes knotted up at the starting position.¡± ¡°So instead of my threads combining forward, they¡¯re branching sideways?¡± I looked closer at the diagrams she drew out, and they all pointed to one specific Mutation in my body. ¡°Unstable Biology.¡± Dr. Faltest murmured. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen a mutation like it, it¡¯s remarkable ¡ª perhaps it¡¯s a Deviant Mutation? Don¡¯t¡­ Don¡¯t worry about that! It¡¯s nothing for you to know. And your compatibility? They¡¯re reacting so that any Mutagen which enters your body is adapted to become exactly what you need.¡± As confusion and blank fear drained from the doctor¡¯s face, it was replaced by excitement. The exact thing I¡¯d been looking for and my mouth moved to capture her. ¡°You seem to think I have something extraordinary.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because¡­ it is!¡± She seemed almost enraged that I would question it. ¡°Don¡¯t you see? This is revolutionary, a Mutation that can alter all the other¡¯s without derivating? It¡¯s¡­ it is so much more than extraordinary.¡± ¡°So something like this is valued a lot?¡± I was getting closer to the true point of my scheme. ¡°Extremely so.¡± Dr. Faltest immediately started writing down something on her personal pad. I shot my verbal bullet. ¡°Soooo¡­ if my father knew about something like this, he¡¯d probably have me transferred somewhere where they could properly document my case, to a lab full of high-tech Geneticists all just as skilled, if not more-so, than you. Leaving you with nothing but a paycheck, a transfer back to your old job and an NDA, am I right?¡± It was a headshot, if there was one thing I could credit my newer Reactive Sight for it was the exact moment someone¡¯s words failed them. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that.¡± Her voice wavered. ¡°I¡¯d imagine I¡¯d get plenty of credit and probably be promoted but-¡° ¡°But you would lose access to something¡­ Extraordinary.¡± My words hung in the air, a clear warning hidden in them. ¡°Correction. More than extraordinary.¡± She turned her chair to me, giving all of her attention. ¡°What are you playing at?¡± ¡°You keep this Unstable Biology Mutation a secret from my father. Spout one of my Meta-mutations as a replacement. I¡¯ll let you experiment with me, take blood samples and whatever, work it out and build up a thesis or scientific writing or whatever. In a year or two, you could have pretty substantial findings regarding how to promote that¡­ What''d you call it? Parallel Convergence. You could make a killing later on, dig out a whole goldmine compared to getting a single nugget of the thing.¡± Dr. Faltest pushed her fingers together, reciting some deep mantra I couldn¡¯t hear. Then she breathed out along with some relieving words. ¡°We have a deal. But I¡¯ll need muscle, bone marrow, cerebrospinal fluid, vitreal fluid and uterine lining samples from you.¡± I was comfortable with all except the last, and what even was vitreal fluid? Still it was enough of a deal as I could get. ¡°You¡¯ll get them, but first, I need to know what I¡¯m dealing with. Most information is hidden behind a paywall and I want to know exactly what all these hidden parameters behind my genes are? Like this classification of Integrity, Metabolism ¡ª all that.¡± She nodded like an excited dog being fed a treat. ¡°Yes, of course. Like you said they are the simplest ways to classify the various mutations. Integrity holds importance in terms of your strength and durability so Elastic Muscles are the forefront in that end. Although it isn¡¯t formally stated, your Skin Hardening genes do play a role in that as well, but in precision it¡¯s only active during Energy expression which makes it an Alteration Gene.¡± That helped, but it wasn¡¯t exactly clear. ¡°Then why isn¡¯t Pacemaker classified as an Integrity Mutation?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s primary function is to metabolize your body using Electrical Energy, it doesn¡¯t add to your physical strength, not really. Just pushes your body to exert the maximum threshold it can handle, which in your case as a Cradle-engineered human is about as strong as any human could be without strength augmenting SIMs. You¡¯d know about the Olympics back from your days in the Cradle, correct? Let¡¯s just say, those athletes were the minimum benchmark your creators were trying to imitate.¡± I didn¡¯t like bringing up my early childhood, so I shuffled past it. ¡°So Metabolism Mutations are all about using bodily energy, physical recovery and, in cases like mine, to boost strength. What differentiates that from Energy Mutations? I know they make Espers but¡­ just looking for some clarification.¡± ¡°Energy Mutations¡­¡± Dr. Faltest hummed, ¡°are, as you said, the crux of Espers. Effectively, they allow you to manipulate phenomenon of the physical world¡­ and even rarer few allow for the potential of psionics. The science behind it is¡­ complicated. Effectively, you alter physical constants of the world with a subconcious thought, such as manipulating electrical conduction within so that it can pass through you. The ones that can manipulate their own body with Warp Energy, create blades from their bones or make themselves intangible, they¡¯re Mutants. Mutants typically find their specialty in the Alteration and Integrity set of Mutations.¡± ¡°Got it. And Cognition refers to genes that govern your thought processes and senses?¡± It seemed obvious. ¡°Correct.¡± She said with a satisfied look. ¡°Any other questions?¡± ¡°Quite a few.¡± I spun a confused look. ¡°Why do people only lean in one way, as Mutants or Espers?¡± She took a deep breath, looks like this had quite the explanation behind that. ¡°For one, and you¡¯ll understand this once you install a Genedeck on your Neuroframe, is that the two tend to clash. There¡¯s a hidden limit your Neuroframe¡¯s current software can¡¯t calculate, but according to my system¡¯s Genedeck your Mutational Capacitance stands at a value of 10, meaning you can hold two more Tier 0 genes. The way these genes interact with one another can affect their Gene Capacitance, for example if an Esper tried to manipulate multiple phenomena ¡ª like the air and earth ¡ª at once, they would be pulled in too many directions. A Tier One Mutagen with a typical capacity of 4 may now be the equivalent of 7 or 9, similarly more synergistic Mutagen could be lowered to 3 or 2. So you make the choice between more similar Mutations, or fewer varied Mutations.¡± Before I could ask, she continued with another statement. ¡°Another reason is that Energy Mutations are incredibly rare, they can¡¯t be derived though going up the Tiers normally. They¡¯re almost always found on the Implant or million-Shardyne vials, whereas an Alteration Mutation can be derived from Integrity or Metabolism Mutations. That¡¯s why there are so many more Mutants compared to Espers. Also, just because someone is a Mutant doesn¡¯t mean they won¡¯t have Energy genes, it¡¯s just typically more of a 80-20 split in terms of how they¡¯re used.¡± ¡°So like a guy with really hard blood could also cause someone else¡¯s blood to explode? The exploding part is the Energy Mutation while the blood hardening is an Alteration Mutation?¡± I hope she didn¡¯t know who I was referring to. ¡°Odd example.¡± She scratched her chin. ¡°But it works.¡± ¡°Okay then.¡± One less confusing thing weighing on my head. ¡°My advancement to Tier One is going to happen any day now, what exactly happens?¡± ¡°Once you complete your Convergence, your body will automatically draw your Warp Energy inwards. It¡¯ll cause rapid development in all of your current genes that will spawn derivatives. Either your Mutations will converge together to create a new Mutation out of two, or rarely more, old ones; or they¡¯ll directly create a more powerful variant of a pre-existing one.¡± ¡°How do I know what I¡¯ll get?¡± That thought was consuming me, I was already thinking of some combinations. ¡°You won¡¯t.¡± Her answer was firm. ¡°That¡¯s part of the deal for getting a SIM and not a BUG, they get their Features out of a limited pool of 12 possible Features. If they have a problem, they can throw their Shardyne away to get a new cybernetic that solves the issue for them. SIMs on the other hand have thousands of possible starting points, the only way of control is by injecting new Mutagen into you. Even then, you don¡¯t have conscious control over their development other than knowing that they will adapt depending on your compatibility.¡± ¡°So what? I just pray that they blend together in a way I like?¡± I did not like that idea whatsoever. ¡°Pretty much. Most research is pretty fruitless in their attempts to simulate or regulate Mutation development. Besides, I don¡¯t have a clue how your Unstable Biology mutation could derail everything, just get to Tier One and you¡¯ll know.¡± Well, that was about as much I could get. ¡°Sooo¡­ that¡¯s pretty much it then.¡± ¡°Not quite.¡± She clicked her tongue in a more decisive manner. ¡°Remember how I said your Gene-capacity is at 10? Well, it also means you aren¡¯t going to Advance unless you get two other Tier 0 genes, lucky for you I have some ready here at the clinic.¡± My eyes lit up. ¡°Didn¡¯t take you to be charitable.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not for free!¡± She folded her arms. ¡°Believe me, I wish I could inject you with a whole lot of interesting Mutagen the police have stored up here but this is a firm that reports to them. Even combat-type and athletic Mutagen would require weeks of paperwork and it would be signed off by your reporting officer.¡± So either Rorsche or Wickett. If it was the former¡­ he¡¯d have leverage. ¡°Then what do you have that won¡¯t set me back weeks?¡± ¡°Cosmetic Mutations.¡± A small smile crept up on her, she seemed to think it was funny. I did not as my groan evidenced. ¡°You have got to be kidding me.¡± Faltest was still smiling. ¡°Nope, but I¡¯m curious to know how your body will spin up beauty genes into something for you. Here¡¯s the list of Tier 0 comsetics.¡± Haithama Full-Lips Syntec Clear Skin Syntec Moisturized Skin Imperium Thick Hair Haithama Nose Shaper Haithama Pore Cleanser Imperium Curve Shaper Syntec Breast Enlarger (D Cup) Imperium Fat Distribution I hated my options¡­ only slightly less as I started to actually consider what I would look like with them. ¡°The last one won¡¯t you know, shrink my assets right?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± A chortle choked out of her. ¡°Just alters your body¡¯s rate of fat metabolism in key areas, might actually make them look better. Heard of the horror tales during the first generation Imperium made, causing grown women to look like little boys. Hell of a lawsuit.¡± ¡°It might be useful¡­ you know, keeping me more fit.¡± That translated to me being allowed to eat whatever I wanted. ¡°And I guess the hair one too, might make my braids all zappy like the rest of my body and use them like whips. Could be like Medusa, you know¡­¡± She blinked awkwardly. ¡°Like the NeoCore Inquisitor? She turns MALs to stone with her claws. Some variant of a poison-based Mutation that causes cells to freeze and harden.¡± Right, I forgot not everyone was forced to study old-old World stuff at a damn Cradle. ¡°No, like the one from Greek mythology. Who¡­ also turns people to stone but with her eyes.¡± I flicked my fingers from my gaze to hers, hoping she would get it. ¡°Aren¡¯t they the same? Doesn¡¯t Medusa come from New Troy, that used to be Greece right? Back in the Old World.¡± She began to look something up, I stopped her with my hand. Everything she wanted to find would be locked under a Haithama paywall anyway. We finished up the meeting with an agreement on my changes in Shardware. I was moving to an even less invasive model of Neuroframe that relied on a tiny, insulated chip to mesh in with my brainstem that was remotely connected to a processing unit in my Holo-pad. The procedure was simple, and upgrading to a weak Iron-Grade Frame meant I wouldn¡¯t lose out on any functionality. It also came on board with a Genedeck Data-Module, some weird combination of Warpcode weaved together by Imperium that could better study my genes and their development. As for my lenses, I hated that procedure with every bone in my body even if it was only a few minutes. My eyelids were curled up, so she had access to the fleshier parts, then installed rice-grain size projectors into the cartilage. It itched for the next few hours. By the time I was home, the evening sun reflected over the city¡¯s towering buildings as a shimmering mirror maze of golden-orange. It almost consumed me, the Gold. Two injections of Mutagen into my femoral artery sent my exhaustion spiraling into slumber. Tomorrow was going to suck, I had no idea how Rorsche would treat me, but it would suck. At the very least, I would soon be at Tier One. Blood and Steel C34: A Talk of Desire and Despair Chapter 34: A Talk of Desire and Despair Official statement from Professor Lewis Steadman, creator of the Genedeck and leading Imperium Geneticist. [On the topic of conflicting Mutations.] Mutations are volatile. No way around it. They encapsulate the very randomness present throughout Warp Energy and we inject it into our very flesh. It is only with careful insight from Geneticists and Warp Researchers that we have learned to extract Mutagen and gain some semblance of control over them. In the past, Mutations were earned through feasting on MAL flesh. Gruesome and vile, yes, but do not look against it for it is what the Founders had to do in order to protect us. That cacophony of genetic material in them caused a sickness when consuming their flesh, and upon recovering from it, the first Adapters would wake up stronger and often with new abilities. Strangely, consuming MAL flesh has no lasting effects on Mutational capability. Current hypothesis concluded that by absorbing massive amounts of genetic information riddled in Warp Energy, an Adapter would only absorb what they found was suited for them. Unfortunately, this is not the case with Mutagen, which is a forceful concentration of MALflesh or SIM-derived Mutations that forcefully indoctrinates the human with its instructions. I¡¯ve seen firsthand, as will many of you, of what poor Mutation planning can do. Grotesque tumors, a body trying to kill itself, mental instability, any number of combinations could end in harm. Mutagen Overdosing is an endemic, one that is not being talked about as much as it should be. The power is addictive, and dangerous. If you or anyone you know is under the threat of Gene-Overdosing, please contact the official Imperium Genetics Society. We will do what we can to help you. 7:32 AM June 18th I¡¯d woken up to an alert of two updates, the Mutagen had worked its way into my body. Both of them were altered. You have acquired the Iron-Grade Mutation: Increased Keratin Stability. You have acquired the Iron-Grade Mutation: Electrical Lipids Integrity: [I] Increased Keratin Stability (1%): Increased stability of certain cytoskeletal elements, improving cellular cohesion in hair, nails and skin. Metabolism: [I] Electrical Lipids (1%): Lipid distribution in your body will condense and shift, and now acts as a reserve for electrical energy when metabolized. I was happy with the first one, for one it would pair extremely well with my Skin Hardening Mutation. Maybe after Convergence, I¡¯d be resistant to puncture wounds. I wouldn¡¯t place my money on bullets just yet, but there was also the issue with me not knowing how it would interact with my conduction. I did notice a few times that channeling the Warp Energy to harden my skin made the electricity within more sluggish, but then a Meta-Mutation smoothed out the flow a few days in to counter that by improving conduction across my skin as a whole. The second Mutation, Electrical Lipids, was far more confusing. Redistributing and condensing my fat? I patted my body all throughout, feeling no immediate changes but that was how they all started. A few days in, it would take hold and I had no idea how my body would look after that. Also would metabolizing my fat¡­ shrink me? (You know what parts I¡¯m talking about). I decided not to put too much focus on it right now, I would know soon enough, for now it was time to get to my job. An endeavor I was dreading. 9:05 AM My new Neuroframe didn¡¯t buzz¡­ instead I felt a tingle in my neck everytime it activated. I forgot what it was like to not have steel hugging my nape. Indra had helped me sync it to the police network and given it access to my old Frame¡¯s access. From then on, we were assigned to dwell on whatever cases we had until further orders would be given out. I¡¯d been working on a small-gang¡¯s delve into firearm dealing for the last few days, and word came in from the analysts on our squad that they¡¯d breached one of the Neuroframe of a man I¡¯d arrested. It led to further information about a much larger scale operation. The Junipero¡¯s were a crime family with no substantial holding in the District, but had recently struck out a deal with Crimson Soul for increased firepower in exchange for information about Muramasa¡¯s dealings with the Snake Fang¡¯s old territor. The Junipero¡¯s were located close by and often dealt with Shaun and his gang, it was half the reason I took this case. Around 10, we were all called in and Rorsche¡¯s glance hovered over me like an executioner¡¯s axe. Seated in, my hands clamored in sweat as he spoke. ¡°First things first, all of you have met your quotas for the week. Good, I can¡¯t deny that there have been specific standouts. In particular, Diana has meshed in well; acting decisively during the Tonguelasher and Junipero operations, and performing as well as anyone could during patrols and stakeouts. Another Investigator proving themselves useful¡­¡± Rorsche looked to my left, where I noticed an equally nervous Investigator the same rank as me. ¡°Anthony Grazhe. It appears you¡¯re finally living up to your family¡¯s expectations. Good job with Tonguelasher and your hostage negotiation yesterday, for once you proved your Mutation¡¯s use in your blood.¡± The calm before the storm, I told myself. Something was bound to happen right now, some little jab at either of us that would be the start of a very long and arduous trial here at the squad. Rorsche continued. ¡°Choirmen¡¯s back, as you can see, so we¡¯ll be transferring a case over to him that he can lead over. You fine with the Juniperos?¡± Choirmen, still with an awkward lean over the side of his body he¡¯d been stabbed in, nodded. To my utter dismay, I wanted to speak back but someone else spoke for me. Indra Harmony piped up to my far right in the auditorium. ¡°Hey, with all due respect, this is Diana¡¯s first big solo case? She¡¯s been able to prove herself fine so far, why not let her continue?¡± She didn¡¯t push out an air of anger, just wary confusion. ¡°What was your first major case, Harmony?¡± Rorsche¡¯s focus fell on Indra like a hammer. ¡°Don¡¯t speak. I know what it is. It was a simple investigation on a pedophillic corporate. Made headline news, but there was never a big shootout other than that guard trying to bash Choirmen¡¯s heads in. This case was simple enough until Crimson Soul, a major gang, pulled themselves into the fray. Choirmen¡¯s experienced with The Souls, he can handle it better. Credit be damned, this is life-or-death.¡± A small tear into my ego, but it was about as good as I could get. My only worry is if this trend would continue, and I would get stuck in middle-managing cases for the rest of my career. A few more shifts in topics and reports from myself and the rest of the squad regarding our progress pulled the meeting to a close by 10:45. It was only while leaving that Anthony pulled me to the side as he motioned his fingers to follow him into the break-room. ¡°Archangel¡­¡± He whispered. ¡°Any leads?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± I was tensed throughout the whole meeting, and it still stuck in my voice. ¡°Told me about the puppeteers of Westcrook, mostly the leaders of major gangs in the District. But there were a few independant players, thinking we could get more information from past cases involving them.¡± ¡°Puppeteers¡­¡± His eyes dawned open. ¡°Hold on, you aren¡¯t thinking of heading over to Little Requiem right? Even my grandfather hated heading over there, they tear cops open over an open-flame.¡± ¡°Why would I head to Little Requiem?¡± I saddled myself firmly on a chair, did he know something? Anthony glanced around the room, making sure no prying eyes were spying on us before quietly whispering. ¡°Mr. Skeleton¡­ information broker and arms dealer. That¡¯s who you were thinking of, right? Bad idea, trust me. My grandfather hated involving himself with that guy.¡± ¡°No.¡± My voice was equally hushed. ¡°Soul Killer.¡± Anthony blinked. ¡°Who the fuck is that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but Archangel said that whoever they are, they¡¯re a deep rooted infestation in the city. Some sort of entity that kidnaps people without the police even bothering to deal with the cases, simply because we aren¡¯t supposed to. Someone like them should have intricate knowledge about the city¡¯s underworld. Might even know who Dogwhistler is.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a risk.¡± He warned. ¡°If they¡¯re anywhere near what a goddamn NeoCore Enforcer said, then it¡¯s bad news. How¡¯re you even going to find anything about them?¡± ¡°Simon Jugosla. Tonguelasher was planning on hunting them down until Mr. Skeleton warned him that Soul Killer had something to do with Simon. He¡¯s the head chef of a fancy hotel-restaurant called Spice Archipelago.¡± ¡°Oh shit.¡± Anthony¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Used to go there with my family a few times, place won a Haithama Star too. Pretty steep price and booking time is massive but¡­ I think I could manage something.¡± ¡°Something like what?¡± ¡°My aunt¡¯s birthday is coming up. July 13th. Could mention on the family group chat about the restaurant, our grandfather loved the place and maybe that would be enough to get me in there¡­ but for you¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, unless you want me to sneak in there and pretend to be a waiter.¡± I half chuckled. ¡°I mean, I could get you in there but it would require me lying my ass off. We¡¯d have to convince my aunt that you¡¯re either like, my best friend or¡­¡± His cheeks slowly reddened. ¡°That we¡¯re¡­ you know¡­¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I nodded, it wasn''t all too bad honestly. Just pretend to be dating for a bit¡­ but that would make things complicated back here in the squad until we ¡®broke up¡¯. Actually, maybe it would even spite Rorsche ¡ª honestly¡­ fuck it. Let that bastard rot in jealousy. He blinked, again. ¡°Okay? Like, it¡¯s going to be weird.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not in highschool, Anthony. If that¡¯s what it takes to get that filth in jail, then it¡¯s a small thing.¡± Then I needed to put it out there, before he got any ideas like a certain First Investigator. ¡°And I¡¯m a professional. I wouldn¡¯t actually date a coworker, just need to put on the air for a night.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Anthony nodded, a tight nod. ¡°Completely understandable. So uh¡­ I¡¯ll tell you how it goes with my aunt. She¡¯s been the tiniest bit nicer to me now that I¡¯m actually doing my job but, honestly, that¡¯s sort of because of you.¡± My face settled firmly. ¡°We did one mission together. You saw a chance to become what you want to be, even if it wasn¡¯t a singer, but all that drive came from you. Thank you for helping me.¡± ¡°I uhh¡­ maybe.¡± He awkwardly fiddled with his thumb. ¡°You um, how was Archangel?¡± ¡°Mixed feelings.¡± I spoke honestly. ¡°She knew a lot, but she wasn¡¯t like how the media portrayed her. In a way, she was down to earth but in other perspectives she almost seemed¡­ defeated? Like she¡¯d given up being herself and become only what she needed to be.¡± Anthony¡¯s face fell disappointingly. ¡°Shit, was really hoping she¡¯d be different.¡± I sighed, remembering that encounter. ¡°She could switch her emotions up in an instant. Maybe she has a Psyche Feature or something, but it¡¯s still freaky how I don¡¯t know who she really is. What¡¯s the boundary between Alisha Noori and Archangel?¡± ¡°NeoCore is tough. They need you to be desensitized yet stand as bastions of humanity, since the Fifth Swarm is coming up they¡¯ll be upping their recruitment and media portrayal.¡± I laughed. ¡°Think you got a shot at joining them? Would be hilarious, you going from a reluctant Police Investigator to a reluctant NeoCore Agent.¡± ¡°Yeah, hilarious.¡± He said in a slow sarcastic tone. ¡°You¡¯ve honestly got a shot at it, why don¡¯t you look it up? It¡¯d be a hell of a good way to leave the city, this place is a dump.¡± I did have a shot at it. That contract sat in the back of my head. ¡°Maybe, but not until I¡¯ve rooted out Dogwhistler.¡± We sat in silence for a moment, and it wasn¡¯t long until I returned to my workstation. There was a lot of work to be done. 4:27 PM June 24th Diana Today was going to be the day. I jabbed the reinforced punching bag, beating my nerves. My muscles ached, my bones crunched but the metrics on the screen in front of me proved my punches were faster and harder than ever. My newest Meta-Mutation in Elastic Muscles improved the strength of my bones to withstand the force my muscles contracted over them. Hardening my skin now left me resistant to puncture wounds from many blades except those reinforced with Warp Energy and an additional development left allowed me to focus my hardening on my knuckles and nails. My vision was sharp, a Meta-Mutation for coordinating my movement left me capable as one of the best sharpshooter¡¯s among the squad. Over the last five days, I¡¯d managed to reach 90% in all of the police-issued mutations, and was well into 40% for both Increased Keratin Stability and Electrical Lipids, both harnessing Meta-Mutations that were general in their efficiency and concentration. I¡¯d noticed it today, there was more staring than usual. I¡¯d always been¡­ conventionally attractive. I¡¯d known that since the day I left the Cradle, but the incremental changes were happening rapidly. My body was a tight weave of muscle with the fat only really accentuating my curves, palms and soles. A scan from my Genedeck notified me that it¡¯d been relocated internally into something called the ¡®mesentery¡¯ covering my intestines. A particular Meta-Mutation in Mental-Fatigue Recovery also noted that the insulatory layer over the nerves in my peripheral nervous system, called a myelin sheath, had been improved since they were made up of fat. My thoughts came quicker, smoother, a rapid back-and-forth of stimuli and response. As for my keratin, the protein present in skin, hair and nails? I thought it would unnecessarily stiffen my body, but so far I was looking like I¡¯d just left a relaxing spa. It was difficult to explain, but I felt compact rather than dense, like I could walk through fire without the smallest blister. But what had changed was my hair, it¡¯d gone from silver colored to almost metallic with its shine. The admittedly frizzy locks of my ends were smoothing out with a shiny glow. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. The glares were honestly distracting, and I¡¯d even heard a comment or two from Rorsche loudly sighing something along the lines of me wasting my Mutations on cosmetics¡­ which wasn¡¯t too far from how I felt myself. Whatever. They were working in my favor and today was my second big case, one I¡¯d played a role in from the start. Tonguelasher wasn¡¯t supposed to end the way it did, no one expected for there to be two of them and honestly speaking, we probably all were expecting the humble family-owned garage to be a dud. Not some hidden murder factory. But today? A firearms dealing estimated to be worth roughly 200,000 sheds if Harmony¡¯s intel was to be right? Her ¡®intel¡¯ just so happened to be a bagged Junipero kid who happily whistleblowed on his allies in return for just a year on his original half-a-decade long sentence. I wasn¡¯t too dismayed about it, if anything I was happy that the grunt wouldn¡¯t stay incarcerated for long. He was pretty young, not even 18 yet and had a life ahead of him that he could turn around. With luck, he¡¯d be shipped off to a low-security confinement and be back in the city before the twenty-fifth jubilee. Then it was just a matter of getting a job, and I prayed he wouldn¡¯t fall back into crime. My punches grew harder. If that kid tried to get back into crime, he would have lost all trust among the more-organized gangs due to him being a whistleblower. He may even be killed over it. The only option would be with the Scrappers, a disorganized group of outcasts and crazies with no real leader. I punched harder again, red flashing on my knuckle. But then what choice was there? I¡¯d read the file, the kid had no family. An orphan, where would he go once his stay was over? There was only one answer. He would be used as fodder for the Swarm. Shipped to a Seige Capital, strapped with a weapon, and left to fend against the MAL. Foam split from the punching bag, my fist had been stronger¡­ only a trickle of blood spilt down. Why was that the only choice we left them? ¡°Diana!¡± Harmony called out from somewhere outside the training room. ¡°We leave in an hour!¡± I turned myself towards her, wiping sweat from my forehead as I nodded. ¡°Got it! I¡¯ll get changed up and join you all in a moment!¡± I was quick to pounce into a shower, feeling the residual sparks zapping into the rain of water leaving me cool and refreshed, yet wanting and hungry. Ever since I¡¯d gotten the lipid Mutation, my appetite had increased manifold. Dr. Faltest said it might be a sign to upgrade my diet and buy some Warp-energized nutritional supplements, or to just hire a home cook from my father. I guffawed with every bit of disrespect I could expel at that suggestion. By the time I was changed and ready in the locker-room, I took a small moment at the sinks with a double-pair of pills in my hand. One from Missy, the other from Dr. Faltest. Gene-limiters, designed to reduce the effects of my mutations for a short period of time. I knew my role in this mission would be small, it was a decked team and I was a newbie expected to take rear and cover support rather than more risky maneuvers. If anything, limiting my performance would be smart. It¡¯d show progress but not to the unnatural extent of what Gold was. Dr. Faltest did have concerns, the limiters she had given were Bronze-grade and expected to reduce my output by 20% for half a day¡­ until I explained a Meta-Mutation of Unstable Biology. That it would accelerate my progress in gene development, and believe me, it was tempting to just use these as a way to fast-track my progress. Instead, I scarfed down the two Missy had given me. I didn¡¯t know how she¡¯d gotten them, but they were stronger than the ones Dr. Faltest had given me. Which could only mean they were Silver¡­ and it was a mystery in itself as to why she would have had something like this on such short notice. Gene-limiters of this Grade could cost tens of thousands a pill, and the amount she¡¯d given me was easily enough to cover half a million in worth. She¡¯d tossed them to me so easily¡­ why? I felt the electricity in my body slow from a rushing inferno into a calm candle, not quite sluggish but not the instant transmission I¡¯d normally felt. A part of it was relieving, like returning to a nostalgic past-life, but on the other hand, it was constraining. As I strolled into the main office area, there was a bustle as everyone was getting ready with reports and files dictating possible encounters. For a deal of this scale, there would be Tier Two Adapters, several of them at minimum and possibly even mercenaries on their side if they were expecting us. Leaning over Indra Harmony¡¯s desk, my gaze fell upon her glazed eyes. Her Nueroframe had a thick cord plugging her into the police mainframe, I hoped she wasn¡¯t delving too deep again. I whispered lightly. ¡°Indra?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Light returned to her gaze, blinking rapidly in my direction. ¡°Oh Diana, yeah yeah just uh, was doing a couple of deep dives into Crimson Soul personalities. Hoping we don¡¯t get any of the big ones.¡± I adjusted my posture, my body bending so that my neck was right next to her face. ¡°Okay I see¡­ In order it¡¯s the Crimson Queen, Crimson Heart, The Eyes, The Hands and then The Fingers¡­¡± ¡°The Heart and Queen are a no show. Too big to show up for any case like this, even a Hand is unlikely. Eyes never take the big stage, normally pulling the strings from the shadows but Fingers are a possibility.¡± I followed through some names. Hinderance, Wrathful, Mimetic, Umbra, Lock and Key, Razorpede¡­ ¡°These guys all Tier Two?¡± ¡°Some are upper Tier Ones, like Umbra.¡± Indra spoke but her eyes didn¡¯t follow the computer, instead they were focused on me and not on my face floating beside her head but what was below them. ¡°Uh¡­ Diana, did your tits get bigger?¡± ¡°Keep your eyes on the case, Harmony.¡± I sighed. ¡ª¡ª¡ª An hour later we were grouped up. Choirmen was leading with me, Indra and another Second Rank named Mohammed Ramish. Several other patrolling officers would be on standby. Rorsche would apparently be assisting off-field, whatever that meant, and Special Investigator Wickett was also on call if things went really south. In the midst of everyone rushing into position, my focus fell on one person. Ramish carried a heavy black metallic sniper-rifle on his shoulder, one that made me ache for the Phoenix-rifle I¡¯d taken from Shaun and given up to authorities as evidence. ¡°Um, is that a Mazhyr-brand rifle?¡± My eyes glittered staring at the tall hunk of metal. ¡°I thought we couldn¡¯t get those?¡± A proud smile fell on the aged man, his shoulder-length hair and aged frame giving a particularly striking look. A thick voice melted out of him. ¡°Mazhyr Orca-Carbine; last century tech they discarded during the last Swarm. Found it in an old arms deal a few years back, Scrappers sold it without a clue of knowing what it was. Managed to convince my commanding officer to let me keep it with a couple of merit transfers, a beaut ain¡¯t she? Worth every extra hour of work.¡± I nodded blankly, too encapsulated by the sight of the beautiful gun. While pistols were my favored firearm, there was something so satisfying about the push and recoil of a proper sniper. How one squeeze could have such powerful consequences. Ramish chuckled at my wide-eyed staring. ¡°Could let you have a try on the range soon if you¡¯re curious. Nice Braceshocker too, those take real skill to use, small barrels means a lot of misfires but I¡¯ve seen your records, never missed a shot.¡± My voice failed to come through, I wasn¡¯t sure whether to stare at the man or the rifle. ¡°Um yeah, I¡¯d uh love that! You um¡­ don¡¯t happen to-¡± ¡°He has a wife.¡± Indra suddenly dragged me by my uniform¡¯s necksleeve into her car, a tight face on her the whole time. It was only when I was locked into the driver¡¯s seat that she spoke further. ¡°You have the weirdest type girl¡­¡± ¡°Hey, I like a man who knows his steel. Besides I was asking if he happened to have a spare sniper he could lend me.¡± I tried defending myself with a whisper, but my face only grew redder as she stared at me disbelieving. ¡°Okay maybe I came a little strong, but come on did you see his gun?! I can¡¯t let something like that go!¡± ¡°Was that the only barrel you were interested in.¡± She smirked which led me to whacking my fist into her arm. ¡°Ow ow! You this violent in bed too?¡± ¡°I will gut you.¡± My face was practically steaming, tiny sparks threatening to expose my embarrassment. The drive had silence concealed by the city¡¯s nighttime radio shows, we weren¡¯t in police-marked cars since this was a covert mission so there was something relaxing just driving amidst the wide city highways while no one ran away from the sight of your car. ¡°So¡­ for real.¡± Indra started. ¡°What is your type. I still don¡¯t know much about the real you, Diana Jones.¡± I debated answering, but I decided it was fine to do so. ¡°I don¡¯t know really, tend to go for the guys who seem like they know their shit.¡± ¡°No girls?¡± She puffed. ¡°Boring. Men suck.¡± ¡°Tell me about it.¡± I carefully swerved my car into an open spot amidst the traffic before I felt the need to explain more. She really didn¡¯t know much about me, not many people did. ¡°Yvette, an officer buddy of mine, tried to get me into my whole experimental phase back in cadet school, didn¡¯t really work out so well. Left a girl crying because I just wasn¡¯t into it, felt shitty about it for weeks.¡± ¡°Dang.¡± Indra seethed an awkward spell of air. ¡°How was cadet school? Heard it¡¯s both the best and worst period of your police life.¡± ¡°Joined in late.¡± I admitted. ¡°Yvette pulled me into the Training Sergeant''s office one day and forced him to let me in. They¡¯re desperate for any capable person. My physical merits were good enough to get me started even with half a training period going by, but I was a quick learner. In theory classes, I caught up, and the rest of the two years flew by quickly.¡± ¡°You had fun?¡± She smirked, the type of smirk you only had when you talked about sex. ¡°Yeah.¡± I said curtly. ¡°Quite a bit. Though none of them were my type.¡± ¡°Cus they didn¡¯t know their shit? Just a couple of rookies whose pants were screaming in pain at the sight of you. No wonder you like older guys.¡± Indra laughed more openly. ¡°It¡¯s more about looking for someone with a bit of stability.¡± I elaborated. ¡°Who yeah, are capable, but also nice and gentle. Believe it or not, but I was actually the one to pursue my first boyfriend, asked him out on a date and everything.¡± ¡°Oooh someone¡¯s breaking gender standards.¡± Indra clapped my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m like a proud mother. But I¡¯m also a strict one, who was the guy?¡± ¡°Eobard Hackridge, was on supervisory duty in the dorms. Helped me smuggle in alcohol one day and that night we just¡­ yeah, you know.¡± I brushed it off aside. ¡°He wasn¡¯t the same as the others, he had this edge to him that wasn¡¯t in the rest of the recruits. He¡¯d had a personal hell a few years back, made him grow up quicker, I respected that¡­ was what we talked about originally. Our childhoods, our dreams, he just had a way of pulling people out of their shells and letting them be true.¡± Indra had a soft smile on her face. ¡°Sounds like he was a great guy, why¡¯d you two break up?¡± ¡°He dropped out.¡± My lips were tight, bitterness on my face plain as day. ¡°Realized police wasn¡¯t the way for him, decided to become a psychiatrist. Tried to make it work long-distance in my first year but it wasn¡¯t working, a pretty natural end to it all. Happy with the memories but, honestly, haven¡¯t had the time for a proper relationship outside of work since.¡± Indra mused for a few seconds, carefully picking her words. ¡°Sounds like what you guys had was nice, any idea what he¡¯s up to now?¡± ¡°Studying to go to Med School, has a boyfriend now.¡± That was why I was bitter, not even a week and he found someone new? The nerve¡­ and a guy at that? If he could see me no- ¡°Wish I had something like that happen to me.¡± Indra hummed as she sank deeper into her seat. ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t mean to bring the mood down.¡± ¡°No-no!¡± I accidentally sped up for a second. ¡°It¡¯s okay, you really wish you didn¡¯t. Pretty sure he cheated on me when we went long distance¡­ but, I do want to learn more about you. What¡¯s your type?¡± Indra Harmony stared through the window for a few long seconds, her mask reflecting to my sideward glance. ¡°Really, anyone who cares, and I mean genuinely cares. Doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s a guy or a girl, just someone who can look beyond me as a fucking fetish.¡± My heart squeezed still for a few moments, I knew the feeling. ¡°Because of your cybernetics? The mask?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The answer was sharp as she tapped her mask. ¡°Behind this old thing is a suction tube that I eat from. You can imagine what everyone else thinks it can be used for. A fucked up spine¡¯ll do that to you¡­ and also, I lied. Yhe mask isn¡¯t from the Implant, not really. My brother did that to me when I snitched, punched my jaw clean off when he tracked me down.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Guilt tore through me, I really hadn¡¯t focused much when Indra first told me her story. ¡°I¡¯m- do you want to talk about it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all in the past.¡± She sounded like she wanted to end it, but once the gates were open her words flooded through. ¡°He was an asshole, just out to use his little sister cus she knew math and he didn¡¯t. I was useful, hacking into networks and being the source of half of his group¡¯s success. It was tiring, so fucking tiring just seeing them eat fancy takeout each day while I got scraps. You¡¯d think us both losing our parents would make him closer to me, no, instead it just made him worse¡­ ¡°And you know what¡¯s the worst part of a mouth like this? I can¡¯t kiss anyone. Never have¡­ it¡¯s a small and stupid thing, but that intimacy it¡¯s just¡­ I crave it. Even if they¡¯re a perfect match with me, I can see it in their eyes that I can¡¯t give them one of the basic necessities of a proper romance. Not until I get the funds for a full jaw replacement with accurate nerve-endings, and that shit costs a fortune. I¡¯m saving up for it so¡­ one day.¡± I stayed silent for a few moments, as the car slowed behind a red-light I finally took a proper look at her. Tired eyes held back tears from flowing down the curves of her mask, mossy green hair in frizzles that had clearly been the sign of someone going through shit that I didn¡¯t bother to notice. I stared at her serpentine gaze for a few quiet seconds until she chuckled through. ¡°I¡¯m not asking for a kiss from you, Diana. Just¡­ speaking, you know.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know but¡­¡± Courage swept through me, I leaned over and slowly planted my lips over her forehead in a quiet and soft peck. Only once I¡¯d pulled back into my seat did I find myself able to speak. ¡°You deserve someone who¡¯d do something like that for you, just someone who could give you the love you deserve for all the fucked up shit you¡¯ve gone through. So, I don¡¯t know, if you ever feel like you want a kiss, I¡¯ll be there. But just your forehead though. You¡¯ll find someone to kiss every part of your body soon enough.¡± She chortled, wiping the begginings of tears with her metallic fingers. ¡°You¡¯re sweet¡­ you know that¡¯s my type right? Don¡¯t make me fall for you now, Diana. After all, you¡¯re not into girls.¡± ¡°Maybe I¡¯d make an exception.¡± I tried my best at a wink. ¡®HOOOONKKK¡¯ The loud beep startled me, and only now did I see the green light. The rest of the drive was a bit more cheerful, us sharing gossip about boys, or ¡ª in her case ¡ª girls as well. And as we parked while staking out the complex the deal was supposed to take place in, we even began delving into our childhoods for a bit, a point in which I admitted that I¡¯d been adopted since my parents were ¡®dead¡¯. I talked about growing up in New Washington, the northernmost District of New California. She laughed up in confusion. ¡°It¡¯s fucking weird, Diana. Washington used to be a whole state in Old America¡­ but now it¡¯s a District in a city named after another state?¡± ¡°I remember my dad explaining it to me. New California used to just be a small network of towns back in the Twenty-Third Century until Mazhyr united us, over time it grew to be larger than any of the old states of the USA. They just kept calling it a city because Mazhyr apparently didn¡¯t bother coining us as The Free Nations instead of Free Cities. Stupid, I know, but it¡¯s how shit¡¯s been working for three centuries.¡± ¡°So fucking stupid.¡± Indra just repeated. ¡°Oh, Yvette would love you, I remember we had this exact same conversation in cadet school.¡± I pushed my seat back until I was lying down and she followed. ¡°You should join us, we¡¯re heading out tomorrow after duty. A girl¡¯s night, you know.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Her eyes lit up a bit. ¡°I¡¯d love that¡­ been a while since I¡¯ve had this much fun-¡° A loud beeping noise on her wrist jolted her up, her mask clenching up on her face. ¡°Fuck, now?!¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I sat up as well. ¡°They¡¯re getting ready, that means I need to start¡­ do me a favor, can you¡­ hold my hand?¡± Her voice betrayed a vulnerability and I took grasp without questioning it¡­ except I did have a few questions. ¡°It¡¯s Rorsche. He needs to link to my brain, act through it.¡± She said briefly as she opened up a briefcase sitting by her lap, revealing it to be a chunky computer with all sorts of wires that she hooked up to her neck and Neuroframe. I figured out very quickly why her Neuroframe had messed up her growth. It was the opposite of my non-invasive model. Her entire neck was a buzzing mass of machinery that she exposed with a quick unzip of her suit exposing her shoulders and the top of her chest. It was all a Neuroframe. ¡°It¡¯s rude to stare.¡± She glared half-jokingly. ¡°Says you.¡± I chided back, just trying to be supportive but still confused. Then she contorted, the hand gripping mine transformed from cold metal into a wrathful claw aiming to gouge my flesh. Instinctively, a pulse of my own Warp Energy hardened the points her nails dug into my palm. Painfully, she tried to contain her wrenching towards her side of the car, scratching into the leather of her seat. A few seconds later, she breathed quickly through her mouth as control returned to her. ¡°Are you okay? Indra?!¡± I shook her arm, but it was stiff like stone. Her head turned almost robotically, those green eyes staring into me like emotionless lasers. A foreign voice spoke through her. ¡°When you¡¯re on duty, Jones, please refer to her as Investigator Harmony.¡± I recognized it, and I felt clamored up in moments. Speaking through Indra Harmony¡¯s body was First Investigator Kendrick Rorsche. Blood and Steel C35: The Proxy Protocol Chapter 35: The Proxy Protocol New California Police Internal Document given to the commanding staff regarding the usage of Proxies in police assignments. A Proxy is a unique method of support available only to BUG Adapters. The basic requirements for a Proxy require a Donating Adapter, often called Secondaries, and a Host Adapter, labeled Primaries and the required technical components. Through the usage of classified Data-Modules and a compatible Neuroframe or External Neural-Sync, a Primary Adapter may project their consciousness into a Secondary in a process not unlike the Neuralink used for modern day communications. Albeit, this process causes a direct flow of Warpcode down the Neural gradient, allowing the Primary Adapter to act through the Secondary Adapter ¡ª who effectively acts as a Proxy. This connection takes a physical and mental toll on both Adapters, the severity depending on their Grade, Tier and Feature. Typically, Adapters with a Network Feature are most suited for the process, while Integration is also known to be beneficial in allowing the Primary to have increased mobility on the Secondary¡¯s body. The main benefit of this process is that Primary¡¯s can use their own Features through the bodies of their Secondaries from an advanced range, giving them the ability to act out on field from afar. Highly skilled Primaries can also control multiple Secondaries at once, allowing them to coordinate operations with a higher efficiency. Primaries can only act through Secondaries of a lower Grade, and in cases lower than Silver it has been known to cause severe mental and physical disabilities for the Secondary, and milder compromises for the Primary. A Primary can also not typically control the entirety of a Secondary¡¯s body unless their Features have developed to the process with specific Protocols in place, otherwise known issues that can occur are as follows. Due to the risk involved, the usage of the Proxy process is only to be allowed to individuals trained and compatible with the process, limited only to First Rank and Special Investigators. If you believe that you or anyone of your sub-commanding Investigators are compatible with the Proxy Protocol, please alert them to us so that we may have them trained to build tolerance for the process. 8:22 PM June 24th Diana ¡°What¡­ what did you do?¡± My voice shook, it was unnerving hearing that cadence push out from her body. It wasn¡¯t even said in her voice, but Rorsche¡¯s exact speech flowed from her like he was¡­ speaking through her. Like¡­ like. I clenched up, like the Yuzhou corporate at The Toxin Club, Ms. Himiko. That eerie stillness, the way Indra¡¯s eyes moved before her neck did all in the sake of efficiency. How her mouth jittered like a broken machine as the steel vocal chords did more of the talking. That Yuzhou woman had a veil under her mouth and wore a visor¡­ because she was only a puppet. ¡°Proxy protocol.¡± Rorshce¡¯s voice radiated from behind her mask, one of her eyes twisted in a different direction like a chameleon¡¯s. ¡°A shame you don¡¯t have a BUG, could only imagine how good of a team we¡¯d make.¡± Nausea welled up in my stomach like a bubbling cauldron. ¡°Still hung up over that failed move of yours?¡± He- she, didn¡¯t blink, only stared with that blank unemotive stare straight out from a horror movie. ¡°You know, Indra knew her place.¡± ¡°What?¡± Slowly the arm belonging to Indra Harmony rose up towards her chest, fondling it with rough squeezes. ¡°She knew what she needed to give¡­ and she learned to enjoy it. Even if she wasn¡¯t my type, I can¡¯t deny it wasn¡¯t fun. She was so¡­ desperate and I loved that look on her face, didn¡¯t even need to use this at the time. It was me who pulled her out of that prison cell, you know, she looked at me like I was a god. Didn¡¯t take long at all, just one nightly chat over coffee and she was bouncing away on me.¡± ¡°Stop that!¡± Rage seethed out from me. ¡°Is that how you speak to your commanding officer? We¡¯re on duty, you know.¡± Indra¡¯s eyes were droopy, half awake and half dead. ¡°It was consensual. Surely you¡¯ve gone around and had fun when you were younger too, why stop then? Just be a good girl and-¡° I held up my hand at the machination concealed within the briefcase, it was still hooked up to Indra and seemed to hold some importance to the process in which Rorsche controlled her. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t do that if I were you.¡± Somehow the sound of a clicking tongue made its way through her mask. ¡°You¡¯d be putting her life in danger and getting a free ticket off the police force, don¡¯t know if your father can protect you from manslaughter against a fellow Investigator witnessed by your commanding.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Disgust permeated my tongue. ¡°I don¡¯t know what genes you took upon yourself but you¡¯ve looked fantastic lately. A beauty engineered to perfection.¡± Indra¡¯s arm left her own chest to point out to my own with a trembling finger. ¡°One touch, not even my hand.¡± I quickly yanked Indra¡¯s arms and pinned them to her side of the car. ¡°Anyone can see you¡¯re not in full control of her body. So no. What the fuck is wrong with you? You pervert!¡± Indra didn¡¯t look the slightest bit uncomfortable, her face a blank slate throughout. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been wondering what was the best way to get under your skin for that slap of yours. For a while, I was thinking to just leave you on the mundane boring cases that lead nowhere, but you¡¯re admittedly too useful for that. Besides, you would probably find a way to spin them up in your shining light. So instead¡­¡± I choked as the next few words came out. ¡°Anthony, Yvette and Indra. Those are the three you¡¯re closest to in the police force. It¡¯s obvious you¡¯re desperate for connection ¡ª you¡¯re lonely. Your dad might take it wrong if I put you in harm''s way, but them? Anthony¡¯s on a reckless run, he¡¯d probably get himself killed without my help and his aunt won¡¯t do shit about it as long as I get the Implant in his body back. That cadet friend of yours? Cradleborn-reject, still Cradleborn¡­ so maybe I can have fun with her. She¡¯s an officer and I¡¯m four ranks above her. It¡¯ll be easy. Then there¡¯s Indra who''s already my favorite toy, maybe I¡¯ll use her a bit more, make it more obvious. Use her until she breaks. Save them, or yourself, simple.¡± I stayed silent, my mind on the edge of breaking between both. ¡°You tell either of them about this and I¡¯ll only make it worse. I¡¯ll give you time to think. But not as much time as you think you¡¯ll have. See you soon, Ulrich.¡± That last word was a particular punch of spite towards me. Finally, Indra blinked as she shuddered out like worms were digging through her, falling limply briefly into the arms I still held her own with. ¡°Diana¡­ woah, must have been a particaaaarly bad trip¡­ head¡¯s all shades of fucked up.¡± ¡°Are you okay? Do you remember anything?¡± ¡°Remember?¡± She sounded so weak, on the edge of passing out. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ did I do anything?¡± ¡°No, just the First Investigator spoke to me.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Her eyes smiled at me, squinting tightly in a whimsical fashion. It almost made me sick to see that. ¡°What did he say?¡± The words formed on my tongue slowly. ¡°¡­To take good care of you.¡± A childish giggle poured out from her. ¡°He¡¯s always so sweet. Don¡¯t tell him I said that.¡± ¡°Can he hear us right now?¡± I tried my best to remain composed. A sleepy nod came as the answer. ¡°Always, can just shoot into my mind too whenever.¡± That was¡­ I felt so sick from this. The last week had been surprisingly easy-going, only for it now to twist on its head. ¡°You don¡¯t look so good. Maybe we should disconn-¡° ¡°No!¡± Her tired arm gripped mine, an unnatural strength fueling it. ¡°Without him¡­ I¡¯ll be dead weight.¡± I laughed, still trying to keep myself composed despite the aching need to electrocute someone building like a bottled fizzy drink on the edge of exploding. ¡°Come on, that¡¯s ridiculous, you¡¯ve been hacking into things since you were a kid. You don¡¯t need him.¡± ¡°I just¡­¡± She weakly sobbed. ¡°He makes me better. I can¡¯t think the way he does, he- he uses Dataweaving through me. My Network fits him perfectly, it means I don¡¯t need to do that stupid job anymore¡­ please, Diana. Without him, I- I can¡¯t work on the field, or it feels like I¡¯ve never left my brother.¡± My stomach was on the brink of emptying its contents, I was glad when the alert came through my system that Choirmen was alerting everyone to move into position. They had confirmed the deal. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Indra wobbled on my shoulder, half limping and half skipping while laughing hysterically through the process. I shushed her as we neared the gate of the compound, Investigator Choirmen hidden just out of view of the entrance¡¯s visibility. Regrouping with him, I noticed the severe lack of reinforcements here. I¡¯d expected him to say something about Indra¡¯s half-conscious state, something serious, instead he quietly laughed. ¡°How is it with Rorshce-Indra duty? It¡¯s a tradition that we don¡¯t tell the new recruits what they do, makes it a lot funnier. Should¡¯ve seen Anthony¡¯s reaction to it.¡± It was not funny. Not one bit. ¡°She¡¯s certainly¡­ they¡¯re certainly a personality. You sure she can work like this?¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Works better like this.¡± He said passively, more focused on the guards by the entrance into the old warehouse. ¡°Risham¡¯s up on a nearby rooftop, patching him into your comms.¡± A piercing pain stuck into my neck a needle of pure thought into the Neuralink. Risham¡¯s whiskey-like voice poured into my head. ¡°R-Risham speaking. Confirmed two guards stationed on the south-side entrance by your opening-g, Choirmen. Another three stationed by the north-side. My scope¡¯s counting quite a lot of them inside, estimated to be fourteen¡­ news about additional r-reinforcements?¡± Choirmen¡¯s thoughts came through even though he was right next to me. ¡°C-coming soon. We¡¯ll take out the perimeter and get them surrounded from all sides once we enter, l-likely to be a b-bloodbath otherwise-e.¡± ¡°Affirmed. We going to use the Rorsche shackles?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Rorsche shackles?¡± I whispered. To which Indra pulled open her briefcase and took out six metallic angular plates with metallic hooks sticking out from them. They were standard Neurocuffs, capable of disrupting Warpcode in Shardware¡­ but likely these were modified to give Rorsche access to whoever was shackled in them. Risham¡¯s voice vibrated in my head. ¡°You¡¯re fast right, Jones? I¡¯m going to shoot non-lethal rounds at each of them, need you to place down the shackles on their Neuroframes before they can ping out an SOS. Indra and Rorsche will be able to hack into them and get us access codes, maybe even camera footage.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The six shackles metallically plated together and even stuck to my uniform¡¯s forearm like a bracer, and were thin enough that they weren¡¯t a massive hindrance to my mobility. ¡°I won¡¯t go slow for you, rookie. F-From your left to right, tell me when you¡¯re rea-dy.¡± The voice was confident even amidst the faltering of a Neuralink. A confidence in both him and me, it was just what I needed to push myself out of the worry I¡¯d been having for Indra. Taking a glance from the corner past Choirmen, I got a sneaky look at the three criminal watchmen. Two with crimson eyes, and one with the armband of the Juniperos. I sent a third of my Braceshocker¡¯s charge running through me, from this distance I¡¯d make it in a few seconds. ¡°I-I¡¯m ready.¡± No affirmative response came, a quiet splatter of a body onto concrete ¡ª only a flash of light as evidence of a shot ¡ª rushed my body into motion like a thunderbolt. By the time I¡¯d made it halfway to the first guard, another with crimson eyes sputtered into awareness. Before he could even raise a decibel of warning, a piercing lance of blue no thicker than a needle zapped his head and sent him falling to the floor. A quick slap on the first fallen guard¡¯s neck latched the shackle over the frame, and by the time I¡¯d reached the second guard, the third one who was much less attentive fell back with his eyes rolled up. Another slap on his neck reached him before he even touched the floor. My eyesight mutation was really coming in handy, I¡¯d definitely gotten closer to maximizing its Development now. ¡°Good work Jones, a little slow but you made it up towards the end.¡± ¡°Whatever¡­ I need that fucking gun man.¡± Non-lethal snipers, especially of the electric variant, were just up my alley. ¡°If you can beat me in a shooting competition, it¡¯s yours.¡± He joked, or was he serious? If he was serious, I was down. But there was a time and place, I quickly sat my focus on the three downed bodies around me, their bodies twitching as the shackles pulsed an ominous Bronze light over them. Then I saw Indra, her arms outstretched like a zombie ¡ª twitching and shaking out of her control ¡ª the Iron glow visible within her Shardware¡¯s joints and seams now under a corruptive Bronze glow. I couldn¡¯t help but be concerned as her eyes went bloodshot, nothing serious but concerning nonetheless. Choirmen seemed to notice the shift in my priorities, a stern gaze flicking from me to the backside of the building. There were three more guards in the perimeter. I had charged up once more, and just as quickly, if not faster, shackled them all up once they were neutralized. Indra¡¯s twitching only got worse, her neck randomy seizing as the six bodies under her gaze were digitally dissected. Rorsche¡¯s voice spoke from her, the twitching stopped in an instant as though she¡¯d been possessed. ¡°Hacked into the camera system indoors, I can confirm there are 18 gang members. 12 Crimson and 6 Junipero. Backup arriving in two minutes, do not engage without them. Five officers, two third Ranks Investigators and a Second Rank Investigator rendezvousing on your position. Jones, there¡¯s a door I¡¯m opening, it leads to a power grid and a hub for the internal framework of the building security. Escort me there.¡± I wanted to spit on his face ¡ª the real Rorsche ¡ª for how quickly he could switch between douchebag and professional. With Choirmen giving me an impatient cough, I hurried to pick up the woman being controlled by my commanding officer. Wrapping her arm around my shoulder, I had to place a firmer grasp on her hand once I felt it squirming up the sides of my rib cage. A warning glance would have to be enough. I hoped it was enough. Thankfully, Indra blinked free soon after and her arm pushed away, the Bronze-infected light pulsing to open up a small door. It was easy to find the mainframe thanks to my internal sense of electromagnetic radiation, but the quiet humdum of talking past the room shivered me bare. I couldn¡¯t make it out, but there were quite a few loud voices talking through. The flow of electricity in my body resonated with the room as I tiptoed with Indra leaning on me, not the easiest task but it would work. Just about to turn the corner into the mainframe, I froze as one of the electrical fields within the room shifted. Then I saw its rough shape, almost arm-like in a weird oblong oval. Shardware. And Rorsche hadn¡¯t warned me, he was willingly putting both myself and Indra in danger. Just as he threatened to. My Braceshocker ready, I indicated to Indra to open the door. A weak raise of her arm sent it quietly reeling back, and in a moment, I turned my Braceshocker¡¯s aim to the back of a woman¡¯s head while she was speaking to someone via a direct comms. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s weird. All the outside cams just froze, and I¡¯m not getting any comms from the men out there. Think I have to call them off right now, fuck, Cannonarm¡¯s going to kill me.¡± I waited for her to stop talking, and while she was busy dialing in the next chat, a quiet pulse from my gun sent a decisive shock through the back of her head. I quieted her fall by catching her, and then we had access to the security room and power grid. ¡°A-All secure.¡± Choirmen responded. ¡°Roger that, reinforcement¡¯s outside. We''ll have them surrounded on both the South-side and North-side.¡± Rorsche spoke next, his mental voice particularly fragmented. ¡°C-Confirmed target s-strength, looks like seven n-non-Adapters, three Tier Zeros, Five Tier on-es and a Tier Two¡­ shit. A fuc-king C-Crimson F-Finger. C-Cannonarm, careful, his hand tur-ns into a mini-gun.¡± Not one of the ones Indra pointed out today, great. Our intel was already lacking enough except for when it came to my family history, Founders I fucking hated this job. After a tense minute, a crackling sound broke into my Neuralink. Looking upon Indra, I whispered. "Hey, did something happen?" Only silence and a blank stare met me, so I reached into the Neuralink. "Hello, c-can you guys here me?" It took a few seconds before Indra''s eyes turned to me and Rorsche''s voice defiled her presence. "It''s just interference, don''t worry about it." Then he spoke again, except this time much louder, infact he was coming out from the speakers of the warehouse. ¡°This is First Investigator Rorsche speaking, Third-in-command at Squad 13 of the Intelligence department of the Westbrook Police District. We have you surrounded. You are all under arrest for the purchase and sale of illegal Firearms and Shardware, come out with your hands up, unarmed and with your Shardware disabled. This is not a warning, we will open fire if you do not surrender.¡± Clamor and panic exploded from beyond my door at once, this was happening¡­ now? While I was in the building? I heard the panic roar as all the voices tried to make reasons, hearing snippets of ¡®oh fuck¡¯s or ¡®trash the goods¡¯ to responses from ¡®are you a fucking idiot¡¯ and ¡®just blast them apart¡¯! Risham¡¯s voice took an edged tone through the Neuralink which returned to me. ¡°S-Switching to piercing rounds, lethal but silenced. I¡¯m tracking you, Jones, give me a call to shoot if they threaten you-u.¡± ¡°T-thank you.¡± Was all I managed to get out before a louder voice shook the panic to stillness. ¡°I fucking swear- you Junipero bastards can''t do anything right! Alright, three of you each stay armed at the doors, when they try to bust in give them teeth full of lead!¡± If I had to assume, that voice belonged to Cannonarm. Everything that happened next occurred very quickly within a few seconds. I moved as quickly as I could for the main power, prying the insulated case open and sticking my hands into the shocking bits. My body was on fire in a blink, tearing away more electricity than my inhibited mutations could handle. Fuck, fuck, fuck! I shouldn¡¯t have taken those gene-limiters! I scouted quickly, taking a second to scan Indra who was still dazed while plugged into the mainframe, while I heard three guns take aim in the form of electrical noise. The frequencies of their internal components taking a shrill pitch as they prepared to shoot. ¡°Risham! Take down the ones on North-side, three of them are aiming at the door!¡± I tried to get it through, but no response came, something was blocking the signal. Another voice called, the situation was going from bad to worse. ¡°Fuck! Someone¡¯s hooked up to our central system! I¡¯ve activated the signal blocker but they¡¯re still in! Theo, reboot the mainframe! They might be in here.¡± I felt a gun moving closer to me, while another three moved further south. A rolling set of footsteps was approaching. My body was charged for action as they neared our positions. Something had to be done. Now, or Indra could get hurt in a shootout. I moved as electrical energy converted into force through my limbs, my body a blur of sparks. Before even leaving the confines of the room, I could feel where the closest grunt was, and my blue shot plastered over his nose as burns sent his eyes rolling back and his body falling. With that dealt, my legs took me to the first of the three goons on my side. I didn¡¯t have the time to calculate, I just charged my arms with enough electricity that a single punch carried enough force to smack him into the second guy and by the time I¡¯d reached the third, I pushed a maximum-powered shot into his chest before finishing off the other two with quick pulses into their Neuroframe. I knew it was potentially deadly amounts of voltage, but what choice did I have when Indra was so close by? I slammed into cover behind a pillar out of their view, my body an aching mess as I slowed down suddenly. But my little stunt to protect Indra brought a lot of attention over to me, Cannonarm''s voice growled. "What the fuck! They''re already in! Just shoot already!" A firework-like eruption of sound blasted through me, vibrations of the Northern-side being executed drenching into my bones. Then I heard an even louder crack of sound. ¡°Shit they have a sniper!¡± One of them yelled. ¡°Take cover!" ¡°Hol'' up! Noone¡¯s there?!¡± What? I sucked a deep breath as they stopped the Hail Mary in favor of cover and stretched my senses as far as I could... No one was there. My squad had taken another entrance? I only got my answer once the piercing pain of the Neuralink returned. ¡°Signal jammer removed.¡± Rorsche spoke. ¡°I got your warning in time, good job, Jones. We took a different route.¡± Risham came next. "We''re enter-" Then it got jammed again. ¡°Shit, they''ve got a Bronze Delver on their hands!¡± One of them broke off from the main group, arming a heavy weapon as they ran towards Indra''s location. ¡°Someone¡¯s in the mainframe!¡± I moved without thinking, my body carrying such a heavy weight knowing I left her defenseless there. My shot was accurate, a clear beam trailing up to the man¡¯s neck that spat sparks through his frame. A clear trail leading right to my hidden cover behind the pillar. ¡°Someone¡¯s there!¡± Cannonarm¡¯s voice boomed, and all I felt was a thick reverberation of electrical surges. It was like a volcano bubbling with seconds away from erupting. Right, Rorsche said his arm could turn into a minigun. ¡°I''ll flush them.¡± Dust and concrete splattered around me as I pinned myself into the tiny nook that was safe. The stray sparks of bullets and debris showered everything I could see -- as quick as I was, there was no escaping a minigun. I resigned myself to that corner, cradling it as close as I could. Of course, Rorsche would leave me vulnerable! If there was one thing I wanted to do before I died it was tear his balls off his- Blood splattered onto the floor ahead of me, the panicking fire turning away from my direction as new elements came into the fray. My squad burst through a side-door leading right into the warehouse, covering me as they opened fire onto Crimson Souls. ¡°J-Jones!¡± Choirmen¡¯s voice may very well have been a choir at that moment. ¡°E-Entered through a hidden tunnel-l located on the east-side. Couldn¡¯t contact you or Indra once Rorsche made the an-nouncement, you both stable-e?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah.¡± Was my simplest answer, but that was the only answer I could give before chaos ensued. Blood and Steel C36: The Arm that is a Finger Chapter 36: The Arm that is a Finger Lt. Jacob Grazhe¡¯s personal notes on known Crimson Finger: Cannonarm. I¡­ don¡¯t even know where to start with this one. Both of his arms are massive weapons of destruction, one armed with a Shardgun and the other installed with a grenade launcher. Clearly, he isn¡¯t the type to be peaceful yet¡­ All of my intel from my source tells me he is apparently a kind, family-oriented man. Does charity service at orphanages, donates half of his blood money to veteran aid groups, and even participates in a soup kitchen for the homeless every so often. He just happens to have a kill-switch for cops. Yeah, I¡¯m going to tread lightly with this one, he¡¯s not the most active Finger of the Crimson Soul but he¡¯s an effective killer when he needs to be. I mean, I do know where his family lives. A wife and two daughters, and while I¡¯ve crossed that line before I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth doing for him. He¡¯d probably storm the police headquarters and even make good progress with those augments of his. So yeah, unless he becomes a nuisance, I think it¡¯s better to just leave him be. 8:41 PM June 24th Diana Three barrels pointed down at me, muzzle flashes exploding as a rattle of their ammunition tracked down my quick zips around the room until I was secure behind another steel pillar. I¡¯d finally seen the man behind this deal, Cannonarm, a Crimson Finger. A Tier Two killer. Tall and wide, he was a man with two mountains of steel on both arms. Half of his head looked like it¡¯d been scrapped together from trash in a junkyard, a large red goggle on his right eye replacing the Crimson eyes found on most of their gang members. ¡°You assholes!¡± His left arm raised high, a Bronze trickle running through it before sprinting out in the form of a small sphere the size of my fist, it hurtled in the direction of Choirmen and the others by him. ¡°I told Kenza I wouldn¡¯t be killing any cops these next two months!¡± A sniper shot exploded the grenade mid-air, Risham¡¯s quick aim saving the day once more. But not nearly shooting fast enough for it to make a major difference. Choirmen bunkered up with several others behind containers and whatever rest of the warehouse had that could give them cover. I was the only one behind enemy lines. Pushing my innate sense of electromagnetic fields to its limits, I noticed a flick of attention away from me as one of the grunts turned his weapon towards Choirmen¡¯s group. My Braceshocker pulsed into action, the bolt sparking through his back and sending him to the floor as a spasming mess. He should have been out of it, but then he raised his pistol back in my direction, along with covering fire from another person shifting to flank me. Any single bullet could end me if it hit a vital organ, I wasn¡¯t sure my healing or toughened skin could compensate for that. Especially not in the reduced output I had right now. As precise shots and return fire echoed from all sides in the room, once again I managed to piece out the exact moment a gun shifted to reload from one of the men firing at me. My Braceshocker whirred to action as I let myself out of the protective haven for the briefest moment. I¡¯d been wrong. He wasn¡¯t reloading, his arm outstretched as bony spurs grew over until claws extended out of each fingernails like scythes carved of ivory. A Tier One SIM, and his ally whose body sparked with Iron embers was a BUG user, Tier 0 like myself if I was lucky. Before I could squeeze the trigger, a rushing quintuplet of bony knives struck out, driving me out from cover that my body spurned into a dash as predictive shots ran inches ahead of my face. I turned, pushing myself back and keeping the Mutant in between me and the shooter. He kicked, punched, clawed. All like an animal. His crimson eyes rolled back into his head until bloodshot eyes were all that remained. I danced on my feet through it all, just weaving below death with each glancing blow, until my eyesight gave me the insight I needed. Mutation: Iron-Grade Reactive Sight has reached 100% Development. Additional Meta-Mutation has occurred; Adapter has increased reaction to threats registered visually. A claw grazed just my shoulder as he launched himself at me, small streaks of my blood spraying around his bony protrusions which had broken through my Skin Hardening. But he failed to gouge through. It was just the moment I needed, his momentum pushing into me, I kicked with all my might through my Elastic Muscles into his abdomen. I felt the squish and crunch of ribs under my knee as he collapsed into grueling mess. Now I would be an open target to the shooter, but I reacted a moment sooner. My gun burst up to the shooter¡¯s eyes, burning their circuits before he even realized his ally was crumpled on the floor. Then I unloaded the rest of my clip on the, still-struggling, bony Mutant, he resisted it better than most could ¡ª given the outgrowths protecting him. ¡°What are you guys doing?!¡± Cannonarm¡¯s yell boomed through the large warehouse. ¡°Take the fucking weapons we¡¯re supposed to sell and kill them! Deal¡¯s off anyway!¡± All at once the remaining Crimson Souls members shuffled and ran towards a stockpile of various open chests and containers, Cannonarm himself picked up some large disk that had living wires dig into his grenade-launcher, locking firmly into the steel-bulging forearm. We all moved to intercept them, I shot out a barrage of blue bolts while Choirmen¡¯s blood bullets smacked into the heads of one of the gang members who¡¯d just pried out a light machine gun, his head exploded into mist. Another few were shot down before they could even stick ammo into their new weaponry. We were making progress, but we were still outnumbered - and as the rest of the gang members all took cover with new weapons ¡ª and now outgunned. The new hailstorm of weapons shot out in a rainbow of colors. I was too slow to take cover, a searing ray of heat boiling through my hip bone mid-movement. Burnt cloth clung to the blistering flesh, I was sure my only saving grace was that my increased skin integrity was enough of a buffer to protect the muscle and bone beneath it. The wound¡¯s agony sprawled through my legs and up my torso like nasty spiders chewing through me, the searing adrenaline in my blood pumping to keep me focused. Mutation: Iron-Grade Mental-Fatigue Recovery has reached 100% development. Additional Meta-Mutation has occured; increased neural threshold to pain. It was enough of a coolness that I could take sight of the ones who were moving to flank me. Most of them still focused on Choirmen¡¯s group, leaving just two of their members to intercept me. I had the advantage though, whereas I was moving and sliding behind the various containers out of their sight, the powerful radiation of their new weapons was a bonfire to my senses. Creeping and pouncing from one secretive container to another, I had the opportunity to survey the scene of Choirmen¡¯s fight. They were losing, amidst the storm of bullets and rays of light there were several bodies of the reinforcements. Two officers from the looks of it and one uniform of an Investigator in the Second Rank. I hadn¡¯t even known their names. Choirmen was also bleeding from various wounds, but his blood Mutations kept him standing. I bit my lip, stuffing the guilt and anger down as I returned to the two engagers looking to ambush me. I was behind both of them. Fully charged, I shot out two bursts of my weapon into the back of one of them until my weapon needed to reload. Not wanting to give the second of them an opportunity, I dove forward with the remaining stores of energy in my body. My hardened knuckles crumpled the nose, but a retaliatory fist took me by surprise. A thick assault rifle stared down my aching figure, and at this range it was a sure shot. Fuck- I was dead. I would have been, had his eyes not enlarged as though a drug flooded his brain. With trembling hands, the gun dropped out of his hands as though he was trying to wrestle between ending me or not. ¡°Take him out¡­¡± Indra¡¯s voice permeated my head. ¡°I-I¡¯ve hacked into him through the mainframe.¡± Not one to waste an opportunity, I slammed my fist into the BUG Adapter¡¯s face once more, not ending until a slam into a wall ended his struggle for good. ¡°Shit, shit!¡± One of the gang members taking cover by the stockpile of goods shouted, his own hands trembling along with several others. ¡°They¡¯re in our system! For god''s sake! Take out whoever¡¯s in the mainframe!¡± Choirmen took the chance to shoot one of them dead, bullet holes in their chest dripping fresh blood. Another one¡¯s head was pierced by the echoing sound of a sniper shot. Just four left. Cannonarm grumbled, his right arm reconfiguring until an oval shot straight for the room Indra was in. My body burned every inch of energy left in it, even drawing upon the fat storage until I felt like I¡¯d been sunburned to a crisp. Stretching out my left arm, I acted about as recklessly as I could by swatting the grenade mid-trajectory just a few meters between me and the entrance. It bounced onto a nearby wall, the resounding blast was a sphere of engulfing flame and shrapnel, and it certainly had its effects on me. My left sleeve ablaze and the rest of my body left aching by the shrapnel that failed to pierce my skin. Feeling like a torn piece of cloth, I stumbled into Indra¡¯s position. Taking that moment to really acknowledge my Mutations¡¯ graces¡­ I would have died without them right now. I tore off the burning cloth on my arm, my left arm was a scorched and shattered mess of torn skin and stiff muscle. Pain-staking steps carried me to the warehouse¡¯s main electrical unit, and placing my healthier arm on it... I fed. I¡¯d never really run out of my internal Warp Energy storage, not even with Tonguelasher. But now? What I once thought of as an inferno in my chest was just a sputtering cinder devouring the breeze of my resilience to keep alight. The endless stream of sparks wreathed through my body, pushing Pacemaker¡¯s regenerative capabilities to the maximum. ¡°C-choirmen?!¡± I speared my thoughts into the Neuralink. ¡°How¡¯s it looking on your end?¡± ¡°Like s-s-shit! I thought we lost you Jo-nes! Bad¡­ C-Cannonarm¡¯s strapped some shie-ld onto his arm, firing-g at us with a fucking Sh-ardgun! T-there¡¯s three of us left-t.¡± A Shardgun? So that was what his left arm was, I distracted myself from the pain by thinking of any way to beat that thing. They were expensive to both use and maintain, rather than bullets, it used actual Shards as a weapon. Literally feeding money into it to launch out deadly streams of shrapnel. I thought it through, I wasn¡¯t an expert in Shardware but I knew the reason that you couldn¡¯t just turn any normal gun into a Shardgun was because it required the conscious input of your own Warp Energy to stabilize the Energy in the Shards. If we could disrupt that flow¡­ The muscle on my left arm reemerged as electricity knit it together. The swaths of skin built up from a raw pink to the pale tone on the rest of my body. Mutation: Iron-Grade Skin Hardening has reached 100% Development. Additional Meta-Mutation has occurred; Hardening of external limbs is now significantly more effective. Mutation: Iron-Grade Increased Keratin Integrity (77%) has had a Meta-Mutation; Increased Keratin density on nails and hands. Mutation: Iron-Grade Electrical Lipids (82%) has had a Meta-Mutation; Specialized storage of lipids located within hands and feet can now store significantly more electricity. I had just been under 50% for both of those today, but now they were climbing faster than any other gene in my body ever had. It had to be because of the gene-limiters and this fight, I could¡­ I could push through into Tier One by today¡¯s end? No, that¡¯s not what¡¯s important. Letting go of the literal power bank, I let myself adjust as the world spun into place around my unsteady limbs. Taking a dizzy look at Indra, her eyes were bloodshot and blood spilled from the corners of her mask. She was still hooked into the mainframe that Rorsche was prying into. Choirmen''s voice shook with panic into my head. ¡°J-Jones? There are three T-Tier Ones all hiding behind Cannonarm¡¯s shield, think you can attack them from behind?¡± ¡°I can. Just¡­ give me a moment.¡± I said quietly, leaning onto Indra, my hands hovering up above the chords binding her to the warehouse¡¯s computer. "Rorsche, can you get into Cannonarm''s systems?" ¡°There¡¯s another shackle.¡± Rorsche¡¯s voice came from her slunk head. ¡°Use it on the guy and I can try.¡± I bit my lip, staring at the slowly depreciating state of my friend. ¡°Can Indra handle it?¡± ¡°A Tier Two? Not likely, but you¡¯ll likely die without it. Another squad is enroute, they¡¯ll handle things from here, but chances are we¡¯ll fail before that.¡± His voice was cold, calculating. My fists clenched tight, I took the remaining shackle ¡ª a ring instead of a plate ¡ª from the briefcase. Rorsche spoke again. ¡°Place it on one of his arms.¡± ¡°J-Jones! We need you!¡± Choirmen¡¯s voice yelled, but I¡¯d already left the room. In a blurring streak of motion, I abandoned all thoughts and rationality, pushing myself into the midst of the enemy lines. One, two, three of them. All cradled behind a towering shimmer of blue-gray that emerged from a central disk in Cannonarm¡¯s right arm, his left was transfigured into a massive gun that unleashed a hailstorm of Iron pellets that shredded containers and concrete to dust. The first one died on impact, a thrust from my palm into his Neuroframe left an all to dead thud in the chaos. The remaining two reacted too slow to their ally¡¯s death, a second jab of sparks dove into another Tier One like a swarm of hungry wasps, the third one held their gun at me, finger on the trigger. I shot first with a flurry of sharp zaps. One into the the gun which fried it¡¯s internal mechanisms, the second pierced his neck and the third stopped his heart. The Cannonarm turned on me, his shield slamming into me like a wrecking ball that sent me hurtling towards a container. My skin hardened, and I took the blow that tore through my spine with pain. A stream of electricity rallied my legs to motion as a river of Iron pellets shredded the container into chips of metal. Not staying still for a moment, my muscles burned with action as I ran, duck and slid behind cover that disintegrated in seconds. But it had worked, Choirmen and another two Investigators opened fire on Cannonarm¡¯s back. The metallic shell of his back and arms sinking as bullet after bullet sparked off him until he was shrouded in a cloak of embers. A shot from Rashim¡¯s sniper dug into his leg, the brief stumble leaving me free of fire. Several more shots clawed above into his torso, all of them shattering into shrapnel as they failed to get through ¡°Bastard has Bronze-grade Dermachrome.¡± Rashim commented. ¡°Can¡¯t pierce through into his vital organs.¡± I leaped before he could start shooting again, Choirmen and the others all repositioning to encircle the Finger. Now in close range, Choirmen¡¯s fists hardened as blood drew under his skin, making them look like scarlet rocks. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Their pebbles exploded like a shotgun, piercing into the corpses around Cannonarm. The pebbles ignited at the smallest droplet of blood, each body convulsing as their mass bloated and detonated. Bones and blood exploded into a wall of fine mist, the Finger untested by the attack as hellfire drew from behind the scarlet curtains while his shield protected him from the shooting to his side. Skirting into an angle where his bullets weren¡¯t shooting, I chewed my bile down my throat as I saw Choirmen¡¯s cover break apart and bullets tear down his chest. Pushing off the wall, I dove into the cloud of settling crimson, sinking right under the massive shield and launching directly towards the Shardgun. The metallic ring of Rorsche¡¯s shackle snapped open, hooking around the Shardware as he snarled from right above me. ¡°Bitch! How the hell are you still alive?!¡± His other arm whacked me off then gun, big enough that it caved in my ribs and arm, bones crunching even if my skin was hardened. That moment of contact though, was just what I needed. All at once, every spark of electricity in my body shivered into the shield. As I flew back with a shattered body, the overloaded shield exploded his grenade launching arm into fragments. Fatigued and broken, my eyes were the only bits of my body I could find in me to move. Cannonarm picked himself up, staring at the remnants of his broken arm, rage glazing over his one remaining eye. ¡°YOU BITCH! You have any idea how much that cost!¡± His shardgun pointed at my body, it¡¯s internal glow crackling as something else overcame it. Rorsche. The joints bent, his arm moving out of his control as the arm raised higher and pointed at something else instead of me. His own head. The first few bullets didn¡¯t make it through, it was only after a few seconds of constant fire, shrapnel falling like rain, that blood, bones and brain drizzled out¡­ And as I lay there, broken and tired, there was only one thing that got me to push my body up¡­ Indra. Was she okay? The subdermal layering of fat in my body was miniscule now, and my internal energy was nothing but scattered embers¡­ but it would have to do. I couldn¡¯t even walk, I basically crawled my way back to the room with Indra. She had collapsed, a pool of blood around her body. Reaching her, the metal organs of her arms were searing hot and her entire body was a heavy statue devoid of breath. ¡°Indra?¡± My voice came weakly. There was a difference in Indra¡¯s stare now, instead of a hollow gaze it was more¡­ muted, like even that emptiness could fade away now. Placing my hand against her chest, I felt nothing. Pushing until I could feel her ribcage, there was still no heartbeat. Settling my body up, I got in the position to perform CPR, but even the weight of my own body was too much for me to handle. ¡°Indra?!¡± Summoning wisps of electricity, maybe I could start her heart back up? I clamored around, placing my fingers where I thought the heart would be located. How much electricity was needed to start a heart back up?¡­ Probably the amount needed to end it? Please. I searched through my body for anything, but the scattered embers I had in me didn¡¯t even let me wrap a single finger in electricity, why did I limit my Mutations? Her body convulsed. Jumping open as her limbs weakly curled around my stretched arm, the voice behind her mask was weak, barely there. ¡°Diana¡­? Why are you feeling up my tits?¡± A choked sentence left me. ¡°Your heart stopped.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ that? Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± She didn¡¯t look all too fazed by it. ¡°Happens sometimes. Got an Internal Heart-Jumpstarter installed cus of it.¡± ¡°This¡­ it¡¯s regular?¡± I stared wide-eyed as she nonchalantly hooked herself out of the briefcase connecting her to Rorsche. ¡°About a¡­ 5, maybe 10% chance of happen-¡° Before she could finish speaking, her body fell down like it¡¯d been made of lead, my weak arms keeping her from tumbling too badly. I switched from my Neuralink to a standard radio comms, urging my voice out. ¡°Hey, anyone?! Indra- Harmony needs help!¡± A few seconds later, Choirmen stumbled in, his hands pressing against his abdomen which was dripping down blood everywhere. ¡°Pipe down, Jones. She just needs a blood transfusion, maybe an AdStim. She¡¯s handled worse.¡± ¡°Worse?!¡± It was hard not to raise my voice. ¡°She almost died! How on earth¡­ don¡¯t tell me this is a regular thing.¡± ¡°Indra only goes out on the field when Rorsche babysits her, otherwise she¡¯s parked in with the analysts. So yeah, if Rorsche is available, it¡¯s regular.¡± He leaned against a wall, the steady stream of blood dribbling lighter as a Bronze glow seeped into the red. ¡°I- you don¡¯t see how this is a problem?¡± ¡°They saved our lives, didn¡¯t they? Harmony makes good use of herself, a Network Feature alone isn¡¯t that good in this day and age against those with DataShields. Rorsche is just acting out in the way that puts him in the least amount of danger.¡± ¡°Harmony isn¡¯t.¡± He was stiff despite my pleading words. ¡°She¡¯d be sitting on a desk with the analysts otherwise.¡± ¡°That¡¯s better than dying!¡± ¡°Maybe, but I¡¯m not going to ask her to stay out of these missions. She¡¯s saved my life multiple times by bringing Rorsche into action.¡± He said with a tinge of annoyance baring out now. I wasn¡¯t sure who to direct my emotions at, all I knew was that fury drenched my bones, flesh and skin. ¡°Then why doesn¡¯t Rorsche just join up himself?!¡± ¡°Ask him yourself.¡± He said bitterly, at first. ¡°Besides, Rorsche doesn¡¯t have a Network Feature, only Dataweaving and Integration. He can execute all sorts of fancy code, but can¡¯t delve deep enough for it to matter, not unless he acts through Harmony.¡± I just sighed, it was useless. All of this was useless. So I just stayed by her side, even when Choirmen left. Even when paramedics and reinforcements took care of Indra. I stayed by her side. All through the ambulance, all through the hospital stay. I stayed by her side. ¡ª¡ª¡ª 12:57 AM June 25th I woke up to the sound of the hospital door opening, my face still stuck to the metal railing of Indra¡¯s bed with tears, snot and saliva. The doctors had done their checkups on me. I was stable, and after dosing me up with some emergency Medical Nanites that didn¡¯t do a thing, they let me go. I was stable. But now they might have to check my blood pressure, because I was ready to knock Kendrick Rorsche¡¯s teeth out the second his face came through that door. ¡°Leave.¡± I left no choice in my voice. ¡°Before you end up having to stay the night here as well.¡± He raised his arms defensively, a smile plastered all over his smug face. ¡°Relax, I¡¯m just here to drop off a get-well-soon gift.¡± He shook a small picnic basket in his grip, a few flowers sticking out. ¡°Daffodils.¡± He smirked. ¡°Her favorite.¡± My words spat out. ¡°Then leave them and go.¡± ¡°Hold on, I can¡¯t take a moment to care for my favorite rookie?¡± He placed them on a nearby table, taking a seat on the couch opposite Indra¡¯s bed. ¡°You almost killed her.¡± I tried to keep my voice quiet, I failed. ¡°But I didn¡¯t, she¡¯ll back in three days tops. With a healthy bonus.¡± I chortled. ¡°So that¡¯s how you got her to agree to that fucked up procedure? Money?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± His lips puckered up as he said it. ¡°Offered it to her one week into being an Investigator, jumped at the opportunity. You know, she even asks for our minds to¡­ merge sometimes when we get intimate.¡± The last few words riled me out of the chair. ¡°Bullshit!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know her at all.¡± He rolled one of the flowers in his fingers, staring at it fondly. ¡°She is special to me, the fact that she¡¯s not my type by being chromed up didn¡¯t change the fact that I saw something in her. She¡¯s beautiful, in and out, someone with a dark past but still tries to keep the light in everyone¡¯s eyes.¡± ¡°You still tried to kill her!¡± ¡°Did I?¡± He leaned forward, the flower dropping to the floor. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. I just saved your life by disrupting half of their members and got Cannonarm killed, remember that. If I didn¡¯t do it, who''s to say it wouldn¡¯t be you in that bed, or Choirmen? The tanky bastard that he is. Maybe there¡¯d even be a funeral.¡± ¡°You¡¯re acting like it¡¯s-¡° ¡°Like it¡¯s your fault? Oh no, hardly. We all had duties, Indra Harmony is the messenger that carries my will, she may be shot at, blown up, or mauled. But that¡¯s her duty. She agreed to it, and if she wants it to stop by tomorrow, I¡¯ll end it. In fact¡­ ¡°Good job to you!¡± He clapped. ¡°Took down¡­ what? Eight of them all by yourself?! Supreme work, honestly speaking, you didn¡¯t even need me to pull your ass out of there. You know, I was honestly trying to get Indra in a position where she¡¯d be out of commission for at least a week, maybe so that she¡¯d develop a stutter again. It would''ve been a good reminder, but you actually pulled her through it to my surprise.¡± I could only heave heavy breaths, afraid that words would drive into actions. My nails were sharper than ever now. He continued. ¡°Consider this a lesson, that your comrades don¡¯t get killed if you¡¯re strong enough to keep them out of shitty situations. Some exceptions withstanding ¡ª you need to know who to protect. There¡¯s a reason I didn¡¯t send in a full-man team, there would be deaths on our end. I knew that, so it¡¯s why we had reinforcements come in. People not important to us.¡± ¡°Not important?!¡± My teeth bared at him, sparks brought to my eyes by pure rage. He just laughed. ¡°You¡¯re a scary one aren¡¯t you? Guess I¡¯ll need to act quicker. Won¡¯t be long, I give it another three years and you¡¯ll be a First-Rank. Until then, you¡¯re stuck with me.¡± He got up, giving me one handy wave as it opened. ¡°You know, you can pull her out of this. Just call for a private meeting any day now. I¡¯ll be waiting. Oh, and you have the next three days with paid time off for recovery, you deserve it. Have a while to think it over.¡± Leaving the door, I cradled my head as everything in it tried to pull me apart. Rorsche¡­ I was going to end his career. One way or another¡­ maybe my father could¡­ no. If I take one step in that direction, it would be enough leeway for me to take the whole mile. I had to do this without him. Rorsche may have been full of bullshit, but there was one thing he was right about. Power. I needed that power to protect myself from him, and to protect others as well. ¡ª¡ª¡ª 2:32 AM It was only a nurse¡¯s behest that I called a cab to take me home. One look in the mirror confirmed why. It didn''t matter how good your genes were, you looked like shit if you felt like shit. Even a quick shower didn¡¯t drain anything out of my system, was every big mission just going to end up like this? Bodies and death? Blood and steel? On a factual basis, I knew that¡­ the City was twisted. That the men and women from the top and bottom tore into eachother like wolves. One could say this city had people who were mentally hardened, the truth was we were all just desensitized and fueled with one distractive substance or the other. Perhaps a century or two in the past, policies about non-lethal arrests would have been more enforced, but with the Swarm approaching¡­ All sides were getting desperate to have that edge. At this rate, I¡¯d need a mutation that made me resilient to all of this stress. There were some, actually quite a few, available to the police. How I felt wasn''t unique to me, alone, but I had something few others had. A Gold Implant. Pushing the desire to sleep away with my nerves, I carried myself to the washroom with a mechanic¡¯s pliers, a whole lot of starchy food, and an old sweatshirt. Before starting though, I gulped down one of Missy¡¯s Silver-Grade Gene-limiters. The Electrical Lipids was the easy bit to develop, just stuff myself full of the surplus of unhealthy food available in the market and charge electricity into the metabolic fat I gained from it. An hour after stuffing myself and a whole lot of shooting myself with my taser, I¡¯d done it. Mutation: Electrical Lipids has reached 100% development. Additional Meta-Mutation has occurred; Lipids specialized in electrical production are now multilocular, significantly improving efficiency and storage. A quick search on the net led me to discover that multilocular adipocytes were what was known as ¡®baby fat¡¯. A type of fat known for thermogenesis so they didn¡¯t get cold, but I supposed I was repurposing them for electrogenesis. A quick checkup on my Convergence and¡­ 97%. In other words, I needed to push Increased Keratin Stability to the maximum now. Something I was dreading. The main way it developed was through the passive shedding of my skin and hair and producing a more stable version with each new permutation. Thing is, skin wasn¡¯t as keratin dense as hair. But I wasn¡¯t going to rip my scalp out, instead I jumbled up the cloth of a sweatshirt and stuffed it in my mouth as I lined up a pair of pliers around my fingernail. The quickest way to pump up the gene was by regenerating something made entirely out of keratin. Taking deep breaths through my nose, my jaw clamped around the cloth the same time the pliers had around my nail. I¡¯d do what was necessary to get rid of bastards like Rorsche. It was terrible, my teeth digging deep enough into the cloth that drool dripped down after the first nail was done and clacked onto the blood stained ceramic of my bathtub. The electricity within me replaced the tear-drenching pain with a more manageable one, but then I got onto the next nail. Then the next. Until all five on my right hand were out, their shells being drowned by a rainfall of crimson from my trembling hand. Regenerating all five took around ten minutes with my current flow, I had a hypothesis that slower regeneration gave the cellular reproduction more time to ¡®think things through¡¯ and make more meaningful changes. Maybe it was stupid, I wouldn¡¯t be able to notice the difference anyway. But minute by minute, the numbers ticked upwards. And I knew it wouldn¡¯t be enough as small shinier plates, almost ivory in color sat at the ends of my right fingers. So then I tried again, this time the nail requiring me to actually lean into my strength-augmenting Pacemaker to yank it out. I was a tearful, sobbing mess by the time my pliers fell to the floor. All I could do was just hug my knees, cradle myself deep with the comfort of Golden warmth, begging it to take the pain away. All of the pain. ¡°Please¡­¡± And then it ticked up twice more a few minutes later. Mutation: Increased Keratin Stability has reached 100% development. Additional Meta-Mutation has occurred; Significant increase in Keratin density and integrity of the Adapter¡¯s nail beds. Not the most useful Meta-Mutation, but the next time Rorsche pissed me off, my nails would be a death sentence. Convergence has reached 100%¡­ Recalibrating. My heart pounded. Adapter is now in Tier I: Foundation; the initial Mutations have stabilized within your body, and are now recombining and diverging into a new set of Mutations to form your Foundation. Grade calibrated¡­ Gold I Integrity calibrated¡­ Iron III Energy calibrated¡­ Iron III Capacity calibrated¡­ Iron VIII Tendency Calibrated¡­ [Requirements not met] Compatibility calibrating¡­ 99.9% Tier 0 Mutations have been fully integrated into your genetics. Total Tier 0 Gene Capacity = 10 Gold Gene Capacittance multiplier per Tier = 4 (Gold Standard) Current Mutational Capacitance = 10+32 = 42 Calculating SIM Stability¡­ SIM is currently reorganizing Mutational Development based on parameters, estimated time is five hours. Five hours? As much as my excitement was telling me to stay up. I really needed to put that Mental-Fatigue Recovery Mutation to use. Today had been¡­ heavy. Settling onto my pillows, I couldn¡¯t even pull the blanket up before dense darkness engulfed my eyes. Parameter testing complete¡­ Lacking¡­ Range; Emotional Stability; Bone Density; Skin Durability¡­ Moderate¡­. Electrical Storage; Pain Tolerance; Reflexes; Baseline Strength¡­ Exceeding¡­ Electrical Output; Physical Recovery; Speed; Strength Usage¡­ SIM is adjusting Mutations¡­ Error: Mutation: Unstable Biology is affecting Mutation Development¡­ Mutation: Unstable Biology has diverged into Tier One Gold-Grade Mutation: [G] Mutational Synergy; allows the intake of multiple Mutagenic resources at once, either altering current Mutations or spawning new Mutations. All Mutations derived from Mutational Synergy are at the Grade of the Adapter. [1 Gene Capacity] [Alteration] Mutational Synergy is altering Mutation Development according to its function¡­ Tier I Mutations are developing¡­ [G] Pacemaker + [I] Mental-Fatigue Resilience = [G] Electrical Neurogenesis [6 G.C] [Cognition] [I] Elastic Muscles + [I] Skin Hardening = [G] Compact Tissues [8 G.C] [Alteration] [I] Increased Keratin Stability = [G] Mineral Assimilation [12 G.C] [Integrity] [G] Electrical Conduction + [I] Electrical Lipids = [G] Bioelectrogenesis [6 G.C] [Energy/Metabolism] [I] Reactive Sight + [G] Electromagnetic Sense = [G] Electromagnetic Vision [6 G.C] [Cognition] Mutational Capacitance = 39/42 Integrity: Iron III Energy: Iron V Capacity: Iron VIII Grade: Gold I Tendency: NA Message from the Author + A little more Hey guys, Sixbees2 here with some stuff I''d like to say. As of writing this message, I believe I have spent 4 days on RS and have only been in publication for about 12 days officially (First chapter was hidden for a few days). Despite that, remarkably we have gotten to spot 27 on RS which is incredible. I know Cyberpunk and Sci-fi LitRPG can be a bit of a niche genre on RR, but so far you guys have blown me away with the support I''ve gotten. So, I thought I''d give you guys a bit of an origin story for CyberGene. The truth is, CyberGene started out as a way for me to cope with bad mental health. I read a lot, and writing was something I dabbled in from time to time, but CyberGene served as a way to offer some structure and purpose in my life during a time where I frankly felt like shit and had to start from scratch in many personal endeavors. This isn''t some sob story, just the facts. I was stressed, writing relieved me from stress. So... I wrote a lot, then I edited a lot, then I plotted a lot and before you know it, I had a document dictating the rules, history and world of CyberGene. Using that, from November 2023 to September 2024, I wrote Cybergene''s first volume which clocked in at around 380,000 words and am currently about halfway through the second Volume in writing (which I am pretty sure will be longer). In total, I think I wrote more than half-a-million words before posting a word online. Believe me, it''s dogshit. I am not posting anything how it was originally written, from plot holes to the egregious missing letters you guys have been most kind to point out, it was (and is) very much a rough first draft. And probably why my chapter length is so inconsistent, lol. Yeah, I did not realize how many 5000+ word chapters I had written, believe me I thought most clocked in at 3000. I''d like to think I got better at managing my word economy, but don''t hold that as a fact. Point of the matter, CyberGene: Blood and Steel is only a third of the way done, and CyberGene: ??? and ??? is eagerly being made as I publish this. (I cannot wait for you guys to see what I cooked in there) Stolen novel; please report. This series will probably be very long, have a whole host of characters with sad backstories and a dash of wholesomeness in between all the grit and despair of a dystopia. Plus a lot of fun asskicking as our MCs grow more badass. I am incredibly hopeful in the future of CyberGene, and that''s because of you guys. It''s almost a replication of the feeling I want to evoke with the novel, that no matter how much you''ve messed up and how dark the world could be, your light is enough to give meaning and deserves to embrace hope, love, and wonder. So sincerely, thank you. As for some teasers about what to expect from Act Two [Every Breath You Take] - Ripley''s and Diana''s (almost) full backstory. - Some more interaction between them fairly soon. - A return from Skelly. - A hint into Cyberspace. - Some romancing (or attempts at it). - Build up to a heist. - An auction (because every Progression Fantasy needs one). - More Shardware, more Mutations, more Blood and more Steel.
I suppose if there''s one last thing I want to say, it''s going to be a favor. I love music, without it I would not have written CyberGene the way it is. A lot of the feelings I try to invoke are born from how certain songs made me feel and I try to emulate that in my writing. As such, I have a... 200 song playlist for CyberGene on Spotify. If you have any songs that you think fit the vibe of my novel, leave them as a comment down below. As for myself, I''ll leave some song suggestions too and might do so regularly in chapters I feel fit their vibe.
If I had to choose a theme song for CyberGene: Blood and Steel, it would without a doubt be ''Big Time Nothing'' by St. Vincent. For the first songs I''ll share for Ripley and Diana, they''ll both be from the Cyberpunk 2077 Soundtrack. Ripley gets ''Black Termina (Upgrade)''. Diana gets my personal favorite song from the soundtrack ''Delicate Weapon''
I''ll be linking the songs at the bottom and might even put a few up before some chapters if I feel like they fit the vibe. I''ll also reveal more character theme songs as you get introduced to them, my choice in their songs is half-vibes and half-meaning (who knows maybe you''ll find some hidden meaning in them). Anyways, ciao! See you all for Act Two... coming within a few days as soon as I figure out Patreon and Paypal. Once again, your support means the world. And your follows, favorites, ratings and reviews mean... extra-terrestrially? Blood and Steel C37: Meticulance Chapter 37: Meticulance 7:47 AM 1st July Ripley Early morning wake ups had always been my bane. The last few days had been especially difficult, but to say they were rewarding was an understatement. So far, nothing had been difficult. I hadn¡¯t even seen a single patient since according to Anderson I had to first reach a certain meticulance. ¡°You¡¯re a brute force hammer.¡± Harold Anderson had said as he ironically enough was hammering steel into shape. ¡°Clear as a Founder¡¯s nutsack you¡¯ve got some sort of learning protocol in your Technician Feature. Just supplementing all the basic knowledge you should have learned with Implant-derived muscle memory and instinct.¡± I¡¯d remembered clearly what I¡¯d said that day. ¡°So what? You want me to read through a bunch of textbooks?¡± And I wished I never said that. I was eating my words using my eyes, on pages of boring text dictating brainwave frequencies and their interpretations. Any questions I had for Anderson, he said, would be answered once I covered the first two years of Shardware Operating school curriculum. And I was set to learn six years of schooling¡­ in six months. Though he¡¯d sweetened the deal by saying every month I would have a chance at negotiations assuming I¡¯d pass his ¡®tests¡¯. So for now, in my break, I set my tired eyes on the beautifully disgusting art of the First Year¡¯s curriculum of Neuroscience. If I had to read the word Basal Ganglia or Cerebrospinal Tract one more time I was going to- oh look, it came up now! Studying had¡­ never been my strong suit if you¡¯d believe it. Not when I had to do it out of a lack of choice. As good as I was at math, it wasn¡¯t because I enjoyed it, it was because it was a necessity in understanding how to properly work out Shardware specs. Though, that wasn¡¯t to say I wasn¡¯t grateful. Becoming a licensed and trained Shardware Operator through the university pathway was expensive. The best schools costing millions to attend, but dishing out curated Silver Implants to those who spent the cash. Or had received a scholarship. Which I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m more than worthy to get right now. ¡°Fuck me¡­¡± I groaned, Missy chuckling next to me. ¡°You¡¯re going to regret it once he pushes you to actually operate. The people here are¡­ exacting.¡± She stretched next to me, her organic bits drenched in sweat that strangely enough had a perfumish odor. ¡°You one of them?¡± I blurted out of my lips, I hadn¡¯t exactly been surprised to see Missy in the top five of almost every ranking this gym had of its clients. She just smiled, patting me on the back and letting me get back to work. Then as Anderson knocked loudly on the door to the tiny cubicle he¡¯d lent me, it was time to actually get to work. Anderson was a man of few words, efficient with them if I had to phrase it. He didn¡¯t answer a lot of questions, not unless they were complex enough to actually merit the use of an ounce of his brainpower. As we trailed down the long hallways, I prepared myself for silence once I opened my mouth. ¡°So here¡¯s what I don¡¯t get. When we finish Converging, BUG Adapters start to use variations in an electron¡¯s properties to think over chemical neurotransmitters. How come we¡¯re not fried by thinking at the speed of light? I mean, I look it up and everything¡¯s behind a couple thousand Shardyne, so I know there¡¯s an answer.¡± ¡°Second year.¡± Was his simple response, of course, behind a textbook costing probably double the amount listed on the net sites. Surprisingly, he continued after a moment of deliberation. ¡°But it¡¯s important for your Development. You don¡¯t have all of your thoughts transmitted with electrons, just a miniscule fraction. But at that rate, it easily outpaces your chemical system by several thousand times.¡± ¡°An exact percentage we¡¯re looking at?¡± I egged on. ¡°Less than a fraction of one-percent at Tier One, Two and Three. Even the Founder¡¯s don¡¯t have a full electron-based nervous system ¡ª or so goes the simulations.¡± He pushed open a door, I still didn¡¯t get the cataloging system in place here. He pointed out serial codes, around twenty long strings that my brain typed out onto the datapad as quick as he said them. Twenty artifacts of metal and code I would be set to tinker with for the rest of the day. It was relatively simple stuff; joints or bones, maybe an artificial synovial capsule here or there, but somehow this gym turned simplicity into hours of meticulous work. I was working in fractions of decimals of changes, a far cry from the rough and shoddy work that had been expected from me at The Toxin Club. There it was more raw: they saw a gun, they wanted it in their arm. No care about barrel indentation or heat flow or the fluid viscosity of their joint lubrication. Obviously, I¡¯d taken that into account back at the club as well, but never to the degree expected of me here. The gym goers were all about maximizing their efficiency, and they held a stupid stubbornness about the changes they wanted here. I drained out fluid with a pipette, taking half a milliliter more than I should have. So I tried to stick it back in, pushing two milliliters now. Then I repeated it, till an air bubble got inside the capsule by accident. ¡°From the start.¡± Anderson wasn¡¯t even looking at me?! I swore he had eyes on the back of his head. ¡°If I use the Arachne¡­¡± I started, ¡°this could be done in a second.¡± ¡°No use of automated measurements.¡± His response ended firmly, and I feared losing this job a whole lot more than my old one so I gave in. I knew why he was doing this, shortcuts were always an option, they were there for everyone. Hell, I had a shortcut in the form of my Implant. But that didn¡¯t mean success. A fact I was aware of from the moment I¡¯d lost my left arm. Taking a longer, harder approach wasn¡¯t a surefire way of learning or getting results, but it had a certain factor of building character. A preciseness to carry out things on your own accord. A¡­ meticulance to see the work done by your hand from start to finish. By the day¡¯s end, I was exhausted. Even if I¡¯d managed to get to Tier One and have electrons think for me, I was playing on a field I¡¯d never realized existed. 7:42 PM July 3rd Today was my second go around with the Arachne after my own operation. Technically I was never given permission, Anderson told me to just go ahead and use whatever machinery I needed to get the results made, his way of letting me get some slack, I figured. And it made sense, I was operating on a liver with a similar modification I¡¯d done to my own. Instead of Warp Generator, I was installing an internal AdStim pumper; apparently the two in the Metal Heaven woman¡¯s organic kidneys weren¡¯t good enough to get her the rush she wanted. The Liver itself was a different model than my own, specific structures overlapping at times but overall had a different organization. I was glad actually, it tested out my Reverse Engineering Protocol far more than most of these bones were, there were only so many differences in them. The six arms came to life as my mind peered through their cameras. All six of them, it¡¯d been a miracle to control just two before but now having a grasp over all of them wasn¡¯t too far from an issue. I¡¯d already disassembled the liver with my claws, both of them working better than ever, so all that was left was a nice platter to assemble. I¡¯d done it quicker than I expected to, all things considering. All the parts had been pretuned, so putting it together was just a matter of hooking up the wires and¡­ I suppose I just expected something to go wrong. Nothing did. Kind of deflated, I wrestled myself away from toying with the Arachne any longer. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d ever loved something more, I wished there was a way to carry one on me at all times. In fact, I¡¯d read rumors about mobile Arachne¡¯s being in production as compacted briefcases ready to spring open at a moment¡¯s notice¡­ but that had to be an insane amount of engineering involved? Diagnostic scans ran through everything with an ¡®okay¡¯, so I just plopped the liver down on the building¡¯s intra-transport system. That weird shaft-thing Anderson had first used to pull out my liver from nowhere. With some time on my hands, I rested myself onto the revolving chair of my cubicle. A small room with a simple desk, my laptop and a chair. It wasn¡¯t the brightest place, being some old storage cabinet before, but it was enough for me to curate and work out some issues of mine in privacy. And speaking of issues¡­ Message from Diana: [Sorry for not updating you sooner, I found a lead on our case, but I won¡¯t have anything more until after the 13th¡­ Not sure it¡¯s safe to discuss this on comms. How are you otherwise?] I¡¯d won! I wasn¡¯t the one to message first, truth be told it had been clawing at me for a while that I¡¯d been ghosted, but now I that wasn¡¯t the case. Message Sent: [Pretty fine. Got a new Shard Op¡¯ gig, pays well and there¡¯s alot for me to learn. Sorry on my end too, got busy with all of this, haven¡¯t found anything on DW, but I¡¯m working on getting me and my mother secure with all this Implant stuff rn. Speaking off, got to Tier One last week. U?] I thought the words in place and sent them off, the return message coming back in a few minutes. Diana: [Been a little over a week for me ;)] I uh¡­ I was a bit peeved about that. July 4th Tonight was the night. Hoaqin¡¯s dinner with me and my mom, I¡¯d managed to delay it with quite the lie. That I¡¯d just received a Bronze Implant and was recovering from the procedure. At first, that only made Hoaqin want to come back sooner, but then my mother managed to ward him off by saying I was recovering in a private clinic. That kept him at bay for a few days, but the guilt had caught up to me. It¡¯d been too long since we just hung out normally, he had been my only other friend other than¡­- he¡¯d been my only friend for the last five years. I owed him my time and company. We met up at a bistro we¡¯d frequented, a quiet burger place where you couldn¡¯t taste the artificial enhancers in the insect-based meat. He looked different than I¡¯d imagined, his cheeks hollowed slightly and his eyes had bags under them. The normally tall and powerful man now slumped and appeared slightly more timid, aware of his surroundings to a paranoid degree. At least to my mimicked Analyze Feature. I raised my hand, and we both brightened as we saw each other. It really had been too long. He took a seat next to me, my mother smiling weakly but genuinely at her son enjoying the company of his friend. Hoaqin took a moment to realize she was actually there with us. ¡°Woah¡­ Mama Don, I haven¡¯t seen you out in the city in ages. You¡¯re feeling better?¡± A gentle smirk escaped my mom. ¡°I know, I know, but Ripley¡¯s been harping about this place for years and I never tried it. So I hope you don¡¯t mind me staying a few minutes, it¡¯s nice to see you too Hoaqin. How¡¯s your family?¡± ¡°Mom¡¯s doing fine, was worried out of her mind when I-¡° He erred for a moment, before taking his left hand out of his pocket. The Hoaqin I knew would have never shed a hair from his body with how much he claimed it to be perfection, but now staring us in the face was a metallic hand. ¡°It¡¯s just a tryout. First cybernetic and all, they want to see how my body takes it.¡± ¡°I get the feeling.¡± Stretching my own left arm into view, his eyes popping out of his skull at the sight. ¡°Woah!¡± ¡°You¡¯re leaking body fluids from the stump, aren¡¯t ya?¡± I pointed to a wet patch on my sleeve. ¡°It¡¯s annoying, but don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll stop in a few days. Give it some time to settle¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, uh-¡° He quietly dabbed a napkin over where metal met flesh at his wrist. ¡°How- how¡¯d that happen? How¡¯d the¡­ you know¡­ the thing happen.¡± Ah, my Implant. And so goes the story. One day, while walking back to the apartment, I spotted a woman getting robbed blind of her belongings. Stepping up to the confront the mugger (I played up some of my bravado), I promptly lost and damaged my arm. However, my moving act of heroics got the attention of an unknown mercenary, rescuing me and bringing me to the safety of Harold Anderson. In recovery, I refused the arm he was originally planning on giving me. Making a bet to say I could do it better, I worked on and reigned supreme, winning me a slot at his Shard Op¡¯ clinic and a free Bronze BUG to boot in exchange for working for him. Hoaqin blinked at my obnoxious story. ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡± My mom lied like she¡¯d been a Haithama-winning actress all her life. ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous, I keep on telling him that. But it¡¯s the truth.¡± I followed up. ¡°Yeah, why? What were you thinking?¡± His tongue fumbled to form the words. ¡°That you- I don¡¯t know. Sounds crazy but, I guess, maybe that¡­ from the club I guess? The MAL? Or maybe one of the guys it killed?¡± A silence chilled the air, my bones feeling chilled by the second. ¡°You know that¡¯s ridiculous right¡­? I mean, sorry to burst your bubble¡­¡± I raised my left arm as my Warp Energy channeled through my nerves. It had taken some practice drilling the instinctual direct pathway away, the flow curving down to the underside of my right ribs where my liver was before looping around to my arm. A faint Bronze glow peered out of my joints. Hoaqin quickly slammed my hand under the table, his face flushing away all color as he coarsely whispered. ¡°Are you an idiot?! Don¡¯t flaunt it in public¡­!¡± ¡°So you believe me? Besides, I¡¯d sell a Gold Implant in a heartbeat, you know that.¡± I laughed the topic away. ¡°No you wouldn¡¯t.¡± He said with a voice pulled into a grave, his eyes pleading and sharp at the same time. ¡°You would probably see it as some act of karma from god. I know I would. You wouldn¡¯t ever give away something like that, you¡¯d probably take more care of the Implant than your own life honestly.¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! My mother coughed, drawing his focus away from me for a moment. ¡°Hoaqin¡­ I¡¯m sorry, but can we talk about something nicer for a moment? You two have been through a lot, just treat this as a night where you can relax and forget about all the worries you boys have had. It¡¯s my treat.¡± She slid a card from her hand into his hand, a universal Iron-grade gift card with a Shardyne Credit valued at 10 Iron Shards or 500 Shardyne. Her voice grew as cold as the winter¡¯s blizzard. ¡°It¡¯s my treat.¡± ¡°This is¡­¡± His hands fumbled the small card. ¡°It¡¯s too much.¡± ¡°Oh please, it¡¯s just some funds we¡¯d saved up for a rainy day. And with Ripley¡¯s Implant we¡¯ve got some leeway for a moment.¡± Then her eyes sharpened daggers at my friend. ¡°You will take it. And you boys will be happy with it.¡± He gulped, quietly accepting the card and handing it to me under the table. My hand moved without him even needing to say a thing, I just knew what he¡¯d do immediately. Right on time, the food arrived. My mother¡¯s own meal already packaged and ready to go. She smiled at the two of us as a taxi was already close by to take her back. ¡°I¡¯ll be seeing you both later, enjoy¡­ and Hoaqin remember to keep my son in one piece by tonight¡¯s end. As it stands, he only has one leg left.¡± She let the sentence hang in the air for a bit while standing there awkwardly before turning and leaving, the two of us giving a collective ¡®ohhhhh¡¯ but only once she¡¯d already been out the door. As it stands¡­ one leg¡­ It¡¯d actually been enough for us to settle into a more laughing mood. We fell right back into our old habits, me trying to tell a joke with a burger stuffed in my mouth. Hoaqin eying the newest waiter and placing bets that he could get her number. We laughed, and we both seemed pretty happy. I¡­ I was. Then something snapped in Hoaqin amidst his laugh, as though some broader hole in his mind burrowed deeper to consume the joy he¡¯d been feeling. ¡°How is your family¡­¡± I put a hand on his back. ¡°And as nice as she is, you know I¡¯m not talking about your mother. How¡¯s your uncle, Shaun¡­ how¡¯re¡­ the Snake Fangs?¡± ¡°What fucking Snake Fangs.¡± A bitter chuckle spewed a month¡¯s worth of pain. ¡°It¡¯s bad, Ripley. Really¡­ really bad. We¡¯re barely a fifth of what we used to be, everyone¡¯s confused by that night. Blaming someone or the other, mostly my uncle. Internal dispute¡¯s aside, we lost everything. All the other gangs hit us at once, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard about The Souls and Muramasa taking over our old turf.¡± ¡°I have.¡± That was the only reply I could think of. ¡°You know, Shaun didn¡¯t allow me to see you. He doesn¡¯t even know I¡¯m out with you right now.¡± Hoaqin stabbed a fork into a french fry, but just twirled around rather than eating it. ¡°He wants your head in a box.¡± ¡°He thinks I opened the box.¡± I let that statement out without thinking¡­ but it was too late. ¡°I didn¡¯t. But they won¡¯t believe me.¡± ¡°I believe you.¡± Haoqin¡¯s eyes softened, it didn¡¯t take my mimicked Feature to know he was being honest. My voice may have been quiet, but that didn¡¯t mean there wasn¡¯t a whole lot of meaning in there. ¡°Thank you. I missed you man.¡± ¡°Missed you too, could have especially used you for¡­ you know.¡± He waved the metallic hand in my face, and I tried not to immediately point out the hundred little flaws weighing it down. It was clunky, far too simple yet complex in areas they shouldn¡¯t be. I knew at a glance it was just a chopped off piece from a larger Shardware unit with a Neuroprocessor jabbed in, it was meant to be a piece of a larger structure and the awkwardness in it¡¯s motions conveyed that. My mouth hung open for a bit until I decided what to say. ¡°I¡¯m going to be nice to you and say that it¡­ fits you.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± He gave me that look. ¡°That it¡¯s certainly a Hoaqin-grade Shardware.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an insult, right?¡± ¡°Only if you¡¯re self-deprecating.¡± ¡°Fuck you man.¡± He said with all the angst, but a worried smile broke through. ¡°But for real, you¡¯re gonna help me with it, right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± I stretched my arms, looking at an imaginary watch on my arm. ¡°You¡¯ll have to check in with my secretary. Workshop¡¯s already booked to the maximum and I¡¯m drowning in work (and Sheds) but I¡¯m sure I can find some time for you.¡± ¡°Seriously man.¡± A smile was stuck on him the whole time. ¡°Fuck you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to have to turn down that offer, you ain¡¯t my type.¡± I laughed at his expense. ¡°Nah but for real, your hand¡¯s kind of shit.¡± ¡°I knew it!¡± He stared at his hand like he was about to strangle it. ¡°Shaun took me to some back-alley vendor in Santo Krizta, the Op¡¯ was skeeved out the whole time.¡± ¡°Bet you¡¯re all missing me.¡± I teased out, before thinking that maybe that wasn¡¯t the best thing to say. ¡°More than you can know.¡± His face sunk to the table, maybe we¡¯d ordered too many drinks for one night. ¡°No way to convince you to come back?¡± ¡°To the Snake Fangs? You said Shaun wants my head in a box¡­ and¡­ you know more than anyone how much I hated working in the club.¡± I left myself finishing that statement decisively. He still pushed through. ¡°I can work something out for you! Besides, there¡¯s no club now to begin with¡­ and you¡¯re way better now. With that Implant I¡¯m sure Shaun can get you on a healthy payroll!¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious, Hoaqin.¡± My lips pursed tight. ¡°I wasn¡¯t happy there. With Shaun as my boss. He might-¡± ¡°And you¡¯re happy at your new place?¡± ¡°I am.¡± I took a gulp of my drink, it didn¡¯t hit much with my new Liver and Tier One nervous system, but the warmth of the alcohol spread confidence through me. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ enjoying it. I feel alive.¡± ¡°How¡¯s that even possible man?¡± Hoaqin¡¯s flushed face rose from the table, his hair still flattened on one side. ¡°After the club¡­ after the MAL¡­ after S-/////¡¯s¡­ death. It¡¯s all been a lot for me, but you¡¯re getting through it, you¡¯re¡­ thriving.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I cupped my face with the support of my elbows on the table. ¡°I guess I¡¯d already hit rock-bottom once in my life, the second time around is a bit easier. Took it all as an opportunity, I don¡¯t know how else I could get through this if I didn¡¯t see it that way.¡± ¡°An¡­ opportunity?!¡± He rose briefly, a flash of anger I didn¡¯t understand the reason for braving it¡¯s teeth at, but just for a second. I should have noticed it sooner, the beginning of tears. ¡°I- if¡­ Ripley, are you okay man?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Something deep within me was bubbling, but I didn¡¯t know what. ¡°I think you should focus on yourself first, though. Get a grip on things Hoaqin¡­ shit¡¯s gone down the drain but you¡¯re capable. Hell you¡¯ve got an Implant now! Actually, I never even asked, what¡¯s your Features?¡± He stirred for a moment, sipping from the bottle directly as though to find the courage. ¡°Scan said my Implant had Integration and Technician. You?¡± ¡°Wait- wait,¡± I nearly spat out my own drink, ¡°you¡¯ve got a Technician Feature? What¡¯re you going to do with that, trying to steal my job, man?¡± ¡°I would only be stealing it if you were still with us¡­¡± He whispered, drunkenly of course so it was fairly loud. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯m trying to get a grasp on the whole Integration thing. I keep on reading it over and over again, but I don¡¯t get it. Isn¡¯t it the same as Accomodation?¡± ¡°Not even the slightest!¡± I was actually quite offended. ¡°Integration is about using things that don¡¯t belong to you, Accomodation is about making things a part of your body. External Links versus Internal Links.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t they both overlap in the fact that they just make you more compatible with Shardware?¡± He wasn¡¯t even paying attention if he was asking that question. ¡°Nope. Integration is all about modifying your own thoughts and body to make the most out of any piece of External Shardware. You ever seen those movies of that actor? I think it was Jonah Jillian in the Exterminator, and how he picked up a bunch of guns and his arm broke apart with its wires slithering all over the weapons as he shot them all out at once? That¡¯s what it does.¡± I raised my hand up before he could ask the obvious question. ¡°Accomodation is a much slower process, it works only in direct neural uplinks. True, it can sometimes help you directly in combat like with Integration. But this time, instead of maximizing your compatibility with the weapon you make it a part of your own body. It¡¯s slow, and a frankly risky expenditure of your own Warp Energy but it is known to happen. It¡¯s focused on Internal Shardware rather than External.¡± ¡°Damn.¡± He barely listened to a word, I know he didn¡¯t. ¡°What if you combined them?¡± ¡°A whole lot of things. Integration could speed up the linking process and break any low-level security in the Externals, while Accomodation rewrites the Warpcode to utilize it as an Internal. You could sort of become a cyborg vampire, breaking your enemies apart and absorbing their Shardware into your own body. Though it could be risky.¡± ¡°Uhuh.¡± He nodded. ¡°You really like all this Shardware Operating stuff don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°As much as you like your own body.¡± But that was only the start of what I had in my head. Ever since I started operating in the gym, I¡¯d truly earned an appreciation for the engineering involved. ¡°I know it can look like a shortcut, and for some, it is. But that¡¯s not what it is for me¡­ it¡¯s a way to have freedom about your own body. To sculpt it into the thing you want it to be. Whether that¡¯s fast, powerful, smart¡­ or beautiful. You could be a man or a woman ¡ª a bodybuilder or a lazy piece of shit ¡ª but Shardware blurs the lines so that none of it matters. You become the thing you imagine¡­ if you have the sheds for it.¡± ¡°Cooool.¡± He gulped down again. ¡°That shit¡¯s deep, man. But it¡¯s not your way of telling me you¡¯re like¡­ slapping on some tits, right? Like just going to say it, you would not make for a pretty girl.¡± ¡°Hell no¡­! Besides I would be sexy!¡± Maybe I was feeling a little bit of my drink. ¡°I think I¡¯m already looking pretty good!¡± He guffawed, a belly-wide ¡ª expunged from the void of his soul type of ¡ª laugh. ¡°Oh fuuuuck no! Like, I can tell you¡¯re looking sharper than usual but fuck no man! Maybe if she had a thing for gizmos then yeah? But like, you¡¯re not sleeping with anyone unless they''re, at most, a Shardware nerd like you.¡± ¡°Your sister finds me cute, you know that?¡± Fuck, maybe I was a little tipsy. ¡°What?! Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re¡­ you know she¡¯s still in highschool right?!¡± ¡°I know¡­¡± I smirked. ¡°Relax, I let her down easy a few months ago, but point is, I¡¯m charming.¡± ¡°Get a girl¡¯s number then.¡± ¡°I got Diana¡¯s.¡± I reminded him with a smug glee on my face. ¡°Who?¡± It took him a moment to rewire his memories. ¡°Wait, oh yeah¡­ that bitch! Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to actually give it a try? You know she¡¯s the reason why we¡¯re in this mess!¡± ¡°Fuck no!¡± As attractive as she was, I meant that, I don¡¯t think she¡¯d get along too well with a mercenary when she¡¯s a cop herself. ¡°And there have been other girls who¡¯ve called me cute recently.¡± ¡°Like who?¡± From the way he got too close to me, I know he didn¡¯t believe me. ¡°Your mother doesn¡¯t count by the way.¡± ¡°Her name¡¯s Twilight.¡± ¡°Twilight?¡± Hoaqin¡¯s face contorted in stupor, and I couldn¡¯t quite piece what he was thinking. ¡°Have you been going to strip clubs man? I mean, you know that pampering you is part of their job, you should know that since-¡° ¡°She¡¯s not a stripper.¡± I said firmly, but she was¡­ a sentient AI modeled from Mirage¡¯s personality. ¡°She¡¯s a friend, actually, someone I met at my job. A DataDelver.¡± ¡°Oh damn¡­¡± His eyes squinted at me, then opened wide when it became clear I was serious. ¡°Damn, any pics of her? She got a Hotgram Account?¡± ¡°Not that I know of¡­¡± I trailed on. ¡°She¡¯s pretty¡­ quiet. Pretty quiet, and yeah, pretty. Like, I guess she¡¯s just the type of person to keep to herself, but there¡¯s a lot of different¡­ sides that she has. She¡¯s mysterious, sometimes energetic and sometimes more moody, but from what I know¡­ she¡¯s never been too bad of a person, to me at least.¡± I didn¡¯t know if I was stepping into the realm of lies, but I mean¡­ Mirage was close enough to Twilight in a sense. Hoaqin just buzzed on the topic like an annoying fly. ¡°You say that but you don¡¯t even know her real name.¡± ¡°Elsa.¡± I corrected him. ¡°Her name is Elsa.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Resting my head on my pillow, I was not looking forward to going to work hungover tomorrow. Then again¡­ I pulsed Golden strands into my abdomen, already feeling my head clear as the liver reported a quick need for me to hydrate myself. And also, now that I wasn¡¯t quite drunk anymore, I found myself actually able to do that. The liver, so far, had barraged me incessantly about lacking this or that nutrient and even had a fancy plugin to allow me to browse at available supplements that would fit my dietary needs. Maybe it was time I started actually caring for my body. Too bad I was inconsistent even with my own medication. I was supposed to take immunosuppressants in the morning and I¡¯d only remembered right before the dinner with Hoaqin. Sighing, I filled up a glass of cold water, it wasn¡¯t much but it was a start. ¡°Sooo¡­ you find me pretty?¡± Twilight buzzed to life at my side, I¡¯d lost all the startling to her sudden appearance weeks ago. Though¡­ I thought today was more of a Daylight day¡­ ¡°Fine. Yeah. I do.¡± I said, chugging the cold water in hopes that it would calm the rising heat spreading through me. She crept closer, her digital form leaning onto the counter as she stared at me with her big violet eyes. ¡°Finally got a spine, huh?¡± ¡°No actually.¡± I pulled up a calendar list filled with my various expected dates of my next Shardware procedures. ¡°That¡¯s scheduled for August.¡± She laughed, pulling herself closer to me until I felt the vague electrical buzz of her ¡®body heat¡¯. ¡°Why don¡¯t you actually give it a try?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Elsa.¡± She tapped the counter. ¡°I know because I am her¡­ I¡¯ll let you in on a little secret of ours. We¡¯re all modeled after well, not quite an emotion but a series of thoughts and ideas. Daylight takes after her positive self, I take after her¡­ let¡¯s call it reflection, while Midnight¡­ I think the speaks for her.¡± ¡°Reflection? So you¡¯re the closest to her real personality?¡± That was interesting. ¡°Sort of, I guess you could say I¡¯m a reflection that¡¯s both her and the opposite of her. We¡¯re both curious minded people, but wheras she tends to dig in the dark¡­ I¡¯m more open to just asking outright. So let me ask you, why don¡¯t you just go for her? I find you cute, and you¡¯re genuinely hard-working, plus you have that brooding genius factor all girls love, you¡¯ve got an honest shot.¡± Maybe, but for so long I¡¯d taken my mind off the other partners because I knew I wanted to be with¡­S- wait, why wasn¡¯t I making the most out of these opportunities? Why had I sworn myself off romance in the first place? There wasn¡¯t really any reason recently I could think of to keep me away from that aspect of my life. God knows, I¡¯d been neglecting it. ¡°Maybe¡­ but she¡¯s always by herself. I¡¯ve seen plenty of you and Daylight, enough that I actually think I know the two of you pretty well. Honestly, it¡¯s been nice that I¡¯m never¡­ actually alone.¡± I inched my hand closer to hers, and if she¡¯d been a true human our pinkies would have been touching. Her eyes sparkled at the contact, then became bright jewels as they took stock of my burning face. ¡°She¡¯ll take some time to open up, but she does like you. Maybe not in that sense yet¡­ but she doesn¡¯t think negatively of you.¡± ¡°I mean, both of you tried to vote me out of joining up with Missy¡¯s group.¡± My hand slowly drifted away from hers, I tried my best not to really think about it. Everything worked out in the end, but they pretty much acted like nothing had even happened. ¡°I can speak for myself about that case.¡± Twilight moved her digital hand over mine, the fuzzy feeling sending goosebumps up my arm. ¡°I voted against you because the truth is, I kinda care about you. Hearing the way you talk with your mother, knowing your past, and just learning from how you deal with daily life. I¡¯m a tiny bit attached. I wanted to protect you, even if that meant seeing less of you. Whereas for Elsa¡­ ¡°I think she felt somewhat the same. Obviously, she doesn¡¯t know you the same way I do, Ripley. Still, she knows you, she sees what we do and has a general understanding of your character. As much of a talker as I am, there¡¯s a whole past behind her, prior to our creation, that you¡¯ll need to get from her without me. We all have our memories of it, but in light of how we¡¯ve been formed, we see it differently. The only one who has all the bits of it according to her view¡­ is her, and something about that perspective has molded her into who she is. At it¡¯s simplest, she¡¯s caring for the ones she holds dear. Wouldn¡¯t have taken on this in the first place if Elsa didn¡¯t care about Missy¡¯s opinion.¡± ¡°I guess¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Still, would be nice to actually get to know all of you, and I mean like all of you ¡ª including Missy, Diamante and Topaz ¡ª in a setting other than a brief few minutes in the gym. I¡¯ve seen you guys alot more this past week than before but, it¡¯s all pretty surface level.¡± ¡°You want to know a secret¡­¡± She leaned closer to my ear and before I could either accept or reject it, her next few words cannoned through me. ¡°You¡¯ve actually got a job with Diamante tomorrow.¡± ¡°About?¡± I moved my arm, trying to grab her shoulders but feeling nothing but air. She shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t know. They wanted something simple for you, not a whole lot of action actually. Just a learning experience for the first few jobs, but soon you¡¯ll be with us busting down the doors on corporate warehouses.¡± Excitement tugged me, and some fear, but mostly an anticipation. ¡°As for now¡­¡± She wrapped her arm around my shoulder, leaning her head into the crook of my neck. ¡°How about we talk?¡± ¡°About what?¡± She smiled, that kind of dumb smile which painted emotions over your steel heart. ¡°Whatever we want.¡± Blood and Steel C38: The Devil’s Lair Chapter 38: The Devil¡¯s Lair Personal findings from NeoCore Founder, Michelle Silva, on the 2449 New California Earthquake. Officially, seismographs indicating the possibility of the earthquake had been going off for multiple centuries in Western America. But ever since the MALswarm attacked the Yellowstone District in 2407, they¡¯d noticed a spike in the amount of daily earthquakes in the region. Most were imperceptible. This one wasn¡¯t. At a magnitude of 9.7, an Earthquake hit January 24th 2449, it tore through three of the five Districts of New California. Yellowstone, Westbrook and New Washington all suffered damage worth trillions save for minimal damage in the New Angeles District. Westbrook suffered the worst out of all of them. Without energy from the Yellowstone volcanic reactor, the District of Westbrook was left in the dark for months unless Warp Shards were converted into electricity. The rich stayed warm that winter with their Silver Shards, the poor could only gain so much from Iron. Not to mention, the civil war that had been going on. Westbrook was the main entry point for refugees from the destroyed Free City of the Floridian Gulf, and many citizens came to see their entry as a burden over the limited resources available at that time which eventually led to a war between the civilians and the corporations. I wished to say that NeoCore did more for them, but Mazhyr¡­ She knew the Free Cities best, her aid was limited considering the other conflict between the European Free Cities. Millions died across New California, from the earthquake itself. From the cold of that winter. From MAL attacks. From homicide. It should be no surprise that criminal activity blossomed during this period, scavenging from both the residents of both New California and The Floridian Gulf. If there was truly a winner in this case, it would be the underworld of New California. By the time power had come back on, it was the criminals who controlled Westbrook. Making it the centralized location of underworld activity in The Free City. Thus, came the name Westcrook. 6:24 AM July 5th Ripley [No need to come in. Diamante has a job for you.] Anderson¡¯s message was right on Twilight¡¯s money. I had a mission, an operation? A job¡­ no, a gig? I had a gig today. The thought hit me proudly, the first opportunity to show off my learning. I¡¯d been doing more than just theory over the last week. The gym was the perfect place to learn how to fight. I¡¯d practiced with the basic drills provided by the Combat Protocol I¡¯d gotten from Skeleton ages ago, simulated holograms I sparred with, and always lost to, Daylight and Twilight ¡ª even some shooting training was available. The rough muscle memory inserted through my subconscious training gave me the confidence to try out the shooting range connected to the gym. I uh¡­ wasn¡¯t the best at it. Officially, I ranked 1034 out of the 1178 people that had tried their hands at it over the last year. While in close-combat I was actually doing pretty good for a beginner, ranking 873 in boxing spars and 821 in the simulated fights. Missy had even commented that I was beginning to put on proper muscle mass, something I could truly appreciate in both of my arms now. The limbs each had a general range of motion modified up to my deltoids, but working out my back and chest had pretty marginal increases on the speeds at which I could lumber around the cybernetics as a whole. Turns out steroids were the answer. And one day, a fully cybernetic muscular system would be an even better answer. Though that might be a ways off, until I got my Capacity higher¡­ the statistics of my Implant were now measured and capable growing since I¡¯d finished Converging. As far as I knew, they improved by digesting Warpcode off Shards. As for what they did¡­ while I was studying from a holographic textbook during my pacing and cleaning of the gym¡¯s equipment, Missy had been kind enough to quiz me on them for preparation of Anderson¡¯s exams. Integrity: Iron IV Energy: Iron V Capacity: Iron VII Grade: Gold I Tendency: NA ¡°Grade¡¯s the simplest,¡± I said to her question within a recording of her lifting one-ton dumbells as she squatted. ¡°It¡¯s how strong your actual Warp Energy is. That¡¯s dependent on your Implant¡¯s Grade as I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve figured. It acts as a multiplier for your other parameters, as a Gold I¡¯d have them increased to be maybe 8-times more potent than an Iron¡¯s ¡ª while Titanium would be twice as efficient as Gold. It¡¯s why even at Convergence I could outperform most Tier Ones.¡± She finished up her squats, nodding warmly before quizzing me about Integrity¡­ ¡°Integrity¡¯s a bit misleading based on the name,¡± I had answered, ¡°it¡¯s how much you can keep yourself running with Warp Energy before the mental ¡ª or in SIMs, physical ¡ª toll breaks you down. If you¡¯re thinking it reflects your actual durability¡­ that¡¯s wrong, only Shardware or Mutations are the answer for that ¡ª maybe some good Dermachrome. Think of Integrity as a gauge of the overall stress your nerves can take at once while running Warp Energy through it.¡± In my recording of her, she clicked her tongue. ¡°Ah, but what happens when you do go over the limit of your Integrity?¡± I had answered with a shrug. ¡°Textbook calls the phenomena Warp Burns, but that¡¯s not covered until later.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll probably experience it before you read about it, better to learn that way I¡¯d say.¡± She said cheerfully as she curled steel with her biceps. ¡°Energy?¡± ¡°Energy is exactly what you think it is. It¡¯s how much the quantity of your Warp Energy actually is. The more Energy you have, the more you can do.¡± Pretty self explanatory, it also dictated your Warp Energy recovery, but it was influenced by proper resting time and diet. Later on, I would need to buy some pretty expensive pills to keep myself fueled up but some Shard Adapters could convert other forms of energy into Warp Energy. Then came the difficult question. ¡°Capacity is the threshold that determines how much your body can be modified. However, it¡¯s a bit different. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve seen as a Shard Op¡¯ that Shardware themselves have all the same parameters listed down as your Implant, and they reflect pretty similarly in terms of Energy, Grade and Integrity. Except Capacity, which in the case of Shardware is a measure of how much of a load the individual piece takes on your body and mind.¡± I said the easy part. Then came the reason why full body mods were looked down upon. ¡°But that calculation¡¯s a bit¡­ fucked. Essentially, whatever tier your own Capacity is at, it can only take one piece of Shardware at the same tier, or two below it, or three below that. So at Iron V, you could have one unit at the same grade, two Iron IVs, three Iron IIIs and all the way down to five Iron Is. Grade comes into play as well but it doesn¡¯t actually multiply you overall Capacity by a factor of 8, in my case the Gold improves my Capacity to act three Tiers above it¡¯s actual rating.¡± So in summary, you could either have a whole load of weak Shardware or concentrate it into key pieces. As for how that worked with my own modifications¡­ Linked Shardware Capacity Statistics:- With the +3 Tier benefit of my Gold Grade to my Iron VII Capacity, I was effectively having an Iron X Capacity, just at the cusp of wielding true Bronze-capacitance Shardware. My right arm which was at Iron IX took 50% of my Capacitance, whereas anything of Standard Grade would only take a flat 1%. My artificial skin, however, was so miniscule it didn¡¯t even equate in the overall calculations. A quick algorithm I cooked up helped visualize it, there were modules dedicated to this I could get installed later on but for now it was enough¡­ Capacitance Overview: Adapter Capacity: Iron VII [Effective: Iron X] Overall Capacitance: 102.9% I was slightly over the limit, and asking Missy about that left her brushing it off. She said it¡¯s okay to go just about 10¡­ maybe 20% over your limit, but never to exceed that without an Accommodation Feature. While the textbooks still had heaps of informations, the real nitty gritty of Stats and the science behind them was locked up even deeper within secure Netvaults owned by corporations, or the closest secrets of criminal organizations. It bugged me to no end, no pun intended, just how much information about the Implants couldn¡¯t be accessed without paying a healthy sum for. Just how much more were they hiding? Were there secrets about these Implants I could find out on my own? Maybe? For now, I rehearsed my lessons for anything useful as I cooked and ate up breakfast, when at 9 in the morning, Diamante messaged me. [Sending you a location¡­ be there in an hour.] Seeing the location, I got ready and left, giving a quick goodbye to my mother. She didn¡¯t look all too happy once I said what for, but accepted it. She had been the deciding vote after all. Where I ended up was not a place I¡¯d frequented. It was an abandoned construction site on the edge of an area in the First Precinct colloquially called the Ruststreets. A largely poor neighborhood consisting of houses that seemed to be constructed out of used containers and other scrap from a junkyard. This place in particular was in ruins, and if I was right, hadn¡¯t been touched in over half a century. At the very centre was a large half-finished construction for an old shopping center that had fallen through the ground into a fissure probably caused by the earthquake some fifty years ago. Diamante appeared by my right as I was trying to clear the dust off an old sign. His metallic visage reflecting brightly in the morning light did little to ward off the sense that he¡­ didn¡¯t like me being here. ¡°At least you¡¯re on time.¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I scoffed at the audacity. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting here for 30 minutes.¡± ¡°You disrespecting your senior?¡± Diamante¡¯s robotic eyes narrowed. ¡°We aren¡¯t a part of the police, how can you talk like that without feeling disgusted?¡± He seemed stumped on what to say, just instead waving an arm for me to follow him. I hated it, his steel-weighted body casually leaped from one area of stone to the next, ignoring the chiasmatic cracks between them. I had to be more careful in my approach, taking careful steps along metallic beams or hopeful leaps from one area of crumbling stone to another. Without the Preservation Matrix, I¡¯d have never even had the courage for this in the first place. Penetrating deeper into the old destroyed mall, I couldn¡¯t help but feel that this place should be more¡­ infested. ¡°Why don¡¯t any gangs set up store here? I thought they were like cockroaches, finding any nook and cranny and making their dens.¡± ¡°Because I own the fucking place.¡± Diamante hissed, and now I sort of understood why he was peeved about me being here. ¡°You live here?¡± ¡°Sometimes¡­¡± He grunted, there was definitely a reason he was pissed off. It wasn¡¯t until I traversed through one of the longer corridors that I spotted something odd, discarded bottles piled up too numerously for one person to drink¡­ unless they were really going through something. Or a group, a group made more sense. ¡°People stay here?¡± I tried to make friendly conversation with the grumpy robot-man. He didn¡¯t turn towards me, just continued walking. ¡°Scrappers¡­ have to kick them out.¡± ¡°How¡¯d you come to own this place anyway? Don¡¯t think the city just sold it to you.¡± I pressed on. ¡°Metal Heavens. Place used to belong to them¡­¡± ¡°Until¡­¡± ¡°Until a devil appeared in front of their Bishops.¡± Diamante kicked open a door, he was definitely angry. Now I was starting to think it wasn¡¯t because of me¡­ ¡°This place has meaning to you¡­ thought you weren¡¯t a part of Metal Heavens?¡± I came from a place out of curiosity¡­ So there was no reason for him to raise his voice at me. ¡°I never was. Now shut up and follow!¡± My lips sealed, I did just that. Twilight gave some background commentary in my head. ¡°Yeah¡­ he doesn¡¯t really like them.¡± ¡®I can tell.¡¯ ¡°All you need to know is that this place used to be run by the old Archbishop until the 2460s. New one wants nothing to do with this place. The fear of the gang still running in this place is enough to ward off most people, they don¡¯t know Diamante set up shop here.¡± Finally, we reached a depression that led to an inner sub-layer of the center¡¯s labyrinthine core. I knew big malls like this had some sort of underground floor for their workers to sleep in but I didn¡¯t imagine most looked like this¡­ Covered in faded bloodstains. I passed through hallways and corridors of various rooms which grew increasingly more sinister, some looked to be prisons with chained manacles stuck to the walls, others had claws and hooks strapped to machinery, the dry blood especially apparent there. ¡°Now I see why everyone hates Metal Heavens¡­¡± I¡¯d expected an angry retort from Diamante but instead got a much more mellowed response. ¡°You have no idea.¡± A sadness seemed to drench his voice, and it didn¡¯t take two-and-two to figure out that Diamante had some connection to the gang, this place in particular. Only when he stopped for a moment to stare at a specific room, labeled cell-block 41, that I thought the pieces were starting to come together. Had he once been a prisoner here? I didn¡¯t have the courage to say it aloud, but it would make perfect sense. Then, we got to a specific chamber. A storage room from the looks of it, Diamante plugged wires from his arm into the door¡¯s panel and it opened up, dust coughing out. Room was a gross understatement. It was a wide, expansive series of carefully aranged lockers and cubicles each with unique labels and identifiers. But I saw a common thread in their naming¡­ IronXB2; BronzeLR5; Iron LR8; Bronze YJ21; Silver HM7 ¡°Are all of these¡­ Shardware?¡± Excitement fluttered up at the last word. ¡°Corpses too.¡± Diamante knocked one door in passing. Bronze PR71. Inside it was the skeletal remains of someone with a unique Endoskeleton, but the decomposed flesh stenched up both the rooms and my nausea. ¡°Used to be the mall¡¯s storage for all their products, SynTec never got to use it.¡± Walking past it, he started a statement without me needing to ask something first. ¡°Don¡¯t think about coming back here without me, this place still has security.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I nodded, not that he could see it with how much he walked ahead of me. Finally, we stopped at one of the walls with hundreds of small cabinets and lockers heading up the ceiling. Diamante hooked himself up to a terminal, giving me a simple question. ¡°Features?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What Features do you want to mimic? Three of them.¡± He sounded more impatient this time. I swallowed down the excitement threatening to swallow me¡­ were all of these tiny cabinets containing Implants? Was he¡­ I thought it through, quickly coming to my decision. ¡°Accommodation, Database and¡­ Energized.¡± ¡°A duplicate?¡± He tilted his head at me¡­ ¡°An experiment, what happens if I mimic a Feature I already have.¡± He nodded at the response, apparently it was something he understood. Then again, Unique Features needed experimentation to be understood. A few seconds later, some mechanism whirred to life. An arm attached to a metal beam running the entire length of the wall pulled out one of the tinier cabinets, quickly placing it down on a marked area reading: ¡®Delivery Zone, Keep Clear¡¯. Within each of those tiny boxes was a small Iron sphere, each looking like a condensed form of some insect. BUGs, all Iron to my admittedly ungrateful disappointment. ¡°Mimic them.¡± Diamante took a seat against the terminal, waiting for me to start. I began with the Accomodation one. Reading Data¡­ 10%¡­ 30¡­ 70%¡­ 100%¡­ Development: NA Feature: Accomodation V.0.00 Error: Insufficient Warpcode¡­ unable to mimic Feature. ¡°Can¡¯t do it.¡± I said with disappointment. ¡°Must be because the BUG hasn¡¯t had an owner yet, no Feature development means no stabilized Warpcode for me to mimic.¡± ¡°You can tell what Feature it has?¡± ¡°Yup. I can read the Warpcode and confirm the Feature within it, guess I¡¯m a walking Implant Scanner of sorts.¡± I said, then it hit me. ¡°Wait, if I¡¯m a walking Implant Scanner¡­¡± ¡°Then you¡¯re a walking goldmine. That¡¯ll be good for any MAL hunts or deals with unknown goods.¡± Diamante confirmed. ¡°Next one.¡± I picked up the BUG from the box labeled as Database Reading Data¡­ 3%¡­ 5%¡­ 7%¡­ This one took much longer, it¡¯s flow of code felt chunky and scattered like it¡¯d been disarrayed. Diamante hummed to himself while I spent a few minutes dissecting the code. 100%¡­ Grade: Iron Development: Tier 0 (Convergence) Feature: Database V.0.09 Previous Adapters: Lucy Hickman (7m); Kalus (1y3m); Julius Renwick (2m); Atolanike Ajike (4m); Freud (1y6m); Old Sword (7m) Error: Warpcode is significantly fragmented¡­ Implant is unstable¡­ unable to mimic Feature. ¡°Too unstable for me to mimic, this one went through a lot of owners. You testing me out?¡± I asked, but he just continued humming. Next one it is. Energized The reading went by surprisingly quick. Reading Data¡­ 20%¡­ 60%¡­ 100% And the Implant was relatively normal. Development: Tier I (Foundation) Feature: Energized V.1.05 Previous Adapters: Yuri Tanasaka (3y10m) The previous owner had it for 4 years? And it hadn¡¯t even developed past what mine currently was at, that¡­ I¡¯d been told the entire time that I was developing fast, but talk about putting things into perspective. Mimicking Feature¡­ Error: Feature is already present within the Adapter; analyzing update history¡­ compatible update found. ¡°It uhhh¡­ can¡¯t mimic it. But it¡¯s saying something about there being a compatible update.¡± I was both excited, and wary. ¡°Absorb it.¡± He said it so casually. I might as well have been told to put a gun to my head. ¡°Uh¡­ pretty sure it¡¯s known to wait a long while before you absorb Warpcode from an Implant, shouldn¡¯t I start out with Shards?¡± ¡°No. Absorb the Warpcode, Gold Features will need more than just Shard-derived code to empower itself. You can handle it, but only one for now.¡± He remained stern, but there was a caution in his voice. It made sense, but it didn¡¯t help me figure out the methodology. ¡°Right, how exactly am I supposed to do this? Everything on the Net says-¡± ¡°Just wrap your own Warp Energy over the thing until it breaks, or I don¡¯t know you¡¯re already instinctively reading them, just pull more now!¡± I gulped, praying this wasn¡¯t all a very long and elaborate ploy to just steal my BUG. Wrapping the small bead in a warm breath of Gold, I began a similar process to reading it except this time I didn¡¯t simply simmer around the surface. I burrowed through, the Iron orb cracking in my sight. Scanning Warpcode¡­ What happened next was brief, but I felt like I¡¯d vanished from the old underground layer of the mall and appeared in a valley out in the wilds. Or at least what I¡¯d seen unclaimed America looked like. Frozen. Dry. My body exhausted most of its energy to produce heat to prevent my joints from locking in, the dead grass from a single month of spring cracked with the nervous shifting of my feet, their blades sharp like needles. The snow here was centuries old and hissed a mist into the air as nerves coughed caution through me. I raised my blade up high, as two Nomads approached. They wore the pelts of animals I didn¡¯t recognize, antlers pointing from their heads and huge arms of fur and claws held machinery foreign to my understanding. My convoy had just been killed, the elite Yuzhou guards slaughtered by an ambush of MAL on our way back to New Californa from SynTec¡¯s New Port City. It was just me left, and I had a job to do, these neanderthals wouldn¡¯t stop me. Iron coalesced over my sword, covering it in a sheath of dull gray that I¡¯d been proud of. I slashed forward as one of the nomad¡¯s lurched towards me, even if I was unable to match the beautiful slash our Division Commander had used against the MALs out in the wild, my attack had been beautiful nonetheless. The thick leather armor of the nomads split, unraveling until crimson blood drenched out of the bisected head. I leaped for my next flow, before a brief glimmer caught my attention. A sniper scope. A booming sound echoed, then it all faded. Warpcode Absorbed¡­ forcing compatibility¡­ forcing absorption of Protocol: Warp Sheath Energized V.1.06 has updated to V.1.07 Effect: Warp Sink Protocol can layer Warp Energy over Shardware, slightly increasing its durability. Recalibrating recent adaptational learning¡­ Energized V.1.07 has updated to V.1.08 Effect: Increased efficiency of Warp Energy distribution over Shardware. Data Mimicry V.0.05 has updated to V.0.06 Effect: Adapter may view glimpses of memories through any thoroughly scanned BUG¡¯s Warpcode. Data Mimicry V.0.06 has updated to V.0.07 Effect: Warpcode absorption is more efficient. My eyes blinked, my eyes. Free to see the world trapping me in the steel cage of this storage space, but for a moment, for a few seconds I had been in the midst of a vast valley of frozen death. I felt everything, the coldest breath I¡¯d ever taken, the faint smell of air unpolluted by city smoke, the clouds unbroken from the skyscrapers impaling them. It was a hauntingly alien kind of beautiful. ¡°Ripley? You with me?¡± Diamante had his hands on my head, one of them prying my eyelids open so I could stare right into his unfeeling gaze. ¡°Did you know?¡± I asked. ¡°Know what?¡± He was feeling something, fear, excitement, maybe jealousy, I know I would be if I was him. ¡°That your BUG remembers everything?¡± Blood and Steel C39: The Dead Tell No Lies Chapter 39: The Dead Tell No Lies Founder [REDACTED]¡¯s query on utilizing the [REDACTED]¡¯s internal [REDACTED] to view Implant-Coded- Error: You do not have permission to view this file. Security is arriving at your location. 12:09 AM July 5th Ripley Being able to view the memories posthumously through extracted BUGs¡­ it answered some questions. I knew my aggression when I¡¯d attacked Emily was unnatural, but was I¡­ acting upon the Implant¡¯s previous owner¡¯s personality? A subconscious effect? That warned caution. ¡°So you can relive their memories through the BUG?¡± Diamante couldn¡¯t keep himself still, he paced the floor with the metallic thumps of his feet over and over. ¡°You can¡­ shit. You can do a lot with that. Can you do it off BUGs you just read, or do they have to be absorbed?¡± ¡°Won¡¯t know until I try.¡± I picked up the old Database BUG keeping myself reading its Warpcode past the 100% mark. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Brief images flashed through me; a knife in my back, staring down a gun, my neck breaking, the invading replacement of blood with a hollow coldness¡­. I reeled out of it, heavy breaths tearing out of my lungs. ¡°I¡¯m just seeing the way they die. All of the Adapter¡¯s who used this thing.¡± ¡°Maybe you¡¯re playing it back from their latest memory¡­ think you could go further?¡± I tried again, this time focusing only on the memory of the gun. This wasn¡¯t the exact same experience, I wasn¡¯t living through the memory but instead I had an uncanny playback running through the back of my head as though I was watching a recording from a lens. I saw the gun move in reverse, mouths moving but the sounds coming out were foreign to me before a sack covered the Adapter¡¯s head, then it faded away like the video file had been burnt or corrupted. ¡°A little, but it¡¯s not as clear as when I absorb the BUG directly.¡± A tight whisper ejected from my throat, my head was throbbing. ¡°Absorb it, see what happens.¡± ¡°You sure? It¡¯s a Database one¡­ I don¡¯t have that Feature.¡± My words slowly became more coherent, but a part of me still felt trapped. Like this wasn¡¯t reality. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ve done it myself on all the flavors of Warpcode, your Implant doesn¡¯t take in what it can¡¯t use.¡± He seemed to replace all the anger he had away with a new vigor for discovery. At my expense. Sighing, I suffused the dull orb in my vibrant Gold, its visage cracking away until I felt the Data Mimicry Feature within me speak. Analyzing absorbed Warpcode¡­ Seven different views flashed through me, each grabbing and tearing me away as though they were fighting for my attention. I yanked myself away from each of them, only falling into the comfort of that one memory I¡¯d played closer attention to. Cloth drenched my vision under a frightful curtain of shadows, and when it was torn away¡­ the light was blinding. Three figures stood atop me, their forms shadowed by the bright light only hitting their backsides, the only piece of their body I could focus on was their foreheads. All three of them had a thick branded coil wrapped around their heads like a barbed wire, digging so deeply you could see the raw flesh hidden beneath. The central figure spoke, his voice kind and old. ¡°Kalus, you¡¯re going to tell us what you know of the Hammersmith.¡± My body jerked, but a firm grip held me back from headbutting the priest. ¡°Let me go, you bastards! What did you do to them!¡± My children¡­ where were they? That aged voice turned sinister, like a snake had molted out of it. ¡°You were there when he entered our holy domain, when he attacked us. Plundered us. We know he talked to you¡­ what did he say?¡± ¡°That he needed the access codes, I was terrified so I gave them to him. He took the girl! That¡¯s it, that¡¯s all that happened!¡± I screamed, I needed Laura and Kenneth safe, they meant everything to me. ¡°I see¡­¡± My bishop clenched his fist, drawing it back towards something. He unhooked a gun from its holster, the metallic barrel swinging up until it was inches from my face. I begged to be let go, for repentance, struggled with all my might but the grip on me was as solid as steel. My bishop¡¯s voice was creaking, the beginnings of a sob. ¡°I hope the next wielder of your divine knowledge keeps better secrets, now take your pilgrimage to the Eternal Titan ¡ª to the Allseeing. May it¡¯s holy light teach you, and may we all join as one at the end of a Great Transcendence.¡± The bullet drilled into my skull, then I was gone. Then I was back. Warpcode analyzed¡­ forcing compatibility¡­ suitable update found. Technician V.1.06 has updated to V.1.07 Effect: Increased memory of topics related to Shardware. ¡°Huh?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what to be in shock off, that a Database update had gone to Technician of all things¡­ or that I¡¯d just been executed by someone who I trusted. Who Kalus trusted, I forced the thought into myself. I felt like I was in between worlds, losing sight of what was real and what wasn¡¯t. Data Mimicry V.0.07 has updated to V.0.08 Effect: Increases separation of egos while reading Implant Warpcode. Slowly, the pain lessened, enough for me to talk. ¡°I saw the memories of a man named Kalus. His execution.¡± Diamante shifted to the name. ¡°How is this possible? He died almost thirty years ago¡­¡± ¡°You knew him?¡± ¡°Of a sorts¡­¡± Diamante spoke softly, it was odd hearing that steely tone sounding something other than smug or angry. ¡°He worked for The Warden, responsible for keeping track of all the codes needed to unlock the prison cells.¡± ¡°He gave one of the codes to someone named Hammersmith¡­ they took, it was a girl¡­ no.¡± It wasn¡¯t just any child. ¡°The girl.¡± Diamante¡¯s body stood still, and it was unlike the way any human body stilled, where there was bound to be slight changes in your chest as you breathe or the reflexive twitch in an eye. Diamante might as well have died standing for a few moments before his voice came out like he¡¯d spoken into a tin can. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°I¡­ really don¡¯t, okay if I can ask?¡± This had to be a better way of doing it without him getting angry. Though it was pretty apparent his sigh came out from annoyance. ¡°Fine, you bastard, I have ties to Metal Heavens. Won¡¯t say in what way exactly but I was here when this place was run by them. Then one day a man came in, a legendary Shard Op¡¯ who goes by Hammersmith, no one knew his face¡­ not even his general physique since he was constantly covered in this bulky armor that layered him from head to toe. I was younger back then, but I remember there being a commotion when he entered¡­ they praised him like a saint. Metal Heavens being shard freaks and all¡­ ¡°Except, as you can probably guess, he wasn¡¯t too excited by the way things were run here. Opened up all the prisoner doors in a flash, then wiped out everyone¡¯s mobility with an EMP at the Gold Grade. No deaths, he just evacuated them while taking one girl specifically.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if I was pushing things but there had to be more to the story. ¡°Who was the girl? And where¡¯s Hammersmith now?¡± ¡°The girl¡­ she¡¯s someone special. Someone dangerous. Someone you shouldn¡¯t piss off or she¡¯ll bite your head off. As for Hammersmith himself¡­ a bit of a Nomad, he is. Spent a couple years here before disappearing into the wind. Don¡¯t know where he is now, his form¡¯s always changing, we just identify him by his Shard Op¡¯ Claw¡­ because it¡¯s not a claw.¡± ¡°A hammer?¡± I guessed. ¡°People say that it can create miracles.¡± Diamante had something new in his voice, a belief. ¡°It can.¡± Now was the time to catch him in the act. ¡°You were a prisoner, weren¡¯t you?¡± His emotionless face looked down upon me. ¡°You¡¯re being quite¡­ nosy for someone with a bucket of blood pouring out their nose.¡± ¡°Blood?¡± I pressed my fingers on the philtrum of my lips, they were a stark crimson when I raised them up to my eyes. Then looking down, I could see a splatter of my blood growing on the floor with each second of dripping blood. ¡°Wha-?¡± I tried to take a step, but the ground had disappeared from beneath me. Diamante was quick, catching me in moments with an apologetic tone peering out. ¡°Shit¡­ you weren¡¯t exactly wrong with the whole absorbing BUGs directly thing could be dangerous. Normally we start on unused BUGs since they have simpler Warpcode. Not as effective as a used one, but it¡¯s easier to digest. You¡¯re having a mild case of a Warp Burn.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t going to take me out of the gig today, right?¡± I asked with a slight worry in my tone. He helped me take support against a wall. ¡°Nah. Just need some rest, your brain¡¯s a bit fried. But in good news, expect yourself to get a couple more updates from now on. Your Implant can use the unused Warpcode to update your Features.¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Oh, I already got some.¡± ¡°Yeah that can happen if it¡¯s been awhile and you¡¯ve got a backlog of learned data in your Implant.¡± ¡°Actually¡­¡± I scanned through the updates I¡¯d just recieved, in particular the ones I¡¯d specifically been gifted from the Implants. ¡°I think I¡¯m¡­ copying their updates into mine.¡± I sent over a screenshot of my update log, Diamante¡¯s metal body once again becoming a dead sculpture of steel in thought. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be fucking kidding me¡­ you turned a Protocol into an update??!¡± ¡°I guess¡­¡± I raised my hand up, trying to imitate what I¡¯d felt happen in the dream. Or flashback. It was surprising how smooth my body redirected my Warp Energy from my liver and back, guessing that the second Energized update must have had some role to play in that. Then as I focused my Energy on the tips of my claws, using Warp Sink as a fountainhead to spread my energy down the fingertips¡­ I realized that a thin golden layer was simmering across the fingers of my claw down to my knuckles. Diamante just stared, looking at it from all angles until something clicked in him. ¡°It is the Warp Sheath Protocol, albeit weaker. Maybe at 20% of it¡¯s expected output. This isn¡¯t normal Ripley, you shouldn¡¯t be able to mimic this just off one fucking Implant, it takes months to stabilize your Warp Energy projection to even be applicable for that protocol.¡± ¡°But Data Mimicry can steal all of the prerequisite Warpcode and just¡­ give it to me.¡± I grinded my teeth, I wanted to do some further testing. ¡°How much longer until I can try again?¡± ¡°For your Developement. Tier I Implants¡­ normally twelve hours per Iron BUG, or a couple days in between Bronzes. And just so you know ¡ª this place isn¡¯t going to be a free buffet for you, Ripley. I just need you to be useful, that¡¯s why Missy suggested I bring you here.¡± He sounded quite serious about it. ¡°This place has a hundred-and-twelve Iron BUGs, fourteen Bronze BUGs and one Silver. It¡¯s all mine rightfully, so after today, you¡¯ll need to pay considering that selling this shit is where I get most of my funds¡­ and¡­ will you stop drooling!¡± Huh, I wiped my mouth¡­ I guess I got a little excited when he mentioned just how many Implants were here. ¡°Sorry, just¡­ considering if I want to lighten my wallet right about now. What about Shardware¡­ any here?¡± ¡°Lots.¡± He flashed a silver-toothed smile at me. ¡°Experimental ones.¡± I gulped, resting my head against the wall¡­ today was already worth it. ¡ª¡ª¡ª A quick nap left my head relatively stable, and Diamante had been nice enough to give me suitable BUGs with the Accommodation and Database Features ¡ª and as replacement for Energized, he suggested Jailbreak. He seemed pretty intent on it too. Jailbreak had similar qualities to Dataweaving, in that it was the easier to use and more generalized cousin ¡ª less effort was needed other than pushing your Warpcode into more and more dangerous situations to train it. Dataweaving allowed a raw, unrefined, ability to manipulate Warpcode directly through practice ¡ª being primarily the Feature used for deep dives and cyberhacking Neuroframes. Jailbreak on the other hand, could be thought of as simple executions of predetermined algorithms, allowing quicker but less complicated employment of Warpcode manipulation. In the case of this specific Jailbreak BUG, the updates all aligned with the general premise of slipping past a DataShield and interfacing with Shardware directly. The newer Accommodation BUG was pretty simple too, belonging to what he said was an old Shard Op¡¯ and could temporarily increase my affinity with my Claws. He also let me keep the old BUG with the Feature since he wanted to know how I would interact with the unrefined Warpcode. Turns out a Tier 0 Implant and a fresh Tier One Implant all had the same amount of Warpcode within them, it¡¯s just that the Tier One Implant refined it all into updates while the Tier 0 had a crude storage of it. Other than those two, my Database BUG was used by a former Metal Heavens goon who occasionally scrapped for them. It wasn¡¯t specialized in any particular direction, allowing me to better memorize Shardware schematics as well as train muscle memory a tad bit better. Shortly after recovering, he led me to another part of the armory where he had a duffel bag laying around and tossed me what looked like a large ring made of steel. It had five spherical slots running through it, something he quickly explained. ¡°Don¡¯t want to be carrying all of the Implants in your pockets now, do I?¡± He was right, my pockets were quite full. So a few minutes tinkering with my left arm and the ring was suitably fitted with all five BUGs at my disposal slotted in. It worked. I could freely switch between them, taking about a twenty second lag in the process of doing so. Then he gave me a simple bodysuit, told me to wear it under my clothes next time I was called on. It¡¯s material was smooth but had a toughness if you squeezed it, some semi-liquid layer within the body armor if I was right. A bit loose when I wore it on, he told me to tap right over my sternum. It squeezed like a snug blanket, I could barely even feel it when I was moving. After that he pulled out a mask and some sleeves, saying this was for concealing my identity. The mask itself was similar to the body armor, and despite it being entirely black wearing it didn¡¯t hamper my vision at all. The sleeves comfortably concealed over my arms and legs and would retract back when using Shardware, leaving only my hands and feet free. I was shocked to see that he led me somewhere else, another wall full of cabinets and drawers but this time were wider than they were tall rather than the square ones we saw before. ¡°What gun do you want?¡± A simple question. ¡°Don¡¯t really want one.¡± I felt stupid saying it. ¡°Not really a good shot.¡± ¡°Trust me. You¡¯ll want it¡­¡± Diamante started typing in something on the terminal. ¡°This job is a lot easier when you don¡¯t have blood on your hands.¡± A smaller cabinet was dragged down, within it lay a hybrid between a submachine-gun and a pistol with a red streak running along its silver angles. He picked it up gingerly, passing me a few rounds of ammo and strangely a Datacube. ¡°Link up to it. Download the Warpcode signature off the Cube, it¡¯ll bind to your frame.¡± ¡°A Smart Gun?¡± I raised my eyebrow at the weapon, it was sleek and fairly small. ¡°A Mazhyr Interloper, 2465. Damn.¡± ¡°So you know a few things about firearms after all.¡± Diamante chuckled. ¡°Production went down a few years back, the internal lock-on system takes too much space so it lacks a punch. Not capable of fighting the MAL, but a human would die, definitely.¡± I knew enough about guns. I just read the etched label on the side of the gun to figure out it¡¯s name, guess Anderson really did teach me something after all. A quick download from the Datacube and a start-up of the gun sent up a back and forth of various requests until it was firmly linked. External Link established: Iron-Grade Mazhyr Interloper 2465 Yeah, I¡¯m not telling Diamante this. But the gun was not going to live long with a Feature-Link like that. I stared at my left Claws tips, an excitement shivering through me. Diamante seemed to really like talking about the gun though, explaining it without me needing to press it. ¡°Specializes in smaller, more-focused, targeting on objects with mobility. Minimal recoil too, a fucking shame the Swarm¡¯s so soon, was really hoping they¡¯d ship out a 2495 model.¡± ¡°Would take a few decades till it lands here, though.¡± I was already testing the weapon out, a small reticle in my vision showed me where the bullets would end up and if I focused on an area for long enough I had an internal sense that my aim was being drawn to it. ¡°Not if you have sources like mine.¡± He tapped me on the shoulder, motioning that we were on the move. ¡°Also, time you know about the job.¡± I focused immediately, this was important. I had to do well. ¡°Job¡¯s not all that complicated. Around a week ago, Crimson Souls had a bust on one of their firearm deals, a pretty big one with the Juniperos. Lost quite a bit of trust, so we¡¯re going to meet Crimson Souls on our hire¡¯ behalf in case something goes wrong. Our hire is the Black Sand Union, an anti-Imperium group, they¡¯re always a secretive bunch, and have a policy where they hide their faces with a holographic mask. Sometimes they even tear their real face off.¡± ¡°Black Sand Union¡­ never heard of them. What happens if one of them is identified?¡± ¡°The fact that you haven¡¯t heard of them is exactly what they want. They have stakes in corporate espionage, and the more you look the deeper it gets. And as for their identity? Someone get¡¯s sight of you, then the Black Sand drowns you.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± Yeah, don¡¯t want to piss them off. ¡°Wait, I¡¯m covering my face, am I supposed to act like I¡¯m one of their members?¡± ¡°Nope. They use a different type of mask. Yours still has the outline of your facial structure, someone high up enough could reconstruct your appearance on that alone. Their faces look like melted puddles of black sand, it¡¯s how they got their name.¡± ¡°Speaking of names¡­ we got any codenames? Don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be calling me Ripley out in the open. And what should I call you?¡± Diamante mulled on it for a moment. ¡°Diamante. And you¡¯re going to be Ripper.¡± ¡°Ripper?¡± That was a bit¡­ on the nose. ¡°Ripley, Ripper¡­ you couldn¡¯t be a bit more creative? Besides, shouldn¡¯t I get to choose?¡± ¡°Actually no, you¡¯d be surprised but a whole lot of codenames are coined because someone else called you that.¡± He seemed to be talking from experience. ¡°What¡¯s yours? Other than Diamante.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡± It was the first time he actually said not to bring up a topic. I respected that. ¡ª¡ª¡ª 5:22 PM ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Diamante stopped at an old gas station heading up the A75 highway up to the Yellowstone District. We¡¯d been driving for nearly three hours, and actually had some nice small talk about my upcoming Shardware changes¡­ he knew his shit. He pulled into a small parking lot that crept up behind the gas station itself. There were quite a few abandoned vehicles ¡ª torn up scrap littering the floor from whoever broke them apart. We got out, Diamante moving confidently ahead of me until we approached another car where two people, a woman and a man got out. Their eyes were crimson. ¡°Where the hell¡¯s Black Sand?¡± The woman said with bitterness, her face covered by a gas mask. Just from the way the gravel crunched under her feet, I knew that she was packed with Shardware, both arms were thin and slender but each joint was jagged and sharp. ¡°Sent us. Pretty sure you know why.¡± Diamante flashed up a token he¡¯d shown me before, it was some old ancient coin from the pre-collapse days. This one was marked with a black spot of ink that squirmed around. She studied the coin, tossing it back to Diamante. ¡°Black Sand Union never told us they were sending someone new, what¡¯s to say you didn¡¯t nab this off one of their bodies. Along with info on the deal?¡± The man behind her, tall and heavy, clutched a large blade in his hands ever so closer. ¡°Do you even know what they¡¯re buying?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really care¡­¡± Diamante tucked the coin back in his pockets. ¡°Just that I¡¯m getting paid a healthy sum to bring whatever it is over. They said I didn¡¯t need to have a whole lot of space for it, so if that¡¯s information you think is necessary, then there.¡± ¡°We¡¯re taking the higher risk here, you know.¡± The woman said. ¡°Besides, good¡¯s a Datacube. They already have the encryption key, and we¡¯re being paid in service, but¡­¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Diamante¡¯s knuckles tightened. ¡°I know who you are.¡± The woman¡¯s arms lengthened as her smile turned sinister, her limb¡¯s bladed joints loosening so that crimson chords released the mass of her arm until it clumped up on the floor like a rope of knives. ¡°The Iron Devil. Bounty of¡­ what was it? Fourty Million placed by Metal Heaven¡¯s Silver Saint? Your friend there can take the cube, but you¡¯re coming with us. Oh and by the way, is he fine with getting a mil?¡± They both stared at me¡­ and I¡­ I was considering it. It could change alot, but then it all had to come down to one thing. Diamante was bullshitting me about a lot. Bullshitting about who he was and where he came from, but I think I realized something mid-way through the day. Diamante took a glance away from them, at me. ¡°What are you thinking Ripper? Am I worth it?¡± Missy never asked Diamante to get me geared up, she probably never even authorized this gig in the first place, and whether he was doing it to protect me¡­ or more likely himself. It meant something. It meant that even if the two of us couldn¡¯t see eye to eye on a lot, he trusted me to some degree. And I sure as hell didn¡¯t trust those two. Their offer was a scam. My claw burned with Bronze candle-tips along each fingertip. ¡°No.¡± Blood and Steel C40: Bad Deal Chapter 40: Bad Deal Diamante¡¯s arm was loud, a Silver glow buzzing through with pulsating circuity. ¡°Let me start this by saying, you¡¯re making a mistake¡­ if you¡¯re lucky and smart, you¡¯ll finish the deal with me making it out unscratched. And also, I don¡¯t know when my reputation hit such lows that a goddamn Finger thinks they can kill me. You¡¯re not that good, Razorpede, if you¡¯re smart, you¡¯ll know it''s time to apologize.¡± The whip-armed woman was named¡­ Razorpede? She snickered, her crimson eyes stoked with a deeper flame of rage. ¡°I know enough to be aware that you¡¯re only strong if you have time to prepare ¡ª you¡¯re not wearing that body. And you, kid, what¡¯d you say your name was?¡± ¡°Ripper.¡± I confidently said. ¡°Ripper?¡± She tried to hold back a laugh. ¡°Bold name for someone who¡¯s clearly still wet behind the ears, just take the Devil¡¯s Frame and scan through the logs once we¡¯re done with him. Don¡¯t worry, if anything, Black Sand Union¡¯s gonna be happy. Less money falling down their drain if they¡¯re only paying one merc.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ just make them pay the full amount to me.¡± It was the smartest thing I could come up with. ¡°Look, I ain¡¯t betraying him.¡± She scowled. ¡°Tch, Yamato¡­ take him out.¡± The gun in my left hand spurned to motion as the man behind her moved like a blur, leg modifications driving momentum that he swerved across his shoulders and elbows until his sword was over my head in a blink. My right forearm caught the blade, it lodged deep into the metallic shell until the metal had chipped. I shoved the man, pushing out all the Bronze in it to leave him stumbling back. Diamante still didn¡¯t move, either at me or Razorpede, he just stood still. Razorpede¡¯s whip-arm snapped in his direction, like an enraged metallic centipede lashing out to score his body deeply with legs of knives. Or at least, that¡¯s what I would have expected to happen. A firework might as well have blown on top of him from how many sparks had just been grated off his motionless form. ¡°Ripper. Let¡¯s see what you can do. I¡¯ll keep her busy.¡± Diamante clicked his tongue, looking utterly unphased. The whirring of of his left arm cascaded into a shrill pierce, a long cylinder pulling out of it with various wires feeding into it¡¯s barrel. He shot forward a blue pellet at Razorpede that she dodged, when it hit a car ¡ª the entire vehicle tipped over as a crumpled mess. That was the last of what I could see before I was consumed by my own battle as steel swerved to dig my flesh out. My Preservation Matrix kept me calm, any thoughts about to boil up into anxiety quenched by an artificial pulse of my Warp Energy. I allowed the Gold to act up for this, while the converted Bronze flowed up my limbs. Yamato struck several more times with his blade, my right arm acting as my only shield from such a weapon. The gun in my left hand attempted to initate a few times, and each time I raised it my foe expertly weaved behind the plethora of cars and scrap piled around me. It was only with the Matrix acting up to the slightest sound or peripheral sight that I could react to him pouncing from the sides. I wished my Matrix could do more right now, it didn¡¯t urge me to move in a way that was predatory. Instead, I dashed to cover of my own while he vanished away, my mind thinking best of ways to survive rather than win. The two weren¡¯t mutually exclusive. So while my subconscious acted on the defense, my own active thoughts had to deal with the trouble of offense. If I had to gander, his legs were his main outputting Shardware, after all the rules of Accomodation meant that the more Shardware you spread around your body, the weaker each individual piece had to be. I thought it through, each time he swung, he made sure to take a big step and lean on that force rather than push out from his arms. Made sense, the arms were a more vulnerable area to attack as my own scarred right arm was understanding first-hand. Take out the legs, you take out his true weapon. So I swallowed up my dry mouth, and pushed into action. I didn¡¯t see him, not immediately, but when a crunch of glass spiked my nerves to action I twisted my body just in time to react to the incoming blade. He had a gun aimed at me and a proud smirk. Overclock acted through my left leg, the fleshier right one aching as I rolled away into cover. A pitter-patter of exploding glass and metal trailed behind me, the heat of sparks and rattling vibrations of one bullet impacting my left arm gnawed up the stump I¡¯d only recently started healing. That had been close. But now he was reloading, and Overclock acted again at my disposal, an equally powerful kick launching me into the air above the car with my own weapon aimed at his legs. The yellow lock-on symbol slowly grew smaller, taking around two seconds until it turned red. But two seconds was a lot in combat, he had already made way towards me and I was still in the air. It was ironic in a way, that I had to land on the leg that had been broken by my last fall to keep my other one stable, my lack of balance was noted by my opponent. He took every advantage of it, the blade coming down from my left onto my neck. This time blocking it with an arm caused an ugly wrench of metal that stopped only once I sheathed it with Bronze Warp Energy, my left arm¡¯s lower durability showcased clearly for him to witness. I tried punching out with my right hand, but he had slipped away like an annoying fly. He stopped just out of reach of my fist, after all, it¡¯s not like someone¡¯s fingertips could launch out? That¡¯s where he was wrong, he tried acting up again, his blade angled to let me know he was advancing right into the trajectory of all five fingers. I¡¯d trained my aim in my spare time, it still wasn¡¯t good, it had never been. But the odds increased when you could shoot five of them at once at close range, and I¡¯d managed to manipulate fortune in my favor when two of them sparked metal and one bit into flesh. Bronze-sheathed wires snapped back just as quick as they launched, his chest, shoulder and knee all reeled and twisted out of their predicted paths, some wires criss-crossing over each other to turn his body in different directions ¡ª his knee being pulled up while his chest and shoulder were yanked clockwise. Except, my own arm dragged me forward faster than I pulled him, it was one hand versus three different body parts and force acted equally and oppositely, my advantage being that he was already in motion and I was predicting this. His stomach folded around my steel knee, my neck strained from the angle at which I¡¯d needed to keep it to avoid that blade¡­ faint blood dribbling down my cheek and into my shirt. ¡°The fuck was that¡­!¡± He groaned, his hands still clenched onto the blade which he tried to dig into me. My right arm took the force again, a weaker strike that was easy enough for me to leverage Bronze strength against his Iron hold over the weapon, and I smacked it out down into the gravel. Then with my Matrix acting up, my other arm struck his elbow to prevent him from taking out his pistol. Five digits expanded into becoming intricate tools of Shardware manipulation, each spawning fine blades and scalpels that dug through the joint and froze it into place. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. A sudden impact into my jaw sent me rolling back in pain. Tears fell down in a waterfall carrying that agony, but it was stuffed to the back of my mind as he came at me again. One of his elbows was locked stiff, the other swung loose, but he failed to notice the truth of my past actions. The Founder of Yuzhou had once famously said that a war could take years to end, it being the culmination of all the battles that took place in it. A battle could take a few minutes to a few hours, until all the souls on only one side remained. And a soul took only seconds to either live, or perish. Five fine threads still bound us together, while my left arm had gone for his elbow, my right latched on his legs. With a Bronze fueled tug, I swept him off balance mid-stride, then I activated my Energized protocol through each string. Warp Sink. I¡¯d seen a little of what it could do on the coffin, it was a massive slap of my Warp Energy into neural-wiring. I¡¯d tested it out a couple of times on other Shardware, and if I¡¯d used my Gold then the Iron Grade legs would probably short circuit due to a low Integrity. Except I¡¯d switched over to Jailbreak the second I¡¯d leaped above that car. And now¡­ Mimicking complete, you now have access to the Feature Jailbreak V.1.00 My Bronze swept through both limbs like a high tide over a poorly planned beach house, drowning the Iron Energy he fed them and wrestling them into nothing but weight dragging him down. His body skidded on the floor, his left arm locked in place and his right failing to do a one-armed pushup. I strode around his body, standing on the opposite side of his working arm¡¯s attempt to flail that machete¡­ it was kind of pathetic. A quick shot from my right index finger struck his elbow, just as quickly pulsing Bronze in it to freeze in place¡­ then I held up his sword, both of his eyes glistening as the weight of his life weighed above him. ¡°Don¡¯t kill him, Ripper¡­ just take some souvenirs.¡± Came Diamante¡¯s calm voice, lazily swatting away one or multiple lashings from Razorpede¡¯s deadly arms. His trenchcoat was scratched off to expose the bulky robotic body underneath, completely unharmed, and he only shot out as though he was trying to keep the woman at bay rather than kill her. ¡°Souveniers?¡­¡± I asked, but Diamante responded as though I¡¯d asked a different question, but it still explained my own well enough. ¡°Better to have them go back with a lesson, it¡¯s unlikely they¡¯ll willingly tell the others not to mess with us. We need them to show why.¡± Diamante laughed, taking a beating as he explained. ¡°Got it!¡± I raised my thumb, which sparked into three blades along with my other fingers. My hands plunged down to take the spoils of battle. I was rough with my work, mostly dislocating the joints near his hips, it was the muscles he had that were extraordinary. Then just for show, I swept up his machete, it seemed to be a bit of External Shardware. The man sobbed silently through the process, and it kind of dug through me deeper than if I had just killed him outright. Was I really going to kill him? The thought shivered through me, in all my other fights they hadn¡¯t ended until my attackers were dead so it troubled me just how naturally I¡¯d assumed that to be the case here. ¡°Now Ripper? You want to help me out here?¡± Diamante said, blocking a red blade with his face. I stared at the woman, her entire body twisted in fury that swung out her two-meter-long arms which formed a shifting mass of iron ribbons that deflected off my ally¡¯s body. They moved too fast for me to track, and she seemed so deadly intent on killing Diamante that she didn¡¯t even register that I''d taken out her ally. ¡°Do I uh¡­ have to? You seem to have this pretty figured out.¡± Yeah those fingernails looked sharp, and even the sides of her metallic plates had jagged edges that could pierce me in a second. ¡°She¡¯s got a Protocol that keeps her only on one foe. Just give me a suitable opening.¡± He said as he lazily shot a bullet, whizzing inches from her ear. Okay¡­ so a test of sorts. I took sight of everything about her, Bronze Energy chaotically spasming out every corner of her Shardware, all focused on her back and arms that thrashed about like rabid centipedes. I could try sweeping her off her feet, but the lashing from each blade was a tornado of metal I wasn¡¯t sure I could pierce¡­ An idea floated in my head¡­ if she wasn¡¯t focused on anything I did¡­ then¡­ yeah, if I stood far enough that she couldn¡¯t see it. I tapped the Neuroframe of my fallen foe, a fiery spark from my finger digging deep until I melted and fried his frame so he wouldn¡¯t be awake to see it as well. Then I walked around to a suitable position, leisurely taking my time to aim up my claw as I braced my metal leg against a car¡¯s door. It was good my knee was reinforced, because this was going to hurt. Five claws shot and they all dug into metal, past her back and into a car¡¯s hood. ¡°Ripper¡­ you missed.¡± Diamante deadpanned me, letting a surge of blades whack against his head. They ricocheted and cleaved through another vehicle with ease. ¡°Just watch.¡± The Golden wires began to snap back to me, my foot digging deep into the door as the hood of the other car snapped off, slamming into her body and knocking her down like she¡¯d been hit by a meteor. Then the slab of metal rattled into my car. ¡°Ow.¡± I puffed as my knee stung with the impact, which fortunately freed my tips out of the hood as they clicked back into place on my right hand. ¡°That work?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ sure.¡± Two shots from his transformed arm blew into her legs, metal chips spraying into the air. Then he kicked her in the face, the metallic eyes rolled up until they were a void of black in her sockets. ¡°Feel free to scavenge.¡± I did just that, carefully prying out both arms from her body¡­ each weighing a considerable amount. It took a few minutes loosening all the intricate locks that kept it together, and I was a bit nervous that she¡¯d wake up so the dismantling wasn¡¯t the best. Then as I was done loading them into the trunk of our car, I surveyed the scene which was kind of humorous in retrospect. A guy with no legs and a girl with no arms¡­ yeah, that would definitely show Crimson Soul. Diamante scavenged out a Datacube, laughing hysterically the whole time even as we got seated in the car. ¡°Oh Delilah¡¯s gonna have a field day when they get back.¡± He started the engine, while I propped up an eyebrow. ¡°Who¡¯s Delilah?¡± ¡°The woman who hired us to beat them down.¡± ¡°I thought you said it was Black Sand Union who hired us¡­ don¡¯t they have a policy of secrecy? You sure you should be sharing their name out loud.¡± ¡°Oh yeah no, it¡¯s not Black Sand Union who hired us. Besides, if you were hired by them¡­ you wouldn¡¯t even know it. They work through fixers, not direct contact.¡± We began to drive out onto the highway, this would be a long drive back so hopefully my confusion could be abated. ¡°Then where¡¯s Delilah from?¡± ¡°Take a guess.¡± He continued driving. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Did Crimson Soul hire us to beat down their own goons?¡± It was the only possible outcome where we didn¡¯t start an immediate gang conflict. ¡°Oof, I was really hoping you¡¯d continue to make a fool out of yourself.¡± Well, that confirmed it. ¡°You going to tell me why? Or should I guess it myself?¡± ¡°Tch, I¡¯ll entertain your tiny brain today. Delilah¡¯s their boss, you see, Razorpede and Yamato have a habit of trying to make extra Shardyne during any deal they try and work out. Puts alot of jobs at risk, and with the Crimson Soul¡¯s last big transfer getting busted that meant it was even worse. So Delilah organized a whole fake deal, made sure that at some point they had seen my bounty and just loaded the cube with a bunch of porn instead.¡± ¡°So we were sent to knock some sense into them? All gigs¡­ like this?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little disappointment. ¡°Nope. We were hired to discipline them, pretty sure you¡¯ve learned now that the best way to learn the consequences is by experiencing them.¡± Diamante looked at my left arm through the rearview mirror. ¡°Yeah¡­ okay but why keep this a secret from me?¡± His metal throat boomed with steeled joy. ¡°Because it was fun seeing you so freaked out. Gotta bully the rookies a little bit!¡± ¡°Fun?¡± I turned my head to the window, staring at the passing road-signs with a slight smile on my face. ¡°Maybe.¡± Blood and Steel C41: Two Highways Chapter 41: Two Highways SynTec Analyst¡¯s personal view on the Old_Data; Author unknown. What the world once knew as the internet no longer exists, it had been in disarray since The Collapse left most of Earth¡¯s telecommunication devices without power. Even more troubling was the solar flare in 2097, all remaining satellites and underwater network cables ceased functioning due to the electromagnetic storm passing through the planet. All of it would have been lost, ironically enough, had it not been for the MAL. Four years after the flare, the MALswarm descended from the heavens and overtook all of the planet¡¯s destroyed technology, remaking them into living phenomena of engineering. Perhaps most worrisome, is what they did with the internet. A library containing all of human knowledge left in scattered pieces by a natural storm of radiation, yet the MAL had used it. They had found some sense within that chaos, perhaps they could only consume it because they were chaotic themselves. Or maybe it is better to say that the chaos of the fractured data consumed them? Most worrisome is how the Data Devourers took after Artificial Intelligence, causing them to become [REDACTED]. They achieved a singularity within the Warpcode, thousand of MALs sometimes acting as one. The MALtitan at the epicenter of the Old_Data. The Allseeing. That is why the Old_Data is sealed off. We have NeoCore to thank for that, but that only troubles me more. Because it means they have access to it, they know what¡¯s in there. Why haven¡¯t they told us? Haithama¡¯s resurgence of a Warpcode-based SecondNet¡­ hasn¡¯t it only given it more food? What will happen if they break out again? I just hope I¡¯m dead by the time that happens. 4:32 PM July 10th The last couple of days after the job had been¡­ nice. I was getting work done, I was getting better at it, I was learning quicker and I was finally getting to understand the people I would be working with. ¡°You¡¯re in a chirpy mood¡­ is it because of your partner today?¡± Daylight teased me, poking her holographic finger into my cheek. ¡°I swear to god, are you and Twilight best friends or something? Gossiping all the time?¡± An exasperated sigh ripped free of the confines of my chest, if I had to hear one more ¡®seduce Elsa plan¡¯ then I was going to lose my shit. ¡°No¡­ Ripley¡­ you are!¡± She hugged me,the warmth buzzing through me pleasantly. ¡°Then as my best friend¡­ mind giving me a hand with these next few muscles?¡± I gave my best impression of a ¡®looking helpless¡¯ expression, but Psyche didn¡¯t quite help me with acting. She still indulged me, her warmth spreading through every synthetic and organic bone of my body. Daylight Protocol Activated All three sisters had some sort of twist on control. Daylight¡¯s was subtle, she was less a puppeteer and more of a second brain that handled all the lower-conscious tasks at play in my mind. My eyesight sharpened, my fingers became more obedient, breathing mellowed and heart rate smoothed. She even had subtle effects on my mood. Twilight on the other hand represented a more conscious control, she could directly manipulate limbs but only to her knowledge of them. It wasn¡¯t like she could just become a master Shard Op¡¯ by possessing the body of one. As for Midnight¡­ I would have to see her to know what it is. And this was important information today, I was working with Mirage if what Missy said on my break was to be believed. Even Daylight wasn¡¯t aware that Mirage had specifically asked for my aid on the job. It was good to know that neither of the Persona¡¯s were that omniscient. ¡°So how¡¯s a NetDelve¡­ never did a deep dive before, sure my frame can handle it?¡± I was wary about sinking my consciousness into a digital world. ¡°Nope!¡± Daylight confidently answered as rewired the muscle onto the spine. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, her Neuroframe can take it! She¡¯s already carrying three other mental bodies in with her, one like yours should be no issue!¡± ¡°That sounds like an insult.¡± I pointed it out to her. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to call you dumb or anything, it''s just that your mind¡¯s relatively small right now!¡± That sounded worse. ¡°Uh okay, so what¡¯s the worst that could happen?¡± ¡°Well, whenever me or Twilight aren¡¯t with you, we normally dive into the net for a few days. It¡¯s quiet on the surface, think of it like a reeeeaaally deep ocean, the more you sink down the creepier the data and your threats become. At lower AbyssNet levels, you could even find a stray Data Devourer.¡± So MALware attacks. ¡°And what about the human threat?¡± ¡°Datashields, cyberthiefs and Intrusion Countermeasures. We¡¯ll be fitting you with a DS before you dive in, Elsa¡¯d be stupid not to. Plus, since it would be crafted by her, it would easily be better than any cheaper stuff you¡¯d find sold around.¡± She swirled out of my body as the job finished up, leaving me done for the day unless I decided to take some overtime. As I was heading out, I first stopped by the gym showers. It was better than the one at my apartment even though a hundred sweaty goons used it last week. Readied up, I dried my hair with a towel and waited, Topaz rolling out soon through the changing room. ¡°Yo.¡± He waved at me, Topaz was around my age and somehow the most talkative yet least known member of Missy¡¯s group to me. I¡¯d heard that he has a brother from among the gym rabble, but he never really indulged most on topics other than the ones at hand. ¡°Looking for a drive?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± I nodded thankfully, the place I was supposed to head to was some hostel an hour¡¯s off from here. A monorail would be quicker, but I was coming to like the company. ¡°Hop in. Once we¡¯re not naked tho.¡± He said, patting the buzzed yellow hair dry once more. I wondered if it had been dyed because the way it all contrasted against his dark skin was definitely a statement, his whole body was. He had piercings in more places than I could count, hidden even under his shirt as our time in the changing room had shown. Not that I was staring¡­ they were just¡­ shiny. And spiky. He kind of reminded me of Mirage in a way with the piercings. Except she wouldn¡¯t step a foot in a gym like this, and he was much more friendly to the blind eye. ¡°Honestly¡­ I want a piercing.¡± I casually mentioned as the car started up. He had a hard time believing it. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Really.¡± I was honest. ¡°Yours look¡­ cool, Mirage¡¯s too.¡± ¡°Well, I could take you to my guy. He knows his shit, and he¡¯s fabulous with tattoos as well, even holographic ones.¡± Holographic tattoos were just the latest fad, it was rare to find someone skilled in them. ¡°Damn, really?¡± ¡°Really. Also like, sorry man, know you joined up and all but I haven¡¯t been able to give you a second to really get to know me. You just joined at a really inopportune time, don¡¯t know if Missy told you but there¡¯s a big job coming up. More than a mil in pay. Each.¡± He chewed his teeth in excitement, seemingly thrilled at telling me. ¡°Wait¡­ really?¡± That certainly was news to me. ¡°Sure¡­ I could spill the tea if you want?¡± He chuckled. ¡°Spill¡­ the tea?¡± I had never heard that phrase in my life. He sighed. ¡°Old pre-collapse lingo used by a more¡­ fun folk. Means to spill out the details, share a secret, gossip¡­ that kind of stuff.¡± ¡°Never been the gossip type.¡± I lied. ¡°But¡­ maybe I could use a little, you wouldn¡¯t believe the shit Twilight and Daylight say about me.¡± ¡°That you have a small crush on Elsa, right?¡± Topaz raised an eyebrow at me, a smug one when you know more than you¡¯re letting on. My hands burdened the shame of my groan, already the rumor mill was tarnishing my reputation. ¡°It¡¯s not a crush¡­ just an interest. So far I¡¯ve talked to her Personas a lot more than the real thing. I want to-¡° ¡°They¡¯re real, Ripley. They¡¯re real people, all of them.¡± Topaz firmly stood on that opinion. ¡°Yeah.¡± I let the regret show on my voice, nodding nervously as Daylight appeared in the rear-view mirror with nothing but a devilish smile. ¡°You¡¯re right, they¡¯re all certainly unique individuals. I just want to get to know where they all came from, if that makes sense.¡± ¡°Yeah it does, we¡¯re chill here. For what it¡¯s worth, she thinks you¡¯re worth being nice to.¡± Topaz steered out the gym driveway. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°She hasn¡¯t sent you Midnight yet.¡± ¡°Is she really that bad?¡± ¡°Only when Midnight¡¯s annoyed, and she gets annoyed easily. I don¡¯t have high hopes for you.¡± He stuck out his tongue in a teasing way. ¡°But I¡¯ve tamed her.¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°No he has not!¡± Daylight chimed in. ¡°Daylight says you haven¡¯t.¡± I repeated. ¡°Well, Daylight, that¡¯s what you think, and you know what? You get to live in your ignorance because I don¡¯t spill out valuable information easily.¡± I twisted my head back to him. ¡°You literally asked me if I wanted you to¡­ spill the tea?¡± ¡°Only if it¡¯s fun to share. And there are some secrets which are more fun for me to keep.¡± He wagged his eyebrows at me, but from Daylight¡¯s more furious reaction I got the sense it was meant for her. ¡ª¡ª¡ª 20 minutes later after bullying Daylight some more¡­ ¡°So like¡­ you never made a move on Mirage, right?¡± I felt like I needed to clear the air here first. ¡°Geez, Ripley, I thought you had sharp eyes.¡± Topaz snorted, while Daylight started to crack away in a fit of laughter. Was I missing something? He swept his nonexistent hair up, relishing a sweet gasp of air as though to prepare himself. ¡°If you were more muscular, it would be me trying to nab you instead of Mirage.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± I got the drift. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my friend Hoaqin would love you.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª 5 minutes later after showing Topaz a picture of Hoaqin¡­ ¡°Okay, so yeah he¡¯s not really gay! I was just exaggerating that for the sake of comedy but like¡­ seriously, that¡¯s your type?! Muscleheads with small dicks?!¡± Topaz was still gushing over the picture of Hoaqin I showed. He barked back. ¡°You talk alot for a man who likes women that are emotionally unstable.¡± I defended myself like any sane man would. ¡°Hey¡­ it¡¯s kind of¡­ you know.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª 15 minutes after discussing how they both have toxic taste in partners¡­ ¡°We need therapy.¡± We both unanimously agreed, then chuckled. ¡ª¡ª¡ª 10 minutes later¡­ they arrived. ¡°I have heard too much!¡± Daylight¡¯s eyes were on the edge of tears, their inner gaze hollow from the dew of forbidden knowledge. ¡°You¡¯re carrying this to your grave.¡± I warned her as we strolled up the quiet rundown hostel. Entering the specific room we¡¯d been told, we found Mirage and Missy seated around a pulsating floor. It took me a second to notice that the reason the floor was pulsating was because it was covered in a thick layer of arranged Warp-carrying tubes all feeding into a box on Mirage¡¯s lap. I saw Daylight pounce out of my body, sinking into Mirage¡¯s like she tried to possess the woman. ¡°Elsa, they¡¯re so mean!¡± And¡­ I felt my entire body clam up, please don¡¯t snitch on me Daylight. A blue light shone on Mirage¡¯s band, right above one of purple and red, and she seemed utterly bemused as some internal dialogue spun out through her head. Then she chuckled, a quiet melody that was pretty charming if you forgot the fact that I went into detail about how I thought women with¡­ issues were far more interesting than those who lived their lives plain. Among other, far more worse topics. Topaz held himself up by leaning his compactly heavy frame against me, quiet laughs imprisoned into his gut. ¡°You¡¯re in trooouuble.¡± ¡°Me?¡± I stared back at him. ¡°I can spill tea about you too, you know.¡± Mirage perked up a confused eyebrow at the two of us. ¡°Spilling tea? No wonder both of you got close so quickly. But putting Daylight¡¯s antics aside, we have a job, Ripley.¡± ¡°Right.¡± I pushed myself to address her directly, staring into the amethyst jewels framed by one side of black hair and the other of white. ¡°We¡¯re delving into the net, looked some stuff up about it but I¡¯m not clear exactly on what I¡¯m supposed to do.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to be her battery.¡± Missy had a wide smile on her. ¡°Simply put, the job requires that you both go deep into the AbyssNet layer, then pop back up into a different section of the SurfaceNet. Right into a Yuzhou datacache.¡± ¡°Yuzhou?¡± As in¡­ we were attacking one of the Five Corporate Nations? ¡°Right, their Weaponry branch ¡ª Shandian Engineering.¡± Missy explained. ¡°You¡¯ve been getting your feet on the ground but it¡¯s time you got to know a little about our job. We¡¯re helping out a mercenary called ¡®The R0N1N¡¯. He¡¯s planning a heist on some of Yuzhou¡¯s Shandian Facilities, payment¡¯s hefty. Stage one of the job is securing a floor plan and security details, enough access codes that the day of our entry into the facility goes simple enough. Stage two is Topaz¡¯s job, he¡¯ll be getting information about who in the police are on Yuzhou¡¯s payroll among stealing data directly from their corporate personnel. As for you being a battery¡­¡± Mirage pointed me to a briefcase that looked to be mashed up with ten different computers, wires buzzing all over the damn thing. There was a faint edge in her words. ¡°We¡¯ll be using something called a Proxy Protocol, normally it allows one person to have complete access to another¡¯s body and mind. This is a modified version that allows the input to go both ways, I¡¯ll be able to drag in your Warp Energy into my head, and through that I can use your Gold Warp Energy to boost myself and protect you if necessary. Any questions?¡± ¡°A lot.¡± And so I asked away. In summary, I would have two different direct connections to my Neuroframe. One into Mirage¡¯s own Neuroframe and the other towards the Proxy Translator (the briefcase) which would also be connected to her. The direct connection was meant to allow my Warp Energy to directly transfer into her, the latter would keep my own thoughts separate to hers ¡ª allowing a brief lag that would keep both of our minds stabilized. We weren¡¯t entering a true Proxy state, neither of us would be able to control the other¡¯s body or Features but it would keep our two brains under one digital skull if that made sense, and then we¡¯d dunk that skull into the depths of the net. I still had questions about how exactly we would be moving through the net, but Mirage explained that it would be too complicated to go through all the details, when experiencing it would be enough. She sort of lost me in her explanation with the coding and software part of my questions already¡­ so I actually indulged in that. ¡°You ready?¡± Missy asked, opening up a fridge and pulling out some bags of ice. ¡°What¡¯s the ice for?¡± ¡°Overheating.¡± Mirage said with bitterness. ¡°A deep dive like this takes a lot from the mind, forces it to work several times faster ¡ª it¡¯s a countermeasure for the Net. Deeper regions of the Net process at a faster frequency than in real life. Our physical bodies will be undergoing intense metabolic changes to compensate for thinking several times faster. Months down there could be days here.¡± Topaz chimed in from the side, his voice startling me as though he¡¯d vanished long ago. ¡°That¡¯s also why we need this!¡± He pulled out a defibrillator from the cupboards. ¡°Your mind could be so preoccupied focusing on the world of the net, it forgets that your physical body needs to work. Don¡¯t worry though, it¡¯s only happened¡­¡± ¡°Twice.¡± Mirage answered with a sour face. ¡°Just a worst-case scenario, I¡¯ve done this several hundred times. My Personas¡­ thousands.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Reaching for my armband ¡ª which I¡¯d called the Mimicset ¡ª I wondered what Feature would be best to imitate. Missy smiled at me. ¡°Diamante didn¡¯t try it out with you, did he?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t let you read data from his Neuroframe.¡± She concluded. I stirred with my voice. ¡°Truth is, didn¡¯t want to ask him about it when he already gave me this. By the way, did you ask him to give me-¡° ¡°He did that all by himself.¡± She looked proud, and I relaxed at that. I was right about that much. ¡°Hates going to the armory, but looks like he made the right choice with you. Moving back¡­ Mirage? You comfortable? He could use a Dataweaving Feature in there. He could try my own Jailbreak if you¡¯re not comfortable.¡± Mirage¡¯s lips pursed tight, the three bands pulsing at different rates which to me surmised she was conversing with her Personas. ¡°Okay.¡± I hadn¡¯t been expecting that at all, but the next answer deflated all hopes of it coming out of a place of trust. ¡°He would already be able to see my Warpcode, might as well have him scan it beforehand so he¡¯s not surprised by it.¡± I didn¡¯t understand what that meant, but she reached for the back of her neck, ruffling away some hair and exposing a frame that encompassed her entire neck and even extended up into her skull. I approached slowly, deliberately, making sure she could hear my own disengagement as a long wire pulled from my frame and plugged into her own. My breath was both shallow and deep, a confusing balance as I felt our minds connect in a way that I¡¯d never felt. It didn¡¯t go deep, and this was only surface-level compared to what we would be doing later. Yet, her entire presence engulfed me with colors and feelings rather than pure thought, it was hauntingly beautiful in a way. I felt murmurs of black whisked away by hopeful white, shimmering stars of violet exploding from the conflict as her Warpcode exposed in my Feature¡¯s eye. Scanning Warpcode¡­ 1%¡­ 2%¡­ It was slow, both of us silent throughout the process as her breath grew into heavy panting. Slowly, three figures began to fade into being, one of light, one of darkness and the final one being a shade in between both. ¡°How¡¯s it feel?¡± Twilight cooed closest to me. ¡°Your mind¡¯s connecting to her.¡± Heavy. Was all I could think. ¡°Heavy?¡± A voice I hadn¡¯t heard before rang out, it was jumbled and discordant like a hundred shadows had spoken out at once. ¡°You should die where you stand¡­¡± The owner of that voice sat in the corner of the room, staring at me. She was a being of stitched shadows in the form of a human, black hair crowning crimson eyes the shade of blood. She flickered in and out of being, like a flame breaking apart and reforming each passing moment. ¡°You¡¯re a disgrace, Ripley¡­ I don¡¯t know what she sees in you¡­ what they see in you.¡± ¡°Stop that will you, Midnight!¡± Daylight scolded her sister, her form as radiant as ever. ¡°We can¡¯t talk about that!¡± ¡­30% ¡°That?¡± I asked, a humble laugh faintly pulling into my thoughts. ¡°So she thinks of me?¡± ¡°I mean¡­¡± Twilight whispered, staying by my side while her siblings argued in the corner of the room. ¡°It¡¯s not like a fourth of her Psyche¡¯s constantly watching everything you do.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± I smiled, even at the dismissal. ¡­50% ¡°You want a hint, Ripley?¡± Twilight sat in between me and Mirage, pointing to the hair her organic self was still holding up. ¡°Her hand¡¯s beginning to tire out holding the cord, why don¡¯t you help her out?¡± I moved quietly, adjusting my seat on the floor to raise both hands and support her hair so that it didn¡¯t tangle the wires. Just the slightest tickle of our skin resounded through my mind, feeling the mental pressure of both her and mine colliding with the touch. ¡°Thanks.¡± Her voice gasped out, and the weight behind it absorbed me. ¡°No problem¡­¡± I tried to sound strong and resilient, but I was betrayed by wheezing it out. ¡­80% ¡°Almost there.¡± I whispered to her. ¡°Nearly done, then no more of me probing into your mind.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­¡± She whispered back¡­ ¡°Your thoughts are¡­ nice. They¡¯re gentle¡­ and¡­ I understand them. More than most.¡± ¡°Understand what?¡± ¡°What you want to be.¡± ¡­100%. Warpcode reading complete. Current Adapter: [NA] Grade: Silver VII Development: Tier III (Modification) Compatibility: [NA] Features: [S] Network V.5.23; [S] Dataweaving V.6.14; [S] Psyche V.5.03; [S] Sustain V.5.19 ¡°What?¡± The gasp expelled my awe at the sight of her Features. Not how high they were developed but rather their ammount. She had four Features like a Gold¡­ but she was a Silver? Silver¡¯s only ever had three. That was a defined rule. ¡°I¡¯m a bit like your right arm¡­¡± She tiredly chuckled, and behind it I felt the weight of pain and shame pressing on my body. My mouth could barely form the words. ¡°A¡­ Pseudo-Gold?¡± Blood and Steel C42: Dungeon Diving Chapter 42: Dungeon Diving? 6:38 PM July 10th Ripley Disengaging from her mind was nauseating, it was like plugging a hole that spilled pure intimacy and connection. The sudden stop of the pressure from her mind was a whiplash into my own thoughts. ¡°That was¡­ intense.¡± It was the only comment I could make. ¡°I should have warned you.¡± Mirage sounded guilty, ashamed at what had happened. ¡°I kept the limitations minimal so that it would be quicker, but maybe that just put through too much information for your Feature to read at once.¡± ¡°Well, this power of mine is an unknown. We¡¯ll just have to do some more testing.¡± I then coughed out quickly. ¡°With others too, I¡¯ll make sure Diamante puts a blanket on his emotions. That¡¯s a bit¡­ too weird even for me.¡± She chuckled lightly. ¡°Diamante¡¯ll probably have you read braille before he lets you read his own frame.¡± ¡°Is he¡­ are all of you¡­¡± Topaz spoke before I could complete. ¡°Possessing really weird Implants? Honestly, yeah. Mine and my brother¡¯s came from the same MALformed, it produced two hella weird SIMs instead of just one¡­¡± My gaze turned to Missy. ¡°You too?¡± ¡°In a sense.¡± This was the first time she wasn¡¯t open to me. ¡°You¡¯ll be surprised when she shows you what she can do.¡± Topaz side-eyed her. ¡°She¡¯s insanely tight-lipped about it, even I don¡¯t hear a slip of its deepest secrets from her.¡± A sly smile danced on her face. ¡°I know what to trust you with, and it¡¯s not secrets.¡± ¡°Touch¨¦.¡± He grumbled, before tapping the Netportal Cube on the floor. ¡°Now are you two lovebirds gonna enter or not?¡± Mirage flashed him a deadly look at the phrase, but had a heat simmering in her neck. I just clenched my jaw tight, afraid that any word I let out would only dig my grave deeper. ¡°Ripley.¡± Mirage addressed me, this time pulling out a wire from her own Neuroframe. It was much thicker, numerous tubes coiled up into an end-plate that was spiked. She pulled something out from the briefcase and attached the angular trapezoid onto the plate. ¡°You ready? Be warned¡­ it will be far more¡­ intense this time around. Turning the Proxy Protocol into a two-way street means less filters, you¡¯ll be using my mind as a shield for the delve.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± My throat was dry, first attaching into the briefcase which sent a sharp whistle through my thoughts. Once she plugged her own frame into it, the whistle became a humble tune of her inner thinking ¡ª a stream of information that let me know her thoughts as though a manuscript to act out. It was sort of like being submerged into a jelly of light and color, where all your actions felt sluggish. Then I picked up the heavy chord slithering out of her frame, the thickly coiled metallic serpent ending with a pyramidal head meant to fit over my own frame. I attached the interface over on, a satisfying click acting as the prelude to an overwhelming implosion of raw mental processing. The briefcase separated our minds just enough that neither of us was consumed by it. But it was painful as it was mesmerizing to be drawn into the depths of a Tier III Adapter. Every nerve of my body felt like it was being sucked into the metallic plate, a giant vacuum feeding on the mental existence of myself. I was being pulled through the pulsating wire that was now shining with a Golden undulance, the pulsating glow carrying my presence. It clearly wasn¡¯t harmless for her as well, forcing the entirety of another person into your consciousness would be as agonizing as a body losing it. She writhed like a seizure was upon her, a much more different showcase of my own pain appearing through eyes that had been hollowed up by the sharp sword lodged in the back of my neck. Speaking of, how was I looking into my eyes? Then I realized I wasn¡¯t, as the hands attached to this body were disturbingly feminine. Nails painted a dazzling violet with a starry night across them. ¡°Now I get what it¡¯s like to have someone else in your head.¡± Twilight¡¯s voice came from¡­ everywhere. ¡°Hold on, try to form an avatar.¡± It was weird, how was Twilight even looking at me when Mirage was twisting up in pain with closed eyes? That simple thought revealed my body to break apart, a deconstruction of my physical existence into motes of light that periodically recombined. She was¡­ reconstructing my body using my own proprioceptive awareness through this connection? And as I broke even further, I vanished further into the threads of Mirage¡¯s mind. ¡°Uhhh¡­ Ripley, an Avatar? You¡¯re making me feel bloated.¡± Twilight groaned as my own mental burden came solely upon her. I gave a mental nod, unknowingly jerking poor Twilight¡¯s head. She was not happy, said that it almost broke her neck. I didn¡¯t question how that was possible, but instead focused on not merely being within Mirage¡¯s mind, but a part of it. I felt a sudden ease as a hand pulled out of Twilight, my own doubling from hers. It was freaky. A ghost peeling off a mortal vessel type of freaky. ¡°You¡¯re really doing it like that?¡± Mirage¡¯s voice came from her physical form, her knees tightly held to the chin of her pained face. ¡°I¡¯ll make it easier for you.¡± Persona Protocol is active¡­ At once, me and Twilight split into two beings. I saw her like she was really there, standing in the thresholds where Mirage¡¯s consciousness wasn¡¯t focusing on. As the physical eyes of Mirage tracked me down, a cone of light overlapped, physical existence writing itself where Twilight stood. ¡°That¡¯s cool.¡± I whispered. ¡°You¡¯re naked.¡± Mirage said tiredly, bags under her eyes. ¡°Can you make some clothes?¡± Mortified, I stared down and¡­ okay I wasn¡¯t technically naked. My entire body was smooth and flickering, as though only partially constructed from the real thing and where my dick should be was just a vague mound of light. ¡°Uhhh. I¡¯ll try?¡± I pulled onto the Dataweaving Feature I¡¯d mimicked from Mirage¡¯s frame, it was a weaker copy only accessing her development up to V.1.00. Update Summary: The summary begged the question, why on earth were all her earliest developments related to delving into the Net? That was unusual for a beginner with Dataweaving, normally they started with basic DataShields or modifying Shardware Warpcode. Forming armor had been simple, as I simply felt my skin extend outwards into rough slabs of metal. A form I was most comfortable with, soldering the joints together until it became a dark armor like military gear over my physical body. It wouldn¡¯t actually protect me, since it was made of me¡­ but it would protect my dignity. Finally, I decided I¡¯d try and carve out a mask, a sleek black helmet that wrapped around my face to protect my identity. I didn¡¯t press on the question about Mirage¡¯s unique Implant Development, she plugged into the cube. ¡°We¡¯re delving.¡± ¡°Adios!¡± I heard Topaz salute. Then slowly, one by one, the world itself began to disintegrate into shadows. All three Personas faded into Mirage¡¯s body, until, even she dissolved into darkness. Then the light exploded, and I was within a world of pure data. ¡ª¡ª¡ª ??? ????? The SurfaceNet [Standard Sub-Layer] Walls of broken light beamed at me from every direction, a crackling blue of code all swarming in one direction ¡ª downwards. If I could describe it best, it was a labyrinth of pulsing light with an eternal darkness visible through the cracks. ¡°You with me?¡± A voice called from behind me, a voice similar in clarity to a pearl¡¯s shine. I looked back, witnessing a queen-like figure float behind me. She was¡­ beautiful. A gown of shadows and light curved along Mirage¡¯s Avatar, flowing like water over the intricate angles that shaped her. It trailed up to her face which was concealed behind a mask, correction ¡ª three masks blended together¡­ all of them flowing in and out as a seamless transition. A star eclipsed by a moon that gradually phased through all its cycles before returning to that of Silver-light. A mirage of the stars. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I nodded, slumped at the beauty of what I was seeing. ¡°Right¡­ this¡¯ll be easier now that you¡¯re an avatar.¡± She pointed two fingers at me, each alternating with a black or white talon. Silver bubbles blew out of each, flowing towards me like a guiding wind carried orbs filled with the dreams of youthful children. They popped around my ¡®armor¡¯ inscribing a silverish glow of binary-like text that hardened over the malleable code. ¡°A DataShield?¡± Focusing on it gave me a pop up. Tier I DataShield¡­ Error [Unable to analyze.] Grade: Silver Effects: Unknown ¡°Can¡¯t see what it does.¡± I pointed out to her, hoping she¡¯d share some details. She wasn¡¯t all too privy. ¡°Protects you¡­ but I¡¯ll give you something fancy.¡± A wicked smile appeared behind the shifting mask of her face, I didn¡¯t need to see it to know. Several thicker bubbles gathered around my right and left arms, sticking together until my makeshift gauntlets became more robust and sharper. ¡°DataCleavers too?¡± The excitement was palpable. ¡°This is¡­ alot. Like pricewise.¡± ¡°Specifically, it¡¯s used enough Warp Energy to make up 3 Bronze Shards.¡± She pointed out, sending a heartache through me. Had I just earned myself a debt of 15,000 Shardyne? ¡°But don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll make it up on our delve downwards.¡± She sounded so casual about it. ¡°What do you mean?¡± A hint of excitement creeped inside her voice. ¡°There¡¯s another term for those who dive into the Net. You ever played one of those games? Some people like to call us¡­ Dungeon Delvers.¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡ª¡ª¡ª So far, our descent was quite literally¡­ a descent. Mirage navigated ahead of us through corridors of light and darkness, pointing out curiosities here and there. Like, oh, if you enter through that door you¡¯ll find an archive of dog-behavior instructions for android pets, or how some areas of the Net were meeting grounds for virtual transactions of illegal goods, calling out to a shady passaged labeled ¡®Aunty Holly¡¯s Avatar Salon.¡¯ Strangely, walking through here didn¡¯t drain any stamina out of me, it was as easy as thinking. I didn¡¯t even need to turn my head to know what was behind me, there was just a three-dimensional sphere of knowledge filtering into the avatar every second. Then, eventually, we would find some broken hole in the ground, a Fracture Point in the net¡¯s code, she called it. A shortcut of sorts. ¡°Hold up¡­¡± She stopped me by another Fracture Point, a ravenous smile all through her face. ¡°Bandits down there.¡± ¡°Bandits?¡± I laughed, she got really into treating this like a game. ¡°Yup¡­ Muramasa.¡± Shadows slicked down her arm, appearing more solid with a blood-red viscera coating it until it formed a bow. ¡°¡­Muramasa?!¡± My voice grew quite a bit more strained, Muramasa Dynasty was the oldest and arguably the most dangerous criminal organization in the District. ¡°Calm your tits.¡± A red glow flickered as she plucked weaved a bowstring, refining the weapon down until it was slender and perfect in her grip. ¡°Your shield encrypts your identity, it¡¯ll do that even out of the Net as long as you don¡¯t take too much damage down here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m worried about.¡± ¡°Scared? I was too.¡± A sad look smeared in my mind, from her mind. I took the invitation. ¡°You first delve into the net? How long ago was it?¡± ¡°Too long ago.¡± Without another word, she dove down into the fracture, pushing deep into the unknown. I followed through, and instantly I felt that something was off. Alarms went through with my passing, a thin wire snapping at my descent through it. The fracture point was being tracked. ¡°Two of them, boys!¡± One of the Muramasa goons raised a blade at me, his entire body was a pulsing mess of black vines. Another was nothing but an eyeball, and the final was a hulking ogre of red flesh. Some individuals were quite creative with their Avatars. I was just an armor of black metal. Mirage¡¯s bow shot forth a single arrow of silver coated in shadows, it curved through each of the three¡­ digital monsters in one single streak of black. They all moved forward as though nothing happened, each of their bodies flaring up a dull gray glow of Iron. ¡°Shit, was that Silver?¡± One of them, the ogre, stopped to look down at the growing black wound. ¡°Fuck¡­ I think we just met¡­ Mirage.¡± The eyeball one of them realized. Then he split in two. The shadowy wound where he¡¯d been struck exploded. The other two followed not soon after. ¡°Oh¡­ okay.¡± Never, ever get on Mirage¡¯s bad side within the Net. ¡°How¡¯d you do that?¡± ¡°I did that.¡± The black and red arrow returned to Mirage, a mouth growing from it¡¯s silver head. ¡°And you¡¯d best behave unless you want me in your head. Ripley Donovick.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ so that¡¯s Midnight.¡± Mirage said, whispering something to the arrow which curled back into her sleeve. ¡°It¡¯s simple really, how I did that, I mean. You weave data into a bow, lock in a really powerful execution of Warpcode as a Datacleaver and just¡­ launch it forward like an arrow.¡± I tried doing it, a few globs of my own Warpcode spilled out from my hand. Golden in color but shaping them was like trying to get clouds into shape by blowing on them, even with the Dataweaving Feature, I could barely manipulate any of the data that wasn¡¯t in contact with me. ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s all about how you envision it. Choose something you¡¯re comfortable with, something you want to control.¡± She guided her hands over my own, and I could feel our mental presences colliding the closer we got. She gripped a strand of my Gold, shaping it like it was flowing water and poured it into a vessel. ¡°You don¡¯t have a Tendency yet so it¡¯s a bit more difficult. Give it a purpose¡­ use your own Features to guide it into a form. Mere imagination gives it a shape ¡ª knowledge gives structure.¡± I felt her thoughts simmer in with my own, showing me how to better frame the budding weapon. ¡°Well¡­¡± I gathered myself, thinking of something. I could use my Preservation Matrix as a baseline, but I needed more than just that¡­ Staring up at her, I pushed my curiosity through our mental link. ¡°What do you use to give Warpcode purpose?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t. Midnight gives it the purpose, she becomes a vessel carrying my¡­ desires. I simply execute her protocol. It¡¯s more efficient ¡ª they¡¯re the weapons and I¡¯m the warrior.¡± ¡°I¡­ well let¡¯s see.¡± Imagine the Warpcode into something I¡¯m comfortable with, easy then ¡ª a foundation for structure. The golden blob slendered down into fine sheets of metal, some thicker and some buzzing. Shardware, glimmering pieces of plating floated out of me. ¡°Then I can¡­¡± Then imagination to guide it into a purposeful shape¡­ to Persevere. To protect myself¡­ but was that enough? I was just the battery, meant to charge up Mirage¡¯s far more deadly assault. My role in this had to be framed around her. We were in the same skull after all, my preservation extended to her. ¡°To protect you then.¡± I thought, but all my thoughts were reality in this realm. As I spoke the words, they echoed through the built up ¡®Shardware¡¯, piece by piece connecting into a form I¡¯d always imagined as a fantasy. Four golden arms floated out of my back. An Arachne. I was so entranced at the sight of the two golden arms peeking over my shoulders that I¡¯d ignored the feelings threaded in our bond. Was that¡­ embarrassment from her? It felt like walking through mud that tickled you. ¡°Um¡­ okay.¡± She laughed through, but the awkward air had settled into place like a building that had crashed down. ¡°Thank you?. ¡°Sure.¡± I tried to stay calm, I really did but even the four arms to my back cowered in cringe. ¡°Moving on.¡± She coughed. ¡°See that?¡± ¡°See¡­¡± Oh¡­ oh? Where all three bodies had died was now a floating shiver of Iron, a distortion of space colored a dull gray. ¡°Is that¡­ Warpcode?¡± ¡°Yup ¡ª remnants of their Datashields and Cleavers.¡± She floated over to it, a tap of the thing draining into her body, her body briefly engulfed by what seemed to be flames made of metal that died on contact with her. ¡°Not as much as when you consume a BUG, but it¡¯s enough to probably get you an update if you absorb maybe three or four. For me, it¡¯s just a recharge of spent energy.¡± ¡°No shit.¡± Replacing that awkwardness was a chill of anticipation. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I dive in sooner?!¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Attacks like that weren¡¯t uncommon, it turns out that we were in somewhat of a universal alleyway for avatar mugging. She explained that there were secure pathways to the AbyssNet layer, sort of highways used for big transfers of code. Those were relatively safe, but the passengers were monitored by corporations and criminal organizations, so they became areas we wanted to steer clear from. There were also whole cities and towns made on the net, entire communities of digital Avatars. The grandiosity was astounding. Where we were acted like a sort of the backrooms of the public-space. An in-between area of pure data transfers and a few stabilized platforms to support Avatars that maintained them, she said entering the Data-Surges where the transfers happened was a surefire way to die at my level. ¡°It would¡­ scatter you into a million places at once. The deeper you go, the faster it becomes. A single second in there could see you whisked away to Europe if you entered one at the VoidNet layer, that¡¯s assuming you survive it.¡± The warning behind her words carried something of an experience that there was no questioning. Over the next few¡­ hours. We were attacked several more times, and it wasn¡¯t until my fourth and then ninth Warpcode consumption that I got updates. Psyche V.1.08 has updated to V.1.09 Effect: Increased confidence when talking to an entity the Adapter considers attractive. Huh? Was that the update I¡¯d been waiting for all this time? ¡°Huh.¡± Mirage peeped as she saw the screen appear in my vision, and my attempts to claw it away as well. It might as well have been a direct alarm to the inner workings of my caveman brain. Fortunately, the second update was a tiny bit more needed. Data Mimicry V.0.07 has updated to V.0.08 Effect: Increased speed of reading live Warpcode from a Neuroframe. It also ticked up my development through the Foundation stage¡­ I was now at 3%. After nearly two weeks, yeah things had really slowed down. After what could have easily been half a day, we managed to delve deep enough to the point where the blue walls darkened into a gray contrasting with the black void¡­ ¡ª¡ª¡ª Some digital hours later The SurfaceNet (Iron Sub-Layer) ¡°So the Iron-Grade Warpcode we¡¯re in now¡­ why can¡¯t we just absorb it?¡± I tapped one of the walls, it pulsed eerily against my knuckles like it was alive and reactive. ¡°We¡¯ll be hunted.¡± She said simply, a bubble forming from her hand to show a humanoid machine halfway between liquid and metal. ¡°Just avoid interacting with The Framework. Should have mentioned it sooner but¡­ especially don¡¯t destabilize it. It¡¯ll call in what are called Sentinels, mindless AI soldiers. They¡¯re a NeoCore countermeasure system to keep the Net secure from Net-terrorists and MALware attacks.¡± Got it¡­ I spent the remaining time making idle small-talk, sometimes Daylight or Twilight would appear by my side and make conversation with me. Daylight said how it was her job to keep us hidden, something-something about masking our presence using Iron-Grade cloaking protocol to blend in with The Framework. I¡¯d tried to dig in a little deeper about Mirage¡¯s specifics about her Features. Even though I¡¯d read them, I¡¯d only actually gotten the scope of their development progress and a summary of their updates up until V.1.15. After which I couldn¡¯t pry in any more. ¡°Why don¡¯t you wait until you¡¯re better.¡± She teased with an honest grin. ¡°You¡¯re not worthy of such knowledge.¡± Came Midnight¡¯s more harsh reply. ¡°What is Midnight¡¯s deal anyway, I get it that each of your Persona¡¯s have a different¡­ personality, but how¡¯d that come to be anyway?¡± I asked. ¡°I got the Persona Protocol at Version 3.00 of my Psyche Feature. I suppose the easiest thing to say is that there was trouble regulating my¡­ emotions. They overflowed, so I needed baskets of Warpcode to feed them into. Midnight¡¯s actually the oldest of them.¡± ¡°So she¡¯s a vessel for your rage?¡± It was my best guess. ¡°No.¡± I didn¡¯t expect her to say anything after that, I was wrong. ¡°My¡­ negative emotions, mostly contempt.¡± ¡°Contempt?¡± If I was getting her to speak more, then I would gladly indulge. ¡°You loathed the world or something?¡± ¡°I felt like I did, and I still do. My Persona¡¯s don¡¯t mean I stop feeling those emotions, just that for some moments I can have someone else think about them for me. It lets me focus, be¡­ vigilant.¡± She spoke quietly throughout it all. ¡°Well¡­ I just suppose, I don¡¯t have a great grasp on who you are? All of you? They seem like real people even if they¡¯re a bunch of Warpcode managed by a Feature, but what about you? Are you just a summary of them combined, or are you entirely separate?¡± All three other Persona¡¯s shut their mouths, and even I was waiting for Mirage to answer. ¡°They¡¯re not real people, Ripley. They¡¯re tools for me¡­ that¡¯s how they started, anyway. I didn¡¯t make them into functioning beings of self-actualization, it just ended up that way.¡± She didn¡¯t answer my actual question. ¡°Well¡­ they say your Features adapt to your situations, why did they become more¡­ alive?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I did. It wasn¡¯t all too difficult to guess either, just thinking about topics like imaginary friends in the first place. She wanted friends, she was lonely. What she sought was¡­ connection. Deep inside, I felt what seemed like snapped threads to something that meant a lot to her. A purpose. Racing to catch up to her, I let my hand find purchase on her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯d like to get to know you, and I mean¡­ you. I spend all my time with these other versions of you in my head but¡­ I want to know all of you. Contempt, reflections, hopes ¡ª and you.¡± She paused in her tracks, her thumb running over her other fingers, then she sighed. ¡°You don¡¯t. I¡¯m not someone worth knowing like that ¡ª you already know that Psyche adapts to your past horrors.¡± ¡°I do.¡± I stared into the pulsing floor. ¡°As much as I don¡¯t talk about it, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s really healthy to have a Personality Matrix embedded in my head as a replacement for therapy.¡± Her eyes opened at me, even if they were facing away. ¡°Installed before you even got your arm, your mother still doesn¡¯t know, right?¡± ¡°She still thinks everything I¡¯ve become is all from Psyche.¡± She slid away from my grip. ¡°What is it that you want from me, Ripley?¡± ¡°I just¡­ I guess some company.¡± I admitted. ¡°Never met someone who¡¯s replaced talking to someone by inserting a bunch of code into their head. Other than when I stare into the mirror ¡ª I guess it¡¯s nice having someone to relate to.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that uncommon.¡± She scoffed. ¡°Fine. I just want to get to know someone as pretty as you.¡± The words left my mouth without the normal filter in my head to block them¡­ fucking Psyche. ¡°I¡¯m not pretty, it¡¯s all fake.¡± She wasn¡¯t phased by it. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what I would have looked like if I just grew up¡­ naturally.¡± ¡°You would have still charmed me.¡± Yeah, I don¡¯t think there was any hiding it now. Silently, she started moving on. I should have felt dejected, but when I saw Daylight excitingly appearing in front of me with a simple thumbs up, I wasn¡¯t. Blood and Steel C43: Into the Abyss Chapter 43: Into the Abyss ??? ??? The AbyssNet (Iron Sub-Layer) Ripley I wasn¡¯t expecting us to quite literally jump into the abyss. Yet, I had willingly sunk myself through a fracture point the size of a ravine. A Fracture Gate, instead of a ¡®point¡¯, would be a much larger shortcut. Apparently it was the remnant of some old MALware attack. I didn¡¯t have a good grasp on things here, a simple walk of a few hours could feel like minutes in retrospect. A minute of talking could span the mental length of an hour if it was boring. Things just happened here without a care for time or effort, the only limit was how much Energy you had in your wallets. When we finally set foot into the AbyssNet, I was not prepared for how¡­ liquid, everything would be. The SurfaceNet had been relatively stable, the labyrinthine walls set on a firm foundation whereas the AbyssNet was formed on a roiling sea of code. Tall towers of ¡®code-stuffing¡¯ moved in my periphery, some tilting while others pulsed mournfully to deeper horizons. This region wasn¡¯t constrained to neatly organized rooms and corridors, it seemed more like a set of islands floating amidst the abyss. The AbyssNet. Yeah, the name fit. Attacks here were much more common, ranging from independant mercs to the more experienced variety of gang members. They acted sharper, pulled more devious tricks. One of them even pretended to be a lost child who then bared fleshy tendrils once I approached. All sorts of fiendish nightmares unearthed at the hint of prey. Even the Net itself weighed down on us, finally drawing on something of a stamina within these digital avatars. ¡°Net degradation.¡± Mirage explained, her body untouched by the shiny aura emitted by the cloak Daylight formed atop of her. ¡°A second security measure put in by NeoCore, The Framework is actively digesting, trying to eat us up. That¡¯s why you should learn to float like me to avoid direct contact.¡± I¡¯d grown used to it, her flying across the islands and just slapping me into a bubble for the ride. ¡°I¡¯ve tried but¡­ yeah it¡¯s not working.¡± She smirked. ¡°I could make a DataShield that does it for you.¡± ¡°You could?¡± ¡°For a price.¡± Her eyes glinted at me. I wasn¡¯t all too keen on even hearing it, but the moment five zeroes shivered through me I knew it was better not to even think about it. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just make a killing off that? Custom DataShields?¡± I tapped my own Silver skin, its glowing text resembling what ran through the floor. ¡°I sell one, they¡¯ll get curious and get their friends to buy more from me for a discount. One of them screws up, gets caught, my secrets are scrapped by another. Maybe they don¡¯t figure out everything, but now they can build countermeasures. Makes it harder for me in the long run. Speaking from experience, back from when I was an Iron.¡± ¡°You started at Iron?¡± Had she pushed up all the way to Silver? ¡°How long have you been an Adapter?¡± ¡°Since I was¡­ nine. Thirteen years now, 2484¡­ maybe 85.¡± So she was a year older than me, I couldn¡¯t really tell. ¡°It¡¯s pricey, let me tell you that.¡± ¡°You planning to continue pushing? To Gold? You never said how you went back down to Silver.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a story I¡¯m privy to share, but I¡¯m going to the top.¡± She had a rare resolve in her voice. ¡°To Platinum.¡± ¡°To Platinum and beyond.¡± I whispered back, I¡¯d said that once before¡­ When was that? Ah, it doesn''t really matter. Yet¡­ it hurt to say it. The next few hours rolled by and it wasn¡¯t until I¡¯d absorbed twelve more nodes of Iron Warpcode that I got the next update. Data Mimicry V.0.08 has updated to V.0.09 Effect: Increase to depth of Fractured Warpcode reading. A bit vague but I understood it a little when I sucked in the next node. From what I understood, we weren¡¯t exactly killing these people, not too many drove their whole consciousness into the Net like how we were right now. Instead, we only got the bits that were weaved together into their avatars¡­ not enough to constitute a whole Feature. Fractured Warpcode aligns with¡­ Feature: Database. Data Mimicry V.0.09 has updated to V.0.10 Effect: Consumed Warpcode now streams more efficiently into Features. I was just about there, so close to getting a protocol. From then on, it became a bit easier to get Feature updates. Even two stray Bronzes had appeared, Mirage making quick work of them with her Twilight bladework while I handled an Iron on my side. The bullets shot from his gun harmlessly splattered against my runic armor, two Golden spider-legs convening on his masked helm. She let me have one of the Bronze, but warned me that it would be the last time I consumed Warpcode today unless I was running out of my own. Her reasoning was sufficient when I remembered the blistering headache I¡¯d had from my outing with Diamante. ¡°Warp Burns.¡± Psyche V.1.09 has updated to V.1.10 Effect: Better speech formation when talking to entities the Adapter finds attractive. That¡¯s what I got from the Bronze? Then my hopes were fulfilled. Data Mimicry V.0.10 has updated to V.1.00¡­ Recalibrating¡­ Data Mimicry V.1.00 has gained the Protocol: Focused Consumption; enhanced reading of Warpcode during consumption allows the Adapter to choose areas of focus, compatibility will be forced even under circumstances where the Warpcode remains unsuited for targeted areas. What¡­ did that mean? I flashed the screen over to her, and she rubbed her forehead. ¡°Just¡­ what sort of Implant did you even get¡­ I thought it was just compatible with only you but now¡­ that¡¯s impossible.¡± I stared at the screen for a long time before answering. ¡°What do you mean?¡± She rubbed her forehead, almost shaken by the revelation. ¡°It¡¯s not just compatible with you. It¡¯s compatible with¡­ everything. Normally whatever Warpcode you can¡¯t directly utilize is instead unraveled to increase your stats but this? It¡¯s saying that it will utilize a hundred percent of the Warpcode to improve yourself in whichever part you choose. You could digest a Network Feature and adapt it into Technician for like¡­ I don¡¯t know, remote Operating?¡± ¡°Compatible with everything¡­ I don¡¯t know, that makes sense but how is that possible? I-¡° I burned up the courage within me. ¡°What do you really know about the Dogwhistler? They were the one moving my Implant.¡± ¡°You really want to know?¡± Mirage clenched tight. ¡°That they¡¯re untraceable, unmistakably powerful. They could be a rogue AI or a Titanium powerhouse, but they¡¯re real. I know you¡¯re having Diana search for them but¡­ honestly, call it off. She¡¯s already in big trouble looking for Soul Killer.¡± ¡°Soul Killer?¡± That name did not sound like good news. ¡°Forget it. She¡¯ll learn her lesson in time, but what the Soul Killer is for SIMs¡­ the Dogwhistler is for BUGs. I¡¯ve looked into them, Missy¡¯s asked me to ever since your incident. Nothing¡¯s come up. I¡¯m good enough to have Little Requiem by the balls but¡­ nothing.¡± She sounded defeated just talking about it. ¡°Anything you do know? Anything that could help?¡± ¡°That you shouldn¡¯t worry about them now, get to Tier II, maybe even III before you dare dig into them. Just get your mother safe and secure before it all goes to shit, if you really do get to a point where you can threaten them. She¡¯s who¡¯ll suffer before you.¡± I didn¡¯t answer that, a chill in my bones answered for me. In silence, we moved deeper. ¡ª¡ª¡ª The islands turned Bronze, we were truly deep now. I felt like the air was scrubbing me down, only the DataShield atop my armor keeping me safe. ¡°We¡¯re close.¡± Mirage floated me in a bubble to another island, the same as any other for miles around. Every so often, I felt the intense shift of the world beneath me, like a sleeping beast of apocalyptic proportions was stirring in it¡¯s sleep. ¡°Is that the FIREWALL?¡± I guessed. ¡°Yup.¡± She said, not looking at me as she scanned around the island. ¡°What happens if you get past it?¡± I looked deeper one side of the islands, deep within that abyss¡­ past the void. There was a faint scarlet glow of a giant wall of living fire burning ever since the Founder of NeoCore cast it. ¡°What even is the Old_Data at this point?¡± ¡°Deadly. It nurtures all who taste it with madness.¡± Curiosity gnawed at me. ¡°What¡¯s the closest you¡¯ve ever been to it?¡± Then, through our connection a new emotion stung through. One she hadn¡¯t felt once during our delve into the Net. Fear strung through her voice. ¡°Enough that I could hear it¡¯s whispers¡­ it used to be Platinum, but now the Founders¡¯ strengthened it with¡­ something beyond that. Some of us try and chip flakes off it, most die.¡± ¡°To what?¡± ¡°To MALware, to the Sentinels of NeoCore¡­ to I don¡¯t know. Down there, the world follows a new set of laws, rogue AIs are overrun by MALware and turn into Daemons. The data itself speaks to you, it offers you power, it hunts you.¡± A unique flavor in our connection bit through. An oddity that felt like a whisper of the truth that failed to come through. She was lying about something. ¡°You¡¯ve tried it?¡± The pure stillness of our bond, like an air that refused to move, confirmed as much. ¡°Was a job of mine.¡± The sheer ridiculousness of it permeated my tone. ¡°What kind of job requires you to brace the FIREWALL?¡± ¡°The kind that you don¡¯t have a choice in.¡± Hot anger flared through, enough that for a second I felt like I¡¯d been simmered under the sun¡¯s scrutiny and flinched. ¡°Got it.¡± My DataShield reactively pulsed, that had been an¡­ attack of sorts. Right, right¡­ our minds were bound together. And no one else had better mastered the ability to chop off a piece of their personality off. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Probing around the unusually boring island, Mirage pulled enough strings, her shadows creeped around every corner until the island itself fractured. From the epicenter of it¡¯s broken landmass flew up a reverse water-fall of Bronze and Silver upwards, the rushing Warpcode surging. ¡°We need to enter it.¡± She said, looking focused at the giant pillar flowing towards the sky of Iron. A Data Surge. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say I would die?¡± Each blur of Bronze seemed sharp enough to rip me apart. ¡°Give me your hand.¡± She reached hers out to me. ¡°And channel me your Gold. I¡¯ll make a shield that can breach through, no one will expect someone to make it through this alive. They¡¯ll have eyes on the surge but¡­ I¡¯ll make sure they don¡¯t see us.¡± I gripped her slender hands, the exponential rate of our minds merging letting her thoughts ripple through me. Ah of course, she was nervous¡­ nervous about going through this into the unknown. Nervous about putting her fate into the hands of a stranger, quite literally. But she was also nervous about holding my hand, a childish, frankly innocent anxiety. It calmed me, she wasn¡¯t just some scarred being with a past too horrifying to speak off. She wasn¡¯t some mysterious enigma with three sets of masks to wear. She wasn¡¯t just a mercenary who did things for the sake of her job. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Because she was also happy, holding her hand wasn¡¯t just so she could get the Gold energy radiating off me. It flowed into her body just as easily as it came to me, and through it, I knew what she was thinking. That she was glad she wasn¡¯t alone through this. ¡°Remember¡­ I¡¯m protecting you.¡± My four Arachne arms spurned from my back, two of them hovering behind her body. ¡°Elsa.¡± Thank you. She didn¡¯t need to say it, I felt it as easily as I could know that my body had bones. My physical one. ¡°We have to call ourselves by our pseudonyms¡­ Ripper.¡± She chuckled, her grip on my hand just the lightest bit firmer. ¡°You should find a new one, soon. That one sucks.¡± A golden bubble wrapped around us both, and we plunged into the DataSurge. ¡ª¡ª¡ª So this is what being fire feels like? Imagine your body getting ripped apart, then pieced back together every second. Would not recommend. No no, not one bit. The only solace in my mind was that Elsa was with me throughout it all, that her hold over my hand meant I had something other than this pain. It was over as quick as it began. We barged out of the Surge like two ragdolls onto the floor. It was odd¡­ because it was an actual floor with desks and chairs strutted around. We seemed to be in a building. ¡°We¡¯re still in the Net¡­ this is just a more cozy space they built so that the permanent workers here don¡¯t go mad. Even a day-night cycle to keep a virtual track of time.¡± She pointed to a window of an open skyline where a hundred street-level stars were shining out. But there was still a disconnect. It was almost a painting if you looked deep enough, because there wasn¡¯t a depth. ¡°That DataSurge was a backport they abandoned usage off, it¡¯ll ping up some alerts but Daylight¡¯s got us concealed. They¡¯ll know something¡¯s off though, breaking in without alarms into a sealed off piece of the Corp¡¯s Network takes years. We need to hurry first, before they get conscious eyes looking around here.¡± She hurried me into a wall, quite literally phasing me through it¡­ I guessed it was meant to be an imitation rather than a solid structure. I don¡¯t know how she did it, but she found any nook and cranny of the space that was just illusory, guiding me through one fake space to another until pushed deep into an unusually long hallway. ¡°Gold. Now.¡± She reached her hand for me with an urgency, once again pulling our minds to that threshold of merging. My light became her light, the golden energy feeding into a bedazzling crown made of Daylight¡¯s Warpcode. The bliding pulse emitted by it tore through the hallway, ripping through its falsehoods until a door appeared right in our faces. We entered through it, my hand pulled by hers as Midnight grew along her arm. We were already besieged by enemies. ¡°Wardens of Yuzhou¡¯s.¡± She said as four Silver colored robotic creatures tore out from the ground. Without asking, purely by the rising tides of her emotions I knew to give her my Gold. Midnight struck out as a river of black-and-gold death, washing into the robots and sweeping them away like rubble in a tsunami. Twilight hummed into being, growing over Mirage as gauntlets that ended with a chain blade in her hand. While Midnight drowned two of the Wardens in her cold fury, Mirage and Twilight took on the other two. Daylight stuck by my side, still holding onto my hand. ¡°Three Bronze¡¯s coming from behind now, Ripper.¡± Sinking her hand through me, my vision exploded as the intricate details of The Framework constructing this space happily spilled their tea. I think that¡¯s how it can be said? Either way, my arms buzzed to motion, both the claws on my arms and the four Arachne limbs slashing at the appearing enemy who had tried to pounce. Mechanical wolves of rust-colored Bronze. The first one felt like tissue-paper to my limbs that eviscerated its guts into a spray of code ¡ª the Silver DataCleaver easily overpowering Bronze. The second one leaped through the opening, my claws catching it in the jaw, a pulse of my Gold exploding it into shreds. I was tiring already, vulnerable to the third wolf. Daylight weaved a bubble over me, it¡¯s claws and jaw deforming the Silver shield until it exploded backwards as the bubble popped like the world¡¯s most dense balloon. Daylight cried in glee as six of my limbs freed up with a wrench of the torn contents from my first kill. I was doing good enough to have time to slam my fist into another wolven Daemon, a single punch powered by my gold was enough to leave it as a puddle of scrap. Three Bronze nodes of energy floated off their bodies¡­ tantalizing. No, I can¡¯t get distracted. Mirage had taken out two of the Silver Sentinels, dancing through the orchestra of coordinated attacks that seemed to get ever so closer to us. I reached my hands out to her, refueling her with Gold that set her speed to double. The last two parted in a single uninterrupted slash of her Twilight blade, a literal DataCleaver, their heads rolling over the floor. ¡°Sorry, can¡¯t leave any of the Silver ones for you.¡± She absorbed all four nodes, and I couldn¡¯t lie if I said I wasn¡¯t a bit envious of it. Daylight screamed something I didn¡¯t understand as she wrapped around me. Something burned through me before I could turn. A blanket of darkness caught me from the impact, Midnight¡¯s rage so evident that I was beginning to wonder if she was who had burnt my back. But then I saw a masked woman with four blaster arms at the end of the hallway, she was entirely made of Silver¡­ and she wasn¡¯t a Sentinel. ¡°Silverback.¡± Midnight seethed with recognition. ¡°So you work for Yuzhou now?!¡± ¡°Pay¡¯s better.¡± Three guns aimed at Midnight¡¯s corporeal river of shadows, the last one aimed at me. Unfortunately, Midnight wasn¡¯t as concerned with my wellbeing as Daylight. She abandoned me without a pause to devastate the Yuzhou mercenary in her shadows. But the three blasts of arm-length Silver cast a brilliant light to erase darkness from existence. The river shriveled into a puddle, sinking back to the protection of Mirage¡¯s body. Who herself moved to intercept my blast, pushing me aside left with Twilight taking the brink of the attack, her sword-form shattering until she was just a hilt. ¡°Mirage, I don¡¯t know what it you¡¯se doin¡¯ here? But you¡¯se lost your fancy girls. Ya¡¯ ain¡¯t shit without em.¡± Silverback¡¯s four blasters all pointed at Mirage, who herself had a large tear around her torso where Twilight broke. ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong¡­¡± She chuckled, a maddening look pulsating through her being, my Gold instinctively fled to her body. A tidal wave of it drained out of my own body until I began to quiver in weakness, it was as though it had fled to somewhere more worth existing in. ¡°My Persona¡¯s are all just imitators of me after all¡­¡± Mirage¡¯s body burned the gold, crunching out a violent eruption of light that spawned nearly twenty copies of herself surrounding Silverback, all colored Gold. Silverback moved one inch before threads of Gold shot out like hungering snakes from her copies, they all ensnared and wrapped Silverback in a cocoon until I could barely make her out. Then they wrenched back. Silverback flew apart in pieces, each dissolving into light that Mirage fed on. I¡¯d be amazed by the sight if I didn¡¯t know we were still being attacked, a final Sentinel appearing behind Mirage. My body acted with no thought, the very concept of my four arms¡¯ creation pulled me into motion. A Golden blade burst right above Mirage¡¯s tired Avatar, with it came the falling head of the final Sentinel¡­ Silver fell to Gold in the hierarchy of things. ¡°Ripl-Ripper?¡± She screamed as she looked back at the state of me. I wasn¡¯t in the best shape, one of the Sentinel¡¯s own arms had pierced my Datashield, it sunk neatly into my digital flesh, cleanly through where my heart should be. ¡°Absorb it, Ripper!¡± I tried to, I really did but there was so much pain so much- the blade shouldn¡¯t be fatal but¡­ I- I didn¡¯t have enough Gold. I gave it all to her. Mirage¡¯s hands gripped over me, sending her Silver Warp Energy into my body. And then I- What? Was this how she felt? Don¡¯t die, please don¡¯t die. I¡¯ll be so fucked if I let you¡­! I don¡¯t know what¡¯ll happen¡­ Survive¡­ Not now, not when I finally¡­ Please¡­ survive¡­! We will not let you die! Everything came through without restraint, her desperation, her fears, her hopes ¡ª even possesiveness. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d ever recall feeling like someone had been mine, like I would give everything to another and be happy about it¡­ but I¡­ I could live with this¡­ Absorbing Warpcode¡­ Feature: [Error]¡­ Feature: Dre-a-taweaving absorbed¡­ Where would the Adapter like to focus the Warpcode? To my life¡­ To¡­ I saw a flash of pink pull from my eyes, a beautiful angel who could take my pain away. ¡­to that. Confirmed¡­ Forcing Compatibility. Psyche V.1.10 has updated to V.1.14 Effect: Preservation Matrix now greatly collaborates all sources of Data into processing. Effect: Increased neural integration of Preservation Matrix with the Personality Matrix software. Effect: Increased surge of Preservation Matrix activity when supplied with higher levels of Warp Energy. Effect: When near someone the Adapter considers close¡­ The Preservation Matrix will accordingly. ¡°Twilight, Midnight! Get what we need!¡± Mirage looked pale as her Personas fled her body, she yelled, hollowed out by the sheer amount of Warpcode she¡¯d dumped into me. Why do it? ¡°Because I know you¡¯re worth it¡­¡± She held me closer, and I moved closer to her. The place vibrated like an earthquake was rattling through it, ever so slowly caving in on us yet I felt¡­ happy, satisfied. If I could just stay like this, stay in the state where I knew someone was holding me so closely with no boundaries in between our thoughts¡­ I would die happy. ¡°Your mother needs you!¡± My Preservation Matrix flared at the words, pushing me to survive. It was enough that my Avatar reformed the wound I¡¯d received, and that I could support the limping body of Mirage against my weight. Mirage panted, her form flickering and unstable. I held her now. ¡°Are¡­ you okay?¡± ¡°Exhausted¡­ Gold is several times more dense than¡­ Silver.¡± She was too weak to even push herself up, even as Midnight and Twilight returned, neither of them uttering a word. ¡°They called in a surge¡­¡± Mirage weakly uttered. ¡°You¡¯re gonna need to feed¡­ Daylight. Just anything.¡± A ray of hope pulsed into my hands, a small collection of white cloth that I fed my four arms into¡­ the fabric pulsed brighter, until it was strong enough to rematerialize into Daylight¡¯s actual being. Just a lot smaller. A sad look was held in her gaze as she stared at me, three Silver Sentinels barging into the room at that moment. A Gold one stood at their rear. ¡°Goodbye, Ripley.¡± Daylight touched my face, tears streaming down her face, before her light overtook everything. Wait¡­ goodbye? ¡ª¡ª¡ª I woke up in my body, in that same room, Mirage slumped on her side, blood pouring from her nose and mouth. ¡°Mirage?!- Elsa!¡± I shook her, but she was stone in my hands. ¡°She¡¯s breathing, Rip.¡± Missy placed a firm hand on my shoulder. ¡°Was more worried for you¡­ your heart stopped for a few seconds. Really had me going.¡± ¡°Forget about me!¡± My body ached, every fiber wanted to lay down and rest but I had to keep her alive. I had to save her, not like how I couldn¡¯t save¡­ ¡°She just needs rest.¡± Missy firmly held me. ¡°So do you.¡± ¡°I need, I need¡­ I need to help her.¡± My gaze fixed over Missy, unmoving, unrelenting¡­ it persevered. ¡°You can help her by staying calm yourself. Her vitals are fine, blood pressure low and she¡¯s low on Warp Energy but not to the extent that her Implant is degrading. She needs time to recover it, some feeding and sleep will do her better than panicking¡­ How about I take you both home?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not leaving her side.¡± I remained unchanged. ¡°Just¡­ Rip, I get it¡­ you like her but¡­¡± Missy paused, words failing to come out. ¡°Romance isn¡¯t cut for our business, especially among colleagues.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about that!¡± Anger swelled to a breaking point. ¡°She- Let me help her!¡± She slapped me, not a strong one, but one that shook my skull nonetheless. ¡°Then stay calm!¡± I grunted¡­ the shock of the slap quite literally shaking my thoughts into a stir. Something deeper had struck through with that slap, a calmness¡­ and with it. Dread. Shame. Memories. What was I doing? Shouting at her. ¡°Just¡­¡± Missy looked to the floor, then at her hand with a torn gaze. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll drive you over to her place. The two of you rest there, okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± My voice faltered, unsteady. ¡°She¡¯s going to need medicine, can you give it?¡± ¡°I can.¡± ¡°Can you really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She moved her arm, a compartment inside opening that I only sensed power from. She took one out¡­ a Silver Implant. A BUG. ¡°She needs to eat it¡­ you understand?¡± ¡°To replenish her Warpcode.¡± I anwered. ¡°Exactly, you won¡¯t do anything?¡± She looked hesitant to hand it over to me, but locked it into my hands anyway. ¡°I have a Gold already.¡± I chuckled¡­ ¡°No. I won¡¯t consume it. She¡¯ll get it.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯m trusting you. Now help her up.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª The drive was quiet, I¡¯d messaged my mom that I needed to stay back to help Mirage. She seemed quiet at that, I remembered that they didn¡¯t exactly have the greatest first meeting but¡­ that didn¡¯t matter. I sat next to Mirage, not taking my hand off hers for a moment. She was burned up, a fever in the high 100s, and my own hands were too cold. Taking her back up to the apartment, we settled her into bed. And I sat on edge there even after Missy had left, for a long time. She healed me because I¡¯d taken the damage. Because I¡¯d been weak and¡­ why did Daylight say goodbye? She¡¯d be alright, she had to be? God, I wish I took a picture of that butterfly¡­ or was it a Ladybug? Yeah, it was a ladybug. I made fun of her today, why? She¡¯d been nothing but nice to me, about the only supportive friend I¡¯d made since who knows how long. And I¡¯d made fun of her. She didn¡¯t deserve that, she was my- I hated myself. Through all the fights down there, I¡¯d just stood by and watched, too amazed by how Mirage fought to even acknowledge that I was a burden. A fucking battery¡­ I was happy with that? I stared at my own arm, the right arm that had been chipped again and again by that man¡¯s blade. He¡¯d been relatively weak, I remembered Whiplash¡¯s monstrous onslaught of attacks against Diamante. A monster versus a devil. A single attack from her would have ripped me in half but Diamante just laughed like he was being tickled. Yeah, I¡¯d hit her but¡­ did that even do anything other than stun her for a moment? Weak. That¡¯s what I was. Even with Gold, I was so fucking weak. The only time I¡¯d managed anything was with those arms digging into that Sentinel, weighing a difference in Grades rather than build an advantage stemming from myself. I¡¯d done one useful thing but even that nearly killed me. And Mirage suffered for it. I was too weak. Too fucking weak. So silently, I rang up my communications¡­ I had one contact who had promised me power. As shady as they were¡­ what choice did I have? Mr. Skeleton answered. Blood and Steel C44: Don’t be a Hero Chapter 44: Don¡¯t be a Hero 3:17 PM July 11th Ripley I¡¯d found some bread in Elsa¡¯s apartment. It took some time to find it in the midst of all the spices, herbs and jams and other foodstuffs she owned, half of which remained unopened. She even had garlic. A simple peanut sandwich sufficed for me. They said you could tell alot about a person by how they lived. I was beginning to see why¡­ her place was a cluttered mess. It¡¯d been nice when I came over the first time, but when I turned open a closet thinking it was a door and found my old bloody clothes from my first outing in Little Requiem¡­ I think it was enough to say this wasn¡¯t a new problem. You shouldn¡¯t touch another person¡¯s belongings, I knew that. But god, how could you live in a place like this? Maybe it was because I¡¯d only ever stayed in small cramped rooms, but I hated a mess. It was distracting and pulled your attention away, so it started with me organizing her kitchen cupboard. Then I folded the sheets I¡¯d used to sleep on her couch. Then I picked up some garbage, cleaned out her fridge, and sorted the weeks worth of laundry into the machine. My mom worked late during my adolescence so I normally handled the apartment, it was only once I took her job that the roles reversed. I then¡­ experimented. Okay, if I had another passion besides Shard Operating, it was cooking. And seeing all the spices there? It was a literal buffet for a starving man. Just fried eggs, I limited myself to that much once my stomach started growling again¡­ It was divine. I¡¯d never had anything so soft and gooey, it tickled down my throat like an angel¡¯s whispers. Was it the ingredients? It said it was produced on an actual farm rather than cloned, and that certainly played a part in this but¡­ ¡°It¡¯s¡­ really good.¡± Elsa¡¯s gentle eyes spoke more words than an entire choir¡¯s afternoon hymn. Little sparkly jewels of amethyst wandered as they bit into the egg. ¡°Who taught you how to cook?¡± ¡°The past.¡± I admitted with the weird statement, sitting on the edge of her bed. ¡°My mom taught me how to use knives back when we were¡­ rich. She had an entire set of these old Yuzhou ones that emulated old Japanese cooking blades. Had this really cool pattern on their edge. Was almost like marble. Probably one of the first times I fell in love with a piece of metal. Ever since we lost everything¡­ I¡¯d just been chasing that flavor of food I remembered as a child.¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ different than how I imagined you would be.¡± She put the empty plate down. ¡°Different, how?¡± ¡°I thought you¡¯d be weaker. Mentally, physically. There¡¯s a saying of how the Founders came down to Earth and realized they were in over their heads, you know¡­ they failed alot in the beginning until they fixed things up a few decades later. Just¡­ normally don¡¯t see a lot of success stories coming from a rich guy going broke.¡± ¡°Rich kid.¡± I reminded her. ¡°I was what¡­ 11?¡± ¡°10 years and four months.¡± She said quietly. ¡°Lived poor about the same amount now. By the way¡­ happy birthday, it¡¯s been a few days but¡­ you should know.¡± Right. I was now 21 starting July 8th¡­ only my mom and Hoaqin had wished me. We had a nice dinner, it was more relaxed than our old one. ¡°You got me a birthday gift to make up?¡± ¡°The DataShield not enough?¡± She pouted, before sighing. ¡°I¡¯ll think of something.¡± ¡°When¡¯s your birthday?¡± I smoothed the wrinkles on the bed. ¡°This is going to be strange but¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ I guess December 12th?¡± That answer alone revealed a chunk of her past to me. ¡°You grew up in a Cradle? My grandfather used to celebrate the day he got adopted¡­¡± It was faint memories of a grand hall, my grandfather from my dad¡¯s side whose face I couldn¡¯t even remember now was an important man in SynTec¡¯s New California branch. Well, it didn¡¯t matter now, Skeleton said he was dead. ¡°Mazhyr¡¯s tits, no.¡± She laughed, the irony of using Cradle-slang not lost on me. ¡°I¡­ grew up in a facility.¡± ¡°A facility?¡± I leaned closer, placing a hand on her knee. She stared at it for a long while before explaining. ¡°I was a resource¡­ it¡¯s a long story but¡­ a long time ago¡­ I used to have a Gold Implant. They chipped me in as part of some large-scale operation.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°NeoCore¡­ I got out of it. Lost the Implant too so I had to get a new one. Part of the reason for my four Features.¡± She summarized it too quickly, there were other details in there. That she would share when she felt more comfortable. ¡°Feels like everyone¡¯s been screwed over by a company¡­ my dad¡­ I¡¯m sure you know, but we lost everything once he tried to whistleblow that SynTec¡¯s recent Yellowstone tech was causing volatile activity with its volcanic generators. He uh¡­ you know he-¡° I struggled with my words. ¡°He confided in me about it. Mom didn''t know at the time, but he asked me what he should do when he found out? An eleven year old kid, that¡¯s who asked for advice. He asked me¡­ whether I should protect the family, or put the bad guys in jail.¡± She stared at me quietly, and I stuffed the pain back into my throat. ¡°Yeah, I told him to be a hero. And look where we ended up. He got fired over some bogus claim of money laundering or debt or something. Lost all of our assets including my parent¡¯s original Implants, my mom got kicked out of university and before you knew it we were all sharing one mattress¡­ it forced my dad to work with Shaun to pay the bills. Pulled him into an even deeper hole of feeding corporate intelligence that Shaun just regurgitated for a higher price. You know, he¡¯s half the reason why that fucking club could even be owned by them, he shared expensive secrets¡­ then they left him to die when no one else was there for him but mom and I.¡± I wasn¡¯t done talking. ¡°And you want to know what¡¯s the other reason they could afford running it? The Personality Matrices, about the one piece of SynTec gear they actually stole for themselves, and not one Shard Op¡¯ in their payroll could understand. Not anyone¡­ but me.¡± ¡°Ripley¡­¡± She started, but my voice cut through. ¡°My mom didn¡¯t even know.¡± I laughed bitterly. ¡°Shaun asked her to work at his club first, you know, as a fucking stripper!? Wasn¡¯t until she said that she¡¯d do his Shardware for half the cost that we could actually eat food every night, that we could sleep without growling in our stomachs. Then he came, Hoaqin appeared one day as I walked back to my apartment, and asked if I was Isabel¡¯s kid. We talked, alot. He always gossiped, picked up the habit from him, mentioned this tech that could seal off emotions and I was just so hurt by everything with my dad¡­ that I pounced on it. Fourteen years old and I started tinkering with corporate tech.¡± My nails dragged into my scalp, as a tidal wave of memories came surging back. Why now? ¡°She never knew a thing¡­ I said I loved Shardware and she supported me. I used her notes, her research, I used dad¡¯s old datacubes to figure the Matrix out. It took a year, but I had it in my head. I didn¡¯t care if the SynTec failsafe would kill me, because at fifteen I was so done with life. It turns out I lived, that I¡¯d done everything correctly. Then I sold it to Shaun¡­ and he¡­ he paid me with a Bronze. 5,000 Shardyne. It felt like so much money to a kid back then, but now? He gave me a Bronze Shard for the ability to alter a person¡¯s whole identity. I remember my mom coming back home that night, her eyes hollowed and she drank herself to sleep¡­ she hadn''t touched alcohol since dad died. Then spent the next year mumbling about how she hated herself for making women like that, she¡¯d rejected working on the Matrix first. I figured out years later when Hoaqin drunk-cried that I was the backup in case she¡¯d refused to make it work. She was so strong and I- I caught my breath. ¡°She still doesn¡¯t know I was the one who reconfigured it. But ever since then, something in her broke. Every day she came back, paler¡­ slurred her words, stumbled in her steps. It wasn¡¯t the drink, dark veins crawled up her arm¡­ up from my arm. When she fell the first time¡­ she wasn¡¯t breathing. I was terrified, and tried to call for help. You know what she said¡­ ¡®Ripley, don¡¯t. It¡¯ll cost us too much¡­ It¡¯ll cost you too much.¡¯ And I listened to her¡­ what sort of son does that? One of her eyes was so bloodshot she needed to get it removed¡­ She removed it herself in our bathroom. All because I told my dad to be a hero. Because I made her work in a job that was killing her. And for a while, it was killing me. Don¡¯t you get it¡­ everything that fucked up my family. It¡¯s been my fault. It¡¯s all been my fault!¡± Her blanket was covered in the rain of my emotions. ¡°And¡­ I don¡¯t know. Looking at you, that same lack of breath when we left, what happened to Daylight. I remembered her, my mom when she- she fell. I remembered how weak I was then. How weak I still am, I shouldn¡¯t have worried you¡­ I should have been more than a battery. I called Skeleton, you know.¡± ¡°You did?¡± Her hands covered my own. ¡°That¡¯s- what did he say?¡± ¡°I told him that he¡¯d never get my grandfather¡¯s stuff, but that I¡¯d sell him mine. He was curious, you know, but¡­ we worked out a deal. Every month he¡¯s gonna send me some Shardware, useless shit he said. Turn it into Gold¡­ not literally, but he said that if I had half of my grandfather¡¯s ability, I could do it. In return, I keep the stuff, but I sell him the prototype and details of how I made it.¡± ¡°Ripley¡­ you¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t say anything, I didn¡¯t expect anything more. I was weak after all, no wonder she voted against me. ¡°You need a hug.¡± And Mirage did just that, not Daylight and not Twilight. Elsa. Mirage. Her voice came steadily, not an inch of judgment in it. ¡°Go get yourself cleaned up, Ripley¡­ let¡¯s¡­ what happened wasn¡¯t your fault. I overexerted myself, you saved me. You did. I wouldn¡¯t be awake right now if you didn¡¯t take that blow. Just, let¡¯s head on over to the washroom.¡± She guided me by the hand, even helped me wipe off the snot from my face with her sleeve. God, I hated myself. ¡°And¡­ Selene¡­ I¡­ how long has it been since I even thought of her? I don¡¯t get it, one moment I was with her but the next she- why did I stop thinking of her? She was there for me for so long and I just¡­ the Personality Matrix threw her memory aside!¡± The intensity of the grief sent my head spiraling into the depths of those memories. From the day I got my arm removed and my mom had to begin living with the fact she would never operate again, I¡¯d been in so much pain that I reached out to her for the first time in years. And it was like she¡¯d never left. Until she did ¡ª and I never even remembered it. ¡°Missy¡­¡± Elsa¡¯s voice was hushed, her eyes wide open. ¡°Did she- did she touch you? She uh¡­ has the ability to limit another person¡¯s Features.¡± ¡°She¡­¡± She could do that? ¡°Yeah, she slapped me.¡± Mirage chuckled at that, but there was nervousness there, her eyes fading behind a light as she delved into a Neuralink call. ¡°She can only do it to one person at a time, how long has it been since you were last with her?¡± ¡°I dunno¡­ ten- maybe twelve hours?¡± ¡°It should be running out soon¡­ okay, she¡¯s disabling it.¡± Elsa held me throughout it all, just staying close as my mind felt¡­ organized. Memories faded, pain blanketed, and Elsa¡¯s calming touch on my Frame sent them all away. All packed into a box. Knotted tight. ¡°It was terrifying when she did it to me as well. It has a mentally eroding effect on us Psyche users. Had me thinking I¡¯d lost connection to Midnight¡­ I was so scared I¡¯d lost her back then.¡± She pulled me in deeper to a hug. ¡°And I¡­ I was so scared for you. I keep people away, Ripley. It makes this job easier, even among the others I don¡¯t¡­ open up. We all have our own hells and¡­ it¡¯s better we just keep things to our jobs.¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°A bit late for that now.¡± I embraced the hug, I didn¡¯t want to let go. ¡°Nothing¡¯s your fault, Ripley. You were a kid, you didn¡¯t know any better. I did fucked up shit too, alot of it. Before Missy, there was another group, called us The Runaways¡­ all of us faded. Except me. Killed or jailed. For good reason, we were so angry and tired that we didn¡¯t care about who we hurt, we just¡­ did. Until another gang¡­ guy caught up. Tracked me through the Net and¡­ gave me an opportunity.¡± ¡°You¡­ you don¡¯t have to share just because I-¡° Her grip only tightened, she was doing this for herself. ¡°Point is Ripley, these Implants help us for a good fucking reason. They gave us powers like this because we are weak. Every single one of us. You¡¯re questioning why you got the Gold? None of that matters. You got it. It¡¯s yours by that merit alone. It wants you to protect it, that why it¡¯s made you strong, so flourish it. Feed it. By any means necessary. Grow strong.¡± Strong. "You''re right... I''ve been relying on you all ever since I got this power, I''ve been... dependent on others. You, Twilight, Diamante... Missy. Even my mind is being ''corrected'' by the Personality Matrix or not... shortcuts have always been my way to success." "The Matrix," she grew thoughtful, "isn''t something you should hate. Not from where I look at it. I think we both know that without it, you''d have never gotten this far." "I''d have been..." My breathing slowed, "distracted." "It''s a complicated tool, but to me... that''s what I look at it as, a tool." She held my hand. "Just like my Personas." "That''s a bit harsh." "We''re all tools, Ripley. The others included." "Tools, but to who?" She closed her eyes, and briefly I felt her mind connect with me through a communications channel. As I opened into it, a screen flickered wide. I saw blood and bodies splitting under a blade, a masked swordsman and police fighting side by side against gang members in what looked like a lavish ballroom. The swordsman, he was fast. To my trained eye, the Shardware on him was beyond immaculate. He was so fast, it looked like he was teleporting, and wherever he appeared death followed. "Stage two." Elsa sighed. "Went wrong, ''Masa betrayed our employer, he''s handling them personally." "That guy, he''s the R0N1N?" I looked closer, one of his blades swept through the air as blood spilled from its path. Within the air... it was floating and curved as though it could ride the current and the bodies were merely turbulence. "He''s... powerful." "He''s Gold." Elsa stated. "One of the strongest Tier Threes I know. Could kill you in a blink, and that''s literal." I saw a flash of lightning, a policewoman charging into that mayhem without fear. Diana was there? Elsa closed the screen, her eyes slipping into mine. "Your counterpart is able to fight alongside him, albeit barely, the question will be ''can you''?" "I can." Resolve stirred through me, a powerful wave rising. "I will." "How?" "Planning... upgrades. Training, and... a lot of BUG-eating." I began to pull up screens of Shardware schematics, adjustments to my arsenal pooling in front of me. "Alright, your insectivore-ass needs to calm down." She said with a smirk, I laughed at the joke. "First thing, is letting your mind rest. It might sound counter-productive... but when was the last time you did something except Operate?" "I..." Yeah, I couldn''t actually answer that question. "It''s my job!" "You know I could see you pull up those screens and do maths while you were talking to me." She said, making me close them with a swipe. She laughed. "You''re such a fucking nerd. All you think about is steel, don''t you have a hobby?" "I made my hobby my work!" I defended myself. "And don''t act like you aren''t a nerd yourself, miss-looks-at-screens-more-than-grass!" Her mouth opened wide at that, and her hand raised like she was about to hit me. "I have hobbies besides that!" "Like?" "Watching movies." She said with an embarrassed look. "Like?" "They- they''re Old World Movies... you wouldn''t know them." She turned away. "What genre?" "Emotional." "Emotional?" "They... make me feel nice." She didn''t look up into my eyes with how red her face had become. "Don''t tell me your hobby is watching porn." Her face only reddened, and she slapped my arm. "Says the guy who worked at a strip club! Fine, they''re movies for kids!" Those metal hands of hers actually did sting. "Ow." "Sorry." "Not accepted." I said, teasing a smile. "Make it up to me." "Hah, like I need that." She met my challenge. "Really? I was going to ask you to show me your favorite movie." I sighed dejectedly. "But if you''re willing to scorn me in such a way then perhaps-" "You would?" She looked up to me, her eyes briefly showing a vulnerability I wasn''t expecting. "Sorry, I- uh, I mean... we could. I- I never actually watched a movie with anyone else ever since Topaz... ruined the experience for me... but-" "You''d make an exception for me?" "Only if you make a promise to keep sex jokes out of it. These are... wholesome movies." She wasn''t meeting my eyes at all, it was kind of adorable. "I, um, you''re not a bad guy, Ripley. And... I suppose I owe you one for taking care of me." "Hey, your ass handled my breakdown today as well." I said warmly, ignoring the tension to switch topcis. "So, yeah, what''s your favorite movie?" She stayed still for a moment, before shaking her head. "Actually... it''s... a group of movies made by the same Old World company. My favorite one is... ''Mulan''." "Let''s watch it, then." I smiled. We had a few quiet moments as we prepared popcorn and drinks. Then something strange happened as we got onto the couch, she spilled her drink all over it. "Tw-twilight!" She smacked her own head, a glow in her eyes fading. "What was that for?" Twilight smugly appeared in the air before us, shrugging. "I just woke up! Sorry!" Mirage scowled as she surveyed the messed-up couch. I sighed. "I''ll clean it up, don''t wo-" Twilight interrupted, looking at me like I''d sentenced myself to death. "Oh, no! Don''t you worry your fried brain about it! I''ll clean it up, you guys can just use the bed!" She winked at me... ah... ah. Looking at Mirage unsurely, she shrugged. But refused to meet my eyes as we settled in to watch the movie, in fact... she was silent even as it started. It was difficult to know how close I should have gotten towards her, but then Twilight came to the rescue again as she took control of Mirage and slapped her hand onto mine while coming up with an excuse. "Oh, uh, sorry just got the munchies for some popcorn! I''m still a bit unstable!" Appearing as a hologram behind Mirage, she gave me a thumbs up. --- One Movie Later Twilight''s initiation did have its effects, eventually I had gotten her head to lean on me slightly. Too bad I was incredibly engrossed in the movie. "So that''s what China looked like before the Swarm and Yuzhou?" "No... it''s actually a depiction of it centuries before the Swarm." "Ah, I didn''t know dragons were real... or that tiny and annoying?" She held back an explosion of giggles that were barely contained inside of her. "What?" I asked. "Nothing, just... you''re as smart as you are dumb." "Ah, whatever." I sighed... of course I knew dragons weren''t real. Just like horses. "So what''s next?" I changed the topic. "Next?" Her eyebrow crept up. "Told me to relax today... I''m just following orders." I smirked. "Your choice." She flicked up a screen... I chose the one with the rat in the chef hat. --- One movie later "Huh... the rat''s kind of like Twilight." "Excuse me?" The Persona appeared in my vision, an offended look in her face. "Because you control me by getting to my skull!" I defended... before adding. "And because you''re filthy." Glowing violet snapped into Elsa''s eyes, and down came a rain of smacks and a demand for an apology. "Oh, I''m choosing the next movie, jackass!" She decided. --- One movie later "Didn''t know lions had a better familial relationship than I did." I commented as the movie ended. "At least you have one." Twilight sighed, before breaking out a joke before the mood dulled too much. "I guess you got the lion''s share of trauma!" She mimed drumming something with her hand. "What does... that even mean?" I blinked. "Founders, you really are uncultured. Don''t worry, we''ll have you trained by today''s end!" She smirked. And so, one movie after the next. We made jokes, Twilight got a bit handsy and Elsa had to reel her in. But slowly... I got to know the both of them, and before I knew it, we were both fast asleep as her head rested on my shoulder. July 12th Leaving Elsa''s apartment had me feeling a bit... disappointed. My mother accepted my message and apology of missing home yesterday with a simple ''okay'' once I told her I was at Elsa''s, but unfortunately... I had to tell her that I wasn''t going to be home early today as well. Neither would I be at the gym. Harold Anderson didn¡¯t question my leave, just left a notice that I¡¯d received a paycut. I was fine with it; I was getting a delivery from Skeleton this weekend anyway. Instead, I was at my grandfather''s storage unit as I tinkered with a few Shardware spines I''d bought on the way. Before starting, I stared at the Implants Diamante had given me, I finally absorbed the Accommodation one that was fresh of a MAL. I¡¯d planned to use it on a Feature Link, but this would be better. Consuming Warpcode¡­ Excess Free Warpcode Detected¡­ known Feature: Accomodation. Where would the Adapter like to focus the Warpcode? Technician¡­ Capacity¡­ Technician V.1.07 has updated to V.1.08 Effect: All Shardware made by or modified by more than 40% by the Adapter now acts one Tier lower in Capacitance. So all of the Shardware on me right now? Capacity has improved to Iron VIII Capacity: Iron VIII [Effective: Bronze I] Capacitance Overview: Capacitance: 69.6% It was like I¡¯d cut a string off from an anvil attached to my back. I¡¯d only just started. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Diana called as I got off work today, she didn''t mention anything about the ballroom incident even though it was all over the news. She said she¡¯d gathered some interesting information; it involved human trafficking and that she¡¯d start building a case. I wished her good luck and to call me if she needed help, she kindly rejected that offer. July 20th I¡¯d spent the night at Elsa¡¯s again, it''d been a more common occurrence now to spend my time off watching movies at her place. We just watched Frozen and I couldn¡¯t help but point out the similarity in names. She only giggled at that. I had another job tonight. Topaz led this time. He was simple, he was fast and sneaky. And we were pulling a fast and sneaky one. At an old diner, I stopped by the mark¡¯s motorcycle, complimenting him about it and then shifting the conversation over to his Shardware. It was a genuinely interesting variant of an old Imperium Solstice Eye. Topaz made sure he lost his keys, and he went back to the diner to look for them. We promptly stole his bike. Topaz scratched it and the buyer refused to pay for it unless we repaired it¡­ we both had a heart-attack. We kept the bike. Well, I did¡­ so I guess I have a motorcycle now. July 24th Mr. Skeleton¡¯s commission was beginning to shape up. I focused on what I knew best, the musculoskeletal system. What he¡¯d sent over to my grandfather¡¯s storage was all mainly rehabilitation Shardware used for veterans who¡¯d suffered spinal nerve damage, I tweaked it a bit. The spine I planned was built with additional nerve plexii, numerous branches of Neurowiring coiled out of the various motor pathways, allowing an alternative path if the Adapter wanted to control multiple limbs. It was shoddy work right now, and relatively simple in execution. He offered me 65,000 Shardyne if I kinked out all the problems by the beginning of August. My work was cut out, but I could do this¡­ I had to. July 25th I¡¯d come up with a name. RipTech. A RipTech patent for the Soulbranch Spine. It was shaping up nicely, working with the tools and expertise gifted in the gym was a whole new ballpark to test my abilities. Another gig today, Missy was unsure if I was ready for it. An assasination. I was smart, cool and collected. My Personality Matrix made sure of that. The laboratory was relatively low security, but Mirage had it down in seconds. Topaz moved quickly, three guards dead by the time I¡¯d used my Livewire Claws to scale up the building, it was something I¡¯d been experimenting with. They sprung high on the experimental lock-on I¡¯d partially stolen from the gun Diamante gave to me. When they hooked into the railing¡­ they steadily pulled me upwards as my feet gripped the concrete wall. An alert went out with the emergency power, the target moving quickly into the escape Aerodyne. The target flew for an hour when the bomb I planted exploded. July 26th Diamante took me out to a gun range today at 3AM , determined I become a better shot. He was actually quite helpful in improving my aim with my claws, explaining that each one would be having different air-resistance and that I should focus on improving the stability of my launch. When he dropped me off at work. I had a test on the first year curriculum, it was an actual exam that students took in Shard Op¡¯ school. All laid out on a digital screen which I wrote my answers to. I scored a 96%. He said I was losing a bonus for not getting a perfect score¡­ All my lost points were spelling errors. July 27th Today had started like any other, I made a quick meal for my mom at seven in the morning, then left on the monorail towards the gym. By eight, I was adjusting Shardware, sometimes my own but mostly I¡¯d been working on limb tuning for the gym goers now. Flexibility vs strength, form vs function, I devoured it all. My upcoming drafts were coming together. I¡¯d broken apart Whiplash¡¯s arm more times than I could count, ripped into that limb like it¡¯d killed a family member. I was onto something here. Joints more akin to an insect, I was ready to build a prototype once I got a boost in funds. That would have to wait until I delivered Mr. Skeleton the spine, first. Other than that, I tapped my leg. My right leg. The surgery had been performed a few days after my delve with Mirage, and it was in every way superior to my left counterpart. For one, it was attached to my hip rather than my knee, allowing it to draw out more power. Plus, there were some additional changes I¡¯d made from the base model I¡¯d scrapped from the exoskeleton. The legs I¡¯d stolen from the Crimson Soul grunt turned out to be Anderson¡¯s work, and they were wonderfully used for my upgrades. Both hands were also entering the next phase of their growth, my right hand was adjusted with a finer launch mechanism. My left hand was more robust, a foundation for the upcoming ideas I had for it. The first step was introducing that blade I¡¯d taken, a nasty surprise for whoever got in close with me. Then, as the day came to a close. Harold Anderson stopped me, his eyes holding a weight I¡¯d rarely seen him carry. ¡°Come with me.¡± I followed, he was my boss after all. We took an elevator down, deep into the abyss of the gym facility. It was a large, mostly empty room, clean and deprived of grime. But the stench was horrible, like death had somehow seeped into every corner of the room. There was a truck, and as Anderson heaved the heavy door open. I felt a deep pit in my stomach as I counted the fresh corpses lying within. A pit of pure excitement. Blood and Steel C45: Let The Bodies Hit The Floor Chapter 45: Let the bodies hit the floor 7:31 PM July 27th Ripley Seeing the pile of bodies in the truck, I acted on the first principle of this job. ¡°This isn¡¯t the job description, what do I get in return for helping?¡± ¡°A thousand per Iron Body, three thousand per Bronze.¡± Anderson didn¡¯t glance back, but a smile was forming on my face as I rejected. ¡°Don¡¯t take me for an idiot. You know damn well that each body has thousands worth of Shardware on them, and that¡¯s without the Implants. How about this, a hundred per Iron Tier of the Shardware I remove and a thousand per Bronze Tier?¡± He called up a trolley mentally, as tables and bags were dragged on by simple droids. ¡°You get to train your Features. That¡¯s already enough payment, don¡¯t push it.¡± ¡°My deal stands open.¡± ¡°Six hundred per Bronze tier.¡± His sharp gaze glanced back. ¡°Perfect.¡± I cracked my metallic knuckles, ready for today¡¯s dissections. ¡°Where are these guys from?¡± ¡°Juniperos tried to double-cross Crimson Souls after one of their previous dealings went wrong, it didn¡¯t end up well for the Juniperos. Fourteen BUG adapters on their side, three BUGs from the Crimson Souls.¡± He grabbed one of the corpses, its lifeless body carrying no weight for the tough man. I was¡­ surprised by how heavy the woman I tried to carry out was. The average woman weighed between 45-70 kg, but adding on Shardware meant latching heaps of metal to the body. ¡°You get paid for this?¡± ¡°I get the Shardware, they get to enjoy discounts and customs. But occasionally, I pay for a body, or sometimes they pay me to take them off their hands.¡± He threw his guy onto an operating table. ¡°If their Shardware is left intact, a complete removal. Use the scanners to find out if they have stable cybernetic organs, otherwise any damaged pieces can be scrapped.¡± That fell in line with my expectations, freely running Gold into my arms and legs made me several times stronger and it was enough that I could heave the corpse onto the table without much issue. ¡°Implants?¡± ¡°We¡¯re splitting it half. The ones with only one previous owner go to Crimson Soul, two or more and we¡¯re free to take them for Engramming Feature Links.¡± Harold Anderson¡¯s hand morphed into a gigantic saw, sparks fraying as he tore into the crumpled arm with a surgical precision. I got to work myself. First off, the eyes, I scraped my scalpel around the delicate Shardware and loosened it up, using a magnet suction cup to pluck one out. I stared at the other one, it was flesh. ¡°What about all the organic stuff?¡± ¡°If they have viable organs, send them off by a droid. I know a few people who¡¯ll pay for them.¡± Anderson already had a flesh-hand skinned open, his finger blades scraping off the subcutaneous tissue to expose gray inorganic musculature beneath. I nodded, and it dawned that only now was I drawing on the Preservation Matrix. I was fine with removing the Shardware but harvesting their organs? It was hypocritical, I knew that, but how often did you stare death in the face? It took an hour for my first body, she had a cybernetic heart I valued at roughly Four-thousand Sheds, but I would only be receiving six-hundred. For that individual piece. Altogether with the eye, arm components, knee joint, Neuroframe and vocal chords, it was two-thousand three-hundred Shardyne. Half a Bronze Shard, roughly. And that was before I removed the Implant. I''d also come to another realization. Reverse Engineering worked just as well as helping me learn to tear about bodies as it did with steel. Every strip of flesh unveiled anatomical knowledge and chunks of bone cracked like ores of knowledge. I didn''t have any free Warpcode for an update, but despite that... I was still advancing as each limb became easier to dissect than the previous one. ¡°By the way, how are we supposed to figure out the Implant¡¯s ownership recor¡­¡± I was being an idiot, and the contempt look on his face confirmed as much. I could read it myself. I gazed at the Neuroframe I¡¯d removed, a small Iron-shaded beetle had its pincers around both the machinery and a piece of brainstem I hadn¡¯t yet cleaned off. Pressing my fingers, I began to read the Implant details. A few seconds passed by, and I found the information digested at a record pace for a fresh Implant. Grade: Iron Development: Tier I (Foundation) Feature: Database V.1.03 Previous Adapters: Simone Rickwell (3y2m) ¡°One Adapter in the record, a Database Feature.¡± I remarked, sorting the Implant aside. I stared at the body, feeling a surge of emotions run through me as I took in what I¡¯d done to it. All of this death, and I was making a profit on it. ¡°How often do shipments like this come in?¡± ¡°Once a month, but it can vary. I''d expect it to be more frequent the way things have become around here.¡± Anderson replied amidst the whirring sounds of bones breaking under a revolving saw. I stood my ground, refitting my hands into a different shape. I¡¯d done the limbs... now it was time to pry into that skull. ¡ª¡ª¡ª It took seven hours to dissect all the bodies, and I¡¯d felt like a skeleton by the end of it all. Try as I might, there was no doubt that I was defiling these bodies to make value of their Shardyne. What would happen if I were to die? Would I end up on one of these tables as a Shard Op¡¯ stripped my skin off to take apart my liver? I didn¡¯t want that, but at the same time¡­ It was life. This was selfish and cruel, but these cybernetics were better used on another person. Maybe in some crude justification, I could say that these body parts would be used to give a better life to other people, but more likely than not I was just permuting a cycle. A cycle of what? I didn''t know... I''d never been much of a philosopher. July 28th Today, I took things slow. Razorpede¡¯s arm was strewn up around my desk, and I¡¯d had the Soulbrance Spine almost ready. There was no way for me to run human testing, but whatever simulations I could run showed that the theory was in place. Crafting fresh Shardware meant it would have awkward redundancies, and as a prototype it proved to be mentally strenuous. Even as I tore apart some other spines I''d bought while using Reverse Engineering, it didn''t help me much when it came to pushing this spine for functionalities past the market need. The Neurowire bundles I¡¯d bought for the thing were expensive, but still on the cheaper side. That wouldn''t do for my plans. If I could only get better parts then¡­ I sighed. The parts weren''t the issue, I was still lagging behind in Shardware engineering. Still just fit to tinker with Iron stuff, until I could push past V.1.15 of my Technician Feature and gain a second Protocol, it was unlikely I''d be fit to handle the complexity of Bronze. That didn''t mean the Iron I touched was worthless... it was still far above what was available commercially. RipTech Soulbranch Spine Description: A Spinal augmentation of segments C1 to T12, it completely replaces the spinal vertebrae while only partially replacing the motor functionalities of the Spinal Cord. Primarily, it improves limb coordination and forms additional pathways for the usage of additional limbs. Grade: Iron III Integrity: Iron III Energy: Iron III Capacity: Iron VI Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. A much higher capacity compared to all the other stats, I wasn¡¯t sure if it was just a perk of controlling an extra limb or if I had messed up somewhere along the line. Sighing, I rested my feet on my desk as I scrolled through Little Requiem¡¯s various shops. From yesterday¡¯s dissection-payments and the rewards of the various gigs I¡¯d gone through, I was sitting at a comfortable 70,000 Shardyne. I grimaced though, my expenses and revenue were just about equal if not dipping into the red. If I wanted to improve my own Implant, then I had to buy out some more Iron BUGs and feed on their Warpcode. The only upside was that I could consume cheaper BUGs with multiple previous owners and only benefit from that since I had a complete consumption of the code. Spending around 40,000 on new parts and BUGs, I¡¯d only received them around the time the gym¡¯s Shardware services closed up. An inconspicuous man pretending to deliver food showed up at the reception. It was becoming pretty common that I stayed overnight here, either on overtime or for my personal projects. I took stock of the three normal Features within me. Psyche, Energized and Technician. With Data Mimicry, I had access to Overclock, Analyze, Jailbreak and Database. Now, the remaining five lay in front of me as five spherical beads, my smile couldn¡¯t be contained in my mortal vessel. Accommodation, Dataweaving, Integration, Network and Sustain. All twelve Basic Features were now at my disposal -- the only Adapter in the world to do so. Scooping them all up, I organized them into the new slots I¡¯d built across both arms based on Diamante¡¯s design. Testing them out, I could switch between each Feature in a span of twenty seconds. One moment I could be faster using Overclock, the next I could wirelessly attack their Shardware with Network before suddenly wiring myself to a machine gun with Integration. It would take some getting used to, and the upcoming facility raid would have me undergoing personal training from every member of Missy¡¯s group. Soon, there would be no going back. I would be a public menace, a mercenary known to the police and the world. [Yo, you coming over today? Daylight¡¯s recovered.] Mirage¡¯s message sent me out of my chair, Daylight had been recuperating ever since she used her Warpcode to force a Data Surge out of Yuzhou¡¯s servers. I gulped my worries down my throat, I didn¡¯t know if digital Avatars liked gifts but¡­ I had managed something out of the brief hour I was practicing with Dataweaving. A virtual ladybug hairpin. ¡ª¡ª¡ª The door swung open, Mirage standing there in loose pyjamas and bed-hair loosely fell over her face. She had a toothbrush in her mouth too. ¡°Did you just wake up?¡± I laughed, making my way into the room and already noticing the mess she left. ¡°When did you sleep?¡± ¡°At¡­¡± She hesitated, her voice getting quieter. ¡°Eleven in the night?¡± ¡°Girl, you got problems.¡± I organized her couch pillows and piled up her clothes neatly to one side so there was enough space for at least two people¡­ if barely. ¡°Is¡­ Daylight-?¡± ¡°She¡¯s fine¡­ but be warned, she¡¯ll be a bit different.¡± Mirage sat next to me, and I felt the conscious expansion of her Neuroframe¡¯s Network Feature pulse out in an expanding sphere. It was easy to feel her Silver Grade when she didn¡¯t bother veiling it during these transmissions. Still, it was a little scary knowing she could wirelessly get into your Neuroframe. Slowly, light pooled up as a swirling mass of ribbons, shaping into a humanoid figure radiating everything sweet and hopeful. Then she appeared, an eternal smile on her face. Daylight¡¯s clothes were slightly different than before, appearing more frilly like she was meant to resemble a doll. Her voice chirped out as her bright blue eyes descended like wish-making stars. ¡°Hello! I¡¯m Daylight! What¡¯s your name?!¡± I chuckled¡­ before my heart sunk into my guts. ¡°What do you mean Daylight? It¡¯s me, Ripley?¡± ¡°Ah Ripley!¡± Her wide smile sent hope fluttering through me. ¡°My old records show that we were best friends!¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­ old records?¡± I scratched my cheek, an unease swallowing me. She danced around the room, taking in all the sights of me and the surroundings with a bright-eyed enthusiasm. ¡°I¡¯m Daylight version nine! The old Daylight went a little¡­ kablooey! So I¡¯m made up from her old parts, I have some memories but now we can make new ones again!¡± ¡°Ah, right.¡± My face pulled wide, unsure of what to say. ¡°I um¡­ have something for you.¡± I pulled on the virtual hairpin I¡¯d made, making the digital accessory appear in our lenses, it was awkward seeing how angular and primitive it was compared to the lifelike appearance of Daylight¡¯s own Avatar. ¡°You um¡­ wanted me to take a picture of a ladybug once. I never did but¡­ I thought you would like this.¡± ¡°I¡­ love this!¡± She swooped it into her hands, tenderly absorbing all corners of my slip-shod work with her gaze. ¡°You¡¯re so sweet! No wonder Elsa-¡° Then she vanished, and my mind thought back to that moment in which she¡¯d¡­ the old her had sacrificed herself. ¡°Daylight?¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Mirage gasped. ¡°Still ironing out her kinks, she¡¯s a newborn, relatively her coding is all crude and inefficient. Still too digitally heavy in a sense. Sending her beyond myself for the next week is going to prove difficult, they need time to train once they redevelop. And Ripley¡­ what you did was sweet and all, it¡¯s just that the smallest things could severely affect their development at this stage. Normally, I¡¯d isolate them for around a month before having them talk to others but¡­ I¡¯m just going to¡­ hope that the hairpin helps her.¡± I nodded, still feeling uncomfortable at the prospect that Daylight was¡­ or the one I knew, was dead. ¡°She uh¡­ how often does this happen?¡± ¡°Midnight¡¯s the most volatile¡­ she¡¯s also the quickest to redevelop. Sometimes it only takes a few hours, she¡¯s on her¡­ eighty-fourth version? Daylight¡¯s on her ninth and Twilight¡¯s on her third.¡± Mirage slumped into the couch. ¡°I see¡­¡± I slumped right next to her. ¡°What¡­ what movie do you have you picked out for us today?¡± ¡°Hunchback of Notre Dame.¡± She chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ll like the songs in there.¡± A digital screen popped up in front of us, and I heard the beeping of her microwave and various automated kitchen tools start heating up popcorn. I swept a blanket over us, and got close¡­ but not too close to her. The faint smell of lavender and orchids suffused my senses with a calming relaxation as the movie started. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Incoming call from: Diana Huh? The movie was only halfway through when I jerked up, seeing the virtual message peering at me. I connected into the call, and the last thing I expected was to hear Diana hyperventilating into the audio call. ¡°Ripley. I- I need help.¡± She choked on her own words, almost ashamed to say them. Mirage sat up next to me, using her hands to motion a question at me. I answered with a slight whispered-mouthing of ¡®Diana¡¯, her eyes instantly when violet as I felt a bridge form between her and Twilight who resided in my skull. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked, hoping Diana wouldn''t figure out Mirage was hearing all of this. She sounded like she was dazed, still unsure of her speech. ¡°My- my friend, she¡¯s been taken to Little Requiem. She¡¯s¡­ kidnapped. You, you¡¯re in contact with Missy right?! Is there any way you can help me track her down? You know someone? You- you have to know someone! I- I don¡¯t know, she¡¯s just been-¡° Mirage spoke up on my behalf, not caring to hide her intrusion of the call. ¡°Are you talking about Yvette?¡± Diana stayed silent for a second. ¡°Yeah, her.¡± ¡°Give me a moment.¡± Mirage said, her eyes flickering as her mind sunk deep into digital avenues. ¡°Just take a deep breath, Diana.¡± I said, unsure if there was anything else for me to say. ¡°I just- fuck! I might have fucked up!¡± She screamed. Mirage tapped me, her eyes grave. ¡°She¡¯s been taken into a Metal Heavens safehouse in Little Requiem, I¡¯m sending you the address." With a motion of her fingers, she gave a definitive click into the air as the message was sent through me and into Diana''s Sigil. ¡°Thank you, thank you.¡± Diana¡¯s voice was drenched in desperation, then the call clicked off. My nerves bit up at me, and I found myself standing up with my bones itching to leave. ¡°Send the address to me, I¡¯m going.¡± ¡°What?¡± Mirage¡¯s eyebrows raised up at me, I was doing something crazy, I knew it. ¡°That¡¯s suicide.¡± ¡°She- I need her alive to find Dogwhistler.¡± It was the easiest statement to make sense of the whirlwind of thoughts running through me. Mirage chewed her lip, then sighed. ¡°Then¡­ fuck it, I¡¯m going with you. She could be pulling a trap on you.¡± We rushed down, and my new motorcycle was roaring up in seconds. While I technically didn¡¯t have a license, I had experience riding Hoaqin¡¯s and was a better driver than Topaz if the scratches were evidence. Mirage held on tight as we sped through the city. My own heart drummed up a beat, what was happening? When we reached the Metal Heavens safehouse, my nose crinkled up at a familiar smell. Blood, but something was wrong. It was all¡­ burnt. We walked through, finding Diana alone among nearly twenty burnt and bruised bodies. One of the ones lying by her feet wore a police uniform, a woman with a green mask that had been torn apart to reveal a metallic hose dripping with blood. There was another police woman in her arms, her body was burned terribly. Diana held her close, tears in her eyes as she spotted us -- her voice was broken. ¡°Save them." Minor Update (schedule + art, sorta?) Hey guys, Sixbees2 buzzing your way just for a minor update. So some irl stuff is coming up, I''m moving countries as soon as I get a visa which is probably this weekend. (I was transferring unis), which might make me a tad bit busier in the following weeks as I get used to that. I''ll keep you guys noted if it causes some delays in chapters. No chapter today because I kind of messed up the scheduling and if I change this, I have to change like... fifteen other dates and I''m lowkey sleep deprived right now (sorry!). Update schedule is set for next week complete with three bonus chapters on Saturday and an extra one on Sunday for getting me to the top 10, seriously that was the last thing I expected with this story. A fellow author and friend of mine joked my story had four nerfs (sci-fi, dual protagonist, semi-mind control, and the dreaded MCs that mess up) but hey! Look! We got here despite that! And that''s cus y''all are awesome, you have no idea how cool this is to open up my laptop and see CyberGene on the front page (just gotta hope we get it to the mobile front page with the top 7 ;) Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Otherwise, I''m here to tell you that I am currently looking for an artist to commission official illustrations of Ripley and Diana. I have a lot of ideas, and I''ve actually compiled them into a Pinterest page you guys are free to check out, these aren''t exactly to my vision but they''ve helped me a lot when it comes to giving them a rough shape in my head. Just be aware there might be non-contextual spoilers about. I know I''ve used AI images in my marketing, but it''s not something I''m proud of, and now that I''m making an income I''d like to get official art over sharing machine-made (ironic, I know) illustrations that aren''t faithful to my vision of the characters. Check the post-chapter notes for links! Blood and Steel C46: Twenty-five Days Ago Chapter 46: Twenty-Five Days Ago 7:32 PM July 3rd Diana ¡°I don¡¯t know how I didn¡¯t see it soonerrrr¡­¡± My drunk rabble spilled over the table to Yvette, her face held in the awkward responsibility of her having to be the sober one for once. ¡°They fucking always stay back late.¡± I groaned. ¡°Indra¡¯s been wearing turtlenecks all the time too now¡­ and she¡¯s with Rorshe constantly. It¡¯s¡­ god, it¡¯s so wrong.¡± ¡°Hey-hey, darling¡­ it¡¯s all okay.¡± Yvette held me supportively. ¡°So it¡¯s a little office romance, what¡¯s the biggie with it? I know you better than to think you¡¯re hung up on Rorsche.¡± ¡°Fuck no!¡± My voice slobbered in her face. ¡°It¡¯s wrong because it¡¯s sexual harassment! You should hear the things he¡¯s said to me, about how he got her¡­ fuuuuuck. I hate him so much.¡± ¡°The tenth time today you said it.¡± ¡°I hate him. Eleven now¡­¡± I chuckled proudly. ¡°And what the fuck is up with these jobs now? Help an old lady find her lost cat? Look for an expensive piece of jewelry that went missing during a corpo¡¯s stag party? He¡¯s¡­ toying with me. I¡¯m Intelligence, not a lost-items-retriever!¡± ¡°At least they pay well.¡± Yvette rasped. ¡°All that corpo money¡¯s the first reason why the police even looks at them in the first place.¡± ¡°Fuck the Shards¡­ I just- I need to prove myself.¡± An urgency burned through me. ¡°To your father?¡± Yvette knew by now to steer clear from that topic, so when she brought it up¡­ even drunk me knew that something was off. Holding myself together, I grabbed something from my bag. A recent pricey purchase, a Warp Converter strapped onto an arm-bracer as suggested by Dr. Faltest. I slid in one of the Iron Shards I¡¯d purchased, the thick coil of motors and gears charging with a gray glow that sparkled electric threads through my arm. Absorbing them cleared my mind, the Electrical Neurogenesis Mutation quickly broke past my inebriated state of mind and gave me some sense of sobriety. ¡°More than just him now, for years I¡¯ve been consumed by the thought of him¡­ strangely, now I barely even think of him when I¡¯ve got other problems to deal with. Even if he¡¯s closer than ever.¡± ¡°Other¡­ problems?¡± Yvette looked mildly bemused for all the wrong reason. ¡°Wait, did you just sober yourself instantly! What the fuck, unfair!¡± ¡°Deal with it.¡± I was glad I was sober for this, I knew I wanted to say it. ¡°Yvette¡­ I¡¯m trusting you with this. My Implant isn¡¯t what I said it was, and it¡¯s going to become pretty obvious eventually. You deserve to hear it from my mouth, everything, because lately having secrets hasn¡¯t been a choice. For all you¡¯ve done for me, pulling me off the streets like that¡­ you should know.¡± ¡°Know what?¡± ¡°My Implant is from the MAL attack¡­ it¡¯s¡­¡± I whispered closer to her ear. ¡°Gold.¡± ¡­ ¡°I fucking knew it!¡± Yvette gripped my shoulders tight. ¡°Oh I¡¯ve been wanting to ask for so long, but I was scared it was a sore topic. But honestly¡­ I couldn¡¯t have chosen a better person to give it to.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I was both surprised, and not surprised. Yvette may have been a wildfire in human form, but she was my closest friend. I didn¡¯t make alot of those, let alone close ones¡­ so my judgment had some merit after all. ¡°Yes, really! God, it¡¯s killing me¡­ how does it feel? Is it as nuts as they all say it is?¡± Yvette pointed to the converter I¡¯d just used. ¡°Do you constantly fry your laptop? Like your shocks won¡¯t just leap up right?¡± ¡°No, no.¡± I explained. ¡°I used it all up to get through my drunkenness. It¡¯s been¡­ nice. Alot of things I didn¡¯t think possible now realize themselves into my body. It doesn¡¯t really make me think faster, it¡­ Normally you don¡¯t grow new neurons but this changes that. Improves them somehow, Faltest wants a biopsy but¡­ Founder¡¯s nutsack that happens.¡± ¡°Just a tiny scoop of gray matter?¡± Yvette teased, but I could see the jealousy in her eyes. ¡°Ugh, I envy you. But I¡¯m also happy. Both. Couldn¡¯t have chosen a better host myself if I was a tiny insect of questionable alien origin.¡± ¡°You know¡­ I never got rid of that Silver, the one my dad gave me.¡± I teased her for a moment before making my intentions clear. ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± Her erratic blur of emotions paused, a chill air steering between us. ¡°You serious?¡± ¡°I need a friend alongside me. I can¡¯t be the only one experiencing something as fucked up as this.¡± ¡°Then, yeah.¡± She nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t have to ask me twice¡­ Silver¡¯s¡­ Silver¡¯s big. I can¡¯t say no to that, my family would kill me but¡­ how could I hide that fact?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll find out a way¡­ SIMs don¡¯t show their grade much unlike BUGs ¡ª at least at the lower Tiers. Faltest is covering me, but until we find someone who can properly detect Grades, we¡¯re fine. I¡¯ve looked it up, Anthony helped me out with the research, they¡¯re rare and often taken in for special training for the Swarm. Mostly Special Investigators or in the SIO department.¡± ¡°Still gonna shit my pants everytime I enter a room with the bigwigs.¡± She said, to which I raised my eyebrows until she conceded. ¡°Not that I get to experience that as much as you do.¡± ¡°I get the feeling, you really begin to hone in on all the stares. All the¡­ terrible things people would do to you if they figured you out¡­ but also. I need you to take it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± I locked my eyes on hers, my fingers curling into her arm like I¡¯d never hold her again. ¡°Because you¡¯re in danger.¡± No more secrets between us. I told her everything, about Ripley and how we killed the MAL. About Missy, Inquisitor Tusk and Ruby. The Dogwhistler. Soul Killer. What Rorsche said he would do¡­ A fire broke out into an inferno within Yvette¡¯s gaze. ¡°You¡¯re in deeper shit than an Iron MAL ambushed by a Herald. Tell me the word and I¡¯ll help.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll need to get promoted¡­ think you can get noticed by September? By then, I don¡¯t think my Implant can be a secret anymore.¡± My hands still curled around her arm, I needed her more than she knew. She pouted. ¡°Does that mean I¡¯ll have to actually put in work?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll rip the Implant out of you myself if you aren¡¯t an Investigator by then. I¡¯ll pull some strings, make a show to my Special Investigator¡­ maybe I could¡­ even use Rorsche to my advantage. Not in a weird way, just try and trick him or something.¡± ¡°You gotta be careful¡­ I might sink my teeth into his neck otherwise¡­ and not in the good way. Got any idea what the Implant¡¯s supposed to do?¡± ¡°Faltest said it was mostly protective. Muscle enhancement, force absorption and redirection. You¡¯ll have 3 innate Mutations as a Silver, I¡¯ll help get you some more.¡± ¡°You¡¯re already doing so much.¡± I stared into the empty cup I¡¯d drank myself to sadness with. ¡°I¡¯m not doing enough.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. 9:09 PM We stood atop an old rooftop we used to practice our aim on during our years as cadets, it¡¯s been untouched since then, the toppled cans and bullet casings still fallen over the floor. This part of the city was quiet, away from the hustle and bustle¡­ we¡¯d even gotten our old sleeping bags, it was nice to just be us for a night. ¡°Okay, you promised me that you would show me what you could do.¡± Yvette reorganized the cans up, propping them in a pyramid even if they were crumpled and deformed by the elements. ¡°Not much power at range¡­ but that¡¯s changing slowly.¡± I tensed up, feeling my heart beat quicker as I brought my Warp Energy to a surge. ¡°For starters¡­¡± I began, my body crackling with sparks in the night¡¯s darkness. ¡°Don¡¯t need to absorb electricity any longer, my body stores it in¡­ I guess wherever it can, Faltest said it formed a specialized electrogenic organ around my heart. Some variant of my heart¡¯s conductive tissue but now it¡¯s a unique organ that my Bioelectrogenesis Mutation acts from.¡± A tingle spread from my chest and ran up my spine, a sharp sting ringing through my head as electrical impulses folded over my thoughts. My gun blurred to motion, six shots streaking out in a perfect triangle pattern of electricity. The six cans each sparked and blew up in an immediate onslaught. ¡°My newer nerves can use my old Pacemaker, there aren¡¯t that many right now but what¡¯s there improves my processing speed by a shit ton. Hurts like a bitch though, can¡¯t keep it on for more than a few seconds before I get a blistering headache.¡± ¡°Badass.¡± Yvette cooed. ¡°Not all, I used to have an awarness of electricity but now¡­ it¡¯s different. Flickers of light within Shardware arms, the coursing veins of buildings, I can see the electricity run within them¡­ I can¡­ even see a person¡¯s nervous system with it. Electromagnetic Vision, some sort of on-and-off switch in my eyes changes the spectrum I can see¡­ I think? I don¡¯t know, all light is electromagnetic but apparently this is different.¡± My gaze faded into a black and whitish sliver, the faint shape of an amorphous oval in Yvettee¡¯s head slimmed down into her back. ¡°Can you¡­ read minds?¡± Yvette tried to block my sight by putting her hands over my eyes. I still saw the world around me in perfect detail ¡ª in terms of electric flow. ¡°Nope.¡± That wasn¡¯t entirely true. ¡°But I think¡­ I think as my vision improves, I could become a real scourge to anyone with Shardware, see them act out the second they think it through. It¡¯s a pain though, I started studying neurology but can¡¯t make heads or tails out of the hundred possible ways your brain can send a signal.¡± She kept her hand on my eyes, pulling something out of her pocket. It was¡­ her holopad? ¡°Shoot it.¡± She said, firm in her voice. ¡°Shoot it without seeing it.¡± The white rectangle flung into the air, and I shot it alright. Electricity tangled up my arm, a combined force of action and reaction pulsing into my gun¡¯s shot. The white splattered into the darkness. ¡°Damn!¡± Yvette shrieked. ¡°You really did it!¡± ¡°Of course I could, not lying about my genes.¡± I smirked as she pulled her hand off my eyes, color pulling into my sight. ¡°You know your eyes burn a really creepy silver light when you do that right?¡± She picked up the burnt scraps of her phone, not feeling sentimental in the slightest. ¡°Can¡¯t really see my own reflection when I tune in like that but¡­ You¡¯re not mad?¡± I destroyed her phone after all. ¡°It was a gift from an old ex, needed a new one anyway. Besides, you¡¯re fucking giving me a Silver! Don¡¯t you dare talk to me about wealth!¡± Yvette said with an offended sputter, I smiled, I laughed. I enjoyed. I enjoyed spiking out the numerous tin cans she flung into the air, Yvette howling and applauding me as I performed with a more exaggerated flair. Three cans burst with one shot, my eyes lining them up perfectly, before I leaped and cut through one of them with my sharpened nails. ¡°Woah! How¡¯d you do that!¡± ¡°A mutation called Compact Tissues, it can take in my Warp Energy and toughen up my muscles and skin¡­ but it¡¯s weird since I feel it sort of just generally makes me stronger. It also¡­ basically prevented me from losing weight.¡± ¡°How much¡­¡± She leaned in, eying my curves. I peeped. ¡°182 Pounds¡­¡± ¡°182?! Girl, get the fuck out of here!¡± She shooed me off, before dragging me back into an embrace. ¡°How and when does 182 look as good as you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­ just¡­ condensed muscle mass¡­ and tighter fat storage I guess?¡± I tried to rationalize it, but she continued praising all the things I¡¯d become. It reminded me of why I stayed with her, it wasn¡¯t just because she pulled me off the streets. It¡¯s because she might have been the only person in my life to have never wanted to exploit me. Implant or no Implant, Cradleborn or not, Jones or Ulrich, I was simply ever¡­ Diana to her. Even if I was as ugly as a cockroach, she would beam my confidence up until I believed I was wasting my life away by not becoming a model. That¡¯s just who she was. ¡°Yvette¡­ thank you.¡± I took a quiet seat leaning on the torn billboard atop the building. She smirked, following me in my rest. ¡°I would ask for what, but it¡¯s been pretty clear you¡¯ve held onto this shit for too long.¡± ¡°Yeah, you could say that.¡± I sighed, my head tilting to rest on her elbow. ¡°I love you, you know that.¡± ¡°Love you too, babe.¡± We stayed quiet there, not a word needing to be exchanged as she rest her head on my shoulder. In the silence, it was easy to become¡­ nothing with her. To free myself of the weight and expectations that everyone put on me¡­ and especially what I burdened myself with. ¡°Yvie?¡± I pulled her closer to me, her eyes lit up as she nudged in. ¡°Been a while since you called me that¡­ when was the last time? The Cradle?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Actually¡­ sort of what I wanted to ask you about.¡± ¡°Shoot.¡± ¡°Do you regret being born there?¡± ¡°If I wasn¡¯t born there¡­ then I wouldn¡¯t have been born at all.¡± ¡°That- that¡¯s not what I meant.¡± ¡°I know, Diana.¡± She nestled in closer to me. ¡°I don¡¯t regret it. Otherwise, I¡¯d have never met you. And we¡­ we¡¯re far away from it now, those baseline testing. Mandatory lectures. Punishment¡­¡± ¡°You were the one who got punished, don¡¯t drag me into that.¡± I shoved her lightly. ¡°Bitch, I¡¯m trying to cheer you up!¡± She clawed into me with a playfulness. ¡°But seriously, I don¡¯t regret it. Everything sucked for those years, but¡­¡± She stilled, her voice coming out with a warmth I¡¯d never lose love for. ¡°I can¡¯t deny that these last few haven¡¯t sucked for you.¡± ¡°They have.¡± My voice broke slightly. ¡°Do you¡­ regret me dragging you to the police?¡± Yvette held me tightly. ¡°No. Not a minute.¡± I choked my tears back. ¡°Otherwise¡­ I would have never gotten this.¡± Lightning crackled in my fingers, their glow etching into my eyes like a burn. ¡°With this¡­ we can make a difference.¡± ¡°Shut it, bitch. You¡¯ll be the one making the difference.¡± Yvette laughed, but unable to hide the slight sadness in her eyes, it hurt me to see her exclude herself. As much as she was there for me, I knew¡­ she was afraid I would leave her behind. I wouldn¡¯t. ¡°No. I¡¯m dragging you to the top.¡± I let a thunderous omen settle into my voice. ¡°Whether you like it or not.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª As we settled into my apartment and bedroom, Yvette held the casing in which I¡¯d received the Implant, a small cylinder no longer than my index finger but a bit wider. Her gaze basked in the sight of the Silver-coated insect within it. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I flinched just thinking about it. ¡°Like you¡¯re being dunked into a pool of acid and it¡¯s flowing through your veins.¡± ¡°Thanks for the encouragement.¡± She grumbled, popping the casing off and feeling the slimy insect¡¯s shell on the tips of her finger. ¡°A drop of blood, right?¡± ¡°I¡­ think so?¡± ¡°You think so? Didn¡¯t you take one of these?¡± She couldn¡¯t tear her eyes off the Silver SIM, veins of Silver glow pulsated under the segments of the chitinous orb it presented itself as. ¡°It sort of¡­ flew to me?¡± ¡°Flew to you? Implants can have wings?¡± ¡°It looked like a butterfly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s cute¡­ I wonder what I¡¯ll have?¡± The curiosity got to her, and she poked a needle into the skin of her index finger, a thin blood droplet burrowing out. It steamed into a scarlet mist upon contact with the Silver shell, burning deep into the Implant which awoke with a sudden unraveling of it¡¯s surprisingly large body. It was a scorpion, or at least vaguely so. She shrieked as she took a glance at it, but it clung to her. It¡¯s body was mostly a long segmented tail with legs branching off it like roots, while the stinger pushed deep into the flesh of Yvette¡¯s palm. Sinking. Before I could even exhale my shock from the Implant¡¯s awakening, it had disappeared into her bloodstream, leaving a bloodless wound where it had entered. Silver veins creeped up her arm like vines, twisting and turning as their glow spread through the rest of her body. Yvette collapsed in my hold, her entire body freezing as her genes were forcefully altered by the process. She couldn¡¯t even scream, it held such a vicegrip on my friend¡¯s mental endurance that not even a syllable could slip by for the next minute. I just held her, letting her know I was there. And that was enough. Blood and Steel C47: Hotel Hostages Chapter 47: Hotel Hostages 3:57 PM July 11th Diana I was glad to be out on patrol today, it was a necessary release from the mind-numbing case of Hiroyuki Mizuka¡¯s prized chopsticks disappearing from his case. I¡¯d already solved it, a case of his butler attending to his wife, the holo-tagged chopsticks being visible to my electrosensing eyes within the mansion¡¯s plumbing. He refused to believe it, naturally even with¡­ analyzed fecal samples proving otherwise. I wondered sometimes why the rich were so depraved that they had to step out of the boundaries of what was sane, was it out of boredom or an excuse that they shouldn¡¯t indulge on the matters of mortals? Would I have eventually become like that, had I stayed with my father¡­? Probably not to their extent. Wouldn¡¯t be¡­ doing any of that. Ever. I¡¯d grown up hunting, foresting and surviving, and the moment I had my life given to me on a platter was when I knew what it meant to be caged. My radio finally kicked in. ¡°This is dispatch to Intelligence Vehicle I13B7, we have a 10-79 here at Dalemar Avenue 1458, requesting immediate presence.¡± A bomb threat, if the code was right. ¡°Third-Investigator Jones responding, en-route, any say who the bomb¡¯s from?¡± I radioed in, pressing my car pedal down to a speedy start which caused my partner to jump up from his nap. Anthony grabbed his seat, looking at me like I¡¯d personally dragged him to hell. The voice returned. ¡°Suspects appear to be from Muramasa Dynasty. Proceed with caution.¡± ¡°Bomb threat?¡± Anthony gasped, and I nodded which only made him groan. ¡°It¡¯s always either a fucking bomb or a hostage, did they ask for us specifically?¡± ¡°They probably asked for you specifically. Not in name but¡­ you get the deal.¡± I smirked, not lying that there was a bitterness in me. Anthony might not have been the most physically capable Investigator, or even a good shot, but he had his family¡¯s Mutation to manipulate others with his voice. That made him invaluable in a way I wasn¡¯t. ¡°Well, let¡¯s fucking do it then. The address¡­ appears to be a banquet hosted for a Shandian Exec¡¯s engagement. Oh! New info came in, they¡¯ve got squad cars from Intelligence 11 and 6 there already, around twenty more officers close-by. Looks big.¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± My breath hitched, this is just what I needed after my shitty last weeks. A chance to boil my stress into action, to let that steam out. A message flashed in my view, from Yvette. [Hey girl! Never going to believe this, but I¡¯m going for a bomb threat! Let¡¯s hope I don¡¯t use Kinetic Absorption too much!] Oh shit¡­ Yvette was going too? I sped up, the alarm of the car doing little to clear the dense New California traffic, we were still ten minutes off. Ten minutes that would last too fucking long. Anthony¡¯s lenses faded between colors as he relayed the upcoming info while I drove. ¡°Yup¡­ Masa¡¯s got the place locked down, letting some hostages free in exchange for the Police not charging in while they extract VIPs out¡­ oh fuck!¡± ¡°What?¡± It was hard to stay focused on the road amidst all of this. ¡°They¡¯re coming, the rest of squad 13. Pulling out half their forces but¡­ the Special Investigator¡­ Wickett¡¯s coming.¡± Maybe I let a little too much excitement flood into my voice. ¡°Special Investigator Wickett?¡± ¡°Yeah, by air. She¡¯ll reach around in around twenty minutes. Do we really need to go? She hates my guts!¡± He tensed in his seat, rubbing his hands all over his legs as anxiety overtook him. I could only afford a glance. ¡°You¡¯re the one they really need for this mission¡­ calm down¡­ can¡¯t you use your ability on yourself? Self-resonance?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t work like that. Fucking hell¡­ this is going to be shit.¡± He groaned in his face. ¡°At least my aunt¡¯s not here.¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± I tried to joke, but he only breathed out in response. ¡°Sorry just, you won¡¯t need to do much. Plug into the speakers, get them distracted.¡± ¡°No, Diana¡­ this is really big! There¡¯s around more than three hundred people they¡¯re holding hostage, Diana¡­ if I fuck up-¡° ¡°You won¡¯t!¡± I swerved at the last second, some taxi stopped randomly to pick up their customers. ¡°You¡¯re in Tier II, you¡¯ll outrank Wickett in no time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s bold coming from you, miss Tier I in less than a month, how far you along anyway?¡± ¡°Less than 10% in all genes, they¡¯re developing slower.¡± ¡°Needs Mutagen-Boosters probably, cost a kidney a vial though. Police hands them out during promotions though.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not Second-Rank yet.¡± I was confident in that statement. ¡°And I just got this rank less than a month ago.¡± ¡°Your mission performance is stellar though, my aunt¡¯s curious about you. Thinking of talking to your dad to negotiate for more¡­ control of you.¡± ¡°You guys talked about me?¡± We were nearly there now. ¡°What did she say?¡± ¡°That you have a history of antagonizing your bosses, always got transferred from one squad to another since you were 19. Called you a stubborn idiot since you never killed until Tonguelasher, and now you¡¯re¡­ finally proving to be what this department needs.¡± A deep swelling in my heart was just the courage I needed for one final push, and then we were there. Police cars crowded the building, seven already present with around fifteen more enroute. This could end up a bloodbath ¡ª Muramasa wasn¡¯t kind to hostages. Anthony stepped out first, taking the lead to my surprise as he introduced himself and his Mutation, requesting immediate access to the communications within the hotel. ¡°Diana!¡± A familiar voice called from behind me, and it only spiked up my adrenaline. Yvette. A harsher voice shouted to her side, slapping Yvette¡¯s shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s Investigator Jones to you, Ingrid!¡± A smile leaped onto my face, it had been a long time since I saw my mentor back from when I was an Officer. Edward Peralez. ¡°Second Investigator Peralez, it¡¯s been a while! How¡¯re the kids holding up?¡± ¡°Little boy¡¯s started kindergarten.¡± He smiled, quickly sending me a series of snapshots of the mid-aged man with a smaller boy sitting on his lap¡­ and a teenage girl scowling as he tries to pull her in for a hug. ¡°Amanda¡¯s¡­ uh¡­ she¡¯s in her rebellious phase. Hoping she turns out more like you than Ingrid.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Yvette started, but Peralez hushed her with a stern look. I snapped them back into the case ahead of us, it was almost comforting to be back in this dynamic. ¡°As it stands, reports are flooding in that they snuck in by taking over the identity of catering company employees, used the trucks to haul in cold-packed containers that were supposed to be filled with high-end meats and instead had Muramasa members. They¡¯re concentrated around the Sapphire Heart ballroom, but have stations throughout the hotel.¡± ¡°You forgot to mention¡­¡± Investigator Peralez moved ahead of me, using his clearance and reputation to clear way and give us easy access to the entrance of the hotel. ¡°That they seem to be out to kidnap¡­ several Shandian Execs. They¡¯ve sent out a list of who they want to take for a humble chat. We try and fight back, they blow up the ballroom and everyone in it. This is a real shitshow.¡± ¡°No clear way to win this, right.¡± I followed him down the corridor of the mezzanine of the Takamura Plaza, hotels like these were massive and took in only the richest. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Peralez grunted in agreement. ¡°Muramasa hasn¡¯t attempted something like this in a year, they¡¯re going to have mercenaries too. Probably a Silver or two somewhere in here. Gonna¡¯ be stalling for time so they can disable any tracking systems on their target¡¯s Frames then extract them¡­ the question is, from where?¡± Yvette gave a rare input of her opinion, taking Peralez by surprise. ¡°Even if we intercept them, they could still have bombs planted around the building. Remotely deactivated¡­ we could lose hundreds of people.¡± Another voice joined from the side, a low-pitched voice I¡¯d heard once-in-a-while throughout my stay at Squad 13. The corporal in charge of it¡¯s management. Reiner Krauss, a man whose experience could be counted with the scars running across his face. ¡°Jones, the Lieutenant¡¯s nephew is asking for you. And¡­ the Lieutenant herself.¡± Annabelle Grazhe¡¯s asking for me? I saluted the corporal, taking a second to give my regards to Peralez and Yvette before striding onto where the hotel¡¯s mainframe was located. It had been turned into an operating center for the police¡¯s activity, a bustle of their highest standing members all gathered around tables and shouting out in arguments as we patched into the system. ¡°Why should we entrust your nephew? Don¡¯t you have the same Mutation?!¡± A bulky man shouted out to the air, Anthony standing small besides him. A hologram responded, Anabelle Grazhe¡¯s form appearing from a cluster of swarming blue light. ¡°Mine doesn¡¯t act through digital communication, as long as his voice remains unfiltered. He can manipulate them, I¡¯ve trained him. Besides, they know what I can do.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a Third-Rank Investigator.¡± The man, a Sergeant of the STRIKE department from the First Precinct, based on his uniform, shouted. ¡°I can¡¯t entrust my squads in the hands of a-¡° ¡°You will. This is a command from your Lieutenant.¡± The Lieutenant¡¯s voice was sharp, and carried an ethereal tone of her voice manipulation that failed to act in reality. It still made the Sergeant shrivel. ¡°Very well¡­ I¡¯m trusting you, Lieutenant. Just remember how this will reflect if things go wrong.¡± He saluted her, but not without some level of resistance to it. The Lieutenant nodded. ¡°STRIKE Sergeant Solamon, turn me to the Third-Rank Investigator who just entered. She¡¯s Diana Ulrich.¡± The words made me clench my jaw, and the Sergeant¡¯s eyes went wide at the mention of my last name. As he stared at me, I felt a pulse of connection in my subdermal Neuroframe. I accepted it. The hologram now faced me directly, judging me with peering eyes. ¡°Ulrich, my nephew says he trusts your ability, your judgement¡­ can you keep him safe?¡± ¡°I- Yes, Lieutenant!¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t an order, Ulrich. It¡¯s a question, do you have faith in your own abilities to act out in a manner where this operation succeeds?¡± Her tall figure stared me down, making me feel tiny. A pulse of my own Warp Energy spread confidence through me. ¡°I¡­ I do.¡± The Sergeant spilled out his own opinions. ¡°Reports says she¡¯s Tier 0?! She may be a Silver but I hardly believe that-¡° ¡°Tier One.¡± I corrected, before coughing out in anxiety. ¡°Pardon the interruption, but I¡¯ve reached¡­ Tier One. Since last week.¡± ¡°You failed to report on that¡­¡± The Lieutenant stared me down. ¡°But it¡¯s hardly the time to focus on that, a Tier One Silver is as good as a Tier II Iron or Bronze if they¡¯re trained. She¡¯ll have some use, I¡¯m entrusting her under your command, Sergeant.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± He grinded his jaw, looking at me with eyes drenched in venom. As the Lieutenant¡¯s image blurred out of reality, I was left alone in the room surrounded by nearly twenty staff all much higher ranked than me. ¡°Ulrich is good.¡± A lazier voice said from behind me, Risa Wickett. The Special Investigator in charge of Squad 13. ¡°She¡¯s outperformed her Rank. I¡¯ve been tasked to act out in your command as well, Sergeant Solomon. Also, Staff Sergeant Brinks has just gotten access to the Plaza¡¯s network¡­ you should have a report of it.¡± ¡°Very well, Special Investigator.¡± The Sergeant clicked his tongue. ¡°At least someone here who I know can actually perform.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Special Intelligence Operations, STRIKE and the Intelligence Departments were all working in synchronous clockwork. Seven Special Investigators. Fifteen First-Ranks. Twenty-eight Second-Ranks. Fifty-two Third-Ranks. And Twenty-Two Officers. And three Mercenaries on the Police Payroll. 124 Police staff all worked through the hotel for the last hour, scouting out or evacuating the rest of the Plaza¡¯s vacuants. The last hour was spent planning, organizing and communicating. We didn¡¯t have an exact count of our enemies, less than a hundred we presumed¡­ but depending on how many Bronzes or Silvers they had, the number wouldn¡¯t matter. ¡°Pssht.¡± One of the Mercenaries whispered to me as the Corporals, Sergeants and Special Investigators argued. She had dyed blue streaks in her brown hair, and equally oceanic depths in her eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve got electric mutations, right? So do I. They call me Stormspinner.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Diana Jones.¡± I nodded warily, before wondering how she knew about my Mutation. She laughed as the confusion visibly settled over my face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m hired by SIO Sergeant Brinks, she gave me a list of the Investigators under this operation. You absorb and emit electricity from what I read¡­ I¡¯m a little different. I can control any metal charged with it, levitate or throw it at people. Just pointing it out since we synergize well.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I quietly whispered, not wanting to disturb the meeting going on. ¡°Third Investigator Grazhe.¡± Sergeant Solomon raised his voice. ¡°¡®Masa has agreed to negotiations, message came in a minute ago. You¡¯ll need to plug in via a direct system jack into the Sapphire Heart¡¯s subnet¡­ which means we won¡¯t be able to protect you if your Frame is attacked.¡± I could see Anthony¡¯s confidence shrink like a water balloon popping. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Wickett grunted with a cigarette in her mouth, a light puff of smoke sneaking around her words. ¡°You¡¯re allowed to be guarded by two people¡­¡± He flashed a smile towards me. ¡°That¡¯ll be Rorsche and Harmony, they can directly shield you from any cyberhacks.¡± Wickett cited. Anthony¡¯s smile cracked like a stick stepped in half. Almost ashamedly, he asked about me. ¡°Uh¡­ what about Diana? I mean Investigator Jones?¡± ¡°The Third Investigator¡­¡± This came from the Sergeant. ¡°Has scouting capabilities with her ability to detect electricity, it might be able to detect the bombs. Your girlfriend¡¯s better used elsewhere.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not-¡° I began, but a flash of the reminder that in two day¡¯s I¡¯d be posing as one to get into his Aunt¡¯s birthday froze my lips. ¡°Just¡­ keep him safe.¡± ¡°It¡¯s you who¡¯ll need protection.¡± The Sergeant snarked, shuffling out his fingers in a dizzying pattern of swishes. ¡°Teams are out, I trust that you¡¯re all satisfied with your assignments. A scribble of words etched into my view. Team Delta (Tertiary Extraction/Infiltration Group):- I¡¯m on an Infiltration team? That¡¯s- no, it made sense. If they wanted me to use my scouting ability to detect the bombs I¡¯d need to be there before things could get worse. ¡°Whatchu get?¡± Stormspinner peered over my shoulder as though she could see the screens directly projected into my eyeballs from beneath my eyelids. ¡°Extraction/Infiltration¡­ Tertiary.¡± I whispered, anxiety clinging to my breath. ¡°That¡¯s good! Means you¡¯ll be close to me.¡± She patted my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m in Alpha, Countermeasure Force. Just us three mercs, two Specials and a bunch more First Investigators from the SIO.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going in first?¡± I stared at her warily. ¡°A fight is going to happen. A little tid-bit, Muramasa feeds on police casualties like pigs, even if they call you guys that. They¡¯ve fended off Shandian Security by taking their bosses as hostages, and by now your own top brass are probably being screamed at by a snobby Yuzhou Gold or something like that.¡± She scratched her chin with the barrel of a large pistol. ¡°Masa¡¯s playing a big move, trying to breach as many Frames as possible right now. Sooner or later, some exec will give the kill order and unleash hell with their private forces. They¡¯d rather keep their information safe than their employees. From then on, it¡¯ll be your job to secure the hostages left and disable the bombs. Hell, most of Muramasa aren¡¯t planning on leaving alive today, I bet.¡± ¡°They¡¯re here to die?¡± I couldn¡¯t imagine anyone willingly surrendering their life like this. ¡°Maybe, maybe not. They¡¯ve got good connections with prisons, enough clout that they¡¯ll survive if they¡¯re caught. Some of the big ones might even be let out sooner than you think. But Muramasa goons are fucked in the head, more than any other gang. They live and breathe the notion of an honorable death, to die fighting until they fall with a police heart clutched in their hands.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard.¡± I stared at the meeting falling to an end, the time to act was upon us. ¡°We¡¯ve got to save the civilians first. That¡¯s where my priority lies.¡± ¡°Tch.¡± She scoffed. ¡°Not mine, not even the police¡¯s really. Shandian¡¯s a big investor into the NCPD¡¯s inventory, more than the civvies¡­ protect the corporates. That¡¯s how you¡¯ll get promoted from tonight.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Then kill as many Muramasa as you can, because sure as hell, I ain¡¯t saving a single suit. When shit gets rough, just charge up as much metal as possible. Any forks, knives, spoons¡­ that¡¯ll be enough for me.¡± Stormspinner latched on her helmet, a vague owl resemblance imprinted over the face-plate. I breathed, in and out. This wasn¡¯t my first big emergency, but it was the first time I was expected to play an active role and not just securing evacuation. That still fell on Yvette, I had other responsibilities now as an Investigator. ¡°ALL UNITS!¡± Sergeant Solamon roared. ¡°TO STATIONS!¡± Blood and Steel C48: Escalation Chapter 48: Escalation Number of bombs: unknown. Type of bombs: unknown. Number of civilians in the Sapphire Heart Ballroom: Estimated¡­ 348 Number of Shandian Executive Hostages: 12 [Priority] The list of hostages pulled down in my view to reveal old faces I¡¯d seen pop up in the news every so often, my earpiece tuned into Anthony¡¯s voice as I crept behind Risa Wickett and the rest of Team Delta. ¡°Epsilon¡¯s reporting in.¡± Solomon¡¯s voice overtook my head. ¡°Muramasa¡¯s gathering the brunk of their forces behind the stage of the ballroom, they take in the hostages one at a time. Presumably, it¡¯s where they¡¯ll have their bombs located too.¡± ¡°Understood, Sergeant.¡± Risa¡¯s voice came through, her oversized metallic claws tearing open a door sealed shut like it was spoiled bark. ¡°We¡¯re entering through the emergency staircase, management said this one was sealed off, right?¡± ¡°Aye, too many honeymooners sneaking off into the stairwell.¡± The Sergeant, as stiff as he was, seemed more personal with Special Investigator Wickett. There must have been some history. Then Anthony¡¯s voice broadcasted to us all, his shifted hypnotic tone dulling me ever so slightly. ¡°We¡¯re here to keep everyone safe¡­ tell me, how can we do that for you?¡± A rougher voice responded, a thick asian accent hung on every word. ¡°You can start by giving us what we want. Just Twelve Corporates and everyone else lives.¡± ¡°These corporates, they¡¯re important to you?¡± ¡°Very.¡± The voice responded. ¡°We¡¯re being paid good.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s paying you? Maybe we can renegotiate your payment? Give you a better deal¡­¡± ¡°No. This is personal. It¡¯s why we¡¯re doing this¡­ these coinpouches don¡¯t deserve any better!¡± As we snuck in through the hall, the back-and-forth continued aimlessly. Neither Anthony nor the criminal were getting anywhere, just constant deflecting from one side to another like a stale tennis volley. It droned out in the background, Anthony¡¯s voice growing more hollow, the criminal¡¯s spinning more dream-like. Until¡­ the criminal¡¯s voice broke to Anthony¡¯s power. ¡°We¡­ we¡¯ll let out a third of the hostages.¡± That was our sign to move in, we were already near the ballroom so within a few moments we turned a corner near one of it¡¯s entrances. I stopped early, whispering aloud as I faintly picked up the prickling sensations of various Neuroframes along the corridor. ¡°There¡¯s people. Two of them.¡± ¡°Then we take them out.¡± The group followed through Wickett¡¯s orders, one of the First Investigator¡¯s guns pre-aimed as she turned past the corner, two electric flashes signaling two fallen bodies. ¡°Good job Investigator Torien.¡± Risa followed up. ¡°Sergeant, confirmed two Masa¡¯s down, awaiting order for entry.¡± The Sergeant¡¯s voice peered into my ear. ¡°Affirmative. When the hostages start leaving, send in Jones and Riebeck. Initiate phase two of Delta Team. Delta one and Delta two, assume your positions.¡± Risa nodded to noone, but the affirmed understanding seemed to slip through the advanced neural connection. Delta One would be led by Risa Wickett as part of the immediate retaliation force from a backstage staircase used by the staff or for emergency purposes, while Delta Two was to split up and join in with the other Investigators escorting the hostages out. Of course that wasn¡¯t the whole plan. As apparently, a distraction was set to take place, during which we were expected to slip into the chaos and scout the bombs. Moving aside to join the quickly maneuvering Delta Two group, we received updates as Delta One snuck up the staircase deeper into the heart of the Muramasa operation. One of the Investigators, Leopold whispered out. ¡°This is dangerous, right? I can¡¯t be the only one thinking this? It¡¯s a suicide mission!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what half my missions are.¡± Choirmen snickered beside me. ¡°True.¡± I chimed in. ¡°You leave half your missions riddled with bullet holes. Your blood powers are tough.¡± He didn¡¯t seem pleased at that, but still managed a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m a sponge they can¡¯t seem to dry out.¡± ¡°You¡¯re armed with a Holoshield, you¡¯ll be fine.¡± Delta Two leader Riebeck added. It was true, as part of the immediate task force infiltrating the ballroom, we were given some upgrades. A holoshield for one, like the one Cannonarm had used. They weren¡¯t as big, and certainly wouldn¡¯t manage to take the brunt of damage that military grade shield had but it was both equipable and deployable as cover. Plus, the police shields had reactive permeability. I could shoot through the shield without worrying about being hit back¡­ but at the same time it was an inferno resting on my arm. The sheer density of electricity caged in the Bronze Grade tool was enough to power my apartment for a week with all the lights turned on. ¡°You all have your Neurocuffs ready?¡± Riebeck jangled a polyhedral plate in her hands, identical to the ones I¡¯d been given by Rorsche when he controlled Indra. ¡°There¡¯ll be priority targets your lenses will pick up, refrain from shooting them lethally. They¡¯re key targets.¡± ¡°Understood, Investigator Riebeck.¡± I said solemnly. She only snickered as we jogged towards the entrance the hostages were being gathered at. ¡°Please, if we¡¯re going to die tonight, I¡¯d rather be called by my name rather than my husband¡¯s. It¡¯s Joesphina.¡± ¡°Understood, Josephina¡­ I¡¯ve heard you¡¯re a deputy leader at Squad 17 of STRIKE, right?¡± She was her Squad¡¯s Rorsche in a way, but hopefully less disgusting. ¡°Second Deputy when Jakob isn¡¯t in charge. And you¡¯re the girl with the Silver. Matches your eyes. Fancy that, wonder who your Implant will go to if you don¡¯t make it through.¡± She chuckled morbidly. ¡°I¡¯ll survive.¡± I half-smiled. ¡°I¡¯m more than just a Silver.¡± ¡°Bold words. Wickett had faith in you, so that deserves a bit of respect.¡± She added, and I could feel a genuine warmth spread across the blonde woman¡¯s words. ¡°That means something. There¡¯s a lot of responsibility on my shoulders.¡± I had the electricity-seeing eyes, there were plenty of variants of eyesight Mutations. Ranging from sharper vision, to thermal sight, but very few allowed you to peer into the foundational laws of the world like gravity, electron density, Warp Grades and so-on. At Tier One anyway. ¡°Ready up, hope that you take combat as well as flattery. We¡¯re getting ready to go in.¡± She assigned with a sharp wave of her arm, near to where several other police squads were located. They were meant to handle the exact extraction of hostages, whereas we had that as only half the job. It mostly consisted of Officers, with a few Third and Second Rank Investigators sprinkled in. Most of the higher Ranks were executed on infiltration operations. The doors opened a minute later, three large Muramasa goons all wearing thick solid masks that were vaguely asian in origin. Oni, Kappa and Tengu, deeper in were faces resembling dragons, tigers and phoenixes of various colors. ¡°Be wary of anyone with a Black Dragon mask ¡ª or worse, a crimson one.¡± I remembered Risa¡¯s words, there was a command behind that, the kind she dressed on when someone broke protocol. Black Dragons were the Muramasa¡¯s elite fighters. ¡°Ten officers. No one else.¡± The biggest goon said, a curved longsword heavy in his grip. ¡°Or we blast this place.¡± Josephina stepped forward, the rest of the Investigators giving way to the First Rank. ¡°I assume you¡¯ll be letting us in for some tea?¡± ¡°Only if the boss permits it.¡± He appeared virtuously emotionless, devoid of any thought behind that mask. ¡°This is why I love Muramasa, even the meatheads know big words like ¡®permit¡¯. Makes talking a whole lot easier.¡± Joesphina strided through, her assault rifle resting on her shoulder the whole time. We all took it as a sign to leave our own weapons unprepared as well, I had even been given a side-pistol to walk in with. A ballistic kind with fancy ricochet options over my much simpler and covert Braceshocker, apparently I would be too suspicious if I had no weapons on entry. We went in after her, walking through the grand marble doors to an even grander glistening floor of marble. Everything was some shade of gold or sapphire, from the chandeliers to the table cloths and the floor. Somehow none of it clashed, a testament to the eye who built this place. If only it¡¯s sanctity hadn¡¯t been perverted by the sight we saw. Hundreds of battered and beat guests at the mercy of Muramasa, rounded up in groups of six or seven behind two to three Masa goons. My vision flinched under the massive onslaught of information flooding it, numbers appearing over each of the heads of the guests. The Sergeant¡¯s voice commanded through the ears of the police force. ¡°Sights on the hostages confirmed, priority numbers have been assigned, anyone under 100 is a vital target to retrieve alive and unharmed. Above that, alive. Anyone above 300 is a low priority. Hotel staff are inconsequential. But the top twelve, are to be extracted immediately.¡± My lip would have bled through with how hard I bit it had my Mutations not strengthened my skin. Even the goons had numbers on their heads, or skull marks to be assigned death. I observed as Josephina chewed her teeth to gums, eyes like spears cleaving over the entire ensemble of wicked goons and fashionable hostages. ¡°We have a choice of who we save.¡± She said firmly, not letting it be interpreted as a question. Neither the goons nor anyone near them answered, instead it was the a resounding voice coming from a Black Dragon masked swordsman up on the stage. Twelve bound hostages lying by his feet ¡ª the highest priority targets. ¡°Absolutely not. You will take only whom we allow. A hundred and five souls, the rest shall be condemned to fate.¡± He waved a sword, several others rising into the air as they barged orders onto the hostages in front of them to move ahead. Their numbers were all around 300 to 200¡­ I pushed my thoughts aside, this stupid ranking didn¡¯t mean anything, I would save them all by finding these bombs. My eyes burned a silent silver as they scanned the room in views of black-and-white. ¡°Denied.¡± The voice of the sergeant broke through. ¡°Grazhe?¡± Anthony¡¯s voice relayed to us. ¡°Reconsider it¡­ just fifty of our choice?¡± ¡°None of the ones on stage.¡± The Black Dragon said with a dazed bitterness, you would hardly be able to tell if you didn¡¯t know about the Grazhe¡¯s hypnotic abilities. ¡°What would it¡­¡± Anthony¡¯s voice cut momentarily, when it returned it was noticeably more strained. ¡°What would it take for the twelve on stage?¡± ¡°Fifteen Million Shardyne.¡± The Black Dragon spoke with a laugh. I tried my best not to focus on the conversation, but my search for the bombs came up with nothing. ¡°Why so much for them?¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°You know why¡­¡± The Black Dragon¡¯s voice echoed with malice. ¡°True. They¡¯re all high-standing executives, but why go through all of this?¡± ¡°Because we¡¯ll be paid Three Million for this, now will you raise the bet?¡± A light chuckle filtered through. The Sergeant¡¯s voice interrupted through our comms. ¡°Anthony. Now.¡± The slight whispers of control echoed even past the barriers of his ditorted voice, I felt a compelling rattle my bones into action. ¡°What if we offer up the Investigators currently in the ballroom. An exchange? Josephina Riebeck, Godrick Leopold¡­ Tluste Choirmen and-¡± Anthony¡¯s voice was weak. ¡°Diana Jones.¡± The Dragon¡¯s decision took a moment that lasted too long. ¡°An acceptable offer for three of them.¡± The Black Dragon said. ¡°We choose which ones, as you have chosen which officers to give up¡­¡± ¡°Tell them it¡¯s agreed.¡± The Sergeant echoed in my head, a pit of nausea bubbling through me. ¡°Delta Two is to be exchanged for the hostages.¡± ¡°We¡­ agree.¡± Anthony¡¯s voice sounded like it had been squeezed out of him. The dragon surveyed his bound hostages, pointing with his blade to the ones we had just been sold for. ¡°Very well. Asaki Turamaka, Hanxiao Libeng and Edward Horowitz. You three are free to go.¡± ¡°Delta Two.¡± The Sergeant said firmly. ¡°They¡¯re going to cut off your comms. Before that, find the bombs. In five minutes, we¡¯re executing a raid. The order comes from Yuzhou ¡ª Muramasa¡¯s not budging. They don¡¯t want any info leaking out.¡± The one-hundred partygoers who thought they¡¯d be freed tried to lash out, but any rise in voice was met with a smack into their heads and loud shouts to be quiet. ¡°You five. We¡¯re splitting you up.¡± A new mask appeared, the female voice coming through the appearance of a demonically twisted monkey. ¡°Riebeck, with me.¡± And one by one, we were separated. Taken off into different corners where we would be surrounded by a hundred different enemies. Four and a half minutes to find the bombs, even quicker once they disconnect my- Neuroframe? But mine was now subdermal¡­ ¡°Hold on, this one¡¯s odd. She doesn¡¯t have a frame on her neck.¡± A rabbit mask said, his steel clawed arm cold against the flesh of nape. It sent shivers through me, and as more animal masks turned to me I questioned my safety. ¡°I¡¯m unchipped.¡± I said, biting my tongue through the lie. ¡°You¡¯re an Investigator without a frame?¡± Suspicion drew that cold grip tighter, any more and my neck would break if my Mutations hadn¡¯t altered them. Then it released, the tension snapped away like a taut string placed against a sword. ¡°Tch, we¡¯ll see what to do with you.¡± Josephina¡¯s voice slipped into my Neurolink.¡°D-Diana¡­ it¡¯s the hostages- they¡¯ve- got¡ª-¡± Then it was gone. The hostages? I focused my gaze on the hostages, slipping my eyesight into the realm of electrons. A condensed mass of electricity on their necks and Shardware but also¡­ I spotted one. An odd accumulation of power at one navel of a woman, hostage number 342 on the priority list. A similar bulge appeared on hostage 297. Then 312. They¡¯d¡­ planted the bombs on the hostages they were planning to release to us? I swallowed my fears down as I tagged them one-by-one, scanning far through the veils of storming light as the pattern of the bombs memorized in my head. Then I sent a message through the Delta comms, I was the only one on Delta Two still with access. ¡°I- I¡¯ve found thirteen bombs. They¡¯re planted on the hostages, can¡¯t tell what kind though.¡± Then I realized, seeing where the other three on my team had been escorted to, that they were all placed firmly next to hostages armed to explode. Turning to my right, I saw a woman ¡ª some hotel staff member judging from her uniform ¡ª with nearly dead eyes, glazed over like the light had been sucked out of them. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I whispered. She didn¡¯t utter a word, she seemed to not even register my question. I could feel that familiar presence on her though, a bomb was nestled on her stomach. ¡°You¡¯re unchipped?¡± One of the hostages, a handsome youth who looked to be around my age whispered. ¡°I can respect that, don¡¯t worry. My dad¡¯ll have the security forces here soon, he¡¯ll save us. How about you stick with me and-¡° ¡°No talking!¡± The rabbit masked goon kicked him roughly, the man¡¯s face contorting in fury. ¡°Do you know who I am?!¡± He tried to rise up, but a rough grip pinned him down. ¡°Yes. Mizuki Tanashi ¡ª son of Hisako Tanashi. And¡­ your sister is very pretty, would be a shame if she didn¡¯t leave this place with your pig saviors.¡± The rabbit¡¯s words sliced through the man¡¯s confidence, rendering him a quivering mess of a person. No time to focus on that though, I took the distraction to slip closer to the dazed woman. Focusing intently on the bomb strapped to her belly under her clothes, its contours smoothed out until I could firmly make out the shape. I still didn¡¯t know what kind of bomb it was, but the minutes were ticking down. One minute left. I waited, drawing the electric flow into a tangible knot, hoping that somewhere in there I¡¯d see some semblance of a way to disable the bomb. After all, there¡¯s no way we were going to actually raid this place? Not with all these innocents? Not when the corporates here were paying out the police for protection? Except I didn¡¯t believe it, there was something wrong with Yuzhou deciding to risk their own staff. What were they hiding that they¡¯d rather want them dead than as hostages? 20 seconds left, more or less. The sergeant should know about the bombs I tagged, but no order came for a long time. 10 seconds. I heaved a heavy breath out, my hands trembling. 5 seconds. ¡°Ulrich.¡± The sergeant¡¯s order came only to me. ¡°Distraction is incoming. Remove one of the bombs and get visuals on it for the defusal team.¡± I nodded, as the clock ticked down to 0 seconds. A sound of an exploding firecracker echoed through the room, nearly ten masked goons falling with their heads limp and bloody. Everyone took charge to sight out the source of the gunfire amidst the screaming, the shots came from within the ballroom. My vision blurred, even across my electric vision I could make out the gun that had fired those shots and see it moving in someone¡¯s grip. But no matter how hard I tried to focus on the person holding the weapon, my vision blurred and told me that there was no one there. It was as though my mind was fighting against the notion of someone standing there. ¡°Who the hell did that?! Didn¡¯t sound like a sniper!¡± One of the masked men called out, just several feet away from the¡­ the gun that shot out. Why couldn¡¯t I focus on the one holding it? Maybe¡­ I switched spectrums again, seeing the nervous fluctuation of a hundred people from the sudden gunfire. I could see the perpetrator¡¯s Neuroframe through it¡¯s currents. I just couldn¡¯t see them, or my mind wasn¡¯t letting me see them. The Neuroframe moved across the ballroom, carefully moving amidst the sea of rising tension. Until it stood on stage. ¡°Topaz.¡± The Black Dragon said, his blade unsheathing slowly. ¡°That¡¯s you, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Shandian placed a heavy bounty on your head. It was easy walking in here.¡± The voice of¡­ Topaz called out and he sounded remarkably relaxed despite the thick tension knotting everyone into a chokehold. That name belonged to whoever was holding that gun. I swore I¡¯d heard it before. ¡°Who else have you brought? The Iron Devil? Or that woman? We can work out a deal, you know. Never expected you to sink into the corporate¡¯s wallets.¡± The Black Dragon¡¯s voice deepened, growing in some measure. ¡°I¡¯m here for my own paycheck. I¡¯ll be taking your head.¡± Then my eyes snapped towards the gun being held by whoever Topaz was. He stood right next to the Black Dragon, his gun oriented to aim at the heads of one of the hostages they¡¯d taken. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare risk a Dragon of Prince War-Watcher.¡± The Black Dragon growled. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t¡­ but The R0N1N? He didn¡¯t pay Masa to do this, what made you think you could double-cross him? Dark Demon? Have I ever mentioned how much your name sucks, by the way?¡± Topaz chuckled. Hating myself, I tore my sight away from the conversation, taking the distraction to grapple at the woman¡¯s midriff and expose the bomb. She didn¡¯t resist, confirming my suspicions that they¡¯d somehow rendered the bombed hostages catatonic. I took my sight of the various wires connecting to a vial of explosive fluid. Solomon acted through my visuals, parts of it highlighting as he labeled out specific pieces. Working with his aid, I tracked the currents to where he labeled ¡®receiver¡¯. If I couldn¡¯t render them neutral on my own end, I just needed to snap out what was connecting them to the kill order until a bomb squad could safely neutralize them. So I reached my fingers out, slowly drawing the electricity out of the receiver until it was out of charge and dead. One down. ¡°Sergeant, I can disconnect the bombs from their system.¡± ¡°Proceed. We¡¯re sending in another distraction.¡± Both Topaz and the Black Dragon were still the focus of most of the attention, but that all shattered once a new mercenary fell from the roofs above. Stormspinner stood upon a sheet of thick metal, electric sparks flowing through it. ¡°Topaz, you can¡¯t take all of the money! Split it, I¡¯ll get the hostages out and-¡° ¡°No!¡± The Black Dragon screamed, his sword rising to strike the heavens. ¡°You filth, you disgust us by dealing with the Shardyne spread from the pockets of the Founders. My warriors! Take aim-¡° ¡°Tell them to drop their weapons.¡± Anthony¡¯s voice slithered out. ¡°-And drop your weapons!¡± The Black Dragon said, his weapon rattling as though it detested the order he just screamed out. The Muramasa goons froze in confusion, confusion I took hold off. I shot myself with my concealed gun, fully charged to break out of my constraints, I took every ounce of the electricity to power the motors of my muscles. From one hostage to another, I used them to hide my path amidst the confusion until I reached the second bomb. A snap of electricity drained it dry, and I was off to the next. Stormspinner shot out at the Black Dragon, shard of metal and gunshots colliding at his position. He vanished in a pulsing, glitch-like, shadow that wrapped around him, growling from above a balcony now. ¡°Det-¡° ¡°Don¡¯t detonate the bombs!¡± Anthony called out, and the next second spurned into chaos as something fell from Stormspinner¡¯s hands, it pulsed Silver before detonating. But force isn¡¯t what it unleashed, it was sound. A banshee¡¯s cry wracked through the room, pulling everyone to their knees other than those hired by the police or those in the force. I¡¯d heard of it, long ago when I was taken in for my body modifications upon becoming an officer. We all had implants in our ears for communication, and occasionally to block out specific sound frequencies like the ones used in the police sonic grenades. I never expected them to be used though, the grenades were expensive to make and mostly employed by STRIKE members. I disabled two more bombs before the first retaliation shot went out, it was towards Stormspinner who twisted metal from her platform into a shield that floated by her side. In that time, I struck out against one more trick-hostage. Hiding as bullets began to erupt and the police charged in as my legs burned out in agony. I zipped from hostage to hostage with each push from my legs as gunfire now chased me. A lance of pain through my leg stumbled me, I couldn¡¯t dodge all of that. Shields erupted from all around me and over the hostages as sniper shots took out many of the guards watching over them, in mass panic the hostages broke into a run out of each and every doorway out of the ballroom. They charged, running over one another in panic, I was panicking, this had all gone so wrong so quickly- A man dropped from the ceiling. His landing was silent¡­ But all gunfire stopped at once upon his arrival, my own breath hitched at the colors beaming through the seams of his Shardware. They shined with a Golden glow, twisting in a sleek pattern like ropes of black woven upon white steel bones that curved unnaturally. What was most strange was how similar he appeared to the Muramasa goons, but like a twisted mirror version of them. He wore a long cloak I knew to be a kimono, simple cloth falling over most of his body except for the two scabbards resting on his hip. One of the blades pulled itself out without his grip, floating until it sat in the air patiently for the man¡¯s orders. And that mask was reminiscent of the ones worn by the Black Dragon¡­ but instead of a dragon, it was a crimson, curved and demonic face of a demon with two long horns poking from it¡¯s skull. A Yaksha, I remembered from my historical classes in the Cradle. The sergeant''s voice shook everyone still. ¡°Cease fire! He¡¯s not one of our mercenaries! It¡¯s the R0N1N!¡± ¡°Ronin?¡± I honed on the sight of the man, even from his back he was an imposing figure. He oozed strength out of every inch of metal submerged into his body, the Gold light rippling beneath like a sea underneath an aurora. ¡°I didn¡¯t hire you for a massacre.¡± The masked mercenary said, a sharpness in his tongue. ¡°Of course you didn¡¯t.¡± The black dragon said from above a balcony. ¡°You would never take something like this in your own hands-¡° ¡°I¡¯m doing it now.¡± The floating blade connected to his palm, a circuitry complete that rewrote the future of this night. ¡°The job was simple. War-Watcher¡¯s motives got in the way.¡± ¡°You make anything but simple!¡± The Black Dragon raised up his sword, an eerie mist thickening around it in the color of Bronze. ¡°Take your problems to the Bladefather! Now choose which side you¡¯ll stay on, the pigs or us!¡± ¡°Tch.¡± The blade in the R0N1N¡¯s hand flicked towards us, our own weapons raised up as Gold flowed from hilt to tip. ¡°You¡¯ll take the hostages, I¡¯m going to deal with the mess of my ill-advisedly hired hirelings. Apologies.¡± ¡°Apology accepted!¡± The Sergeant relayed through a speaker in the arm of one Investigator. ¡°All units, clear the hostages! R0N1N¡¯s handling Muramasa!¡± Everything switched way too quickly, so R0N1N hired these people? But they turned on him? Or went about it the wrong way? Either way, we now had a Gold Shard Adapter on our side. Even if he was one of the most wanted mercenaries in the world. At least now, when the chaos erupted, it was all focused. The R0N1N dragged attention towards him like a vortex, bullets converging at his position where he- He vanished in a twist of air and light ¡ª the bullets that had been embers of light were now fallen shrapnel. Like a ghost, he disappeared from his position in a blur of his form, appearing next to a squadron of Muramasa members like the reaper before stubborn souls. For the first time, I witnessed what a Gold Adapter was. Blood and Steel C49: The R0N1N Chapter 49: The R0N1N Official Yuzhou statement regarding the Gold-Grade Mercenary known as ¡®The R0N1N¡¯. The R0N1N is to be neutralized at first sight, his crimes against Yuzhou demand death. First appearing in the year 2487 in Central Asia as a Silver, he has since attained a Gold Grade and is considered one of the largest threats to the stability of our nation. His list of crimes includes the following: As of 2496, he is expected to be in the territory of America and is targeting numerous Yuzhou and Shandian facilities. Alongside this, he is known to be affiliated with anti-Yuzhou terrorist group, Muramasa Dynasty. In what capacity is unknown, as his allegiance to the terrorist group has been both of an alliance and a rivalry. His combat ability is immense, and his speed even more so. We have tracked him moving at over 85 m/s, and wields two blades of high Silver-Grade. One of which is confirmed to be a former weapon of the Bladefather and forged by anti-SynTec terrorist Hammersmith. For his crimes, we have put out a bounty of 490 Million Shardyne. Should you come into contact with any information regarding him you will be considerably compensated. Diana In one clean swipe, four people died as blood flashed into the air. I blinked, and another seven limbs came loose from a few meters away from where I last saw the R0N1N. The machinery of his limbs were light, barely uttering a sound as he disappeared from one location to another, blood spraying out from the machine of death he¡¯d become. How fast was he moving? ¡°Jones!¡± Choirmen helped me up. ¡°Nice going with the bombs, Josephina¡¯s disabled four more! But get your ass up!¡± I charged electricity through my leg, blood stitching together for Choirmen to see in person. His eyes in awe, but only momentarily as one-by-one our shields started cracking away. I took a hold of my own shield, hating myself for the sacrifice I was going to make. It was like a nuclear reactor erupted through me, a wave of pure energy pulsing me into motion. It had been just a third of it¡¯s charge, but that much had stuffed me to the point I could barely stop my arms from shaking. My vision flew through the room, taking in all the sights unbeheld by my previous confusion. I¡¯d missed four more bombs on the mind-numbed hostages, they were standing out in the open compared to the other crowds in police protection or huddled behind tables. A tag on all four of them was sent to the Sergeant. His orders were simple. ¡°Units, disable the remaining four bombs, then get to securing the VIPs!¡± The police members each took their positions, the experienced Investigators pushing in forward ever so patiently. Wickett had shed her persona of Squad 13¡¯s commanding Investigator, joining in with the R0N1N as armor clinked up and down her body, turning her short stature into a machination of her codename. Wicked. Sonic wails burst from tiny cannons in her arms, bursting away at the eardrums of those misfortunate enough to be close to her, then she expertly dispatched them. It was a good thing that she worked alone then, as she single handedly chewed through several groups of Muramasa goons like a metallic wolverine. She was more feral than plenty of other Mercenaries, just wicked. Stormspinner and the other mercenary who I hadn¡¯t met, an older man by the name of Brimstone, shattered forces on their end. The former raising up a whirlwind of shrapnel gathered from the broken remnants of Shardware, the latter doing the breaking with precise shots from his revolver with bullets that burst apart the metal like it was sandstone. Then of course, there were the STRIKE department members. Each of them tactically organized themselves around the firefight like it was a game of chess, taking precise shots with Josephina at the helm of it. Her large rifle came into play, breaking apart cover that the rest of her fellow STRIKE members exploited without a second of communication. Finally there was the R0N1N, who single-handedly tore through Muramasa Irons and Bronzes as tempest of sharpness. He was efficient, simple. Where he appeared, death occurred. And when there was no more life for him to take, he switched to another group in the blink of an eye. Half of them didn¡¯t even realize he¡¯d moved behind them. I processed all of that in less than ten seconds. We were outnumbered, and Muramasa had already moved to secure the VIPs in the backrooms of the stage. But numbers didn¡¯t mean shit when we had a Gold Mercenary on our side¡­ and I was Gold too. R0N1N alone was the spearhead of our advancement, a part of me feeling like his appearance here had been orchestrated. ¡°Jones?¡± Choirmen tugged me from the side as I observed. Then before another word could come out, I moved. Condensed muscle fibers pushing me into the air towards a wall that I kicked off of, then I hopped across the tables to leap at the stage. They were getting away, I wouldn¡¯t let them. Three shots from my gun had landed by the time I joined the main cast, the max-powered shots disabling two Irons but tickling the Bronze mutant. His engorged arms came down swinging, but they were so slow. It was painful waiting for them to come down, and then another blast of electricity shattered across his face with my fist. It wasn¡¯t enough to take him out, his bones had felt like metal. But I¡¯d already managed to dent steel, his wild strikes came down like a rain of cannonfire. Mine responded in the form of precise, quick rapier flourishes, a final pulse at his neck taking him down. With that, I¡¯d saved the last three hostages from being taken in. The remaining Muramasa goons were retreating now, I could feel the racing work of their limbs growing dimmer behind the curtains. ¡°Ulrich.¡± The Sergeant¡¯s voice stopped me before I could move. ¡°It¡¯s a death sentence, hold your position.¡± ¡°They¡¯re retreatin-¡° ¡°Into Yuzhou corporate security forces. They¡¯ve already lost.¡± The Sergeant¡¯s voice cut out, not pushing out any further explanation. I gritted myself, absorbing another third of the shield¡¯s charge as I pincered Muramasa from behind. Everything became a blur after seeing the R0N1N, he was so precise with his work. Calm as a feather with every heart he impaled, his demeanor was sage-like. It inspired me, but I could only imitate him as a crude copy. He wasn¡¯t teleporting or anything like that, he just moved that quickly. With my eyesight focused in, I saw him split apart bullets mid-trajectory like they were annoying flies. A single footstep carried him meters, and some function in his boots clinged him to the ground when he needed to stop. Yeah, I was only imitating. I didn¡¯t know how many more goons I¡¯d shot at or punched before a stray bullet caught my shoulder, another one striking through my knee. The pain was horrifying, not as terrible as when I tore out my nail but it wasn¡¯t easy getting used to pain. They cornered me, three Muramasa masks heaving breaths as one raised their gun to finish me off. I reached for the remaining third in the shield, but the voice of my Gold had quieted down to a meek whisper in my attempts to wrestle my previous two charges. A shard of metal dug into my would-be-killer¡¯s neck. Just as quickly, the other two were torn up by scraps of steel. Stormspinner raised me a thumbs up as she launched needles through a bracelet in her arm at some other person. ¡°I used to use that same gun back when I was an Investigator!¡± She covered me, a table flipping over as steel pushed it towards me. My own voice was ragged, like I¡¯d chewed nails. ¡°You were in the police?¡± ¡°A decade ago! Left it! They caught me selling drugs to the juniors.¡± She merrily chatted as she expelled a dust cloud of iron powder at somebody who¡¯d snuck up behind us, the swarm of iron clung to his eyes until a final blade sunk into his chest. ¡°Do me a favor. I¡¯m running low and there¡¯s plenty of cutlery here, charge it up for me?¡± I obliged, my own body was in tatters from how much I¡¯d pushed it. Reaching out with my blood-stained arm, I flooded all my remaining energy into the various forks and knives cluttered around me. In seconds, they flew up and speared into eyeballs or throats. ¡°Thanks sweetie! I¡¯m paid per body, I¡¯ll be seein¡¯ ya!¡± Stormspinner flew away, metal clumps under her feet rising. I didn¡¯t say anything, the fighting had died down now. A majority of the hostages were now secured, but I spotted blood-soaked formal wear too often. I scanned the numbers¡­ they were mostly all above 250. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Pushing my legs up, I placed my hand over the shield. There was one charge left. A moment before I drained that power into myself, a steel claw clasped over it. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Risa Wickett said, her body now an armor that made her the definition of sharp, and she was soaked in blood. ¡°You¡¯re being ordered to get off the field.¡± ¡°I can still fight.¡± I believed it despite the weakness in my voice, my knee was mostly together now. ¡°Diana, take a look at the blood on your hands.¡± She pulled my hand off the shield generator. ¡°It¡¯s your blood. You¡¯re leaking it out of your pores.¡± Shit¡­ Had my blood pressure gotten that high? ¡°I-¡° Just looking at my shaking hand she held, it set into reality how tired I¡¯d become. ¡°Affirmative.¡± Choirmen escorted me, the amount of blood spilled here made his powers more effective than any time I¡¯d seen him before. He had always been good, but I never got to see just how clever he could be in situations like this. Exploding blood underneath their feet, throwing crimson blades he hardened from his own. He was far better than his Rank reflected. It was a comforting thought, one that my brain could settle on as it drifted off for a moment. ¡ª¡ª¡ª When I woke up, it¡¯d been ten minutes later against a wall of the ballroom. We¡¯d ¡®succeeded¡¯, Muramasa had been intercepted by Yuzhou security in the tunnels underneath the hotel but their Black Dragon leader escaped. Death toll was relatively low in comparison to Muramasa Dynasty¡¯s forces, and among the hostages who¡¯d died¡­ only eighteen of them. Was it a miracle? I didn¡¯t know, I still had an off feeling about today¡¯s mission. There were facts I didn¡¯t know. A recurring notion about many things in my life. As the police regrouped themselves, Shandian security came storming through the room ¡ª I caught myself at the sight of them, they wore thick metallic armor that concealed their bodies, colored black and red, and the electric waves radiating off was like a furnace was beaming at me. Their thick guns raised up at one person in particular. The R0N1N. I¡¯d wondered why he didn¡¯t leave, but he sat there patiently, alone as none dared to approach him. The private security forces were a league unto themselves, power wafted into the air the second their thick suits came rolling in. Heavy and imposing, they were easily far more terrifying than even the Muramasa goons. ¡°R0N1N!¡± Their leader called out, his body buried beneath a large suit of smoothed out metal that made him stand at a humble eight-feet tall. ¡°You¡¯re wanted by Yuzhou! Come quietly, drop your weapons, or we¡¯ll open fire!¡± ¡°I disagree.¡± He cleaned blood off his blade, not even staring at the suited man who could crush a head easier than an egg. ¡°Connect me to Himiko. I want to know what she¡¯s trying to hide from me ¡ª enough to sacrifice these people.¡± Himiko? I remembered that name, it¡¯d been one I stared at often in my notes. Ms. Himiko was the woman who tried to buy the Gold MAL my Implant came from, she¡¯d died by exploding her own frame. Except maybe she didn¡¯t. It made sense to use a Proxy for deals where your life was in danger. ¡°You can talk to her from a cage. I¡¯m sure she has a lot to say to you.¡± The armored man growled. R0N1N stood up, his blade shiny and ready, except now he unsheathed his second blade as well. A katana like his first one, except it had been formed out of silver-glinted scales that looked as though they¡¯d been hammered together. It shivered through me, I¡¯d never felt anything with that much electricity. The shield I¡¯d been carrying was an ember compared to the contained wildfire rumbling within that blade. ¡°All units. Clear out.¡± The sergeant said in our ears. ¡°This is a Yuzhou company matter.¡± One-by-one, we filed out. Though, I did catch Stormspinner chatting up one of the Shandian guards, him nodding at something she said. Surprisingly, she approached me, a happy smile plastered over her. ¡°Hey Jones, what would it take for you to stay back and charge up some metal for me?¡± She held my arm, supporting it. ¡°Why?¡± My head was aching like my skull had caved in, and the rest of my body felt like it¡¯d been thrown into a blender. ¡°Helping Shandian secure R0N1N. Do you know what kind of bounties a Gold gets?¡± She waved off as though it¡¯d been obvious. ¡°How much?¡± That would be a little bit good to know. ¡°R0N1N¡¯s got a bounty of four-hundred-and-ninety-million. Yuzhou really wants him dead ¡ª and his Implant.¡± ¡°Yeah but¡­ I really don¡¯t have anything left in me. My body is just¡­¡± I could barely raise my arms up. ¡°Warp Burns.¡± She scoffed, before a sly smile replaced it. ¡°Don¡¯t push it, then¡­ you know, you¡¯re not the only one with a bioelectric organ.¡± Slowly, her fingers revealed a momentary thin snap of electricity between them. ¡°Ain¡¯t much. But it¡¯ll do me good. Stay safe and also-¡° She took a gun out from her holster, it was a similar model to mine except it wasn¡¯t covert. Plus, it was Shandian made. ¡°They¡¯re giving me a new gun as a down-payment. Was thinking you¡¯d do better with my old one, it served me well over the last couple of years. Maybe you can make up for a lot of the bad stuff I did with it.¡± She laughed, but behind her eyes was a pain. I stared at the revolver. It was a heavy, electric piece called a Shandian Leizhou ¡ª ¡®storm claw¡¯ if my chinese was right, I was a bit out of practice ¡ª and favored for its ability to manipulate the strength of the shot depending on how long you held the trigger. It was Iron Grade, but an extremely well-built one, and Shandian specialized in weapons manufacturing. ¡°Thank you.¡± I whispered, my throat a little clearer now that some of the dried blood in mouth had broken down. Soon after, I left. And the duel occured, the sounds of fighting lasted around a minute. Bullets, whistling metal, cracking furntiure¡­ they slowly dwindled down as screams tore out for a momentary note. Once everything went silent, police found the bodies. Six dead Shandian forces, and a single dead mercenary. The R0N1N was nowhere to be found. ¡ª¡ª¡ª ??? July 11th R0N1N The mask clicked off his face, a Yaksha mask unlike the one worn by Black Dragon Lifei today ¡ª The Dark Demon. It had been the one part of him that remained across the decade. This shabby hotel barely even had running water, but that didn¡¯t stop him from rubbing the scar over his eye, as though trying to clean it off from the sight of himself in the mirror. It had been the duel he ever lost. Now Muramasa wouldn¡¯t stop ingratiating themselves with him. ¡°Mission success?¡± His business partner smirked beside him, he¡¯d gotten too used to not sensing Topaz¡¯s presence. Topaz¡¯ SIM was powerful, but it made sense considering its¡­ origin. ¡°Unfortunately, yes.¡± The R0N1N sighed out, thinking as to when this war would end. ¡°We have the personal access codes of Tanyao Wang¡­ but it astounds me. The stupidity of Muramasa to take the party hostage, it would have been easier if they just cornered him in the bathroom.¡± Topaz rubbed his buzzed hair. ¡°You don¡¯t make things easy for them, that¡¯s true? I think War-Watcher used this as a moment to spite you.¡± ¡°They demand my presence¡­ only to make a mockery of it.¡± The R0N1N gritted. ¡°And the Bladefather wonders why I¡¯ve rejected his empire.¡± ¡°Should have just hired me.¡± Topaz blew from his lips. ¡°You may be right about that, but I needed the police there. You¡¯re too quiet.¡± The R0N1N¡¯s jade gaze flowed over Topaz, the shirtless man was covered in scars that were painted over with tattoos and piercings. ¡°Have you found which of the police are on Yuzhou¡¯s pay?¡± Topaz pulled out a souvenir from today¡¯s battle, a Neurocuff, personally belonging to Sergeant Throm Solomon. ¡°Mirage¡¯s working on it. How¡¯re you finding the building layout she got?¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be even more heavily guarded after today, they know I¡¯m trying to do something. It¡¯s likely that Prince War-Watcher is trying to impede my progress.¡± He doubted. ¡°Maybe it would be smarter to delay it.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± Topaz¡¯s eyebrows curled. ¡°Bladedaughter¡¯s already pulling a few strings to get us a distraction for that night, and I don¡¯t know what exactly is going on with ¡®Masa, but who knows how much longer she¡¯ll stay in charge. Unless you-¡± ¡°I am not playing to that senile man¡¯s wishes.¡± The R0N1N rose his voice in a rare moment of emotion. ¡°Regardless of my¡­ affiliation to him.¡± ¡°Well, any more delays and the project¡¯ll be shipped past the Pacific.¡± Topaz was right. ¡°Then we have no choice but to continue. We¡¯ll rise up a force that night, and we shall strike when their forces are scattered.¡± The R0N1N decided, and he dwelled on the upcoming heist. It burrowed into him, he had to stop Yuzhou, Shandian was a good place to start. Goliath, whatever it was, had to be stopped. Still, it was nice to think about topics other than war. ¡°There was another Gold there. A girl, she had electricity powers.¡± ¡°Diana Jones, or Ulrich, got it from last month¡¯s MAL attack. Funny you mention it, the BUG actually went to Missy¡¯s newest adoption.¡± ¡°One mutt wasn¡¯t enough?¡± He stared at Topaz, an infrequent smile crawling on his face. ¡°Please, he¡¯s a pup. Been in crime only since last month, but he¡¯s growing quickly. Honestly pretty good for a Shard Op¡¯ only beginning in the merc business. Shows little to no fear now, Psyche shaped him into a shard-brained man of action if I do say so myself.¡± Topaz signed him over a profile of the man. Ripley Donovick. ¡°He¡¯s doing this for his mother?¡± The R0N1N scrolled through the details, taking in each blur of words in seconds. Making sense of spilled ink. ¡°That¡¯s what he tells himself.¡± Topaz slid nearer. The R0N1N didn¡¯t reject it, he needed some warmth in his life after all the cold death he offered. ¡°Is he good?¡± ¡°At fighting?¡± Topaz left his hand parallel to the ground, shaking it lightly like a swaying boat. ¡°At Shardware.¡± The R0N1N clarified. ¡°Oh yeah, Anderson¡¯s been raving about the kid. His grandfather used to work with him, or like¡­ against him or something. I didn¡¯t really listen to Di¡¯s rambling.¡± Topaz¡¯ hand slid over the man¡¯s chest, only half focusing on the questions. ¡°My legs need tuning. If he¡¯s as good as you say¡­¡± He slid the screen close, turning his attention over to Topaz. His own hands slid around the bare muscles of Topaz¡¯s back, drawing their bodies closer. Topaz chuckled as his lips skimmed the R0N1N¡¯s neck, who would have seen little Ripley getting such a powerful benefactor? ¡°Shit. You¡¯re going to make him cum harder than I will.¡± Blood and Steel C50: Family Dinner Chapter 50: Family Dinner Excerpt from a news report on the Sapphire Heart Raid in the NC Insight news channel; written by Jinpei Yazaki, edited by Cole Springstone: July 11th struck tragedy when notorious crime-family Muramasa Dynasty raided the celebration of the engagement between Sheldon Corwelly, author of the beloved Night¡¯s Heat trilogy, and Jeanette Wang, daughter of Tanyao Wang ¡ª Shandian¡¯s Assistant Vice President of Experimental Development for Westbrook. What was supposed to be remembered as the start of a beautiful communion turned horrid when men in animal masks tore through the luxurious Sapphire Heart ballroom. Muramasa took several key figures hostage and even snuck bombs into their clothes, however, thanks to the quick response of Westbrook¡¯s First Precinct crisis was averted. Spearheaded by Sergeant Throm Solomon of Squads 11-17, the police under his command quickly controlled the situation. However, it was in defusing one of the bombs that a police officer by the name of Harold Nelby was shot, causing it to detonate and kill 18 hostages and 7 Investigators and Officers. Other injuries have also been reported. Our condolences go to the families affected by this tragedy, but it does beg the question. Why has such an attack happened? For more news about this event and others, please read from our Netsite: hhh.newcaliforniainsight.nc 4:22 PM July 13th Diana It was bullshit. The article and all the others that spun out of it¡¯s lies were bullshit. No bomb went off, we played that about as well as we could, but it was the Sergeant sending in that invisible ¡ª or attention permeable ¡ª mercenary that caused hell to break loose. There was not one mention of R0N1N, and an NDA sent to our frames prevented us from leaking any more to the press. The truth would be out there, somewhere. Surely this had to be reported with evidence and- why was I even bothering? This wasn¡¯t the first time, and it sure as hell wouldn¡¯t be the last time the media and Yuzhou twisted events. Playing out the deaths like they¡¯d been a martyrdom. I almost died getting those bombs marked, my wounds still hadn¡¯t healed. I rubbed my shoulder, feeling the odd bulge of flesh there. It was odd how long it had taken to heal, but I couldn¡¯t deny that I was healing from gunshots by feeding on my energy bill. At least I¡¯d be able to drink tonight, just had to reel things in while I was with the lieutenant. Sighing, I opened my closet. Time to pick out a fancy dress for the Lieutenant¡¯s birthday tonight. ¡ª¡ª¡ª 6:58 PM I went for something classy, a simple ash-gray dress that was cut off by my knees. I was still trying to make a good impression on her. On everyone really, for whoever knows what reason, but I needed to. This system had to change and I was the only one who could climb the ranks fast enough to do it. I¡¯d made results, tangible, massive results during the hostage scene. Defusing the bombs and securing three VIPs, I was arguably one of the most important people there. I sighed, enough inflating my ego. I had to settle on my goals today, the head chef ¡ª Simon Jugosla ¡ª in the restaurant was of interest to Soul Killer, and it might be time to open up to the lieutenant. I¡¯d hardly ever gotten the chance to talk to her since I received the Silver Implant courtesy of my dad. ¡°Focus, Diana.¡± I repeated to myself. ¡°Focus.¡± Everything would come out sooner or later, I¡¯d blitzed over the heads of nearly a hundred Investigators just two days ago and possessed rare Mutations. Playing into the accused nepotism was working out in my favor, I¡¯d heard snippets of some of the higher ups thinking I was doping with high-grade Neurostims or Mutation Boosters. Let them believe that, for now. [I¡¯ll be by your place in fifteen minutes] I read the message from Anthony. I hadn¡¯t even started my makeup. ¡ª¡ª¡ª 7:30 PM ¡°Fantastic first impression we¡¯re making.¡± Anthony grumbled as he drove. ¡°Late by twenty-five minutes, you couldn¡¯t just do your makeup in the car?¡± I was applying lip-gloss right now. ¡°Patience is a virtue.¡± ¡°My parents- my dad¡¯s going to kill me. They¡¯ve already ordered, I thought you¡¯d be more prepared for this whole Soul Killer thing. Even now, you don¡¯t seem focused.¡± He was right, I was being evasive right now. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± I turned to him, letting the weight of a few weeks fall through my eyes. ¡°It¡¯s been a crappy couple of weeks, you know with Indra and Rorsche¡­ then the ¡®bombing¡¯.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll figure out what¡¯s up with that, she¡¯s been more open with me lately.¡± He said, a small smile coming up. ¡°For now, investigate Dogwhistler and Soul Killer, they¡¯re our best leads.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± I put a tiny bit of lip-gloss to pat on my lips. ¡°Just¡­ a little bit more.¡± He sighed. ¡°You really don¡¯t need make-up, you¡¯re pretty enough as is.¡± My eyes sliced through him. ¡°You know you should never say that to girls, it¡¯s more about self-expression based on how we want to look rather than how we naturally look.¡± I pointed out. ¡°Oh, and look at you. Complimenting me outright.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true and you know it ¡ª don¡¯t act subtle about your damn Cradle genetics.¡± He sighed again, but this time a faint blush rose up through him. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be any surprise that I¡¯m a little attracted to you, but I¡¯ve come to know you pretty well. We don¡¯t see eye-to-eye on that and I¡¯m cool with that. You live and you learn.¡± I paused, waiting for a moment to find what to say to that¡­ truth was that I had been¡­ lonely. I couldn¡¯t remember the last time I let myself embrace attraction that wasn¡¯t a one-night-stand. Even those hadn¡¯t happened for well over a year now. But Anthony did deserve better. ¡°You¡¯re nice Anthony, I just wish you kind of realized that. Admittedly, if you¡¯d made a better first impression then maybe¡­ but as it stands, there¡¯s too much going on in my life right now. Maybe one day¡­ but for what it¡¯s worth; I¡¯ve friendzoned a lot of guys, you¡¯ve probably been the first person I genuinely mean to be friends with. Attraction¡¯s¡­ natural, and we both saved each other¡¯s lives¡­ I do owe a lot to you.¡± Please don¡¯t take that the wrong way. ¡°Oh.¡± He stared into the road, it was relatively silent tonight. ¡°Yeah¡­ I, um. You know, it¡¯s just that everyone¡¯s been asking me questions about you, my aunt included. How we met and everything.¡± ¡°Simple. You were envious of my Silver.¡± ¡°And now I¡¯m jealous of your Gold.¡± He played along. ¡°And for real, you- this, even if it¡¯s dangerous as fuck¡­ I¡¯m seeing more clearly than I have in years. You¡¯re probably the only person in the police force I really do trust. I¡¯d rather have that than awkward¡­ flirting, I guess.¡± ¡°It¡¯s mutual.¡± I danced around getting into the topic more. ¡°Tell me more about your gray-haired family. Who should I avoid, and who should I butter up?¡± ¡°My dad¡¯s easy, he¡¯s hardly even going to believe that we¡¯re ¡®dating¡¯ in the first place. He¡¯ll play nice to keep you there, but truth be told he¡¯s always nice. Aunt Isma is a¡­ it would be disrespectful to call her a bitch. But I don¡¯t have any respect for her. She¡¯s a bitch. My cousins are mixed bags, twins. Polar opposites though¡­¡± And as the list went on and on, I was already regretting joining up with this plan. ¡ª¡ª¡ª 8:12 PM Seated down, I¡¯d been the center of attention from the second my silver hair fluttered in their sight. All of Anthony¡¯s assessments of his family was correct, from his great-grandparents down to three-generations down. It was almost startling to see the seemingly middle-aged man named Karsel introduce himself as Jacob Grazhe¡¯s father. It must have been strange seeing your son age faster than you, all because the Mutagens you digested were cosmetic and the former Lieutenant¡¯s¡­ not so much. After all the ¡®it¡¯s very nice to meet you¡¯ and the ¡®please, call me by my ¡ª insert first name ¡ª or you¡¯ll make me feel old¡¯ it was a surprisingly chill evening. ¡°Anthony¡­!¡± His grandmother, the late Lieutenant¡¯s widow, slapped his arm from across the table. ¡°Give the poor girl some attention! She¡¯s being smothered by everyone other than you.¡± I smiled, playing along by sliding my hand closer to his own. ¡°Thank you for noticing, Jennifer. What¡¯s happened to courtesy nowadays?¡± ¡°Hah! The boy better try his hardest keeping you, or maybe I¡¯ll try my hand!¡± His creepy uncle bellowed, half-drunk already on Bronze-Grade stuff. There always was a creepy uncle. Anthony¡¯s father whispered something in his ear, causing him to flinch and very unsubtly show rejection to whatever his father said. The old man only smiled. He¡¯d had sign of natural aging compared to the rest of his family, wrinkles under his eyes which balanced a framed spectacle, a scratchier voice, and just didn¡¯t have as much energy as the rest of the family. But it was charming, seeing them together. From the moment the two of them caught up, you could feel their bond and love sink across the room. Frankly, it drew eire from some of the more¡­ bitchier family members. Auntie Isma snapped her fingers in front of Anthony. ¡°What have you promised her boy? Don¡¯t go digging through your grandfather¡¯s coffers just because she thinks you¡¯re from a respected family.¡± I grit my teeth at that, irony dwelling on the tip of my tongue to tell them that I was, in fact, biologically related to Brian Ulrich, the current Corporate Advisor for the New California Police State. All of the rumors pointed him to being a high Gold Adapter. I knew that the bastard who called himself my father was a Titanium Adapter. ¡°Ah yes, tell us where you grew up?¡± The man in question leaned from the head of the table. ¡°Oh, well¡­ I¡¯m a Cradleborn. Lithium Angel facility up north. Before you guys go around asking me how it was, the truth is¡­ I barely remember it. Been more than a decade since I got adopted by my father. Yorick Jones. He founded a genetics startup, it¡¯s been bought up by Imperium now but we lived in a nice little cottage by Seven Woods in New Washington. I learned to hunt there, been shooting a gun since I was twelve.¡± Of course the creepy uncle was the first to respond. ¡°Love me a girl that can shoot, maybe I¡¯ll take you down by the shooting range. Just don¡¯t cry when you lose.¡± ¡°She¡¯d leave you embarrassed.¡± Anabelle Grazhe, my Lieutenant, spoke out loud about me for the first time this evening. ¡°Was beating Investigator scores when she was an Officer, and her recent developments as an Investigator have polished her skills even further.¡± Anabelle ¡ª or was it still right to call her Lieutenant Grazhe ¡ª swirled a cup of lush burgundy wine, sipping it gingerly before tapping the glass as a resonant sound whistled out. When she raised her voice, it struck through the entire room like a blade had met their necks. ¡°Let¡¯s keep her comfortable, alright?¡± From then, their attitude towards me shifted, they became more¡­ respectful. It was almost exactly like her father¡¯s ability to influence others with his voice, but more¡­ precise. I hadn¡¯t felt anything. Even the creepy uncle stopped making comments, and his bitchy wife refrained from anything as well. In a few minutes our full-course-meal had arrived, and I¡¯m going to be honest¡­ ¡°Fucking delicious.¡± I said out loud right after the first bite. Before realizing that I probably shouldn¡¯t have sworn. ¡°Mazhyr¡¯s tits, yeah, it¡¯s fucking delicious.¡± Cousin Doriel took an exaggerated tear of the steak, ripping it in her mouth for all to see. She was immediately berated by her bitchy mother and bitchy twin sister, but the girl took it in stride. I liked her. Only after half an hour had passed by, and when the family was busy in their own drama did I excuse myself to go to the washroom. For two purposes, first I drank up three of the Silver Gene-Limiters, ever since I was a Tier I, my abilities were appearing more naturally. My eyes had a faint glow within them now, and it took the pills to neuter them. Second, it was time to meet Simon Jugosla. I¡¯d done my research. He was an esteemed chef, a BUG Adapter with considerable Shardware modifications performed for the purpose of improving his skills in the culinary arts. I¡¯d considered my approach in a number of ways, from straight up threatening him to flirting. But the more I delved into him, the more troublesome he¡¯d appeared. This hotel hired him only when he was scandalized from his previous job as a private chef with his own restaurant, a disgrace in which he cooked up meat sourced from MAL bodies. It made sense why Tonguelasher would have wanted to meet him then, the motive was unclear whether he wanted Simon to act as a chef or as the meal, but in both ways there was a win. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. As for Soul Killer, from what I knew, they were a mysterious force responsible for disappeared persons for the last century. To act that long, either meant Soul Killer was a generational title or a group. Or that Soul Killer was a high-grade Adapter, some could live for centuries. The Founders, in particular, had been alive since the 21st Century after all and they¡¯d started on Titanium. Now, combining what I knew of both Simon and Soul Killer, a picture started to clear. Either Simon was another kidnapping target, or he was working for Soul Killer in some regard and that¡¯s why Tonguelasher was warned off. My research into Simon showed that he had once been trialed with the preparation of an illegal meal. Using flesh stripped from the MALformed. He¡¯d gotten off light, and his reputation never took a hit since much of the blame was put on the rich corporate family that hired him. Whether or not he was still in that realm of shady culinary arts was unknown¡­ but the fact remained that he had been a choice for that meal in the first place. What¡¯s to say he didn¡¯t continue that practice, only more covert now. Touching up my makeup in the bathroom mirror, I thought of how to get into directly meeting up with him. Telling the dining staff that I¡¯d like to give my thanks to the chef was possible, but in the event that Simon didn¡¯t come out personally¡­ it was a dud. Waiting until he left was also an option, or I could- ¡°What¡¯re you really here for, Jones?¡± A familiar voice shiverred through me, Lieutenant Anabelle Grazhe had entered the washroom with a bored expression directed at me. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I caught my breath, time to play it cool. ¡°I¡¯ve been an Investigator longer than you¡¯ve been alive.¡± She twirled her gray hair in the mirror, not looking at me directly. ¡°You and Anthony aren¡¯t dating. Aren¡¯t even sleeping together, otherwise I would be able to smell you on him with all the times he¡¯s come to my office. But the two of you are getting close. I can tell that much, just make sure it stays professional. Stick to one-night stands from a bar in this profession. Love isn¡¯t cohesive with ambition.¡± I was caught red-handed, and digging myself deeper didn¡¯t hold any merit. ¡°I appreciate the advice.¡± It surprised me when she continued speaking, her speech slurring under the drink but still coherent. ¡°I was like you when I was younger, always getting into trouble with my dad. Being a parent in this profession is ill-advised, any day could be your last and the shit you see changes you. I barely even knew him as my father, only as Lieutenant Grazhe¡­ even then, he was a hardass. It was how I learned that the best kinds of Investigators are the ones that piss off their superiors¡­¡± The Lieutenant right now was so different from the one I¡¯d always seen, a tough nut to crack was putting it lightly, but here she was holding herself up by leaning against a sink. A part of me felt the need to reciprocate her openness. ¡°I try not to think about him, Brian Ulrich. He¡¯s not my father, not really. Just the man whose sperm was used in the Cradle where I was born, back when he was¡­ I don¡¯t know, believed donating his seed was a righteous endeavor. When he figured out having a daughter and being a single-father would get him more popular with the public vote¡­ that¡¯s all I became to him. Didn¡¯t matter that he took me away from a family I loved.¡± The Lieutenant grabbed a tight pull of air into her lungs, some faint draw of Warp Energy I assumed to cleanse her mind. I¡¯d never felt another¡¯s Energy before, not with Irons or Bronzes but with a Silver¡­ it was a tangible sense of the world slightly shifting. Like gravity was just a bit off. Crap? Was I just as noticeable? ¡°You¡¯re not Silver, Jones.¡± Her next words came true and quick. ¡°Nobody above you is an idiot, there¡¯s enough of us sensitive to Warp Energy in the Intelligence department who can identify you as a Gold. Just be glad I placed you on a squad without them.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± I felt blank as the words came out. Her slate gray eyes pierced me, Warp Energy dancing across her tongue. ¡°What¡¯s your goal Diana? In life? Why did you join the police in the first place?¡± I didn¡¯t resist the urge to spill my secrets. ¡°To save people. I made a promise to be like my friend.¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± Bullshit? I should have retorted, but my lips spilled out. ¡°To climb the ranks.¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± I met her cold eyes. ¡°To spite my fucking father, to get above him and- ¡°Closer.¡± A chuckle left her mouth. ¡°You¡¯re actually a really shallow person, lean into that.¡± I grit my teeth. Shallow? ¡°I¡¯m just trying to be myself, to be Diana Jones. It¡¯s impossible for me to pretend like I wasn¡¯t born to be a perfect human being, so why hide it? I¡¯m good. I¡¯m better. But I¡¯m also more than just a lab-grown specimen. All my life I¡¯ve met pricks who think they know me, they deserve judgment.¡± ¡°To be yourself?¡± The Lieutenant hummed. ¡°I can imagine why, born into a system where you¡¯re either fated to be a soldier or a bureaucrat. Then taken in by a man who just wanted a daughter, then by another man who wanted his daughter as a prop. Your whole life has been held together by system and order, makes sense why you fell back in with another piece of the system. But¡­ at the same time, you cannot deny your privilege. Fight it as you might. But as you said, you Luxury Cradleborns are faster and stronger, and that¡¯s without a Gold Implant from a MALignant.¡± She might be my superior, but this was all starting to grate me. ¡°I mean no disrespect, but is there a point to all of this, Lieutenant?¡± ¡°Oh, how I hate that word.¡± She sighed. ¡°Everytime I said it, I felt like I¡¯d lost a piece of who I was as that man¡¯s child. Ironic, now I¡¯m the one who hears it the most, life is funny like that. Still, I cling to it because it¡¯s proof that I¡¯m one step closer to making it further than he ever got.¡± ¡°Your father? I¡¯d heard that he got stuck as a lieutenant for decades.¡± I said with a tight throat. Her sobering eyes held a hot flash of anger flickering within them. ¡°Single handedly kept this District together after the earthquake, was a soldier in the civil war before that. Did great things. Should have been in charge of the District, but they were afraid of him, even I was. I knew what he would do if he got promoted any higher ¡ª hell, I¡¯ve got access to his list of crimes that gave him his governance. You want me to tell you why I¡¯m telling you all of this?¡± ¡°I am, yes.¡± I felt like I was getting stuck like a rat in a glue trap. ¡°You¡¯re going to be my weapon, Diana. My weapon to break out of this rank of Lieutenancy. I will not be my father, but I lack the allies to get further than he did, assuming I stay on the honest end of the spectrum¡­ so unless I can get some results during the next MALswarm, I¡¯m bound to carry on his curse. That¡¯s why I want you to become a Special Investigator. My Special Investigator¡± ¡°¡­A Special Investigator.¡± I nodded blankly, my promotions were technically in her hands. Was she¡­ offering it to me? ¡°Hold on, hold on, this is all happening way too quickly! What exactly do you want me to do?¡± ¡°The MALswarm is going to upend this city, every century, the Free Cities are left in near ruin as our finest are plucked up by NeoCore and the Corporate Nations. I intend to carve my way through it, to reset the board and win no matter the stakes. The skeletons of the underworld are planning something similar, and soon the whole of the New California ¡ª from the skyscrapers to the sewers ¡ª will join in on the swarm as well. We¡¯re going to be attacked from both within and out of the city.¡± I stayed quiet, was she planning a mutiny? Almost as though she read my mind, she continued. ¡°I¡¯m not intending to upend the system entirely, nor do I have any grand delusions of making this place a utopia. My plans are wholly selfish. Westbrook is seized by terror, the fact that an attack like the one two days ago was so easily accepted is a fact. You know what Yuzhou told me to do? They said to let the hostages die. To turn it into a terror attack so that R0N1N and Muramasa would be hunted down. I came to a compromise. You were sent in as a sacrificial pawn, you were supposed to die or be taken hostage for the sake that a few more corporates could live. Sergeant Solomon saved our skin by getting Topaz in there, a known accomplice to R0N1N¡¯s previous works.¡± ¡°You knew R0N1N was behind the attack?¡± I bit my lip, witnessing the masked predator execute dozens of people in seconds was¡­ eye-opening. His speed and precision were leagues of their own. She sighed. ¡°A hunch from our sources. R0N1N never pulls elaborate stunts like this, normally attacks Yuzhou facilities down-right, and the only thing that matters to him more than taking that corporation down is some fucked-up sense of honor. He would never condone Murmasa taking hostages, at least, civilians who weren¡¯t affiliated to Yuzhou anyway.¡± My eyebrow furled. ¡°Then why did he hire them?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ something must have caused Muramasa to act on their own accords. This last year, they¡¯ve been¡­ a chaotic mess. Not acting their leader typically used to.¡± The tiniest of wrinkles creased on her face ¡ª even out of work, Anabelle Grazhe was still the Lieutenant of the First Precinct. ¡°Could be any number of things, biggest rumor even has it that the Bladefather¡¯s no longer running things. Most likely an informant tipped them off to some other benefit they would get by raiding the place outright, the chaos that evening caused a lot to slip by our cracks.¡± An informant¡­ ¡°Dogwhistler?¡± I said aloud. ¡°They were trying to get that Gold MAL into the police evidence room, the box can be activated remotely.¡± ¡°I figured.¡± The lieutenant just sighed. ¡°I¡¯m no idiot, Jones. Dogwhistler is both friend and foe, hell they¡¯re why we could react so quickly to the Muramasa attack.¡± It irked me how casual she was with the reveal. ¡°You¡¯re still in contact?¡± ¡°Keep your enemies close, and all that.¡± The Lieutenant ground her teeth. ¡°But they killed my father, I have to get some penance for it. Besides, it¡¯s more of a one-way communication.¡± ¡°I- I¡¯m trying to-¡° ¡°Stop.¡± She stood her ground. ¡°You might be Gold, but Dogwhistler was the source of your Implant, they could have a multitude of Golds out there and be a Titanium themselves. Take this job on once you¡¯re ready.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I really don¡¯t have a choice.¡± I grit myself as I began to explain Archangel¡¯s inclusion in brief. That either she was going to take my Implant, or information on Dogwhistler. ¡°Fucking NeoCore, doesn¡¯t help they¡¯re already stealing twenty-three Special Investigators for the Swarm. Now they¡¯re involving themselves directly. I suppose¡­¡± Her eyes closed tight, as though the Lieutenant was contemplating herself. ¡°You¡¯re here today on Simon Jugosla, right?¡± I froze on sight. ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± ¡°Why?¡± A smile curled on her lips. ¡°Because he¡¯s¡­ a lead. Archangel pointed him in my direction.¡± I wasn¡¯t too keen on revealing Soul Killer just yet, knowing how the police tended to refer to them as a boogeyman. ¡°Simon Jugosla runs in a human trafficking ring, living and dead. Some sort of Mutagen extraction program hobbled up with a cabal of corporate cannibals.¡± The lieutenant casually slipped, but it would explain why Tonguelasher had an interest in Simon Jugosla. ¡°Been trying to take down that bastard for years. My father let him by solely because he thought the food was too good to give up. My dad had¡­ a loose sense of morals. Truth is, half the reason I¡¯m here is to get info on him myself.¡± Oh so¡­ we were on the same mission? Did she not know about Soul Killer¡¯s involvement, or was she not letting me in on it? ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s uh¡­ well, I didn¡¯t know that specifically.¡± ¡°Runs in a circle called The Gourmet.¡± She explained. ¡°A high society of corporate douches with nothing better to do than try exotic meat. Endangered animals, human flesh, MAL flesh, doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°And your dad kept it hidden?¡± I sighed. She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to correct his wrongdoings, following in my sister¡¯s¡­ forget it. You can¡¯t take them all out at once, but maybe you can implicate Simon. Get them to flush towards other similar groups, catch their sources.¡± The Lieutenant studied me. ¡°You could feasibly get in, since you¡¯re in Intelligence, your ID Sigil by-default shows you as a civilian.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll help me out?¡± I was frankly in shock. ¡°A trial run of my Golden spear.¡± She turned to the mirror, but her reflection stared at me. ¡°Besides, I only want you to get Simon. He¡¯s already agreed to come meet us personally, him and my father were close ¡ª he¡¯ll pay his condolences.¡± That certainly changed things. ¡°How exactly do you think I¡¯m going to get in with this whole¡­ Gourmet circle?¡± ¡°You¡¯re an Ulrich. You have a Gold.¡± Her eyes were cold and unflinching as their gray weighed on me like steel. ¡°Use every advantage you have.¡± With that, she left the washroom, leaving me to my own thoughts. When I joined up, the dinner was progressing smoothly and was quite enjoyable. I never had a family, not a big one like this. To see so many faces, and know you could depend on them if things got tough¡­ that must have been nice. Then he appeared, Simon Jugosla. The tall blonde-haired man was handsome and quite aged, perhaps in his late thirties. ¡°If it isn¡¯t my favorite family. My condolences to Jacob, I will sorely miss his critique. He had a fine taste and wasn¡¯t afraid to have me approach my faults. Please, tell me, is the food to your liking?¡± We all gave our critiques, that bitchy aunt couldn¡¯t help but point out something wrong in her food. Then, I offered my own piece of thought with a played-up aloof voice. ¡°Please, I have to ask, do you do private catering? Anthony here promised me something nice for our one month anniversary.¡± Anthony laughed it off, his entire family eying me awkwardly. Simon leaned in, a wizened smile on his face. ¡°I do, but be wary that my fee is quite high.¡± I took the opportunity to stand up and greet him with a firm handshake. ¡°Oh that¡¯s not an issue.¡± Then I leaned in, a quiet whisper placing just the trap I needed. ¡°My father is Brian Ulrich.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Seated in Anthony¡¯s car, I stared at the message in my view. [If you¡¯re interested in the real avenues of finer dining, then I would love to invite you to an auction some friends of mine are hosting late August.] ¡°So.¡± Anthony pursed his lips. ¡°Everything go well?¡± ¡°About so, looks like I¡¯m joining your nepotism ride.¡± My view flickered through the address Simon sent me. ¡°What do you mean?¡± He started up the car. ¡°Your aunt figured out my Implant, and she kind of had an idea about Dogwhistler¡­ I think we¡¯re on the same side?¡± I scrolled it down, my heart beating quickly. Simon Jugosla. The Gourmet. Dogwhistler. Soul Killer. ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± He stifled his voice. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised she knew. Probably knows we aren¡¯t a couple as well.¡± ¡°Yeah, but now half your family thinks I flirted with Simon when I whispered into his ear.¡± It mortified me, but the truth had been far worse¡­ ¡°Sheesh.¡± He feigned betrayal. ¡°My ¡®girlfriend¡¯ flirting with other men in front of me ¡ª guess that¡¯s bounds for a breakup. So¡­ when do you want to do it?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s give it another week.¡± I smiled lightly. ¡°Any other family birthday coming up? You guys have nice dinners.¡± Blood and Steel C51: Caught in a- Chapter 51: Caught in a- History of the Neuralink according to HoloPedia article The Neuralink was first established in the sixth generation of Neuroframes within the late mid-24th century as a means to develop a new method of communications. The Neuralink was considered instrumental in the 4th Swarm, where it''s advanced speed and ability to directly transfer thoughts using an advanced Neural Translator allowed for continuous dispersal of information despite the MALswarm''s ability to interfere with wireless communication. Due to the difficulty of transferring Warpcode due to it''s natural destabilization when disconnected from an Adapter, specialized equipment known as a Neural Relay is required to be established, however this can be delegated to an advanced Data Delver for more covert usages of the Neuralink. Commercial usage of the Neuralink was first available in seventh generation Neuroframes following the Fourth Swarm, and has since become an integral part of day-to-day life for many societies, particularly in the establishment of modern policing forces who use it in a similar way as it was used in the 4th Swarm. However, the use of Neural Relays has raised privacy concerns throughout the years, often being cited as a possible method of monitoring or hijacking people''s thoughts. Despite this common belief, evidence has shown that it is incredibly difficulty to wiretap Neuralink calls due to the complexity of the encryption process between Sigils. A common rebuttal to this claim is the use of the police having a separate Neural Relay systems with their own encryption channels, typically coordinated from their main offices with sub-relays located within the vehicles of every police vehicle, as well as the use of the police breaching local Neural Relay mainframes within buildings for their operations. July 15th Another day passed by with me doing nothing but offering my plethora of abilities to the service of Corporate spawn. This time, I was tracking down sneakers that had been lost during an aerospace transit. I didn¡¯t have good memories of the Westbrook Airport, considering it had been one of the main culprits of my kidnapping to this place¡­ but I was here on a job. I found them in the washroom. I don¡¯t know why it seemed like so many of my pivotal moments revolved around these places. July 18th ¡°I told you.¡± I repeated to Dr. Faltest. ¡°Gene Development has slowed down to a standstill, nothing getting above 14%.¡± Gene Overview:- ¡°And Meta-Mutations?¡± She eyed me. ¡°One or two in each.¡± I scanned the list. ¡°Increased mental resilience and stimulation; better innate muscle integrity and skin elasticity; higher metal deposits in bone-tissue; better electrocatalytic conversion and storage; increased Gene Development during inhibition.¡± ¡°Normally, a SIM Adapter can get to 20% at Tier 1 before they need additional genetic material¡­ theoretically, they don¡¯t even need it assuming they give their mutations enough time to naturally grwo.¡± Then her voice carried knives. ¡°Assuming their dietary needs are met ¡ª and you have decades to wait.¡± I was immediately defiant. ¡°Decades, and-? Have you seen how many calories are in the meal plan you sent?!¡± ¡°Do you know how much you burn in a single burst of electricity?!¡± She rose equally. ¡°Besides, what¡¯s most important are your mineral supplements.¡± ¡°Yeah, but you said my body had three times the healthy amount?¡± A single blood test revealed that my iron levels were well above a normal Tier One SIM Adapter. ¡°I¡¯ve done the tests, yes. It appears that your Mineral Assimilation Mutation is causing you to deposit any additional non-organic material in a way that strengthens your body. I would know if you let me take bone samples!¡± She tapped her scalpel. ¡°Hell no!¡± ¡­In the end, it turns out my bones were twice as hard as a normal human¡¯s. Also, I paid for Iron-Grade Gene-stimulants. Hopefully, they would give me enough generic Mutational material to get my development jump started again, but until then it was presumed I would have to find comparable Tier 0 Mutagen and assimilate them into my body if I wanted any proper progress. But one thing she said stuck to my mind like an annoying holographic ad in the sky. ¡°Your Mutational Synergy¡­ I may be wrong, but I¡¯ll see if I can secure an Iron SIM later this month. Something with muscle enhancement, I believe you might have an interesting method of consumption.¡± July 19th ¡°What the hell did you do?¡± Rorsche yelled at me as the offices were closing. ¡°Why did I get an alert you¡¯re getting¡­ this case. Simon Jugosla?¡± ¡°Because I worked on it.¡± I firmly answered, my eyes planted on the screen in front of me. ¡°Bullshit. This is a personal case signed off by the Lieutenant, something like this is transferred to the Special Intelligence Operations. Not to our department, certainly not to a Third Investigator¡­ did, did Anthony do this for you?¡± His rage was palpable, what I would have done to squish it. ¡°Maybe.¡± I side-eyed him. ¡°Maybe I just digged into him myself, and sent some of my research to someone above you, someone who recognized what I could do.¡± He scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re a fucking idiot. I digged into it myself, The Gourmet? You know who they¡¯re backed by?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter what criminal goons are securing their human trafficking networks-¡° ¡°Not criminals.¡± His gaze slammed into me like a hammer. ¡°The corporations. The big five. Maybe even Neocore.¡± My own sight reflected a thunderstorm brewing within them. ¡°All the more reason to bring them down.¡± His voice turned feral. ¡°I can¡¯t let you. You can bring down this entire squad by getting us involved with something like this.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll do it alone! Like you¡¯ve been making me do all this time!¡± ¡°Alone?! Jesus, you¡¯re some self-entitled brat if you think-¡° A newer voice grated between us both from behind the booths of our office space, Special Investigator Risa Wickett¡¯s voice intruding on the conversation with an annoyed snarl. ¡°Will both of you shut it! I can¡¯t focus on my game with the both of you arguing like children! If the Lieutenant signed it off, she signed it off!¡± Rorsche shut his mouth, his jaw seething as he turned away. ¡°Bullshit, all of this. Watch yourself now, Ulrich. You pushed things too far.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. As he left, I muttered to myself. ¡°Eat shit, Rorsche.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª July 23rd The last week had been hell, forget even being on the field. I might as well have been demoted considering all I¡¯d seen by now was one digital review after another, apparently I was tasked with updating the various records based on the findings of the Analysts and the on field research of my fellow Investigators. It was boring as shit. At least Indra was as much of a homebody as she was a field operator. I wasn¡¯t completely alone. ¡°You always itching to act up? Seems like a moment in your seat is like an eternity in hell.¡± She raised her legs on my desk as she effortlessly maneuvered the seven screens in my view with one swipe, organizing the data elegantly. ¡°It¡¯s never been my preferred approach. I hate being able to do nothing.¡± I tried something similar, but even with my advanced mental output over the past month, the breadth of data expected for me to crunch was wild. ¡°You aren¡¯t doing nothing. All of this helps the others, you might as well be calling me useless, Jones.¡± She sighed, a hurtful glint wetting her eye. ¡°Shit, sorry. Just¡­ annoyed. Not at you, not even at this really. Just Rorshce mostly.¡± I hoped this wouldn¡¯t be a bad moment to say it. ¡°I don¡¯t think he likes me.¡± ¡°Please, he adores you.¡± Indra hummed. ¡°The jobs he¡¯s giving you? Would¡¯ve killed for them at your stage. Besides, he has nothing but¡­ praise for what you can do. You¡¯re powerful, and he knows it.¡± ¡°Yeah but he¡¯s¡­¡± I cut off the conversation, I liked Indra, but I didn¡¯t entirely trust her with this. ¡°I want something different. To do the work I expected this job would let me perform, back when I joined¡­ Yvette and I made a promise to not let this city fuck us up, that even at our worst moments, we would fight for those that suffered from it¡¯s underbellies.¡± ¡°A noble promise.¡± Indra¡¯s eyebrows raised. ¡°You and Yvette are real close, huh. Must be nice¡­¡± A silence burrowed into her voice, Indra staring at me for a solemn moment that impended a question I knew I wouldn¡¯t like. ¡°You entered the cadet school with the same residence as her. Despite that, I found no record of you living with her until a week before your enrollment. No record of accommodation before that too, just¡­ you mentioned you had rough times before. You were homeless?¡± ¡°Ran away from home.¡± I said curtly. She tried not to sound accusing behind her mask. ¡°I thought you had a good relationship with your dad?¡± ¡°It¡¯s complicated.¡± I offered a warning glance to her, before I figured out that Rorsche probably already spilled my details to her. ¡°I¡¯m a Cradleborn who¡¯s been between families, my second one was a pain in the ass. Me and Yvette both grew up in the same Cradle, meeting her while I was homeless was nothing but good luck. Though it changed my life. I owe everything to her.¡± ¡°I see.¡± She offered a gentler smile. ¡°Thank you for the honesty.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no problem, just an uncomfortable topic for me to get into.¡± I returned to the task at hand. Today was meant to be slow, but sometimes you had to take it slow. ¡ª¡ª¡ª July 25th I stared down the Iron-colored spider curled up into a ball, Faltest looking at me impatiently as I contemplated. ¡°So, do I drop my blood on this one too or just¡­¡± ¡°Eat it up, I¡¯ve done some preparatory infusions to make it as¡­ neutral and edible as possible. It¡¯s entirely legal, don¡¯t worry ¡ª SIM-eating is typically only reserved for those who can afford it, and handle it. So Silvers¡­ but you¡¯re Gold.¡± She chuckled, but her eyes were seriously burning holes through me and the Iron SIM. ¡°Okay¡­¡± I placed it into my mouth, my body instantly acting on instant as a flare of my Warp Energy coalesced around my mouth to subdue the Implant¡¯s awakening. I chewed, and the taste wasn¡¯t half bad. It was like a bland gummy with some resistance to the crunch. That stomach ache though, that was hell. I toiled in her office as my alerts came one after another. High-Density Mutagen detected in bloodstream¡­ Mutagen has been absorbed: Iron-Grade Muscle Reinforcement¡­ Mutation: Mutational Synergy is showing activity. Mutation: Compact Tissues has developed a Meta-Mutation: Overall muscle strength is now innately higher, Mutation now partially acts as an Integrity Mutation. Development: 26% ¡°A big boost in Compact Tissues, now it¡¯s both Alteration and Integrity¡­ not seeing any other changes.¡± I said a few minutes after ingesting the SIM. ¡°Already?¡± She puzzled over me. ¡°This should take hours? If not days!¡± Mutation: Mutational Synergy has developed a Meta-Mutation: Reduced adversersal effects from Mutagenic Digestion. Development: 22% In a soothing lull, my stomach pain lessened and my head began to clear. ¡°Never mind. Mutational Synergy got a boost too.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± Dr. Faltest hummed. ¡°Let¡¯s give you a week to adjust, monitor any additional growth of your Mutations. But you¡¯ll need to pay for your next one, even at their cheapest¡­ a good SIM is going to cost upwards of 7,500 Shardyne.¡± Yeah¡­ I would be needing that promotion. No way I was spending that much of my income a month just for a 5% boost to two Mutations. July 28th Diana I was off-duty today, so a phone call from Yvette¡¯s police sigil over her civilian one was odd, especially since I saw that it was a Neuralink call and not a vocal one. I answered it up, her thoughts spilling into mine like an erratic waterfall. ¡°H-h-hey girlie? I-I think somethi-ng¡¯s up. You-r friend I-Indra said I¡¯m o-n duty with her to-day but this isn¡¯t lining-g up. The trans-fer was signed off by your boss-s, that bastard R-Rorsche, and-d they¡¯re taking me on a pat-rol near-r Little Requiem.¡± ¡°H-huh?¡± I gulped, I¡¯d just been busy watching a series released a week ago on Haiflix. ¡°Wait, is Indra in the ca-r with you-u?¡± ¡°Yeah-h that¡¯s right.¡± Yvette affirmed. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her-r, don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t say-y a thing about the c-call.¡± I reassured her, before cutting off the call. Then I scrolled over to send a voice call over to Indra. She picked up in seconds. ¡°Hey, Indra¡­ heard my bestie is hanging out with my other bestie. How¡¯re things going?¡± I tried to sound as cheerful as I could manage, but some unease in my throat might have slipped through. ¡°Oh, pretty boring honestly. Me and Yvette were just discussing normal police gossip.¡± Indra said matter-of-factly. ¡°Share some with me too¡­ by the way, where are you guys patrolling? Maybe I¡¯ll sneak you in some snacks?¡± I wanted to make it sound casual. ¡°Ah just Cliffword through Salinsburg Avenue, Rorsche assigned me on patrol with freedom to choose whichever group I wanted, so I hope you don¡¯t mind if I steal your firend today?¡± Indra sounded relatively normal, but a weird discomfort pulled me deeper into my head. Cliffword through Salinsburg¡­ that was normal enough. It was close to Little Requiem but not so much that I would lose communications with them. ¡°Ah, well, I hope you two have fun.¡± I said with a dry throat. ¡°Sure thing. Is that all?¡± The sound of her vehicle drowned me out. ¡°Yeah¡­ bye.¡± I clicked the call close, before any more of my nerves could get the better of me. I don¡¯t know why, but I could tell something was off, this wasn¡¯t right. As much as I didn¡¯t want to believe it, if anyone was going to follow out Rorsche¡¯s orders, it would be Indra. She owes him her life. Bile chewed up my throat as I got into my own car, my hands clammy against the steering wheel. I didn¡¯t even know where to go, then an idea got in my head. A pulse from my frame sent out a Neurolink call to Yvette. ¡°Y-yeah?¡± She sounded nervous. ¡°S-stay on call with me-e. If you disconnect for longer than ten-n minutes, I¡¯ll try to find you. If worse comes to w-worst, tell Indra about my Implant or my dad and how I¡¯ll come over th-ere. Work something out.¡± I said, my heart thumping away in my chest. ¡°Tell them abou-t you? You mean¡­ you want me to te-ll them about you-r Gold?-¡° Her thoughts froze as static pierced into my head, had she crossed over into the no-communication zone? I thought so for a moment, but then a voice spoke in my head. But it wasn¡¯t Yvette¡¯s. Indra was speaking through our private Neuralink call. ¡°A-a Gold?¡± Blood and Steel C52: -Lying to Yourself Chapter 52: -Lying to Yourself 7:08 PM July 28th Diana ¡°I-Indra?¡± I tried to speak up. Her voice had never held so much venom in it. ¡°N-no fucking-g wonder Rorsche has been-n all o-ver you! Fir-st he can¡¯t stop comparing me to you, how you¡¯re so perfect and complete¡­ bu-t now you have fucki-ng Gold SIM? I-s this a joke?-?¡± ¡°Indra, please l-let us talk about this-s.¡± I couldn¡¯t hold it in any more. ¡°There¡¯s a-a lot more about this-s than you know, let-t me explain. ¡°E-xplain?!¡± Indra¡¯s voice chilled me. ¡°Oh no. This changes a l-lot. A G-gold changes everything. We¡¯ll talk this through¡­ you don¡¯t really need a Gold d-do you? So let¡¯s find a com-promise.¡± ¡°Indra. Where are you taking her-r?¡± I wanted to scream. ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on-n doing anything to her today, but now¡­ we¡¯ll talk later. Once I have her in saf-fer hands.¡± Indra¡¯s voice cut out, and my own was heaving in the constraints of my car. I tried calling up either of them, but the signal just bounced back, they were inaccessible. ¡°Fuck.¡± I said to myself, heart threatening to rip free. Things had gone downhill so quickly, and I wasn¡¯t even there to see it. Was I just supposed to wait? I couldn¡¯t just stay still. I had the power to change this, I had to change this. If Indra was doing this because of Rorsche, out of his influence¡­ we could beat him. But if she wasn¡¯t, if this was something she was doing out of her own will, then I would still try to change things. I knew she was saving up money for a better jaw, that she felt limited because of her Implant. My Gold could get her there¡­ it could get her anywhere. My breath began to betray me, the number of bad things that could happen to a cop in Little Requiem could never be counted even on a mutant with a hundred hands. Especially if they found out Yvette had a Silver SIM in her body. But where would I even look? I didn¡¯t know the first thing about¡­ how to navigate that place. I didn¡¯t, but I knew someone who might, or at least, Ripley might know someone. It was a gamble, a long shot. I started the call, as the next few seconds my thoughts fought against one another. Was this really the right thing to do? I barely knew Ripley. But I didn¡¯t have any choice. The call connected, and I felt my heart sink as my words choked out. ¡°Ripley. I- I need help.¡± He took some time to respond, but I heard the faint whisper of my name being said out. It seemed he wasn¡¯t alone. When he spoke, it was strange how confident he seemed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± My thoughts fractured, the disordered jumble of being unsure if I was overreacting erred my speech. ¡°My- my friend, she¡¯s been taken to Little Requiem. She¡¯s¡­ kidnapped¡ª¡° I remembered the important parts, ¡°¡ªYou, you¡¯re in contact with Missy right? Is there any way you can help me track her down? You know someone? You- you have to know someone! I- I don¡¯t know, she¡¯s just been-¡° A feminine voice interrupted me, a quiet almost doll-like tone that made me freeze once she spoke. ¡°Are you talking about Yvette?¡± So¡­ they were keeping tabs on me. Did they know anything about this? ¡°Yeah, her.¡± ¡°Give me a moment.¡± The voice slipped away briefly, but I couldn¡¯t help and feel like I¡¯d made a mistake by contacting Ripley. ¡°Just take a deep breath, Diana.¡± His voice returned, and the sympathy in it only stroked my fears further. Why on earth did I blurt out details of my Implant on a police monitored call? ¡°I just- fuck! I might have fucked up!¡± No show of remorse played back from either of the two on the other side, instead that feminine voice played straight to business of what I wanted. ¡°She¡¯s being taken into a Metal Heavens safehouse, I¡¯m sending you the address.¡° A message came through from Ripley¡¯s Sigil. Carrington Warehouse, has a gear symbol with a halo spray painted on it. Follow the signs in LR to a place called The Hellfire Club, then turn right and continue walking until you find a series of bars dug out into building frameworks, it should be next to a bar called ¡®Gears n¡¯ Spears. ¡°Thank you, thank you.¡± I¡¯d find my way, one way or another. The call closed as my car started, lightning raced down my fingertips, the Golden warmth it gave me solidified my resolve. I had to get Yvette out of there. 7:42 PM I¡¯d parked my car about a twenty minute walk from where Little Requiem officially started. The entire region around it was just as crime-riddled, and I was taking a risk walking through it but I didn¡¯t care. My pace racing, I strode through alleyway after alleyway until the old buildings appeared more ruinous and bare-bones, roads turning to gravel. The hollow ribs of the fallen sky-city echoed in my sight now, and the various clientele were far more pronounced. No one hid themselves here, illegal firearms were brandished as a show of respect and fear. Grotesque mutations and body modifications on display out of pride, they eyed my hurried gaze and already several of them were following me. I turned and shot, my blast just scorching the ear of one man with a pig¡¯s nose. ¡°Not. Today.¡± I growled, my eyes burning with the fury of a storm, then I walked away. Maybe I was lucky that no other distractions surprised me as I tracked down the warehouse, but it might have just been my eyes. Because if they wanted to see what a Gold could do, then they would see it. ¡ª¡ª¡ª I found the warehouse maybe fifteen¡­ twenty minutes after entering the town. This was too much, crammed with vilehood. What could be considered infrastructure was a maze of verticality, numerous layers to the spines and ribs as they stuffed dozens of illegal businesses into every fallen piece of rubble they could. The warehouse itself was half dug into the ground, some old museum they¡¯d repurposed for official goods turned into a criminal outhouse. Maybe I should have scouted more, scanned more, but I entered with only the superficial glance of my eyes. I snuck around the presences of two Neuroframes, kicking open one door and barging my way deeper past the gates when I saw one car parked out in the open. It was a police car. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. That was enough to ignite my body into action, I shot myself with my gun, regretting I didn¡¯t carry more rounds on me as I bolted my way into the first door. The presence of frames around me swelled, and not just Neuroframes but the breath and life of electricity soared within the building¡¯s denizens. If there was one thing I was lucky with, it¡¯s that all Metal Heaven¡¯s goons used cybernetics, it made them easy to detect. As soon as two of them heard me enter, I¡¯d already shot by the time they turned the corner. Electrical eyes burst as they fell backwards, stunned but not downed. Another three shots were enough to fizzle their limbs, then a slam of their heads into the concrete walls rendered both unconscious. ¡°Shit, what was that?¡± One yelled from across the space, his frame coming closer to witnessing my intrusion. I used my newer gun, the Shandian Leizhou, the weapon slowly charged itself as I squeezed the trigger. The hum quivered until it was a high pitch, and I unleashed that growing rumble into my arm. I saw my flesh burn and the pain was a hot flash that numbed up my shoulder, but just as quickly that wound had healed. Before either of the three newcomers could figure out what was happening, I attacked. One¡¯s jaw was cracked apart, the other¡¯s steel clavicle dented and the third¡¯s Shardware-arm burst into shrapnel by my jab. The last one was left standing, but a kick into the back of his knee snapped the steel limb into a stump, and I locked my gun on his head as my gaze burned through him. ¡°A cop was brought here, where is she?¡± He was quick to spill his secrets. ¡°Shit, that masked bitch took her underground! Bottom floor! Just leave me-¡° I shot him square between the eyes, the thick visor he had for his vision bursting into debris. I didn¡¯t know if that had been lethal, but the heat in my nerves were compelling me to act. ¡°Underground¡­¡± I repeated to myself as my senses honed on to the wires running beneath me. My sight swam through the labyrinthine rivers, piecing out the swells and markings of the individual frames lurking beneath. I recognized one of them, it was one I felt every day at work. Indra Harmony. Finding a staircase was easy, but the pinpricks of flowing electricity beneath me began to shuffle. They¡¯d grown wise to my arrival. A brief shiver to my right pulled my attention, a small camera was staring at me. I raised my hand at it, and drained the life running through it as electricity snapped to my fingers. My range was now much better, but it cost my Warp Energy. Charging myself once more with my Braceshocker, I was comfortable at my current charge, but I could hold twice this amount. The doors at the bottom of the staircase were open for me, two guards waiting there with guns at the ready, but they didn¡¯t open fire. ¡°You here for Indra?¡± ¡°My business is with her, yes.¡± I held back fire within my voice, keeping it¡¯s inferno cold with my tone. ¡°Then get done with it quick. Don''t like cops¡± His voice radiated from a speaker in his throat, jabbing his head towards the door. I didn¡¯t say anything, but I made sure to continue feeling the flow of their frames and weaponry. It was unwise to leave my back turned on them. Then I looked around, amidst the buzz of machinery I¡¯d undercounted the amount of Metal Heavens fanatics here ¡ª I was surrounded by maybe fifteen of them. All around me working were thick stations of various Shard Operators, their tables filled with what looked to be corpses. Bodies with pried hearts that were still beating, half-drilled skulls, entire arms of both organic and inorganic origin strewn up on a drying rack. The entire room was vile, reminding me of Tongeulasher, and I felt my heart tossed into pieces knowing Indra took Yvette here. And there they were, Indra held a gun out to Yvette¡¯s head, her eyes dazed and unaware. ¡°Stay right where you are! Diana!¡± ¡°Put the gun down, Indra!¡± I yelled, my body begging to surge at her. ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you! D-don''t take a step! I drugged Yvette, so listen up if you want her to make it out!¡± The muzzle deformed the skin of my friend¡¯s temple, Yvette¡¯s eyes gaining some light as my own gaze caught hers. ¡°Diana?¡± She said weakly. ¡°Yvette, everything will be okay.¡± I seethed, but fought back the urge to step forward. Forcefully, I brought the flow of electricity within me to a dull throb, constricting it around what organs I had developed to absorb it. ¡°What do you want, Indra?¡± ¡°Dammit, why did you have to go and make things difficult! If you just waited-¡± Indra positioned Yvette between me and her, the gun in her hand rattling against my friend¡¯s head. ¡°I fucking liked you, you know that! Genuinely thought you were a friend!¡± ¡°Then why do this!?¡± I screamed. ¡°Because not all of us have our lives gifted to us! Diana Ulrich! Not everyone has something like what you have! You know how terrible it¡¯s been, hearing everyday from Rorsche about you! Cradleborn, perfect, SIMmed Diana! I lived my life suffering from one spot to the next, and all I ended up with was a fucked up face, an Iron BUG and a man who will never love me!¡± Indra had tears running down her face. ¡°God, I feel like a fool! You really had me believing you were someone to¡­ care for. Even if you kept your father a secret from me, I was willing to look past that!¡± ¡°Is Rorsche making you do this?¡± I asked, trying to know where she was coming from. ¡°He wanted me to scare you. To get Yvette a little injured today¡­ that all changed when I heard¡­ what I heard.¡± She eyed the Metal Heaven guards around us. ¡°He¡¯s been promising me a Bronze for years, been promising to help my face. To be with me when I was fixed as long as I let him control my body and help him out. It had become part of my routine, I was happy to survive like that¡­ to be useful. Then I saw you, from the day you¡¯ve appeared, everyone talks about how powerful you are. There was a time I thought it was because you worked for it, but now I get why.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been ingenuine with you.¡± I pleaded. ¡°Just put the gun down, and we can work this out!¡± ¡°You think they¡¯re going to let either of us out? I may let scum like them slide if I can get a profit, but you¡¯re not like me. You don¡¯t need to make the tough sacrifices to get what you want¡­ so I¡¯m going to force you.¡± She heaved her breath. There was some part of her regretting all of this, I could see it on her. That didn¡¯t stop her from pointing her gun at me, the barrel aimed above my nose. ¡°Your life or Yvette. I¡¯m sorry¡­ but this is my way out.¡± ¡°Indra.¡± I stayed perfectly still, my vision fading as I saw the inner circuitry of her metallic arms. Every minute movement was preordained by some flicker up and down her body, and while I wasn¡¯t an expert at reading them¡­ I could be fast enough to react. ¡°I-¡° Indra¡¯s arms tensed, and the briefest of gaps between her hand squeezing the trigger and the bullet firing was enough that lightning ignited my muscles into motion, closing the gap between us both. The bullet panged harmlessly into the far wall, gaining only a disapproving grunt from the biggest Metal Heaven goon. ¡°I don¡¯t have to make that decision.¡± It was too easy for me to wrestle the gun away from her and toss it to the ground. She tried to twist her grasp away from me, but I kept her still. ¡°We can still change things, Rorsche doesn¡¯t deserve any of what he has either! And you know what¡ª¡° I got a little more angry now ¡°¡ªfuck you for thinking I want any of what Brian Ulrich has given me! You¡¯re so short-sighted that you can¡¯t even see that I¡¯m trying to more than what I was born as!¡± I tossed her backwards, pushing her off Yvette who slumped in my arms, a little more awake now. Indra heaved against the wall, tears falling down the curves of her mask, a defeated cry in her voice. ¡°I know Diana¡­ I know I¡¯m just making excuses.¡± ¡°Why?¡± I administered a police-issued AdStim to Yvette, her eyes opening wide and bloodshot as soon as the needle retracted. ¡°Because¡­¡± Her eyes fell on the guards around us. ¡°Rorsche had nothing to do with this. None of this is because of him. It¡¯s me. I would do¡­ anything. For what a Gold Implant could get.¡± My body grew numb even against the heat running within me. The Metal Heavens guards all shuffled with gasps and whispers at the sound of the golden word, their guns raising in attention as Indra continued speaking. ¡°Skeleton¡¯s already got an offer for 40 million as long as I¡¯m alive¡­ half of it¡¯ll go to you.¡± Indra explained to the nearest guard. That was all they needed to open fire on me. Blood and Steel C53: With just a touch Chapter 53: With just a touch Indra Harmony¡¯s voice report on Diana Jones to Kendrick Rorsche, as per his order to provide surveillance on her. Rorsche¡­ Before I give you the rest of this report. I¡¯m asking you to reconsider this. Diana Ulrich can, and will, fuck us up. Her father can. Brian Ulrich is not someone you want to piss off. I know you Rorsche, I¡­ care for us. Even if you do make your mistakes, I look past them. The same way you looked past who I had been and gave me all of this, so please¡­ be smart. As for what you want to know¡­ she should have never been assigned to Squad 13. With a Silver, and her personal scores and now her achievements with her Mutations ¡ª she should have been in Special Operations from the get-go. Especially because of her Silver. We¡¯re not fit to¡­ protect her once word gets around the criminal sphere, her presence in our group is manufactured by some higher authority. I¡¯d wager within a year, she¡¯ll probably be a First-Rank and take control of the squad, if not outgrow it. Her electricity is volatile, we¡¯ve both seen she can heal and augment her strength to do so. I don¡¯t have a list of what exact mutations she has, it¡¯s locked up like the FIREWALL is guarding it, but the report we¡¯ve gotten¡­ I know it¡¯s fabricated, none of these Mutations make sense for the output she has. Even when taking into account her gene-edited physiology. She can see through walls, is an expert shot, dent Yttrium Steel, fry Neuroframes with a touch, heal broken bones in a matter of days. And that was all at Tier 0, I don¡¯t know how she¡¯ll change in Tier One. Physically, her biggest weakness is her reliance on electricity. Mentally¡­ emotionally¡­ there are many more. She¡¯s quick to anger, has an isolative personality, is in doubt of herself. Her motivation is linked to her biological father, petty rage keeps her going. Her first experience with killing Tongueslasher was largely limited by the Post-Traumatic Stress Negator, but she¡¯s been jaded to death for a long time. I don¡¯t know what she saw, or did, when she was homeless¡­ but as someone who was out on the streets myself, I know she had to do things she never wanted to. She''s not one to grow attached to people, but when she does... In my conversation with her about past relationships, I came to know she¡¯s quite¡­ inexperienced with it. Only one boyfriend, and she¡¯s not too casual. She¡¯s careful with who she gets close to¡­ I can only imagine that has to do with her adoptive father. I don¡¯t know what kind of man sells out his own daughter to get out of a debt, but it¡¯s stayed with her even if she claims to love him. If I had to guess, it¡¯s the reason why she keeps her distance from people. She knows even those who love you can hurt you. Which is why Yvette Ingrid is the best way to get to her, she¡¯s the only one Diana is truly open with, not that I recommend it. Yvette, from my understanding, is nothing exceptional. She¡¯s frankly average despite being a Luxury Cradleborn, a pretty face but nothing much behind it. I¡¯ll see what I can learn about her¡­ But Rorsche, understand this¡­ I¡¯m scared of Diana. 8:12 PM July 28th Diana The first thing I did as bullets fired was to push Yvette into cover, I knew she could take it. We¡¯d tested out her new SIM and it¡¯s main power was the ability to absorb and redirect kinetic energy, her dazed body was thrown back towards a wall, wincing but not hurt. I didn¡¯t face the same mercy, a whistle of pain screamed up my arm even as I dodged backwards behind a steel desk. The room was cramped, machinery and tables blocking my movement from all over and nearly stumbling over one let a clean shot blow a spurt of blood out my elbow. Not letting it cloud me, I leaped into the cover of a Shard Op¡¯ chair, the metal denting and sparking as it absorbed the stream of bullet fire surrounding me. Bones were the slowest parts of my body to heal, and my left forearm swung limp. Reading over the Leizhou Pistol, it was at 84% charge, and I quickly absorbed 10% of it ¡ª enough to send my body aching and bursting with power. I had to place myself between Yvette and Metal Heavens, to ensure they didn¡¯t have a clear shot. With that in mind, I heaved an arm off the chair and tossed it as hard as I could. It slammed into the chest of one of the guards, the electricity I¡¯d sent through the metal discharging across the bulky metallic chest he showed off. The stun was enough for me to surge power through my legs, battering into him and my arms grappled around his mechanical limbs to take him as hostage to stop the others from shooting. His blood burst right on top of me, another bullet shot straight into my stomach. They shot through the bastard to get at me?! My brain cried out in agony, this was bad, really bad! My body was hardy enough that I could wager I¡¯d heal from a bullet wound as long as I was filled with electricity, but even with how tough my bones, muscles and skin had become I couldn¡¯t block them. No, I couldn¡¯t afford them the moment to shoot. Directing every spark throughout my nervous system until it was a puddle of searing motion, I shot my body straight into a second guard. My fist took off his jaw, the hinges blown apart before I axed my leg into his abdomen. Then I grabbed his gun. Leaping into cover, I hoisted the unfamiliar rifle into my sight, single-fire and ballistic. Perfect. Seeing my enemies through Electromagnetic Vision, I stayed behind cover as I placed six immaculate shots, electricity fueling every thought in my skull into overdrive. Six thumps followed up, and their shouts all dragged closer to my safety. ¡°Shit! She¡¯s a cognitive booster!¡± A larger, more steel-than-man guard shot after me as I repositioned, the bullets whizzing just above my head. ¡°Someone jam that gun!¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I took out another two before my weapon seized up, black smoke running across its barrel. No problem, at least now they were down to half, but I still had enough power in me to take out these Irons. My fingernails sharpened, growing long and jagged as a fine Gold glow hardened into them. It was uncomfortable to both harden my body and keep the electricity flowing through it, like overstuffing a turkey made of stone. Moving to engage them, my body blurred as I struck down on one man¡¯s elbow and twisted my heel through his knee, my firearm circling to thwart a rifle¡¯s aim on my head. A quick bolt of blue into his weapon, the discharge causing him to drop it as I sent another decisive shot into his neck, then I was off to the next. Then the next, and then the next. Until only four more remained, staring down my body covered in blood and oil. ¡°If you had any smarts, you would fucking run!¡± I growled from behind a wall. Their leader, a hefty mechanical man raised his weapon as his steel face looked in my direction. ¡°Yeah¡­ she¡¯s a fucking Gold alright. No other Mutant could do this.¡± Then he shot all three of his subordinates in the head. ¡°What?¡± I blinked at the three falling bodies. He didn¡¯t have a proper jaw to smile, it was just a voicebox, but the way his face contorted was the essence of arrogance. ¡°That Golds only going to be mine.¡± His body steamed, crimson heat running between the joints as they rumbled like a deep thunder was brewing within them. Something within me grumbled, he felt different compared to the normal goons I¡¯d taken down. More robust, like his presence in the world was defined and solid. A Bronze Grade and¡­ Tier II, that was what my instincts were yelling at me. A thin chain burst out of both gauntlets he had as hands, lightning wreathed along each wicked link of the weapon. ¡°Thank you for clearing them out, that makes it easier for me to tear apart! They call me Thundershred! Harmony told me about you!¡± The twisting arc along his blade whipped forward, thrashing through the metal in its path like a hot blade leaving molten scars. I dodged out from the wall, as it exploded into dust as a whip passed through it with ease. Out in the open, onslaught engulfed me, each flail coming down or up to smite me into ashes. The output he was unveiling was unprecedented, deadly and rapid in flow. My eyesight blinded me with how vibrant each whip was, like twin serpents of pure energy were winding their bodies to clamp on my heart. Driven backwards, my heart shook, Yvette and Indra were behind me and if I let him push me then they could be caught in the- Metal sliced into my stomach. I felt the impact on the wall before I felt the gash on my midriff, warm and slick and dripping down like a spilled buch, I¡¯d been an inch away from having my guts spilled on the floor. If my body wasn¡¯t as hard as it was¡­ fuck. Pulling myself up before he could entangle me in another series of thrashings, I kept myself close to the wall, waiting for the opportunity to strike. His chains churned to slam down on me, and I slipped in between both, before clasping my feet on them. He easily pulled free, taking me off balance, but not so terribly that I couldn¡¯t grab both with my hands. The jagged edges ripped and tore into my flesh like a chainsaw, but storming my Golden energy across my torn flesh until it was as thick as stone let me fasten them firmly in my grip. Then I stole his electricity, it was like inviting the wrath of a storm into my veins, and each second was tearing my arms to pieces. The energy swarmed up my elbows, curved down my shoulders and nestled deep into the core of my heart ¡ª a fire burning out of my control. ¡°You think you can take this!¡± He discharged millions of those snapping threads into my body, the chain burning a hot red as the lightning warmed it up, threatening to sear right through my hardened hands. Hot white became all I could see, a disturbing mass of energy crawling up and down my whole body, leaving trails of agony in its wake. Blood filled my throat, a scream ripping free as every ounce of organic matter in my body was scorched by the storm within. My jaw seized so hard, I felt a tooth shatter. My muscles contorting until the pressures on my bones were a feather¡¯s weight away from snapping. Every second extended itself, the world moving slower as my brain tried to make use of the power coursing through me, I should have shattered. I was shattering. But I was also being pieced back together, just as the energy tore me apart, it also rebuilt me anew. Every scorched neuron gave way for a newer, more resilient one. Muscles cycled through destruction and creation, my bones hardening as they splintered. I held on, keeping myself trapped in the agony of a rebirth until his face faltered away from that arrogance. Both of his arms were torn off before he could even fully realize his fear. I didn¡¯t even need to punch him this time, no, my arm extended itself ¡ª and the lightning in my body extended with it. A hot blue-white fork ripped into his chest and sent blood spewing out of his mouth, then he collapsed. Dead. My hands caught the floor, vibrant sparks snapping off at any metal fortunate enough to be close to me. I stared at my arm, my vision flickering away to a new spectrum as I traced down paths of new electrogenic organs built across my muscle and skin, it was like tattoos ran underneath my visage, visible only to me. ¡°Fuck!¡± Indra yelled out, holding a gun out to me. ¡°What the fuck! What the fuck, Diana! You- how! ¡± The barrel¡¯s aim shook in her hands, and each indecisive moment was aligned in my head as I saw the flickering threads of indecision run up and down her hand. I, of course, also saw her squeeze the trigger. Not at me, but at Yvette¡¯s prone body. My body raced the squeeze of her pistol, and I pushed just far enough to fasten my hand over Yvette and grabbed her out of the way. Then I saw the threads of my inner storm race down my arm, arc into Yvette¡¯s shoulders and dig deep. Yvette¡¯s Neuroframe coughed its scraps into my face, flickers of warm blood running down my cheek. ¡°What?¡± I stared down at my hands, they¡¯d left scorch marks across Yvette¡¯s shoulders, the flesh smoking further. I let go, and the thud of Yvette¡¯s body on the floor left a hollow pit in my heart. ¡°What?¡± Tears streamed down my face. ¡°Indra.¡± My silver eyes focused on the tear-covered mask of a woman I¡¯d once called my friend. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not fair. It¡¯s not fucking-!¡± Indra couldn¡¯t finish speaking before my fist took her mask clean off and lightning burst through it, revealing a caved in jaw with mechanical pieces and a hose left in. The wet crunch of her skull into the wall was followed by a slump, a trail of blood running down the back of her head as dazed cybernetic eyes faded from light. I screamed, thunder roared out as a storm of my inner turmoil exploded through the room. Blood and Steel C54: Save Them Chapter 54: Save Them 8:38 PM July 28th Ripley Smoke still filtered it¡¯s way into the ventilation by the time we¡¯d arrived, bodies fallen everywhere. At first, they were knocked out or had fried Neuroframes. Gradually, they were left in worse shapes, down here, they were all torn apart or shot. Not a single soul left alive. Except Diana. The liquid mercury of hair falling like rain over the face of a darker skinned woman. Mirage had shown me a picture of Yvette and Indra, who I recognized as the slumped woman with a blown off mask. ¡°Save them.¡± Diana repeated, her eyes reflecting a terrifying haze of silver threads within them. ¡°Please.¡± ¡°Clear out for a second.¡± I summoned my courage out. ¡°Let me take a¡­ a look.¡± I shuffled across the bloody and burnt surroundings, everything was scorched and cut apart, faint molten lines still visible. It was hard to tell if some of the older bodies in this harvesting room had always looked so terrible, or if the fight had only made them worse. Leaning over Diana, it was so easy for me to feel that resonance with her. Our shared connection to the Gold Implants born of the same MAL, it was like a constant hum urging me to do something. I reorganized my thoughts, pooling them on the state of the woman in Diana¡¯s grasp. Yvette Ingrid. From what Mirage told me, her and Diana used to be roommates in cadet school, apparently her only real friend. Taking a pulse¡­ I felt nothing. When I opened her eyes, I flinched at the sight of them¡­ they were burnt and clouded by blood. On her shoulders were handprint-shaped scorch marks, scarring webs of black digging deeper across her neck and back. Clearly, she¡¯d been electrocuted, so powerfully it caused her Neuroframe to short-circuit. A frame-break itself wasn¡¯t deadly, it was almost like a burnt fuse in it¡¯s function, but inspecting the Neuroframe deeper it was damn obvious that whatever did this was¡­ powerful. My eyes rested on Diana, thin lines of electric ropes still sparking up and down her arms. There was only one conclusion. Biting my lip, I wasn¡¯t sure how to approach this. ¡°She¡­ she¡¯s dead. Diana.¡± ¡°No.¡± Diana pushed herself back to the wall, clenching her silver hair between her hands. ¡°I- no!¡± Falling to the floor, she cradled her body tight, her breath heaving in and out like a ticking time bomb. ¡°Diana¡­ it- it¡¯s not your fault.¡± I tried to say, but all around me was just so much¡­ death. Had she really done all of this? I couldn¡¯t even¡­ was she really this powerful in just two months? I knew Mutations had more instantaneous effects than the cycle of buying new Shardware but¡­ This was a lot. Her body had become worth Gold, while my Golden mind was dealing with what scraps I had. Mirage spoke up to the side of me, seemingly uninterested in how Diana ended up in this sistuation. ¡°Leave her be. She¡¯s fine, brought this upon herself.¡± ¡°Bullshit, she¡¯s fine.¡± I eyed the broken silver-haired woman, crying into her knees. ¡°I- what do we do?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do anything.¡± Mirage said, her eyes growing serious. ¡°Leave her to her own problems. You have enough on your own, Ripley.¡± ¡°Yeah, but¡­¡± I eyed Diana once more, feeling sorry but also¡­ envy. ¡°I need her alive.¡± Mirage clicked her tongue, pulling me aside quietly. ¡°Are you ready to fight Metal Heavens then? I lodged Twilight into their systems, they¡¯re sending others down here.¡± ¡°Yeah. I am willing to fight them. This is my decision.¡± I said confidently, eying those fallen bodies around me. ¡°Also¡­ give me a moment, can you stay with Diana?¡± ¡°You¡­ are you going to loot these bodies?¡± Mirage said accusingly, before smirking. ¡°Be quick.¡± I nodded, somewhat ashamed to be seen through so easily, but every BUG here was worth something to me. I counted fourteen bodies, not including Indra and got to work. There was no need to preserve anything, I first stopped by the biggest bastard, reached into the back of his fried frame and yanked out the Bronze centipede wriggling within, it grew inert in seconds as it curled into a small ball. I also eyed the chain-whip mechanism in his ripped arms, peeved that they¡¯d been destroyed so thoroughly considering how I could apply them to my current modifications. Moving to the other bodies, I only finished with around seven other bodies before Mirage whistled at me before tugging Diana¡¯s sleeve. ¡°C¡¯mon¡­ Diana. I erm¡­ everything will be fine.¡± She said quietly, I forgot how awkward she could be sometimes. ¡°You have to-¡± Mirage stopped, as did I freeze up as a Silver colored scorpion tore out of Yvette¡¯s arm before rolling up into a ball. A Silver SIM? I leaned down to pick it up, the scarlet-smeared bead resonating with deep power in my palm. Within a second of thinking, I held it out to Diana. ¡°Diana¡­ you need to live on. I- I¡¯m sorry for your loss, but if you won¡¯t do anything. Then you can¡¯t get payback for what¡¯s happened.¡± She nodded weakly, gripping the Silver SIM and standing up with support of me and Mirage. The walk up was silent, just the tapping of our feet on the staircase and the labored breaths of Diana. ¡°Twilight¡¯s picked up twelve Metal Heavens entering the building. She¡¯ll mark them.¡± Mirage said, and in seconds I saw the distant outlines of the alarmingly quick bodies maneuvering on the floor above. I nodded, looking at Diana. ¡°Can you fight?¡± She took a deep breathe in, her eyes hazed up like a dull gray. Electricity wreathed down her fingertips but she clenched them up as though they¡¯d been burnt by the action. ¡°Fuck¡­! I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Warp Burns.¡± Mirage sighed. ¡°You and me, Ripley. Leave Diana here, we¡¯ll get her once it¡¯s secure. I¡¯ll contact Madame Hong, let her know we¡¯re coming.¡± I nodded, letting Diana down gently on the floor, she didn¡¯t look back at me. Her eyes still gazed down the staircase, trapped in the memory of what had happened down there. ¡°We¡¯ll be back in just a moment.¡± I offered her. She didn¡¯t say anything, just slumped deeper into her own clutches. Sighing, I got up to convene with Mirage, following the various outlines through the museum ground. They seemed to have split up into two groups. ¡°You going to fight, Mirage? You didn¡¯t bring a gun.¡± She turned her head lightly, a faint glow building in her eyes. ¡°Mirage doesn¡¯t fight, Ripley.¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Twilight smirked at me from within Mirage¡¯s body. ¡°I do. And I don¡¯t need a gun.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª The incoming guards were all Iron Grade, thankfully, and from what I knew about Metal Heavens, BUG Adapters. Perfect for me. I checked the clip of my gun, as well as my left arm. If things went tough, then at least I had a backup weapon. Bronze Energy filled up my limbs, all four of them as my newer legs still adjusted to being wholly metal. Finally, I mimicked the Sustain Feature. Update Summary:- This Feature was unique, in that you didn¡¯t necessarily need Shardware to make use of it. In the olden days of the First Swarm, Shardware was limited to crude augments, guns or strapping a radio into your head, the Feature was a lifesaver in improving general nervous control over the body and it¡¯s health functions. Nowadays, it could even allow self-repair with specific Shardware mods like Nanomachines. For me, it served to coordinate my thoughts with my body. Running the Bronze energy through my body, I kept my gun pre-aimed on the archway I saw four guards were about to pass through using Twilight¡¯s map. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m picking up signatures right through here!¡± One of them yelled, and I cursed inwardly as I retreated back into cover. What fucking sensors did they have? A Mazhyr Electro-com? Twilight didn¡¯t seem to care still, she flicked open a compartment on her arm and pulled out fine knives that she juggled in her hands. ¡°Want to see something cool?¡± She whispered to me, throwing one of the thin blades right at the archway, it bounced off the wall, hitting into something that echoed a hollow, ringing sound. ¡°What the fuck? Something hit my arm!¡± A guard cleared into the archway, spotting me and Twilight immediately with a rifle scoped on us. Then his hands twisted out his control, pointing the thick piece of metal at his ally and bursting a spray of muzzle flashes right into his friend¡¯s chest. The other two stormed in right after, panicking at the sudden betrayal of the man Twilight had taken control off. I seized the chaos, my pistol locking onto a grunt¡¯s head and a quick squeeze bursting blood through it. Twilight threw another blade, the curved edge lodged right into a leg and sent purple sparks across the metal. The limb kicked up, knocking them off balance which let me land a quick shot without needing to lock on first. Maybe Diamante was right to take me to that gun range¡­ ¡°Last one¡¯s all yours, Ripley!¡± Twilight cheered at me. I sneered, staring between the pistol in my right hand and my seemingly normal left arm. Grinning, I smeared Bronze Warp Energy throughout the limb, unlocking fresh seams that expanded and rearranged themselves. A sharp one-foot blade jagged out, sheathed in Bronze energy that sunk deep into the Livewire core running underneath it. The last man raised his weapon at me, but by then I¡¯d switched to Overclock, my body sped up as both legs adjusted to an increased flow of Bronze Warp energy. My blade grew hot, the Livewire within running an intense circuitry that fed into various heating elements scattered on the edge of the weapon. It swept cleanly through his gun, before a searing strike cauterized his vocal cords and spine. He fell to the floor, wheezing his last breath. ¡°Damn, that was hot. Literally!¡± Twilight ran up to me, hugging me. ¡°Wait¡­ there were three more!¡± On cue, someone fired up at us from a balcony above, Twilight pushed me out of harm''s way as she threw a knife that clattered harmlessly against the balcony railing. My mind worked it¡¯s usual algorithms at attempting something stupid, as I grabbed the fallen knife and aimed my five claws at the roof above me. The five digits dug into the concrete, deep enough that as I reeled myself upwards it supported my weight and I was eye-level to the grunts still shooting at Twilight. I kicked forward, dislodging my digits at the same time so I landed on the balcony, three surprised Metal Heavens goons drawing their sights on me. A quick swap to Integration worked across my limbs. Update Summary:- What used to take at least three seconds to lock-on only took a single glance now as Gold Energy forced it¡¯s way into the pistol. My pistol compelled my fingers into exactly aiming on the first man¡¯s head, blood spraying to a twitch of my index. A second lock-on came just as quickly on another, and for the third¡­ I slipped under the rifle that was too awkward for them to maneuver at this range, and dug Twilight¡¯s knife deep into his shoulder. They pushed me away, aiming the rifle but their hand refused to shoot the weapon as purple sparks infested it. I sneered down the the barrel. ¡°This one¡¯s yours, Twilight!¡± His hand gripped the railing, and he pulled himself off as he screamed in confusion. I glanced down, Twilight hopping to the fallen man and slipping a dagger right into his carotid artery. She called out to me with a smile. ¡°Haha! We make a great team! You going to come down and celebrate or¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to loot first.¡± I called down, excited at the prospect of all of these BUGs. I even took one of the rifles with me, it was nothing special but maybe I could fetch a good price for it. Getting down¡­ I charged up my legs, similar to my arm they whirred and refit as two prongs ejected from below my knees ¡ª similar to a mantis¡¯ legs ¡ª as sharp blades that I wreathed in Bronze Energy. Carefully placing myself near the wall, I dug my claws into it before stabbing my shins into the wall. First, they were too dull, keeping my body uncomfortably planted there. Then, as my output of Warp Energy grew and the blades sharpened, I slid down too fast and landed on my ass. ¡°Ow.¡± I rubbed my bottom, as Twilight came by with a handful picking some metallic orbs in her palms. ¡°Thought you would appreciate this.¡± She placed them in my hands, locking an intense stare as her vibrant violet eyes bore into my own rust-colored ones. ¡°You know, lately, it¡¯s like your eyes have grown sharper.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± I pocketed away the BUGs, counting all in all, a total of fourteen new Iron BUGs at my disposal. She helped get me on my feet, and slowly her eyes faded to a softer lavender. Mirage shook her head as she came into control, staring at the five bodies around her. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten better. A month ago, this would have had you shitting your pants.¡± ¡°Psyche¡¯s helped get my mindset right, thankfully as long as I can convert to Bronze then I¡¯m pretty much able to fight for as long as I need to.¡± I stretched my arms, rummaging through the BUGs in my pocket at random as I tried scanning a few of them. Two Sustains¡­ one improved internal organ efficiency and the other allowed a monitoring of another¡¯s health if you plugged into them, six Accomodation BUGs to generally increase capacitance and¡­ oh, one that specialized in reducing the capacitance of close-combat Shardware. Integration for external visual Shardware, Dataweaving to create simple Datacleavers that bypassed Neuroframe safeguards, an Overclock for heightened strength¡­ Energized and Technician. A few of these, I could use in Shardware creation, but none of them outwardly seemed better for my Mimicset. Yeah, that¡¯s the name I gave the circular bands implanted in my arms. The only one I was having difficulty reading right now was the Bronze BUG, so I kept it in the back of my head. For now, as we walked back to Diana, I took a firm grasp of the Energized BUG and fractured it to scraps, absorbing the Warpcode within it. Brief images of death flowed through me, a flashing river of a forearm extending into a blade to slash at my- someone else¡¯s neck. Absorbing Warpcode¡­ General Updates Pending. Would the Adapter like to direct the Warpcode to a specific purpose, or allow the pending updates to develop? That last bit was new and a result of Focused Consumption, it had been a while since I absorbed a BUG. I passed my thoughts on to fulfill the pending updates. Energized V.1.08 has updated to V.1.09 Effect: Adapter¡¯s internal Warp Energy circuitry is now more efficient. Energized V.1.09 has updated to V.1.10 Effect: Increased control over Energized Protocol: Warp Sink. Almost at once, the flow of my Gold from the base of my skull to the liver¡¯s converter smoothed out and became as easy as breathing. Maybe it was time to think about additional internal organs? If I could get a new heart or lungs, my body could regenerate Warp Energy much faster. Our feet clicking down the stairway, we froze. Standing over Diana¡¯s tired body was a tall figure wearing an immaculate suit. I recognized the hollowed-out face on them, a mechanical skull smiling. Mr. Skeleton greeted us. ¡°Mirage and Ripley, how¡¯ve you two been?¡± Blood and Steel C55: Buried Deep Chapter 55: Buried Deep 9:07 PM July 28th Ripley ¡°Uh.¡± I began, but Mirage placed herself between me and the mechanical figure as her eyes shone red. Midnight growled. ¡°Skeleton¡­ what happened to not getting involved?¡± He laughed, a slight chuckle that was too casual as he ignored us and leaned over Diana¡¯s tired figure. The woman herself just stared up, her gun trying to raise. Skeleton regarded the scene. ¡°Relax, relax. I¡¯m not trying to poach your new pup, Middy. Just wanted to know why a cop would come over to my humble town. A Gold at that.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t your town!¡± Midnight¡¯s arm twisted into a crude barrel, I nearly yelped at seeing the docile body of Elsa raise her voice so loudly, the very sight of her arm shifting startled me even more. Mr. Skeleton clicked his tongue, not that he even had one in that body. ¡°Right, I have you to thank for this place even existing in such harmony. A harmony delegated by the fact that the Lieutenant Grazhes¡¯¡­ both of them, don¡¯t send their police pigs out here. And now, I have a Gold one sitting free for the taking. When Indra Harmony contacted one of my people, I had to see it for myself. Especially since she¡¯s¡­ well, familiar to my newest interest.¡± The hollow cavities of his skull pointed at me, and I felt goosebumps rise all over me. ¡°What are you going to do to her?¡± ¡°Oh, that depends on Diana here.¡± He tapped her shoulder, but Diana shrugged him off. Even when she was drained of all energy, those silver eyes of her could radiate a sword¡¯s edge. ¡°Skeleton¡­ I heard about you. They have your files locked up.¡± ¡°For a good reason.¡± He playfully raised his hands up. ¡°Why, then I¡¯d have hundreds of you coming in here everyday with grand ambitions of seizing my empire! Metal Heavens and I had a good thing running here, and now you fucked it up, Diana Ulrich.¡± She flinched at the name, gnashing her jaw. ¡°It¡¯s Diana Jones.¡± ¡°Right.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Tell me, Ulrich, why shouldn¡¯t I pry out that Gold from your veins?¡± She froze, her body locked tight as though she¡¯d been squeezed in his fist. I couldn¡¯t even believe this, some deeper part of me was rising up to scream at her to speak but¡­ but she looked so defeated. ¡°I just¡­¡± ¡°Oh no. I know this wasn¡¯t out of any investigation running here.¡± He crouched down, regarding her face-to-face. ¡°You came here to save¡­ who was it? Right, Yvette Ingrid. Well, you failed. Killed with your own hands, I gathered, but as it stands ¡ª you spoiled this operation here.¡± ¡°Skeleton.¡± I raised my voice. ¡°I need her alive.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± He said, then sighed. ¡°Well since my new friend here holds you in such high regards, even coming here to save your ass, maybe you¡¯re worth keeping alive. Just, how about this? You owe me a favor now.¡± Diana spat at the skull-faced figure, her saliva landing straight into his orbital cavity. ¡°Fuck off. Just leave me alone.¡± ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t you a feisty one¡­¡± He smirked. ¡°Still, you¡¯re going to owe me that favor whether you like it or not. I¡¯ll make it worth your time!¡± Mirage spoke up, her eyes soft again. ¡°Skeleton¡­ just keep us out of this.¡± ¡°Oh, of course.¡± He turned to us. ¡°Actually, Ripley, I wanted to ask you something. You¡¯re looking into the case of your own Implant, right?¡± Startled, I nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Since you and Missy are planning a Yuzhou heist, look into Ms. Himiko, she was using a Proxy that day in the club. But I wager, her interest in that MAL could bring you closer to what you want.¡± What I wanted¡­ Maybe what I did next was stupid, but it was important I figured it out. ¡°How much would it cost to get information on The Dogwhistler?¡± I don¡¯t know how, but the way those hollow cavities emoted like they were opening up in shock drove uneasiness into me. ¡°Oh, her? You should have asked sooner.¡± So the Dogwhistler identified as a female? That narrowed down half the population. Mirage raised her tone, a warning in there. ¡°Skeleton¡­¡± ¡°Relax, I know better than to send him straight into the wolf¡¯s mouth! Just¡­ how about five million for her information. As for now, what do you think about that name? Who are the dogs she whistles to?¡± He stood up, clapping my shoulder as he passed by. ¡°And by the way, I¡¯ll have my men pick up the spine on August 2nd. As for you, Diana, I¡¯ll get Yvette and Indra¡¯s bodies back to their families, even I wouldn¡¯t deny you the right to a funeral.¡± His feet rang up the stairs, that body was heavy with each thud, yet it maneuvered around like it weighed nothing. Diana¡¯s eyes tore into me. ¡°You¡¯re working with him?¡± ¡°No, I mean¡­ it¡¯s complicated. I just modify Shardware for him, I need the money.¡± I didn¡¯t want to get into the specifics of it. ¡°Of course you do.¡± She scoffed. ¡°I thought you were different.¡± ¡°I need it for my mother.¡± I met her gaze sharply, my voice gaining an edge. ¡°She¡¯s dying and needs a Silver. That¡¯s all you need to know.¡± Diana¡¯s head turned to the side, her body tightly held into itself as even the smallest movements caused her to flinch from her Warp Burns. As Gold, we weren¡¯t easily inflicted with them¡­ that spoke to her sheer output, evidenced by the scorched bodies down below. Had she really killed all those people? Killed them all¡­ only to end up with nothing out of it. I eased my breathing, offering her my steel hand. ¡°We¡¯re both in tight shit right now, better to be amicable than enemies. Just because I¡¯m on one side of the law and you¡¯re on the other¡­ we don¡¯t need to fight.¡± I then added. ¡°In fact, we don¡¯t talk as much as we should. This whole thing runs deep, and if we¡¯re the only two people digging into it¡­ it¡¯s better to do it together.¡± Diana¡¯s hand met mine, and despite it all she struggled her body to stand up. Even defeated, those eyes shined. ¡°Fucking hell¡­ yeah, I know. I- there¡¯s a guy out there named Soul Killer who I¡¯m trying to find, if you figure out anything about them then¡­ let me know.¡± Mirage quietly screamed at her. ¡°You¡¯re looking for Soul Killer? Stop.¡± ¡°Everyone says that.¡± Diana met her defiantly. ¡°But why?¡± ¡°Because Soul Killer¡­¡± Mirage began. ¡°Is not someone who even the worst gangs of Westcrook want to get involved with. Dogwhistler is something, but Soul Killer? If you¡¯re lucky, you¡¯ll only lose your life. It¡¯s suicidal, worse¡­ it¡¯s dangerous to everyone you know and care.¡± ¡°Not a lot of people I know¡­ ever fewer who I care about.¡± Diana said, a bitter and self-pitying laugh breaking out. ¡°Sounds perfect for me.¡± She shuffled off us, walking ahead with a half stumble that needed her to grip on the wall seconds later. ¡°And where exactly are you going now?¡± Mirage scoffed. ¡°Home.¡± There was a weakness in the way she said it. ¡°You¡¯re going to walk right through this town covered in blood and unable to even walk properly? We didn¡¯t save you just to die all over again, if you¡¯re lucky that is.¡± Mirage¡­ no, Midnight moved to grab Diana, her crimson gaze staring down like dripping blood. ¡°Right now, you¡¯re fresh meat. If you want to stay alive, then stick with us¡­ and if not me, then Ripley.¡± I raised my hand at the notion of my name, trying to make myself seem seen in the conversation, but the dual strike from both of their menacing glares shot me down. ¡°I can handle¡­¡± Diana seethed, she looked like she was about to collapse. ¡°¡­fine. Where are we going?¡± Violet switched to become Twilight¡¯s irises, a twinkle embedded in them. ¡°Madam Hong¡¯s the one I trust most, she¡¯ll get us a room to spend a few hours in to recover. Get some food, once I know you have enough Warp Energy in you to survive a fight, I¡¯ll let you go.¡± Diana begrudgingly lowered her head. ¡°I can accept those terms.¡± ¡°Alright then gorgeous!¡± Twilight smiled, taking the lead with a pump of her fists. ¡°Follow me.¡± Diana stared down at the switching personas dumbstruck, I offered her a shoulder for support as well as a simple explanation. ¡°Multiple personalities¡­ it¡¯s a Psyche thing.¡± ¡°Uh huh¡­¡± She said in a drawn out fashion. ¡°Do you¡­ do you trust her?¡± It took me a second to answer, but staring down Twilight¡¯s bright smile was all I needed. ¡°Yeah, I trust them.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s enough for me¡­¡± Diana said in a low voice. ¡°But I don¡¯t have anything else.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I know where you¡¯re at, Diana.¡± I supported her as we made our way on the streets of Little Requiem, we got our fair share of stares but thankfully Twilight did the best at redirecting their focus onto her as she pranced around like she owned the place. ¡°I¡­ I guess you do, because of S////?¡± She said quietly. I didn¡¯t know how to answer that, my memories of that night grew hazier each day. I could hardly even remember anything attached to that name now, just blank faces and even more false images of a person I never really knew. ¡°Not exactly, because of what¡¯s happened to my parents.¡± ¡°Shit. They fuck you up too?¡± Diana said with a bitter laugh. ¡°Maybe I should correct that, did one of them fuck you up?¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°No¡­ it was me who fucked up their lives.¡± That thought came clearly through me. ¡°I tried to be more than I was, made stupid decisions. Cost my dad his job, and forced my mom into an even worse job back at that club. We lost everything, money and reputation, and throughout it all I only ever had them¡­ except¡­¡± ¡°Except that didn¡¯t stop things from getting worse. Long story short, my dad knew secret corpo information from when he was a high-ranker in SynTec¡¯s Energy Division, so they sent a cop to frame him for being violent on drugs and shot him down. My mom took the brunt of money-making after that, sending her down a spiral of a terrible job doing terrible things because her degree was delegitimatized. Using a cheap Iron BUG didn¡¯t make things better, this arm¡¯s a little too powerful for that and it corrupted her. Warp Poisoning of the Silver-Grade.¡± ¡°Shit man, sorry.¡± Diana seemed to weigh a little less as she heard it all. ¡°That explains something¡­ you probably got it worse than I did.¡± We¡¯d just reached that same little bistro I had entered the undertown through, except this time that short statured woman was leading Twilight and us upwards. Diana took hold of the stair¡¯s railing tight. ¡°Fuck it, I was born in a Cradle.¡± ¡°Really?¡± My eyes opened. ¡°My grandfather too, from my dad¡¯s side. From what I remember about my father¡¯s relationship with the old man, they do fucked up things in there.¡± ¡°Institutionalization.¡± Diana sighed. ¡°Earliest memories of the place is the fucking stench, like bleach but sharper. Everything was spick-and-span clean as Haithama¡¯s nutsack. Had to be, and it was us who cleaned it. We worked, trained our bodies and minds in that facility day and night from the moment we were born as¡­ perfect human beings ¡ª to be a product to those corporate douches whose Implants have made them infertile. In a way, I¡¯m glad they plugged us with the genes for that kind of labor.¡± ¡°Was it a military or societal Cradle?¡± I asked. ¡°A Mazhyr Luxury Cradle.¡± Diana grit her teeth, I was unsure if it was because of the physical strain or the mental one. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s the only good thing about that place, instead of being pawned off to a company¡¯s private security, I was raised to be a steward of some rich family. Crammed five hundred years of history in my childhood, not to mention science, math, economics, psychology¡­ self-defense was the only thing I was good at¡­ but, I wasn¡¯t alone.¡± ¡°Someone you still know?¡± I propped her a little better, my legs could take the weight. It came crashing down in her voice as it broke. ¡°Yvette. Fuck, she- there was a time when I was saving her from bullies. She wasn¡¯t anything too special in the cradle, that still made her above average compared to everyone else. God she- you know, she used to hold herself back all the time, pretend she was dumber than she really was. To fit in. Playing the long-con was what she called it. Didn¡¯t stop her from growing an attitude that pushed back any favors she got from our superiors.¡± I felt wetness trail down the metal of my arm. ¡°She sounds like a lovely friend¡­¡± ¡°She is.¡± Diana¡¯s throat quivered. ¡°She¡­ fuck, she always had my back. She saved me. And I- I let her down¡­ I- I- kil-¡° ¡°Hey, hey¡­¡± I interrupted her. ¡°Don¡¯t. It¡¯s¡­ I know exactly what you¡¯re going through, Diana. There are times where I just want to throw myself down that spiral staircase of trauma, but it wasn¡¯t your fault. It was Indra Harmony¡¯s, whoever put her up to that, that¡¯s whose fault it is.¡± ¡°Rorsche¡­¡± Diana said to herself. ¡°Kendrick Rorsche¡­ she, it might not have been him who ordered Indra to do that. But he drove her there. I¡¯ll make him pay.¡± ¡°You will.¡± I consoled her, as Madam Hong opened up a room with two beds and a divider spaced between them. ¡°Just take some time off right now, you need to recover.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I will and then I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll kill that motherfucker.¡± Diana¡¯s eyes radiated an intense fury behind her tears, the silver in them trickled under a menacing cascade of lightning. ¡°I know you will.¡± I gave a reassuring smile to her, letting her down gently on a couch while Twilight hopped onto one of the beds. I sat down next to Diana, feeling heavy in a sense that I never really did before, I quickly swapped to my Analyze Function so that I could navigate this upcoming conversation better. ¡°Do you¡­ want to talk more?¡± She studied me for a few moments, staring down at the blood on her hands. ¡°I- yeah, actually. I don¡¯t feel quite ready to sleep or eat or¡­ anything, I-¡° ¡°How was your adoption?¡± I hoped that would be a simple enough question. ¡°The process is stupid.¡± She let out a hollow chuckle, her mind clearly distancing itself from reality. ¡°When you turn twelve, they line you up in front of a panel of judges, like a talent show except these guys are a bunch of high-ranking execs of the Cradle. You¡¯re supposed to show off what you can do, they ask you about your scores, sometimes quiz you. Then that video gets sent off to a bunch of sponsors and they start an auction for you. At thirteen, I was bought out for around¡­ two million?¡± My eyes stared wide at her. ¡°Damn.¡± ¡°I was¡­ pretty smart and physical, not to mention my hair and eyes. Yvette cried the day my offer was finalized, begging me not to go. I wish I didn¡¯t have to, but at the same time I would get¡­ a life. Outside of plastic forks and knives, fitness training, and standardized examinations. I believe she got out at fifteen, for I think two-hundred-thousand? Her parents were Shard Op¡¯s who couldn¡¯t have children. She got lucky¡­ sixteen¡¯s the cutoff before transfer you to a military school.¡± ¡°So that how you ended up in Westcrook?¡± I asked. ¡°It took longer than that. A man named Yorrick Jones adopted me. A geneticist who engineered a startup that made good developments in crop growth, something to do with environmental engineering. It got bought out by Imperium for a hefty sum and he wanted a simple life after that, his wife died a few years before he adopted me and¡­ he said he couldn¡¯t imagine a life with a different woman. He was lovely, an adoring father who raised me well.¡± Her eyes twinkled behind the dried tears. ¡°I grew up far north, near where the Canadian borders used to be in New Washington. Whole place is a nature reserve owned by the rich, some had woodland mansions but me and my dad just stayed in a quiet cabin. It was awkward at first, meeting that old man and knowing he was who I had to call my father but¡­ we clicked. He said he knew the moment he laid eyes on me that I was meant to be his daughter, solely because my name was Diana. His favorite Old World movie is called Indiana Jones. And that¡¯s how Diana Jones came to be.¡± I smiled at her, she seemed to have momentarily drifted off to another more peaceful time of her past, but then she hardened and straightened herself on the couch. ¡°Then there¡¯s the story of¡­ Diana Ulrich. You see, my genetic material¡­ turns out the sperm used in my making came from a big shark in NeoCore, Brian Ulrich. I don¡¯t know why or when, but he was transferred to New California and began a political career here, and it was around the time I was seventeen that he made his presence known to me by¡­ well, one day my dad¡­. My real one had tears across his face. I¡¯d never seen him like that unless he spoke of his wife. ¡°He said something was wrong, and that he had no choice in the matter. That night, there was a car waiting for me and he told me to get in. I did, and that was where I met Brian Ulrich, my biological source. He didn¡¯t even bother saying it to me with his mouth, just showed me a contract of a transfership that showed I would be in his care from then on. Said ¡®Is there anything that needs clarifying¡¯ like I understood a word of what was happening.¡± Diana said every word with hatefulness. ¡°He¡­ kidnapped you?¡± I couldn¡¯t believe a word of what I was hearing. ¡°Basically, for the sheer fact that he thought being known as a single father would give him just the edge to win the election four years ago. I went from living by hunting to a penthouse where I was shackled with the expectations of becoming some corporate workhorse for NeoCore. It was worse than hell, for two years he pretended like fancy cars or food from the hands of his personal chefs would make up for stealing me away. No matter what I did, he refused to let me meet my father, Brian brushed it off by saying I was his new family and that it¡¯s the way things always should have been. So I ran away one day, I took off to the streets and never looked back.¡± ¡°Shit, and here I thought I had it rough.¡± I blew air from my mouth, meeting her eyes with genuine sympathy. ¡°You did, in a way that was different from mine. I was homeless for a month, each day strangers showed me just how cruel they could be. It was a good thing I knew how to throw a punch, and I got lucky with stealing a gun off somebody, and a knife¡­ it was always meant as an empty threat and it worked well enough to keep the Scrappers away. I was ready to live my life that way, until one day it was just blind luck that Yvette walked by.¡± She took a deep gulp, tears building in her eyes. ¡°Founders, she still brings it up. Diana ''Silvereye'' was caught begging on the streets while she was off to buy a new high-end designer bag. I¡¯ll never forget the kindness of her parents, when they let me stay with her¡­ or her, when she barged me into the police recruitment center while they were in the middle of training their new cadets.¡± ¡°Let me guess, you aced those exams as well?¡± I raised my eyebrow at her. ¡°I¡­¡± She sheepishly shrunk. ¡°Just the shooting range. But I did well enough that by the time our training was done, I was indoctrinated as a Second-Rank Officer.¡± Ah, so she was a gunner. ¡°I made poor choices with my police friends.¡± She seemed to take offense to that. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Means you¡¯ll probably be a Special Investigator by the time I even open up my own Shard Op¡¯ place¡­¡± I sarcastically added. ¡°Please don¡¯t shut it down.¡± ¡°As long as it¡¯s legitamite¡­¡± She verbally tossed my woes aside. I laughed, glad to see her in a better mood. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s decided. Our childhoods sucked. At least we have our Golds now, maybe karma exists after all.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± She took in a deep breath, staring at her feet. ¡°Thank you, Ripley¡­ today¡¯s sucked. I think I¡¯m¡­ going to take a shower.¡± Twilight spoke up, muffled in a blanket. ¡°Hong¡¯s got a spare change of clothes in the closet, didn¡¯t know your sizes so I just got them all oversized!¡± Diana nodded, finding the strength to walk herself to the bathroom by herself. I let out a sigh that I¡¯d been holding in for too long, today had been stressful. Twilight called out, sitting up in the bed so that the blanket flew over the bed. ¡°Meanie, you were supposed to get in bed with me, not flirt with her!¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t¡­¡± I ruffled my hair tight in exasperation, but an idea came to me. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, jealous?¡± ¡°Oh you¡¯re playing that game with me?¡± Twilight teased. ¡°Yeah, a tiny bit, now come here and pick out a movie!¡± ¡°Now?¡± This felt a little inappropriate. ¡°Elsa¡¯s looking through something right now. I don¡¯t get this opportunity every day!¡± She patted the pillow next to her, I shook my head and decided that I might as well indulge her. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Diana The hot water flashed over me, the warmth drizzling down my back and arms to soak the blood off my hands. I stared at them, memories returning one after the other, placing them on Yvette¡¯s shoulders and- The memory stopped, as though it had been choked out of its breath by some deeper mental hand I fastened over it. I was aware of the moment, could even scan it piece by piece but it was like the weight of the whole memory itself had been fractured. I understood why, immediately. I brought up my Neuroframe settings, a whole slew of various police mandated protocols ¡ª minor and major ¡ª installed on it. Amidst the Frequency Blockers, Sigil Encrypters, Police-Issued DataShields¡­ one stood out in particular. The Post-Traumatic Stress Negator. Warning: Turning off the PTSN is not recommended unless you have been cleared under Psychiatric Practitioners. Are you sure you want to switch the protocol off? That message gripped me. Unable to tear my gaze off it, I questioned if what I was doing was stupidity, or grieving. Yvette had died, she was gone, yet all I felt in my chest was a simple understanding of that fact. The intricacies of the PTSN failed me, but I was aware it was some branch off the Personality Matrices employed by SynTec. The memory of the day I¡¯d gotten my Neuroframe was difficult to remember, but I recalled some days prior during my psychiatric evaluation. I was deemed an exceptional cadet in all forms, but the one red mark on my sheet was that I was deemed to be¡­ unhealthy mentally. The settings of my PTSN was at 70% ever since I¡¯d joined. Today, I turned it down to 0. The burst of emotions hit all at once, like a balloon of grief had popped within my chest. The orchestra of falling bodies like a drum-march from hell hammering down on my skull, it wasn¡¯t just Yvette. That MAL, I saw it slaughter Lieutenant Grazhe, rip his face apart¡­ mutilate a woman¡¯s body from the inside, turn entire humans into weapons. Then Tonguelasher, who was just a kid with a tough life that only found care in someone just as messed up as he was. Then those grunts from Crimson Souls, it was a do-or-die situation, but when had I stopped even trying to save lives? I did, by killing them¡­ but that hadn¡¯t been who I used to be. Then Muramasa, and Metal Heavens¡­ And Indra. Her desperation led her to idiocy, and everything was fed by that bastard, Rorsche. And Yvette. Who¡­ I- I- Puke splattered on the floor of the shower, it drained away as a deep spiral, mimicking my own thoughts as they sunk deeper into the abyss. I felt my hands snap bones, stop hearts, shatter metal like it had been nothing. I¡¯d understood that I¡¯d taken necessary lives, yet each time it became a lighter burden to carry. The numbers piled on, bodies falling one after the other for the sake of my job, of my own calling for greatness. Yvette¡­ it had been a cold January. The kind experienced due to the MALswarm¡¯s effect on the weather, it was brutal, harsh didn¡¯t begin to explain it. Even the warm water of this shower raining down on me failed to quench the chill in my bones. But her voice had, she¡¯d been wearing a black coat that could have fed me for a month at that time. It took her less than a second to take it off her and wrap it over my dirty body, as she asked again and again¡­ ¡®Is that you, Diana? I¡¯d know those silver eyes from anywhere.¡¯ My mouth¡¯s bitterness was replaced by a sharp saltiness, what was wrong with me? She didn¡¯t know how tough that month had been, how terrible the last two years were¡­ but that simple hug from her as she wrapped me in her jacket had saved me. She¡¯d saved me. And now she was gone. It was all my fault. Blood and Steel C56: Beware The Dogs Chapter 56: Beware the Dogs 7:38 AM July 29th Ripley Diana was sitting on the couch, inspecting her gun by the time I got up. Was it safe to sleep a few feet away from a cop, literally only with a thin piece of fabric covering us¡­? Probably not. Thing is, while I couldn¡¯t completely trust her, I believed that the two of us did have an understanding of one another now. ¡°I think I might have another lead.¡± She calmly said, as she disassembled a part of the weapon and put it back together. ¡°Oh.¡± I quickly swept my hair in place, trying to appear somewhat nice as I carefully pried Twilight¡¯s leg off my belly¡­ there was quite a large difference between how Mirage and Twilight slept. I whispered, but not too quietly since if there was one thing I learned while vacuuming Mirage¡¯s place, it was that she was a heavy sleeper. ¡°Um, go ahead and tell me.¡± ¡°Remember how I said I was homeless?¡± She had a different look in her eyes today, it was both more focused yet distant than it was yesterday. ¡°Well, when I thought back to what Mr. Skeleton said about who the Dogwhistler whistles to, I remembered something odd last night about my days in the street.¡± ¡°I¡¯m following.¡± I tried to ease the groginess in my head, cursing that Psyche hadn¡¯t given me something to wake up quicker after all this time¡­ though if I¡¯m right that falls more under Sustain¡¯s domain. ¡°Well, it was pretty easy to see that some of the homeless formed groups. Many became Scrappers, while others formed their own coalitions to protect one another¡­ but there were a strange few who I remembered seem to always be alone. They passed from group to group, but they all had dog-tag tattoos¡­ and whenever someone caught sight of a guy marked with one, they usually stayed clear.¡± ¡°Dog-tag tattoos¡­ like the military kind?¡± Now that she mentioned it, some of the homeless bums I¡¯d seen scattered through the city did have a marking like that. ¡°Yeah.¡± She raised her eyes to meet mine. ¡°Apparently, the guys who wore them used to be old military veterans on the city guard for the Fourth Swarm and Civil War, during that time¡­ a lot of high-grade BUGs were given out. Then retrieved once their duty was over, replaced with an Iron. Many of them have Warp poisoning like your mother but, looking back, I find it odd. They never seemed to do any of the usual homeless activities, rather they just¡­ existed. Almost mindlessly.¡± ¡°Dogwhistler has an information network¡­ you think these guys are her people?¡± It was a reach, but what other leads did we have? ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m just pointing it out, not like I can read their minds.¡± A bitterness coughed up in her. ¡°Yeah.¡± I said dumbly¡­ ¡°Wait, what if I said I had a way?¡± ¡°A way to what?¡± ¡°Read minds?¡± She blinked at me, it seemed that what I said had broken her out of whatever deep trance she¡¯d been in. ¡°Do you have some weird Network Function or something?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± I didn¡¯t know how to explain in words that circumvented the direct topic. ¡°I can read the memories off someone¡¯s BUG, see flashes into their deaths normally¡­ but I think I could go deeper. Don¡¯t tell anyone about this, by the way.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a weird fucking ability.¡± She rested her chin on the flat barrel of the gun, irking me. ¡°Let¡¯s use it. My lips are sealed.¡± ¡°Use it? You want me to kill one of them? I- I could try reading them when they¡¯re alive, it hasn¡¯t worked yet, but I¡¯m better now.¡± Had she already fallen this far into bad cop territory? She shook her head. ¡°No, but assuming they work for her, Dogwhistler probably wants them to kill whoever snoops around her business. If you can get information out of them alive, do it¡­ besides they could just be unfortunate war veterans. Better to play it safe.¡± ¡°I got it.¡± I thought it over, feasibly¡­ it wouldn¡¯t be the most dangerous thing to do. How dangerous could one homeless person be? ¡°Does anyone else know about that ability of yours?¡± She asked, eying the sleeping Mirage/Twilight behind me. ¡°Just the guy that helped me figure it out, said it would be funnier to surprise everyone later when they really need something that uses my power.¡± That much was true, Diamante really enjoyed those little pranks of important information. ¡°Good, just¡­ be careful with all of this.¡± She stood up, studying the room with a careful resignation. ¡°I¡¯ll be going now, I feel better, and I want to make things right. I think I have an idea of what to do myself, and now¡­ we¡¯re going to get payback.¡± ¡°One step at a time.¡± I nodded. She walked towards the door, her sight falling on me one last time. ¡°Thank you, Ripley. Take care¡­ and I really am sorry about everything you¡¯ve gone through. You deserve better.¡± ¡°So do you.¡± I smiled at her. She smiled back, closing her eyes as the door opened and she walked through. When it closed, that light sound sent a shockwave of emotion through me¡­ there was a heaviness in every word she said, a profound sadness drenched in them. Alongside some sort of clarity. As she left, I switched the Analyze Function mimicked in my head off, feeling like a clog had just been plucked out of my ears. ¡°Homeless¡­ hmm.¡± I decided against leaving Mirage to herself right now, instead I opened up some of my old schematics while looking through the BUGs I¡¯d gathered. Yesterday was proof that it was more economical to¡­ scavenge these BUGs rather than buy them. It was a random draw, but in terms of developing my Features it was much more efficient. If I needed a specific BUG, then buying would be better. Picking up the Bronze BUG, I submerged it in a bath of Golden glow as I pieced up its inner workings. It took me the better part of ten minutes, much longer to the mere seconds I was taking with Irons now. Warpcode scanned¡­ Grade: Bronze V Development: Tier II (Modification) Feature: Energized V.2.10; Overclock V.2.18 Previous Adapters: Keagan Thorn (9y6m) It was the oldest of any BUG I¡¯d ever seen, chunky and vast compared to the Iron¡¯s I¡¯d been consuming. At Tier II, Keagan was considered one of the enforcers of Metal Heavens¡­ I believe they were called the Clerics. Then it went to Priests, Bishops and finally the Archbishop. Okay, first things first¡­ I tried to mimic my very first Bronze. My brain felt weird, like it was being stretched into goo as numbers and images flashed through my head. No wonder Diamante didn¡¯t let me consume a Bronze BUG, it felt like sucking sludge through a straw. The fault probably lied within my own Neuroframe¡¯s limited processing capacity, so I slowed it down. It took ages, almost half an hour just for the Energized Feature to be deconstructed and mimicked. Energized V.2.10 Update Summary: Then a whopping forty-five minutes for the Overclock Function, it was a good thing I fell asleep during the movie. Some sappy thing about vampires falling in love. Overclock V.2.12 And that¡­ was why there was a big jump between the cost of an Iron and a Bronze, particularly one with a deadly combo like this. Metal Heavens were Shardware freaks, while they might look crazy under their chromed heads, most were engineering nerds who dabbled in Shard Operating. This man probably planned his entire setup from the beginning, taking painstaking operations to implant various generators into his body so that he had an immediate source of electricity. The question then, was whether I wanted to absorb the BUG or keep it around for mimicking? Truthfully, I wanted both, I couldn¡¯t mimic Energized since I already had it, but the Overclock Function was right under my alley. So¡­ could I do both? Absorb one half, but leave the other? There was only one way to find out. There wasn¡¯t a way for me to actually feel out which part was located where in the BUG, so I had to just pray that my Data Consumption Protocol would handle that. As for the Energized Function itself¡­ I decided against focusing it¡¯s code anywhere right now. I didn¡¯t know if doubling down on the criteria of selectively choosing to absorb one half and then selectively directing it into a specific place was a smart choice, I¡¯d be fine just receiving my general Updates. Thoughts placed firmly, I put in my choice to absorb the BUG while praying that the inner repetition of ¡®only Energized, only Energized¡¯ worked in my favor. Images flashed, a young woman gripping my chains as lightning tore through her body. She burned and regenerated anew with each second that passed, every moment believing her death was near. Then she gazed up, for a split second, her body stopped taking damage. Her finger tips flared up, cast in a bright light of silver-blue, a fray of pure energy struck my heart ¡ª an electrical pump ¡ª and it exploded. My life slipped away¡­ Adapter¡­ is selectively absorbing the Warpcode of the Energized Function¡­ Absorbing Warpcode¡­ General Updates processing. Data Mimicry V.1.00 has updated to V.1.05 Effects:- Technician V.1.08 has updated to V.1.12 Effects: Energized V.1.09 has updated to V.1.11 You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Effects: Psyche V.1.14 has updated to V.1.15 Effect: Adapter is now better able to process life-threatening situations Excess Warpcode identified¡­ redirect or store for later updates? ¡®Store¡¯ I mentally squeezed through the throbbing in my head, it felt like a miniature explosion had just occurred within my brain and it had been splattered along the walls of my skull. Okay, maybe Diamante was definitely right about me taking it easy with the Warpcode absorption¡­ ¡­But I¡¯d shot up straight to 29% Development. As the throbbing cleared, my whole body ached from the pure exertion of my muscles squeezing as hard as they could, giving me knots and cramps all over. Still, I scarfed down my breath in excitement, I was now one update away in Psyche from developing a new Protocol for it. Adjusting Statistics¡­ Integrity is now Iron VI Energy is now Iron VI Capacity is now Iron IX (Effective: Bronze II) My body lightened at once, and I checked my new capacitance. Capacity: Iron IX [Effective: Bronze II] Capacitance: 93.5% Would I be¡­ pushing my luck if I tried absorbing some of the Iron BUGs? Maybe, but if I focused them into a specific channel then maybe I wouldn¡¯t feel any adverse side-effects? Putting it to use immediately rather than bloating up my reserves? Yeah, I was being stupid but these Accomodation BUGs were a dime a dozen and for good reason. To almost any other Adapter it truly allowed them to push past their Capacitance, but since I switched through BUGs so often it wasn¡¯t worth a momentary peace. I chucked five of the six Accommodation BUGs into my body, focusing them into one stream of thought. To wield Bronze Shardware. Absorbing Warpcode¡­ Focused on Capacitance towards Bronze Grade Shardware. Capacity is now Iron X¡­ Technician V.1.12 is now V.1.13 Effect: All Shard-Operating Shardware now has a reduction of 5% in Capacitance. Capacity: Iron X [Effective: Bronze III] Capacitance: 60.9% Oh yeah that¡¯s what I¡¯m talllking abuttt¡­ what, whooose thoghts ar slooring? Not meeeiin. U noooo wut, meiby wun moar BAUG! Acshually fack it! Youus dem aaalll, on saiky. Gimme nyuuu prtoclo. Day mellttt ein haundss, unddd day feeel guuud. Absorbing Warpcode¡­ Focused on Psyche Protocol ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Forcing Compatibility. Psyche V.1.15 has updated to V.2.00 Effect: Protocol: Thought Multiplier can now be used, allowing the Adapter to force a connection between multiple separate conscious ideations into a seamless, exponentially stronger mode of thinking. ¡ª¡ª¡ª 12 Hours Later. I woke up screaming. What the fuck just happened? One second I took some Accomodation BUGs, the next was a memory akin to melting jelly. ¡°Oh.¡± Mirage said, scowling. ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ sorry?¡± I fucked up, I already knew that. ¡°You fucked up. Now you know what Warp Burns feel like¡­ what the fuck were you thinking? You used up¡­ fifteen BUGs! In one session! Including a Bronze!¡± I¡¯d never seen her normal self scream, but it was terrifying. ¡°Mazhyr¡¯s tits!¡± She continued. ¡°You were bleeding everywhere! I thought Diana shot you! I was ready to- to-¡° Her hands shook in front of her face, tears welling up¡­ was she crying over me? Mirage? ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ but that doesn¡¯t cut it.¡± I felt the dryness on my face, there were still patches of blood under my eyes, mouth and nose. ¡°It was¡­ an experience.¡± ¡°Ripley?¡± She turned to me. ¡°Do you always need to nearly lose your life before you learn a lesson?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I repeated, guilt swallowing me up. ¡°You should be.¡± She retreated back to a wall, sinking against it as she hugged her knees. ¡°I was¡­ I was scared.¡± ¡°Scared?¡± ¡°That you weren¡¯t going to wake up.¡± Mirage admitted, rubbing her eyes. ¡°Daylight entered your head and stabilized you, but the next time you try something like that¡­ you tell me.¡± ¡°Yeah, I got¡­ greedy.¡± ¡°Honestly, you should have died from it.¡± She said outright, sending a jab into my heart, but then she stammered over herself to correct herself. ¡°Not-not, not like that! I-I meant that fifteen BUGs at Tier I is like one of the biggest overdoses you could take, the fact that you felt fine after a Bronze and didn¡¯t immediately puke was a sign your Integrity is really high thanks to it being multiplied by your Grade but¡­ I watched the footage. The speed at which you absorbed it, it was instantaneous.¡± ¡°My BUG sort of¡­ immediately applies the updates.¡± I explained. ¡°Immediately?¡± Mirage clarified. ¡°No, even pending updates take time to properly digest the changes and¡­ yeah, you do absorb 100% of the Warpcode so realistically you should take several times longer to process even an Iron. But I saw you absorb¡­ so many, all at once.¡± ¡°Yeah, it-¡° I reviewed the update I¡¯d just gotten to Psyche. What? What the fuck? What did that mean?! ¡°Uhhhh¡­ any idea what a Thought Multiplier Protocol does?¡± ¡°A Thought Multiplier Protocol?¡± She raised her eyes, for a second I thought it meant she knew about it. ¡°Never heard of it, what even brought it out?¡± ¡°I think at the moment of digesting them¡­ my thoughts all merged together, like they were melting over another? And the BUG made a Protocol out of it?¡± I subconsciously stretched my focus on the Protocol, feeling a command waiting for me to assign. ¡°Seems like an active one, I think I need to input something.¡± It was a strange feeling, like I had a basket in my head to put my thoughts into¡­ or some sort of mixing pot. ¡°So you¡­ can combine your thoughts? Fuck it¡­ think of me and¡­ movies?¡± ¡°Uh, sure?¡± I shrugged, mentally assigning the ideas of ¡®Mirage¡¯ and ¡®movies¡¯ into that hotpot. Then my head blurred as all of a sudden, every single thought I¡¯d ever had of Mirage merged over my memory of every movie I¡¯d watched, thought about or envisioned. In particular, the crossover between my memories of watching movies with Mirage brightened like a star to the point that I could feel myself able to imagine the virtual screens appeaing right over my eyes. ¡°Oh that¡¯s weird.¡± Gasping, I turned to Mirage, who I could suddenly know¡­ a lot more about. It wasn¡¯t that I was seeing something new in her, rather I was piecing together old puzzles in my memories of her. ¡°You think Scar is hot?¡± I stammered out, as I recalled the slight rise in her body heat when he spoke. ¡°You find his voice hot?¡± ¡°How the fuck did you-!¡± She choked, her cheeks flushing a slight pink that I recalled some other memories of. ¡°What about it?¡± Like when I cooked for her, did her dishes, folded her clothes, cleaned her house¡­ did she- ¡°I feel like I¡¯m being taken advantage of.¡± It dawned on me. She seemed genuinely taken aback by that. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You use me for manual labor¡­ alot. Eh, I don¡¯t mind it.¡± I shrugged it off, but that seemed to be the last straw before the two streams of thought separated once more, and while I still remembered the actualizations I¡¯d come to, I simply couldn¡¯t piece together those ideas on my own normal memories of them. Shaking my head, I felt remarkably okay¡­ but it did leave the back of my cranium feeling lighter than usual. The Warp Energy usage of that Protocol was intense. ¡°So¡­ that was weird.¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t have gotten something normal? Like an Empathy Nullifier?¡± Mirage gave wary looks at me, up and down. ¡°Or something that doesn¡¯t account for you becoming Sherlock Holmes all of a sudden.¡± ¡°I have no idea who that is.¡± I deadpanned, but the Thought Multiplier was a tool I really wanted to get the hang off. Wanting a better opinion, I sent over a screenshot of the Protocol description to Mirage. ¡°But¡­ It seems like I¡¯m combining two thoughts to make it seem like they are the same one. Adding them in some way.¡± ¡°Not adding from the looks of it.¡± Mirage scanned the image. ¡°Multiplying them. Like, if your knowledge of movies was a standard 5, and your knowledge of me was 3 in comparison, then the overall thinking of both under your multiplier would become 15?¡± ¡°Hey, I know more about you than a 3.¡± I tried to defend. ¡°Ripley, no offense to¡­ us.¡± She coughed. ¡°How many hours have you spent watching movies of some sorts, Old World or modern, and how many have you spent with me?¡± ¡°Okay, but that¡¯s like a 20 to 7.¡± The maths made sense. ¡°You lowered the ratio.¡± She pointed out. ¡°Makes it equivalent to 10 to 3.5 or-¡° ¡°Yeah, okay I get it. This ability is weird¡­ gonna have a rough time computing the numerical value of a thought.¡± How would I even begin workshopping a calculator for this? ¡°But at the same time, it seems abstract. Like what if I multiplied two completely separate ideas, like chocolate and punching someone? Would I imagine punching chocolate? Or would my limited knowledge of chocolate improve my ability to punch someone?¡± ¡°Try it out?¡± She offered, and so I obliged. Reaching into the Protocol, I pushed two words in my head until they echoed and melted into one another. Thought Multiplier: ¡®Chocolate¡¯ X ¡®Punching someone¡¯ To my surprise, it completely worked. All of a sudden my memories of all the chocolates I¡¯d ever eaten or seen were superimposed with my memories of getting into brawls or seeing someone punch another person. A common occurance back in the Toxin Club¡­ then I- oh, then I remembered. Warm liquid, glistening under neon lights flowed atop the bodies of one of the dancers. Her mutation allowed her to heat up her skin, allowing the velvety mess of melted chocolate to fall on the paths of her curves, down her back and around her breasts. I also remembered one of the patrons trying to erm¡­ get a taste. That was where the punch came in. ¡°You do not want to know what I¡¯m thinking of.¡± I covered my face, granted all of a sudden I felt like I was having a better idea of how to throw a punch. ¡°Yeah¡­ it does both of those.¡± ¡°You have a memory intertwining both chocolate¡­ and punches?¡± ¡°Uhuh.¡± I nodded. ¡°Okay then.¡± She clapped. ¡°One more. Something you¡¯re proficient in and something you¡¯re not. Shardware and charisma.¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say to that. ¡°That¡¯s a low blow, I¡¯m plenty charismatic.¡± ¡°You have the personality of a wrench, why else do you think I use you for chores.¡± She snickered, and it got one out of me too. She was really opening out of her shell. And so, once again, I threw two separate ideas into that box. Thought Multiplier: ¡®Shardware¡¯ X ¡®Charisma¡¯ Yeah this one was odd, it was like I opened a vast library to every piece of mechanical knowledge I knew then tried to write a joke or pickup-line over every sentence in each book. The intricacies of my own Shardware opened up to me, particularly a lot of jokes about how my fingers could be used. ¡°Damn, you make my heart beat faster than a Haithama Showstopper with a twelve-inch gauze-pipe attached to its receiver.¡± I said full of confidence. Mirage blinked. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know if I should feel flattered or disgusted?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a joke about a mechanical heart beating faster because it¡¯s seeing a large pipe.¡± I explained. ¡°Is that your way of saying you¡¯re gay?¡± She nervously laughed. ¡°We have Topaz for that.¡± ¡°Well¡­ actually, I sort of play on both teams. Though it¡¯s specific intricacies are lost in the explanation.¡± That was true. ¡°So it¡¯s a smart-person joke? You¡¯re saying I¡¯m dumb?¡± She looked playfully offended at the insinuation. ¡°I think you¡¯re just too beautiful to fall for it.¡± I smiled, before the passing realization of what I¡¯d just said completely resonated with me. I rolled with it¡­ thank you Psyche for the unfounded confidence. She flushed a little at that, but rolled her eyes. ¡°Ah¡­ I get it, you¡¯re calling me dumb bimbo.¡± ¡°What I¡¯m saying is¡­ I think Data isn¡¯t the only thing you could weave off me.¡± I played along with a haughty smile that took every single cell in my face to maintain. Maybe I had a negative charisma and it fucked up the multiplication? Shining violet eyes lit up at the sound of my speech, Twilight leaning in close with Mirage¡¯s body. She enunciated each word precisely and clearly. ¡°You. Are going. To do this. To her. As much. As you can.¡± Then they dulled down, to reveal a woman whose cheeks brightened up to compensate. ¡°¡­okay, I think we¡¯ve established it can improve your¡­ non-focused skills.¡± ¡°Oh you¡¯re all that I can focus on right now.¡± Where was this audacity weeks ago while we were watching movies? Then it sizzled out, the few moments of me being a savant in the way of words left only a hollow shame through my soul. ¡°Shit¡­ that was, sorry.¡± ¡°No.¡± She peeped, neck turning scarlet. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s fine. Really, I¡¯m flattered.¡± I stammered, a dull ache ringing from the back of my skull. ¡°Well, either way, I don''t know what else I could do with this Protocol right now. It¡¯s pretty damn vague.¡± ¡°There is one more thing to try.¡± Her eyes lit up. ¡°Combat.¡± Blood and Steel C57: Gun X Bet Chapter 57: Gun X Bet 3:47 PM July 30th Ripley I could see Diamante scoffing as soon as he entered the gym¡¯s firing range, while the selections of guns were limited here, the virtual targets made good enough practice for the peashooters we had ¡ª as Diamante liked to call them. ¡°I didn¡¯t come all the way here just to see Ripley score a 23% on an Iron I Difficulty.¡± He turned to Mirage, who made a rare appearance at the gym. She had to be here for what I was about to do. ¡°Relax.¡± I gave a glum smirk as I hosted the pistol into position. ¡°I¡¯ve improved.¡± Mirage played along with my arrogance, giving a nasty glare to Diamante. ¡°I bet you twenty Bronze, he¡¯ll score a 70% on whatever score you set for him.¡± Twenty Bronze¡­ she was betting 100k Shardyne on me? Suddenly, my hands felt a bit clammier holding up the pistol. Diamante clicked his tongue. ¡°30 Shards and he does Iron III.¡± I turned to the man with an offended gawk. ¡°Iron III? I can do better than that!¡± ¡°Bitch, you couldn¡¯t hit a single target at Iron IV. You really think you¡¯ve improved that much in a week?¡± He sized me up, and kudos to him¡­ he was quite larger than me. ¡°Fine, Iron V. I¡¯ll enjoy the 30 Shards, use it to buy a nice lunch.¡± Topaz snickered up behind us all, his silent presence once again shaking me up. ¡°Can I join in? I¡¯m betting on Ripley winning.¡± ¡°Tch, I¡¯m enjoying a really nice lunch then.¡± Diamante crossed his arms, awaiting me patiently to fail. Too bad that wasn¡¯t going to happen. We¡¯d tested out my Thought Multiplier, Mirage and I, only to discover it was¡­ indeed a combat booster. Not exactly, it didn¡¯t magically make me a good shot or drill ten years of martial arts into my head, I was very much still a novice street brawler in terms of fighting experience. What it did improve was the psychological aspect, every memory of every shot I¡¯d ever taken would compound into my focus all at once and I did notice that it left subtle returns in muscle memory and general realizations about how to improve, incrementally enhancing my abilities. It was more of repeating my best shot many times over, rather than becoming a better shot. ¡°COURSE.¡± The speaker began. ¡°IRON V DIFFICULTY. BEGINNING!¡± My thoughts coalesced into one. Thought Multiplier: ¡®Shardware Usage¡¯ X ¡®Firing Range: Iron V Course¡¯ There was also the matter that I had cheated. Since my memory would greatly improve upon using the Protocol, I had simply tried my hand on all of them once before. Up to Iron X. Red targets in the shape of humanoid figures began moving in and around scattered virtual boxes and columns, some zipping around to mimic Shardware and Mutations of Iron V grade. That was my second key, I had a pretty good idea of what an Iron V Shardware could do, and by linking that thought in the multiplication I was innately aware of the distance and strength they could each go. My breathing evened, my stance widened, my eyes settled comfortably on the iron sights that dwelled on the first head. My squeeze of the trigger was immaculate, and the recoil was expected but not fought against, the first red target popped. Diamante¡¯s robotic voice squealed like a pig being speared through. ¡°H-wha-Ripley? No. Nuh uh. He hit a shot?¡± Six heads went down, my memory of the course playing out exactly how I remembered it. The first round ended with a hundred percent accuracy. Was it okay to feel proud? Because I was feeling damn proud! The next round was much of the same, I shot knowing exactly where each target would go and my body executed the preprogrammed movements effortlessly. The third round was also flawless, and by the end of the fourth round I¡¯d only missed three targets. Then came my issue, you see the time limit for the Multiplier was approximately anywhere between 30 seconds to two minutes depending on how much I was actively manipulating the thoughts it gave me. With Shardware as a variable, I could even stretch it out to five minutes of sheer productivity, something I linked to my familiarity with the topic. Unfortunately, my expertise with guns was sorely limited. Landing me at around 45 seconds of perfect aim. The remaining fifteen seconds of the fifth and most difficult round was to be done without the Multiplier. Or at least, that¡¯s what one would think. ¡®Shardware Usage¡¯ X ¡®Firing Range: Course V, Round 5¡¯ I could just reapply the Multiplier the second it ran out, more on that, I could change it. Narrow it down even more to provide me the most specific utility, in this case every single one of the zipping and dodging figures moved squarely into my deadeye. ¡°COURSE END.¡± The machine spoke. ¡°RIPLEY DONOVICK. SCORE 72/80, 90% ACCURACY. SHOTS FIRED, 80. NEW BEST SCORE¡­ RANKING¡­ 91.¡± Before I could even let the gun down while it was still smoking, Diamante grabbed me by the shoulders and lifted me up to eye-level. ¡°What the hell! You never showed that to me! You lost me 300,000 Shardyne! Fuck that, you think you¡¯re hot shit! Look at this!¡± He grabbed the gun out of my hand, ordering the course to repeat as it scanned him. A minute of gunfire later¡­ ¡°COURSE END. DIAMANTE. SCORE 80/80, 100% ACCURACY. SHOTS FIRED, 52. OLD BEST SCORE: 100% ACCURACY, 48, RANKING¡­ 1.¡± ¡°SEE!¡± He screamed. ¡°That¡¯s how you do it!¡± Topaz picked his ear. ¡°We get it, you¡¯re a sore loser. Now pay up.¡± ¡°Fuck you!¡± Diamante said¡­ while he transferred the money as Topaz and Mirage jingled to a synced moment where they somehow hummed the same tune together. Topaz snickered at the shared symphony, before giving me an apologetic look. ¡°Ah right. Ripley, learn this hum, it¡¯s what we do when Di gets mad! It goes like this; di, didi, dideeee, didi. He gets even more pissed whenever we do it.¡± ¡°I do not!¡± He screamed at us, all pissed. A newer laugh joined up, Missy turning the corner as she too hummed the tune which sent Diamante cannoning right after her. ¡°You too!¡± Huh¡­ I smirked. ¡°Di didi, dideee, didi.¡± Topaz shook his head. ¡°No the third dideeee has to be longer.¡± ¡°Dideeee?¡± I teethed awkwardly and Topaz gave the most taunting of a thumbs up I¡¯d ever seen. Diamante¡¯s cold metallic eyes shone at me like crimson stars cursing me. ¡°I give you¡­ BUGs¡­ I give you the Data Mimicking Armband¡­ I give you a goddamn gun and this is what I get?!¡± He seethed, approaching me with heavy, menacing stomps that ended with him staring straight down at me. Then it fractured, he somehow looked disappointed as I waved at him nervously. ¡°Tch, not even a quiver? A month ago, you were shaking!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve overcome my fear of death since then.¡± I remarked, sending him a screenshot of an update to my Pysche that quite literally stated so. ¡°You damn Pysche weirdos.¡± He scoffed. ¡°Welp, I¡¯ll take my loss graciously¡­ but seriously. How in Haithama¡¯s nutsack did you do that?¡± ¡°Uhhh¡­ I combined two thoughts together to become one thought. So shooting at the firing range was about as equally proficient as my understanding of Shardware, but that¡¯s also kind of an understatement of how it actually works¡­ I¡¯ll just send you the pic.¡± Not that it would help. He glanced down, then back up at the heading, then scanned it down again. It did not help. ¡°What the shit is this?¡± ¡°Thought Multiplier.¡± I casually remarked. ¡°Who cares about how it works as long as it does.¡± Mirage then slid to my side. ¡°Tell them how you got it, Ripley.¡± ¡°Oh, you do the honors.¡± I laughed, already looking for my exit to pull a Topaz and disappear. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°You misunderstood.¡± Mirage¡¯s eyes turned crimson, and Midnight spoke out of her as that grip of her metallic claws fastened me into place. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a question. Tell them how you got it. Ripley.¡± ¡°So you see, it¡¯s a funny story.¡± I regared them. Fuck. ¡°I may¡­ or may not have¡­ it¡¯s a possibility, a slim one¡­ that sort of exists¡­ in the realm of probability¡­¡± Missy said it as it is. ¡°What dumb shit did you do? Diamante¡­ he has all limbs, right?¡± ¡°Might be missing a brain cell.¡± Diamante tapped my skull¡­ it fucking hurt. So I regretfully¡­ said it. ¡°¡­that I consumed¡­ fourteen BUGs¡­ in¡­ one sitting that may or may not have in¡­cluded half¡­ of a Broooonze¡­ one?¡± Diamante and Missy met each other in a gaze of utmost stupor. It was Missy who spoke. ¡°Oh he definitely lost more than one braincell.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª 9:12 PM ¡°Alright, Rip.¡± Missy hurried me into the basement of an old bar in by a place called Green Valley, the sloping hills of this region made most of the houses¡­ trailer homes. This, remarkably, was a bar named ¡®Carol¡¯s Coral Corral¡¯ built into an old fueling station that apparently was once a bunker in the Fourth Swarm. Said bunker turned out to be Missy¡¯s home. We were all gathered here, including one other figure I didn¡¯t recognize. They wore long shadowy garbs that didn¡¯t hide the slender but hefty metal carving beneath it, I couldn¡¯t help but stare. It was clearly based on Yuzhou tech, using their blueprints as a building base but everything about it could best be summed as archaic. The curves were unnatural, almost supernatural and disobeying the laws of physics with how the metal in them was distributed. Some parts should have compressed the others, and the ankles in particular were too thin in my opinion to carry any weight, yet as they moved¡­ the stranger appeared to almost be floating as his steps were silent. Not to mention, those two freaky scabbards resting on his hip. Who needed two blades? ¡°As you¡¯re aware, Ripley. We¡¯re holding a heist on a Yuzhou facility, specifically their Shandian branches.¡± Missy clicked her fingers to get my attention, pointing to a table which glowed with a large map of Westcrook¡¯s innermost areas. Three glowing spots shone in interest. ¡°We¡¯re after two things, number one. Information regarding Yuzhou¡¯s plans in New California for the Fourth Swarm. Number two and more important, a piece of tech Yuzhou¡¯s coined¡­ Goliath. Estimated as a high Silver Tech, possibly Gold. You and Mirage performed the Data Delve that got us access codes and map layouts for several of the facilities, and Topaz helped us get specific info on where we might find these items we seek alongside police contacts on Yuzhou¡¯s payroll.¡± She then raised up her hand. ¡°Before you ask questions, let me lay out the whole picture. This plan has been in motion far before you joined up. A year ago, we came in contact with The R0N1N, an international mercenary of the Gold Grade. Tier III. R0N1N specializes in anti-Yuzhou raids, he holds¡­ a great amount of vehemence for them. His reasons are his own, but should this plan succeed, his money is not. Fifteen million split between me, Diamante, Mirage, Topaz¡­ and Quartz who you haven¡¯t yet to meet. Unfortunately, it¡¯s not an equal split, we¡¯ve all carried our weights and it¡¯s being distributed as such. We¡¯ll wait until the actual mission to see how you fare, but at minimum you¡¯re gonna earn 400,000 Shardyne.¡± ¡°Six-hundred.¡± I planted my feet, gaining a smile from her. ¡°600,000. Very well. The plan began with intel gathering of general Yuzhou and Shandian distribution throughout the city. Although you may hear that Muramasa Dynasty are the enemies of Yuzhou, the truth is far more complicated than it seems. Ms. Himiko is known to have some leeway with their Princes and Princesses, in particular one known as War-Watcher. Yes, that same Ms. Himiko who tried to purchase the MAL your Implant came from. Not much is known about who she actually is in the Yuzhou hierarchy, but she¡¯s a predator who lurks among the wolves of the criminal world. She has the money to throw around for it as well. Recently, Muramasa groups under War-Watcher¡¯s command have been delving into the undercity, harvesting any remaining MAL colonies living there. Our info says they found a new Warp Material, and sold it to Ms. Himiko which perturbed the creation of Goliath. ¡°You might have heard of the hotel raid Muramasa performed two weeks ago, unofficially it was R0N1N and Topaz who caused it. R0N1N contacted a more¡­ extreme group within Muramasa who hold their orthodox views, paying them to raid the hotel and cause mass panic. This was to find Muramasa-conspirists within the police ranks, of whom Topaz has identified three. And as a side-goal, we sent them after a high-ranking but affiliated Shandian exec to the facilities we are attacking. This, to sow discomfort between the two groups but also provide us with the known locations where Goliath has been transferred. It went¡­ a little bit overboard. This Muramasa group was very much in the extremist zone, and War-Watcher took advantage of that to influence their actions.¡± The masked man seethed. ¡°They got greedy and took many more hostage with bombs, then lied and said I offered them five million when it was a tenth of that. All to get a higher bargain from the police, I had to intervene so that they didn¡¯t interfere with the plan.¡± So this was the- Missy continued over me. ¡°R0N1N¡¯s appearance sent Yuzhou and Muramasa into high alert. We believe they''re ready to move Goliath soon, based on reports of them scheduling a Mass-Aerodyne to land in Westcrook¡¯s loading facility early september. On the other hand, they also had to keep quiet about the R0N1N, there are many anti-Yuzhou groups out there and¡­ he¡¯s somewhat of an uncomfortable flagbearer. It¡¯s worked in our favor, we¡¯ve had Mirage spill rumors about his appearance around the net, and it¡¯s sowed enough conspiracy that they throw out their forces into the shadows. Diamante also pulls off a fantastic R0N1N impression when he needs to, so we¡¯re letting them believe this is a guerilla war.¡± The masked man spoke once more. ¡°Transporting reinforcements over the Pacific will be difficult since The Typhoon is stirring awake for the Fourth Swarm. They won¡¯t risk a MALtitan waking up for what could amount to Silver.¡± Okay, so I¡¯m right in thinking that this guy was the same one I saw in that video of the hotel- Missy spoke over my thoughts once more. ¡°Since these three facilities could be housing Yuzhou¡¯s newest pet, we¡¯re expecting high security. So it¡¯s a covert mission, that means we¡¯re outfitting you in a stealth suit. We¡¯re going to strike on 30th August at 0230, in and out before dawn. Easily, we can expect multiple Silvers in each facility with a Bronze to Iron ratio of around 1:4, I¡¯d wager most of their lower class guards are high Tier I, with an elite 30% at Tier II and a scattering of Tier IIIs throughout the facility. That¡¯s not accounting for any additional security countermeasures like turrets, sentries, and exo-suits they could deploy. Then we have to also establish the Muramasa threat, assuming we secure such a technology, Muramasa and their police contacts will have us hunted down to smithereens. It¡¯s pivotal your identities remain a secret, so manufacture a mask to your liking while Mirage forges a new Little-Requiem-linked Sigil for you. She¡¯ll allow you access to their Iron and Bronze grade systems, if a police scans you they won¡¯t get anything out of your Bioshard Frequency but what we want them to know. Also, your boss has allowed some clemency for this time period. I''m paying you your salary while he only handles the bonuses if you decide to stay late for work. Catch all that?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I most certainly did not. Missy sighed, flicking me a file that had a long script of dialogue¡­ It was a transcript of this very speech. I scrolled through it, confused by a whole lot of new terms thrown out¡­ could the police just scan my body and figure out my identity? When was it ever logged? What the fuck was a bioshard frequency? Clicking the word, apparently it was some chip they put inside anti-cancer vaccines from when we were born. What the fu- ¡°Ripley.¡± Her voice grabbed my attention again. ¡°This is a dangerous job, more dangerous than anything you''ve ever done, and might do for the next few years until The Swarm. There¡¯s a good chance one of us might not walk out of there, and a very high chance it will be you. This is the kind of job that if you pull off, get¡¯s your name recognized. Whatever you decide it to be. Don¡¯t be rash about accepting this, we all know the risks we¡¯re going for, and knowing them¡­ we fight. Talk to your mom, tell us what she says. This is a job where we¡¯ll be faced down in a pit match between the cops, gangs and corporations. Public enemy number one. Even after this mission, we¡¯ll be attacked, mercenaries will be on our tail. So far, the reason we¡¯ve limited our contact with you is because if you¡¯re a known associate of ours, you¡¯ll be taken in by all sorts of fiends to get at us once this mission is over. Especially me. And I¡¯m sorry Ripley, but I won¡¯t put myself in danger to save you.¡± I didn¡¯t pull out my casual disservice of an ¡®I understand¡¯ because for once, I could recognize that I was in over my head. That this wasn¡¯t something a Gold Implant could carry me through. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to my mother.¡± I said firmly. ¡°She¡¯ll hear everything you¡¯ve said to me today. And¡­ how prepared do you want me to be?¡± ¡°What?¡± Missy said confused, but a wary smile drew up. ¡°How far do you want me to progress? Tier II? 40% of the way there¡­ a hundred percent?¡± I was serious for once, and it seemed she recognized it. ¡°80%, any less and you¡¯re out for the count. That''s okay with you?¡± She turned her eyes to the stranger. ¡°At minimal¡­ he won¡¯t be too much of a hindrance.¡± He shrugged. ¡°By the way¡­¡± I raised my hand. ¡°That is The R0N1N? Right?¡± The stranger turned his to me, then to Missy, then back to me¡­ then once more back to Missy. ¡°He figured out my identity. Should I proceed with killing him?¡± What? Missy shook her head. ¡°No need. He¡¯s a clever one.¡± ¡°Clever?¡± I was dumbfounded. ¡°This guy walks around looking like an off brand Muramasa high-tier, complete with two scabbards on his hip?! How could he be anything else?¡± ¡°I am discreet.¡± The R0N1N reflected me in his mask¡¯s hollow eyes, it looked like a devil¡­ but vaguely asian. ¡°Bullshit you are! You¡¯re basically screaming to everyone that you¡¯re a wandering mercenary from the East!¡± I raised my hands up and down the man¡­ ¡°Maybe you just need one of those really flat straw hats, that would complete the look.¡± ¡°Is that something people from my region¡­ do?¡± He tilted his head down, and I saw a slight peek of jade green eyes peering from within the gap. Was he serious, was I being tested? Was I being racist? ¡°Have you never watched the Cyborg Samurai trilogy?¡± ¡°Ripleeyyy!¡± Topaz called out with a song in the tone. ¡°You¡¯re being racist!¡± I raised my middle finger out to him. ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡± Topaz had a shit-eating sneer. ¡°Rip, riprip, ripriiiip¡­ nope, doesn¡¯t have the same flair. Carry on!¡± He stepped into a shadow and I swore to god he vanished from my sight, one day I was going to catch that motherfucker. For now, I turned my attention back to Missy and the three facilities pointed out on the map. ¡°Okay, yeah, one question, which one of these are we hitting?¡± R0N1N stepped up, pointing to the West-most one¡­ the one that had details as the most highly guarded of the bunch. Then¡­ Missy pointed at the other two. She grinned. ¡°All three. We¡¯re splitting into three groups. Me and Topaz; Quartz, Diamante and Mirage ¡ª and you and R0N1N. Don¡¯t worry though, I¡¯m taking a paycut and hiring two mercenaries at Silver Tier II to help mine and Di¡¯s group.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ so¡­¡± Hold on. ¡°It¡¯s just me and R0N1N?¡± The shadowy man in question looked at me with disinterest. ¡°No¡­ just me. You¡¯re my Shard Op¡¯, you¡¯ll handle repairs.¡± Hearing those words, my heart froze. Topaz for some reason appeared out of the shadows with one of those old analogue cameras, but if I was making a face worth capturing... It was one of love. Blood and Steel C58: To-do-list Chapter 58: To-do-list 9:47 PM July 30th Ripley I seated myself in the upper bar¡¯s main lounge, taking a moment to get my thoughts in order. There were alot running through at the moment, and what better moment than to use my Thought Multiplier. I was wondering¡­ if you could multiply thinking of an emotion, could you reinforce that emotion? Thought Multiplier: ¡®Calmness¡¯ X ¡®Missy¡¯s Debriefing¡¯ A surge about what it meant to be calm showered me, but the droplets each held twists and turns of Missy¡¯s speech. It was a perplexing feeling, to be forced into calmness, it reminded me of when I¡¯d been spoken to by the Lieutenant¡¯s mind-manipulating speech ability. Strangely, this wasn¡¯t as violating, I welcomed it as I processed every bit of it carefully and tastefully. I could die. I knew that, a month ago, a Tier 0 had nearly torn my limb off. Now, I was running into the lion¡¯s den. Still, I wasn¡¯t fearful of the upcoming mission, nor really excited, instead¡­ I was almost satisfied. Almost because, there still was some primal knowing that I could end, and my life would cease to exist and really no one would care, but somehow there was a strength in that. I had to become everything I believed I was by then, a mercenary, a Shard Op¡¯. Ripley. A Gold BUG Adapter, the same as R0N1N. A name that was renowned in the underworld across continents. The one man army who single-handedly had slain entire Yuzhou military facilities by himself. So, if I wanted to become anything like him in the span of a month. Then it was time to organize myself, I opened up a virtual notepad and began mentally typing. Ripley¡¯s to do list before the big day:- Number one. Reach 80% Development Number two. Talk to your mother about it. I probably should have switched those around¡­ but alas just because one was written before the other, doesn¡¯t mean it had to be carried out in that order. Riding the high of calmness, I opened up my contacts, and selected my mother¡¯s sigil. Just in time for that serene peace to leave me. Still, it wasn¡¯t like I panicked all of a sudden, it was closer to having your grip over an umbrella tremble in the cold rain and wind. I held on, but for a moment I felt the drenching sorrows soak me. ¡°Ripley?¡± My mother sounded surprised. ¡°Hey mom.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t lose another limb? Not that you even have any left.¡± She laughed at it, but I could feel the worry in her tone. ¡°No, nothing like that.¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± She had that slight inflection, you know¡­ that motherly inflection all mothers have when they know something is wrong. ¡°There¡¯s a job¡­ a dangerous one. The kind that gets your name known, the kind that can get it¡­ erased. What should I do?¡± God, I sounded like such a kid. ¡°Ripley¡­ do you know what you want?¡± She held no judgment in her voice. ¡°Yeah. To live, I don¡¯t know¡­ I don¡¯t feel scared. But I feel¡­ anxious, like I¡¯m standing on the edge of a giant pit that has treasures at the bottom of it, but I can¡¯t take that leap.¡± That anecdote was all too familiar, if I hadn¡¯t jumped down that balcony with Diana, what would have happened to me? ¡°Honey¡­ we all want to live. To perservere as you say¡­ but what is it that you really want besides that?¡± Somewhere in there was the wisdom of the ages, that unknown calling you just needed to hear. ¡°To win.¡± My voice faltered. ¡°For once in my life. I want to win in something without having anything taken from me, I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t want to lose. Anyone, anything. Not my arm, not my leg. Not you. Not these people who are admittedly the closest things I¡¯ve had to friends¡­¡± ¡°Ripley¡­ I know I say ¡®one step at a time¡¯. But sometimes there¡¯s a gap we need to cross in life that a step will send us tumbling downwards, and all you can take is that leap. A blind leap of faith, but if you don¡¯t¡­ you know you can come back here. Spend the time with me, I¡¯m happy just knowing you¡¯ll be here when I¡¯m¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say it.¡± I was strict, probably the strictest I¡¯ve ever been with her. ¡°You¡¯re not leaving. You- you¡¯re going to live a long and happy life, with too many grandkids to count.¡± ¡°You¡¯d need to get a girl first for that.¡± She snickered. ¡°But I¡¯m fine with adoption if it¡¯s a guy you like.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a guy I like.¡± I reprimanded. ¡°So there is a girl¡­ is it Diana?¡± She sounded too quick to say that name. ¡°No, not her¡­ sounds a bit ill advised to suggest I get it on with a cop considering my current line of work.¡± Even through the building tears, I still managed a laugh. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Elsa. Mirage.¡± ¡°Oh. Her.¡± My mother stayed silent for a second. ¡°You know you shouldn¡¯t think you¡¯re the type who can fix someone, knowing you.¡± ¡°Harsh!¡± I spoke out. ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ that. When I¡¯m with her, in any form of her, I feel safe. It¡¯s a long story actually, but technically a part of her had died for me, and it¡¯s nice because for once in my life I feel like¡­ I¡¯ve truly found someone else who¡¯s been through what I¡¯ve done. Getting people hurt by accident and¡­ living on with that guilt.¡± ¡°Ripley¡­ you¡¯ve never hurt me. Or your father, or¡­ S////. I know you feel like it¡¯s your fault, but it never was¡­ he came to you that night because deep down, you weren¡¯t just his son ¡ª you were someone he looked up to, even as a kid. All of the guidance he wanted to impart onto you, you reflected it back to him, and so what if a big bad evil corporation took him away? He left a son he would always be proud of, one who unfortunately beats himself up constantly. Because you have a heart of Gold, Ripley, whether you believe it or not. Implant, or not.¡± This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Mom.¡± I started, tears welling up. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I was the one who fixed the Personality Matrix. I have one in my head.¡± It was the only thing keeping me together. ¡°I know, Ripley¡­ I¡¯ve always known. I just wished my love was enough to get you through it without that.¡± ¡°Mom.¡± ¡°Yes, Ripley?¡± ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you too, I always have.¡± ¡°Mom¡­¡± I sniffled back the tears. ¡°What happened to the BUG in grandfather¡¯s storage unit?¡± She stayed quiet for a moment, I didn¡¯t interrupt her silence, but let her gather the courage to speak it. ¡°Your father tried selling it. To get you into tuition¡­ it¡­ it was on him the day he died.¡± ¡°Sell it? To who?¡± I had my suspicions, but I needed to be right. ¡°To Mr. Skeleton.¡± Everything felt strangely correct, Skeleton was obsessed with my grandfather, he had one piece of the puzzle but couldn¡¯t unlock the rest without my Shard Op¡¯ Claw. The question then, was how did Skeleton know about Livewire? ¡°Thank you, for telling me¡­ and is it okay if I spend the night at your place?¡± ¡°It¡¯s our place, Ripley.¡± ¡°Right¡­ I have some ideas that need workshopping. You¡¯re going to call me crazy.¡± ¡°Please, I¡¯ve done things you would never believe with a pair of tongs.¡± She gave an exasperated chuckle. ¡°No seriously, you think Toxin Club was bad when you were in it? I¡¯m half the reason that place got an actual chair, the other half was when Shaun was bleeding out and complained he was uncomfortable sitting on the floor.¡± ¡°Speaking off chairs¡­ it involves an Arachne.¡± I felt like an idiot saying it out loud. ¡°Oh¡­ tell me more¡­¡± If you¡¯ve ever heard your mom purr, I understand your pain. I took a second before speaking. ¡°What if I strap one to my back?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Sure you don¡¯t want to spend the night, Rip?¡± Mirage offered quietly, once everyone else had retreated back to their own abodes or somewhere else entirely. ¡°I¡¯d love to, but I want a quiet night with my mom¡­¡± I gave a gentle smile as I wore my helmet, I¡¯d never truly appreciated the gift of having a private vehicle¡­ Topaz scratching the motorbike was the best thing that ever happened to me. Speaking of Topaz, he startled me as he whispered into my ear. ¡°You know she¡¯s into you?¡± ¡°Shut up¡­ actually, fuck it¡­¡± I whispered back. ¡°I¡¯m not a fucking idiot man, I¡¯m just nervous! I¡¯ve never had actually asked a girl before! It was usually just weird sequences of events at a club! I don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like to have a girlfriend!¡± He took a step back, making sure to speak only when she was out of ear¡¯s shot. ¡°Okay, she might not be thaaat into you. Getting there, Romeo, but she¡¯s a tough catch, believe me. I¡¯ve seen plenty of tigers I would jump on approach her at a bar and she gives them a hard no. But¡­ honestly, the main reason are her Personas. You want Mirage, tame her Personas. All three of them, yes, including Midnight.¡± I gave that some thought, but maybe that wouldn¡¯t be so bad¡­ What was better than one girlfriend? Four. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Note to self. Do not make a list while you are driving¡­ the dent in my motorcycle proves otherwise. ¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°You know this is crazy.¡± My mother sighed as I showed her the schematics of the Soulbranch Spine. ¡°It¡¯s a mess, sorry Rip, the wiring¡¯s theoretically going to work but back in school they used cases like this for experimental design gone wrong. You could be walking backwards if you get one in your body. I can¡¯t let you go through with it.¡± ¡°I know¡­¡± I smiled, I wasn¡¯t the same old pup Mr. Skeleton could prey on anymore. He wanted my patents, fine¡­ he could get them. The prototypes. I switched pages, showing her Mk.2 of the Soulbranch Spine. Just one of the things I¡¯d wagered was possible under Thought Multiplier¡¯s enhancements. ¡°Oh¡­¡± She scanned in surprise through the large pictograms. ¡°Ohhhh¡­ you based this off the endoskeleton?¡± ¡°First generation was my design entirely, second uses the endoskelton in cooperation. I worked on that thing for weeks, I know it in and out.¡± I pulled up detailed diagrams of the various notes I¡¯d made of each piece. ¡°I¡¯ve operated with all the individual pieces this thing uses at my job, it¡¯s simple but complex. I think that should be our motto, we¡¯re not building something new, we¡¯re organizing old parts to become more efficient. Like a scavenger.¡± ¡°You want to be a Vulture?¡± My mom looked at me like I was crazy. ¡°Remember what I said about¡­ only staying here for one day?¡± I breathed through my teeth. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m taking a page out of someone¡¯s book and living homeless for a month.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°You have the first week to yourself, then dinner every Tuesday, lunch on Wednesdays, breakfast on Thursdays.¡± My mom reminded me for the hundredth time. ¡°And a shower before each!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± I hefted up the backpack and duffel bag that had been grossly overprepared, how on earth was I not going to get mugged on the first day. ¡°Love ya!¡± ¡°I love you too! You idiot!¡± She said as she closed the doors, my mom wouldn¡¯t be entirely out of the blue for this month. While I was on¡­ part-collection duty, she would be handling the overwhelming calculations, material theorizing and schematic drafting. I would be low on funds, even with Skeleton¡¯s upcoming paycheck, and so I had to resort to becoming far more¡­ resourceful. That meant hooking myself up to the VultureNet through the new Bronze-Grade Access I had to Little Requiem¡¯s more¡­ darker services. Vultures were simple enough; a gang fight happens, there are bodies. Bodies aren¡¯t recovered, a High Vulture posts the location on the VultureNet where anyone who signed up for a hefty fee of ten-thousand Shardyne for Iron access could see the location. Higher tier access meant faster notifications, and better locations for spoils. Thankfully, I only had to pay for an Iron-Access into the system¡­ I had someone hack my way in to getting Platinum-Grade Access, available for a measly 200,000 Shardyne a month. Twilight rang in my ear, for once talking to me through a Neurolink. ¡°O-okay Ripley! Got you in, remember it¡¯s law of the jungle among the Vultures! And you ain¡¯t got an official access so don¡¯t be afraid to show your fangs if they pester you-u!¡± ¡°I got it!¡± By that, I meant I had just received a notification about a drive-by turned shootout two kilometers south-east of me. I revved up my bike, and right now¡­ I didn¡¯t have a list to write. It was already done. Ripley¡¯s to-do-list before the big day! (August 30th) Blood and Steel C59: Initiation Chapter 59: Initiation The Allseeing by [Redacted] ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ 65. July 31st Ripley¡¯s first day as a Vulture Okay, so when they meant Platinum-Grade Access to the VultureNet had early access to gang spoils, they meant really early access. I was immediately shot at while driving down the street, one of the men with a devil horn tattoo on his neck screaming in Spanish, but I heard the words ¡®Cielos Met¨¢licos¡¯ in there. My spanish was rusty, even if I my mom spoke it, but thankfully a translator in my frame corrected it to Metal Heavens. Fuck. I drove into a gang war. Los Diablos and Metal Heavens. My bike skid while I tried to control it, unfortunately my Preservation Matrix much preferred a crash landing in comparison to a bullet wound¡­ I wasn¡¯t complaining. I was even lucky to skid right into one of the Los Diablos men, my body falling roughly as I rolled over the asphalt floor for several meters¡­ thank god my limbs were made of metal. Plus, I was wearing a completely steeled up mask with a vague resemblance to a vulture mixed with a spider. Matched the theme. It also made me look like I had a steeled-out head considering the poor arts skills on me, no wonder Las Diablos opened fire on me. They thought I was with Metal Heavens which¡­ now that I was looking, we were on the winning side. You know what they say¡­ my enemy¡¯s enemy. Immediately, I channeled my new Bronze Overclock mimicry, letting it freely explode as my limbs were set ablaze by an onslaught of pure energy wrecking through their internal circuitry. When I sprinted, I sprinted, my speed quite literally causing one goon to yelp at my sight as I pulled up under his gun. My punch dove straight through his¡­ completely unarmored jaw. I was sort of getting used to fighting Metal Heavens which was ironic considering they were now giving me covering fire. The amount of arteries that were in someone¡¯s mouth made me beg the question of why jaw replacement was so common in the first place. As I was now covered by the spraying blood in said vessels. The fight was more or less over by the time I finished up, landing the final blow by streaking behind cars and vaulting over to shoot one Mutated man¡¯s¡­ acid gullet? And latching my claw onto another¡¯s shoulder. I sent a Warp Sink through it alongside a switch to Dataweaving, using one of the DataCleaver¡¯s Twilight had jammed into my frame last night to render it inert. Then I yanked it off the guy, whacking it into his neck with the bladed end and¡­ wow, that went really deep in. My incremental upgrades were quite effective. He gurgled on his own blood, and then I very discreetly turned around a car to start scavenging any BUGs I could find. ¡°Woahoh! Look at that kill, he skeeved em with ¡®is own armmm! Sick!¡± Fuck, a large human-machine of a Metal Heavens man leaned over the car, denting it with the immense weight of his wrecking ball of an arm. ¡°Whe¡¯d you learn to do ¡®dat!¡± ¡°Uh¡­ my brother.¡± I said in an obviously fake deep voice, they seemed to have no problem as I stripped one guy¡¯s arm down and found it¡¯s Neuroprocessor¡­ it was all junk. The large man stopped suddenly, bellowing his voice out. ¡°Oi, oi! Cum¡¯ ere! Lookie at ¡®dis one!¡± Ah¡­ fuck. All at once I was surrounded by half-shirted men who had more metal than skin visible. ¡°Show em¡¯ wat you just did!¡± The larger man screamed at me. ¡°With¡­ the arm?¡± I beckoned to the barebones skeleton I just made. He nodded, tossing me the arm I had used to land a killing blow. ¡°Yeh! Wit¡¯ da arm you skeeved ¡®em with!¡± I beckoned, following so as I traced down it¡¯s flaws and used my claws to splice at the deltoid muscle, peeling my way down as one by one the rest came ripping free to expose the inner neurocircuitry of the arm. ¡°Look at dat¡¯!¡± He pointed on, and I got ¡®ooohs¡¯ and ¡®ahs¡¯ from all over. ¡°The immaculate skill ¡®innit! Who trained ya, yung gunna¡¯?!¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I was¡­ stationed at Little Requiem¡­ the place that went dead.¡± I followed through with the deep voice I¡¯d committed to. For some reason. Note to self, install a voice modulator in the mask. ¡°Ahhh I ¡®eard of ¡®dat one. A shameee! Anyways wat youus doing here then ¡®mate? Ain¡¯t ¡®dat just a subfacili¡¯y?¡± So what excuse could I come up with now? ¡°Yeah but¡­ I was deemed¡­ unwell¡­ mentally. Drugs. Bad ones¡­ get the jitters.¡± ¡°Da fuckin¡¯ prudes, the orthodox are!¡± He spat on the floor. ¡°Cum¡¯ on, take your pickin¡¯! I¡¯ll leave the good ones for you! You ¡®no wot you¡¯re doin¡¯!¡± I couldn¡¯t tell for the life of me what his accent was, but it was entertaining enough to let me ride out this mess. So¡­ yeah, they just let me scrap for them. I was praised for my efficiency, a lot. Said they would put a word in with their Priest to get me transferred. I wasn¡¯t sure how to feel, actually it was pretty damn nice to be praised for Shard Operating rather than the occasional approving grunt from Harold Anderson. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Get on ¡®mate!¡± The large man beckoned with his hands to help prop myself on the truck that he was single-handedly¡­ literally, causing it to tilt. Then he stopped and pointed his finger at one of the dead Metal Heaven¡­ brethren. ¡°Ain¡¯t you gon¡¯ clean that one up? Don¡¯ tell me yous orthodox don¡¯ invoke on yer own flesh? ¡°Uhh.¡± Shit, what was it Metal Heavens had? Covens? I spoke as I quickly pried out a BUG and some surprisingly well-adjusted chest-plating that I stuffed in my duffel bag. ¡°¡®Don wanna be stealin¡¯ from you¡¯s coven.¡± Why was I now pulling an accent?! ¡°Oh shiz? Which one yous follow?¡± He seemed genuinely curious, even offering me his more normal hand to help me up the truck¡¯s cargo bed. Very¡­ very quickly, I scanned and absorbed the BUG I just took, repeating the words in my head. ¡®Coven, coven, coven, coven!¡¯ I was engulfed in a ritualistic glow, candles alight around my sacred flesh¡­ for today I was embarking on the journey to enter the light of The Absolute Eye. The Allseeing. The Allknower. The Source. A Lightbringer. I better knew it as a MALtitan. ¡°Absolute Eye.¡± I confidently said. ¡°Allseeing¡­¡± ¡°Ay, Allseeing.¡± He gave some weird salute regarding covering his eyes and dramatically¡­ wiggling? At least that¡¯s how it looked to me. ¡°Strange, I though¡¯ all Orthodox believed in The Unbecoming Source.¡± ¡°Truth is¡­ I was¡­ chased out for my beliefs.¡± Please, believe it. What the hell had I gotten myself into? ¡°No¡¯ surprised! Fuckin¡¯ prudes!¡± He scoffed, and all at once the gang around me yelled. ¡°Fucking prudes!¡± He laughed like a merry old man, resting his heavy arm to dangle off the side of the car. ¡°Names Simenry! Parents couldn¡¯t choose between Simon or Henry so dey¡¯ combined both!¡± ¡°You can call me¡­ Dreadwire.¡± I offered uneasily, please don¡¯t have the same reaction Topaz and Diamante did when I suggested it to them. I thought it was badass. They laughed. Exactly the same belly-wide, uvula staring at you in the eye laugh. ¡°Dreadwire? You tryna becom¡¯ a War Priest or som¡¯n¡± ¡°Parents wanted a¡­ unique name.¡± Was it this easy to lie to them? It was that easy to lie to them. They all oohed and ahhed again, trying to gather more about me¡­ apparently it was odd to meet people from whatever this ¡®Orthodox¡¯ faction was, even if they both fell under the banner of Metal Heavens. ¡°So¡­¡± Was it really wise of me to continue talking to them? No, but it was entertaining. ¡°So¡­ why¡¯d you all go and off that Los Diablos bunch?¡± Simenry pulled out a large vial of some green drug, breathing it in like an aspirator. Only when he let out a large sigh of relief and truly resigned to making this cramped cargo bed an actual bed did he speak. ¡°Raped and killed my sister.¡± That got dark very quickly. ¡°Oh shit¡­ glad we killed him.¡± ¡°Shame he didn¡¯t have any sisters¡­ his brother was fun tho¡¯. Squealed like a pig.¡± He let out a sinister imitation of the squeal, laughing hysterically before offering the menacing vial to me. ¡°Promised my mother I wouldn¡¯t. Anymore.¡± I gave a quiet nod to him, hopefully as a sign of respecting the gesture. ¡°Good man¡­ betta¡¯ son than I ¡®em. Got me own¡¯ mam popped in the ¡®ead when I offed a Muramasa Princess¡¯ little bitch.¡± He took another deep breath of the vial, sucking it dry as he entered a foreign land of bliss. ¡°An¡¯ I do mean a dog. Fluffy prick tried to bi¡¯e me, crushed it with my Wrecking Arm into a puddle! Wanna see a pic?!¡± Alright, things had been fun. It wasn''t now. ¡ª¡ª¡ª July 31st Ripley¡¯s first day as a¡­ Metal Heavens Initiate? Okayyy, so Simenry wasn¡¯t the weirdest of the bunch. That title went to Priest Norgwal, the man who was said to begin my rite of initiation tomorrow come dawn¡­ safe to say, I wasn¡¯t staying for that. He was quiet, wielding four wiry tentacles as arms and an equal number of spider-like eyes. What did interest me though, was the Priest¡¯s uncanny understanding of my own Shardware at just a glance as he effortlessly picked through our findings. His beady eyes each curved to look at a different piece of scrap, before each of them funneled into my direction. "Fantastic work... your name?" "Ah''," Simenry patted my shoulder with his wrecking-ball arm. "This ''ere''s Deadwire!" "Dreadwire." I corrected, before blinking as I realized that somehow the Priest had figured out that it was me who dismantled the Shardware with just a single look. Whether that was a unique Analyze BUG, his own innate knowledge or some Feature Link in his eyes, I was interested. Okay, this day had taken a turn, I was just meant to scavenge around a little, not get indoctrinated into a cult. Though, I would be lying if I said that the inner politics of the place weren¡¯t interesting. "Dreadwire..." The Priest repeated the name to himself again and again, I didn''t like my mercenary name coming out of his mouth like that. "How delightful to have such a wonderful Shard Operator join within our coven of the Heavenly Doctrine. May you embrace in the wisdom that breathes from The Allseeing." There were two factions of Metal Heavens in their Orthodox and Contemporary beliefs, some more sub-factions that were borderline misunderstandings of some sacred text unearthed in a chapel three centuries ago. The lore went deep, like¡­ really fucking deep. I didn''t know much about their religious beliefs; it all sounded the same to me and was practically a cult that demanded you rip your face off to become a Diamante look-alike. What mattered was that they were insane, I loved Shardware as much as the next person, but these people refused to accept flesh at all. They were determined to become entirely machine, to become as ''perfect'' as their god. The MALtitan of the Net. The Allseeing. Thank the Founders that the other MALtitans didn''t have cults worshipping them, I didn''t want to know how bad we would be suffering if we faced the constant harassment of groups worshipping The Typhoon... or worse, The Infinite. The MALtitans weren''t anything to worship, only fear. There was no fighting them, only keeping them as far away from us as possible, like how we locked up the Allseeing with it''s hold over the Old_Net behind the FIREWALL. The last time one of those things got near human civilization... it ruined two Free Cities. ¡°You gonna remove that mask?¡± Some other Metal Heaven¡¯s punk called Yonra sneered at me, apparently he used to be their primary scrapper¡­ until I came along? ¡°Seared onto my face, atonement for my sins.¡± I explained, I¡¯d come to learn these guys believed anything I spewed about the Orthodox faction. The bald man gulped at the casual mention of my torment, and how come Psyche didn¡¯t award me an Update for all this acting? God, was it now taking me several Irons worth for a single update? Simenry was busy tinkering with his arm, offering me a show of their scrap room¡­ which was a nicer office than what I had in the Toxin Club if you ignored the mutilated bodies¡­ they even had- They had an Arachne. A clobbered, missing four limbs Arachne and severely dated model¡­ but an Arachne nonetheless. I pretended to be in awe of such a machine, and Simenry offered me with pleasantry to show how such a machine was operated¡­ it was really dated. It didn¡¯t even have a direct uplink, instead you had to plug it into your limbs and have to physically move them to maneuver the arms. Still, it was an Arachne. So¡­ I had decided my next move, Priest Norgwal was set to baptize me or something by the morning and I had until then to steal his eyes (or BUG), scrap apart this Arachne and somehow get it into my duffel bag and motorbike before getting out in one piece. Sounds easy enough? Blood and Steel C60: Love of a Believer Chapter 60: Love of a Believer 12:03 AM August 1st Ripley¡¯s Second Day as a Metal Heaven¡¯s Initiate Everyone was soft asleep when I got out of bed, for a criminal gang they were early sleepers, the mess hall was huge and there were still quite a few people awake. Mostly drugged out of their minds and talking to themselves. So¡­ who could harm me for a little careful stroll? I¡¯d just made my way to the Scrap room, carefully sidestepping some discarded limbs clattered on the floor when¡­ oh fuck. Seated on the Arachne bed, running his slender four arms along the Arachne¡¯s two remaining limbs was the Priest of this chapel ¡ª which was in fact a hollowed out megastore in a ruined building ¡ª Norgwal Sromnik. ¡°My priest.¡± I regarded him with a bent knee¡­ by the Founders, if Mirage or Diamante could see me now. He ran all four of his thin wiry arms along the Arachne¡¯s form. In comparison to the general recruits I¡¯d spoken to, Priest Norgwal was articulate and precise with his speech, unnervingly so. ¡°This beautiful piece of machinery was unearthed within the caverns of a crushed SynTec lab 40 odd years ago. It¡¯s no wonder you¡¯ve come to appreciate it, it¡¯s performed even my own modification. A sacred tool of our chapel.¡± ¡°It really is remarkable.¡± I met his eyes¡­ was I supposed to look at him directly? Or was it rude to stare? ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep, new bed¡­ new faces. I was uncomfortable, if I can admit that. This is not yet my home.¡± ¡°Please, we aren¡¯t savages. A home needs to be dwelled in, lived in, breathed in, before one can call it home. Anything can be a home, anyone¡­¡± He caressed the machinery, almost making me want to leave it here in the dust. ¡°In fact, I believe it isn¡¯t a home you are looking for.¡± The Priest followed my prone body. ¡°Stand up child, face me. I want to witness you firsthand.¡± That made me very uncomfortable. ¡°If I may¡ª¡° shit was I supposed to call him ¡®father¡¯? ¡°¡ªPriest Norgwal, how did you know I was interested in the machine.¡± ¡°My eyes.¡± He pointed up to black beads planted across the entire room, like the entire room was one giant spider. And I was trapped in its web. ¡°Merely lended to me by the Allseeing. The Allknower.¡± ¡°The Absolute Eye.¡± I bowed lightly. ¡°Yes, the MALtitan that resides at the core of the Old_Data.¡± He punctuated the last two words with a smack of his lips. ¡°The forbidden fruit humanity has yet to suckle on. Do you truly know what separates us from the Orthodox faction of our coven?¡± He stared at me intensely, from everywhere, I could feel the violation in my bones. Fortunately, I had spent the night learning what I could to blend in. ¡°We worship the MALtitan as it is, an unknowable creature that has unified Earth¡¯s knowledge. It is not a god, it is but a creature with unclear motives. The Orthodox on the other hand view it as an almighty deity, that by worshiping and feeding it, they may come to be unified under its grasp as part of the Eternal Source.¡± ¡°Clever, you¡¯ve learned quickly. But unfortunately, that is not what separates us, it has to do with one man, The Iron Devil or as we call him, The Silver Saint.¡± I flinched at that name, Diamante was, to my suspicions, The Iron Devil. ¡°For when he descended upon our old Archbishop, he unshackled us from the paltry teachings of a hypocritical order. They wish to become one with the MALswarm, we seek to overcome them. To ascend to godhood by consuming their knowledge and power for our own, even if it means casting our humanity aside. When the Hammersmith came to us, he had mastered his control over the MAL¡¯s progeny within him, tamed it and fed it. And it fed him, I will never forget the sight of him, and how our¡­ betters attempted to thieve off him.¡± I didn¡¯t like where this was going. ¡°Deep within you child, at first glance, I sensed a harmony ¡ª a resonance between powers unbecoming of humanity and your mortal shell itself. I have a gift unlike few others, whereas many searched for material wealth with vision, I sought a world unknown to it. And my inner-MAL responded, emparting me with a sight few can witness.¡± ¡°You can see into our Warp Energies?¡± I asked. ¡°Into your Aether, child.¡± Ah, so he was one of those nutjobs. ¡°Then you know what I am¡­¡± Shit, I¡¯d really gotten in the thick of it. ¡°Lost, a fickle lamb with no proper teaching to harness the power within. Weak, but blessed with the hymns of an oath he is yet to learn. You are no Orthodox, you are no believer of our Titan.¡± His four arms extended like long, thin millipedes, stretching and curving like an octopus. I saw razor sharp prongs on each side. ¡°I can read your destiny as easy as I read text, every breath you speak radiates your next action. Your uneasiness, your pain, your suffering, your ambition. All toiling deep in the cauldron of your soul, out of balance, yet seized forcefully to a standstill. Your grief only builds, but it does not lessen, it stagnates in the back of your mind, dwelling in slumber until the slightest tap on it¡¯s neck awakens that beast to consume you.¡± The four arms snaked in the air around me, tiny microscopic lenses on it consuming my form. ¡°You¡¯re right. A Personality Editing Matrix, that¡¯s some Analyze Feature you have.¡± I breathed tight, afraid the slightest flinch would beckon him to strike me down. ¡°It is no mere Feature, that is the name the architects of this cursed world design them to be. We use their frames, live in their cities. They claim this world to be theirs, that they have the right to judge and condemn us. Hypocritical, when they perform the same sins they slander us for, saying our strive for perfection is but an imitation of cruelty. But perfection itself is a slander to our cause, we do not believe in it. Every human should come out to embrace their own truth, to become one with the powers bestowed within them. Not to render themselves into some false perversion of what it means to be human.¡± He raised his arms to his side, the four tentacles ready to lash or embrace me. ¡°You know what must be done.¡± He said, and the words dug into me. ¡°You must release yourself, and let that pain swallow you. Even if it hurts, it¡¯s who you are. Everything that made you. Or will you let this Implant continue to tame you, when you should be feasting upon it¡¯s worth?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± I opened myself up to the grief in my heart, a release as it stabbed right into my chest. I gasped for breath, memories welling up of names I couldn¡¯t believe I¡¯d forgotten. ¡°That¡¯s right, open yourself to the man that lies drowning within. The one who can become a god should he find it within him.¡± He stepped closer to me, and I felt compelled to do the same. All I wanted right now was for someone to hold me¡­ Even if it was a tentacled Priest who creeped me out. His tentacles pulled closer, and for once I felt that this was a man who I shouldn¡¯t fight. He truly was just a simple believer, something in those eyes told me he genuinely was trying to help. But my grief multiplied with something far more vile. ¡®Grief¡¯ X ¡®Greed for his Function¡¯ Yes, as fucked up as it was. I never released the Personality Matrix, but I did stroke that beast sleeping within, enough that even it¡¯s stirring wakes dragged claws through my chest. That had been enough to fool the believer. My left arm shone Gold, one last sight of this man¡¯s belief flashing before a blade pierced into his chest, my breath ragged on, a terrible, unstoppable force yanking at my diaphragm. I forced the multiplier to stop early, my sight clearing as the tears stopped falling. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°You were¡­ so close¡­¡± His tentacles graced my face, before they loosely fell along with the rest of his body. ¡°I know¡­ but not today¡­ not now.¡± I was honest, I hoped. ¡°I have a job to do.¡± ¡°Then when¡­¡± His dying gasp rang through me, then it was stuffed in the back of my head where hopefully I would never hear it again. Removing his Frame had been simple, once I loosened up the six clamps the thick slab came free with a writhing Bronze BUG still stuck to it. I slotted it into my Mimicset, replacing and quickly absorbing the previous Analyze BUG installed into it, focusing it on Technician. Technician V.1.12 has updated to V.1.13 Effect: Increased immediate identification of Shardware The newer BUG slowly unwound as I got to work, first I pried out those eyes of his and moved onto the four tentacle arms¡­ they were fascinating. Then, I went to work on the Arachne¡­ which was when alarms went out. ¡°ALERT. HIGH-RANKING OFFICIAL HAS BEEN KILLED.¡± Oh shit, I got to deconstructing quicker. I was familiar enough with the structure from my time with Anderson to recognize the moment each arm joined the larger structure, and snapped the pivot at that point. Wrapping both Arachne-limbs up using the tentacles as a rope, I grabbed what I could, hoping I could blend in with the chao- Simenry walked in on me fastening everything together with his Priest¡¯s arms. ¡°DEADWIRE!¡± He bellowed out the wrong name, that massive Wrecking Arm cannoning the room as his legs became mechanisms to turn him into a living bulldozer. Thought Multiplier: ¡®Preservation Matrix¡¯ X ¡®Getting the fuck out of here!¡¯ The crude multiplication worked wonders, turned out I really was leaning on both so they amplified one another in a feedback loop that stabilized me enough to launch my claw out at the ceiling, jumping as a boost to use the Livewire to swing me above Simenry¡¯s head. ¡°Oi! I¡¯ll castrate youse motherfuckerrr!¡± He charged right at me, but my environmental awareness heightened by the Matrix led me to use my recent Mantis Legs to hop off a wall, reeling myself with the Livewire to launch me forward incredibly quickly. I rolled on the floor out the open archway into the larger lobby, immediately deciding to play the one card that worked the entire time here. ¡°Simenry killed the priest!¡± I pointed hurriedly to the freshly awakened Metal Heavens initiates. ¡°What?¡± Some of them scratched their heads. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him!¡± Simenry charged through, behind me, once again my multiplied Matrix saved my life by sending a burst of Gold Energy through my legs to drive me high into the air. ¡°He¡¯s got a¡­ Gold!¡± One of them pointed out. ¡°Get him!¡± Everyone charged or shot at that. Fuck the priest, I guess. My Implant was more important to them. High in the air, I pointed my claws parallel to the ground and fully unveiled my Gold for them to see. The ten pristine wires, like hair of a divine god, shot out from both claws to dig into columnar supports, slingshotting me quick enough I practically flew over their heads¡­ Though I¡¯d fucked up the calculation a rough bit, my right Claw still had a higher output so I was leaning right and at this rate would smack into a wall¡­ thank fuck for Preservation Matrix. My right leg swung out, extending a sharp sickle from my knee that bathed in Gold Energy. I took the impact roughly, my knee whining as pounds of stone and concrete burst through the dragging sickle slowing my catapult. Then with my left hand, I reached out to the entrance, a large ravenous crack into the outside air from which we¡¯d descended. I was a little off, smacking just below the entrance but my arms took the brunt of the effort. Unlocking both knees¡¯ sickles, I jabbed them into the stone to support myself, using them to climb free and heave my ass over to where my bike was parked. Throwing the lump of spoils I¡¯d taken into the duffel bag lodged under my bike, I fastened it tight as the engine revved. Only for the rumbling of other engines to follow suit. Oh shit¡­ I was in my first car chase. Well, bike chase. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Shots whooshed from behind me, clattering on the walls of the stone tunnel as I revved the bike to it¡¯s fastest speed. Well, the fastest I was comfortable with¡­ oh fuck it! Thought Multiplier: ¡®Motorcycle¡¯ X ¡®Preservation Matrix¡¯ The third usage of Thought Multiplier left me heaving and queasy, dangerous things to feel when you¡¯re going more than a hundred miles an hour. Blurring forms of cars passed me, several swerving as they saw stone chips burst to my side or above me. My instinctual multiplication gave me just the prowess to maneuver the tight curves. The tunnel seemed to stretch on endlessly, the wind whipping in my face as I steered away from one dangerous crash to another every second. I gathered there were two cars chasing me, and one other motorcycle who was quickly catching speed. Would this day ever end? Warpcode sufficiently read. Features available for mimicking: Analyze V.2.17; Network V.2.12 I took the gamble of using the Priest¡¯s Implant, I could barely see anything right now so I kept my control over mimicking the Network Feature. As my brain reoriented itself to work with foreign machinery, I felt a thin hum from the world passing me by. Update Summary: Oh well, the second one was basically useless! What on earth could I even uplink myself to? I was riding a motorbike in a cramped tunnel! Wait a second, the biggest hum right now was in fact¡­ coming from the motorbike. Alright then, I jabbed my claw into a small computer beneath the steering, letting one fingernail reach the internal wiring while I returned the rest of the hand to controlling the vehi- Warm blood drenched down the back of my ear, a sharp pain crawling from down across my entire neck and arm. I didn¡¯t want to touch it right now, my mask had luckily deflected that direct headshot, but the dented metal pressed into my temple very stubbornly. Direct External Link Established¡­ attempting Override using DataCleaver: Twilight¡¯s Starbeam V.3.2 Override Established on Haithama Stellaris Bike [Model: 2489] Limited Edition Instantly, my vision expanded to encompass the two front cameras, four side cameras and two back cameras of the bike. Right, it was technically able to drive itself, but I doubted it had a high-speed chase setting! Still, my Preservation Matrix adapted¡­ my own thoughts merged with the bike as I used its own self-driving system with the matrix. Letting go of the steering wheel, I marveled as the bike cleanly swerved to the subconscious safety of the matrix. I picked up the pistol holstered to my side, cursing that I couldn¡¯t use the multiplier right now to magically improve my aim like I did to show off against Diamante. But something interesting did happen, focusing on that three dimensional view gifted by the bike, I could see the three chasing vehicles even with my back turned to them. And I could see the lock-on markers honing in. Praying I wouldn¡¯t shoot an innocent bystander, I waited for the yellow marker to turn red, taking much longer than usual. Then my arm moved in position and my fingers squeezed, a flash of the muzzle followed by blood bursting where I needed it. The biker¡¯s body flew down his bike, ragdolling in the distance and causing many cars to swerve or stop to a standstill. My second bullet shot on Metal Heavens had splattered blood onto a car windshield, a third shot not needed as the remaining car slammed into the one with a dead driver. I afforded myself a gasp of breath¡­ that was badass. And I wish I could have said I drove off into the sunset. But I didn¡¯t, it was past midnight¡­ Sirens popped up behind me. Red and blue flashes as a police car screamed out through a speaker. ¡°You¡¯ve just shot out two bullets in a public street, slow down your vehicle and surrender!¡± Excuse me? The police appeared¡­ now?! Fuck that, I sped up, easily cutting past the traffic and finally emerging into a cross-junction where I skimped through, spotting something I could use to my aid. Slowing my vehicle until it rest near a curb, I shot out a single finger at a street light, charging Twilight¡¯s DataCleaver into it. I felt the uncomfortable backlash of a voice drill into my head, stabbing needles into it but mellowed down in seconds by the DataShield Mirage had woven into my frame. [YOOoooou ArrrRE attTTempting A FElllony bY iNtruDDing oNNnn CItY-] The Intrusion Countermeasure silenced as the DataCleaver cut through, and I gave a single command to the streetlights¡­ all of the one¡¯s in the cross-junction. Green light. It was chaos. Hell hath no fury like New California¡¯s traffic¡¯s scorn. Nobody bothered to wait, instead from all four roads cars drove on only to brake seconds before impacting another, creating a pileup and a lot of very profane road rage that blocked the police from chasing me. Satisfied at the list of crimes I¡¯d committed today, I steered on away. No more sirens to interrupt me. Blood and Steel C61: Little Requiems New Hobo Chapter 61: Little Requiem¡¯s New Hobo Jacob Grazhe¡¯s recording of his daughter, Annabelle Grazhe¡¯s ¡ª Staff Sergeant of the Intelligence Division ¡ª speech discussing Criminal Development in the light of Little Requiem¡¯s shift in control. 2492 March 21st, Biannual Westbrook Police District¡¯s Spring Conference. ¡±Latest developments regarding Criminal relations were shifted by last year¡¯s Little Requiem conflict. Already long standing as a criminal haven right under our feet, the place has only grown more chaotic by the abolishment of Las Diablos as their de-facto head. We have information that their systems were hacked by a Data Delver going by the name ¡®Mirage¡¯, but one who no doubt used this opportunity to sow their own control in the haven. As it stands, we do not know who is the current reigning leader of LR, but research suggests that it is a neutral power between the four major gangs of Westbrook. As for how they¡¯ve reacted to the situation, Metal Heavens¡¯ Orthodox faction has virtually shifted all of their resources and manpower into LR, while the contemporary faction continues to remain in large for a majority of Westbrook¡¯s illegal firearm, Shardware, and Daemon trading. Their rival, Las Diablos, have only grown more active since their loss of control over the region. They were quick to evacuate their resources and manpower once they had lost control, letting the fighting occur between the other powers. As such, they took control over old Orthodox Metal Heaven controlled areas of the District. Muramasa Dynasty has largely remained neutral in the conflict, but they¡¯ve made further advances on corporate sabotage and police homicide, which they are the leading group of. It seems that they are confident about the current situation, taking a lead on upholding the strict no-police ruling on Little Requiem¡¯s borders. Crimson Soul were the most active during the conflict, reigning in their forces to siege the area even before Los Diablos¡¯ systems were attacked. It seems like they were instrumental in coordinating the assault, and as such it should be of utmost importance that the police focus their efforts on containing their growing power. Just because they are a relatively new force among the standing powers, does not offer the clemency to take them lightly as though they are the Snake Fangs. As always, remain vigilant. The Fifth Swarm approaches us, we are split between focusing our attention within and beyond the city. Westbrook will be the vanguard for the rest of New California, and we will show them that this District is not led by the criminal influences hiding within it.¡± August 1st Ripley¡¯s second day as¡­ a Vulture again? Okay, so I wasn¡¯t entirely homeless. I decided to camp up at my grandpa¡¯s storage locker, unloading my goods for the day and updating my mother. ¡°So good news, I got an Arachne leg, two of them. And some internal circuitry, I¡¯ll scan them and send them over for you to look over.¡± ¡°Ripley¡­ do you know what time it is¡­ wait already?!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ outdated though. Should help us learn the general internals of the thing.¡± It took a few minutes to send the schematics over, but by the time she got back to me I was asleep on the old sleeping bag I¡¯d left here. My snores reflected back to me in the quiet locker. I don¡¯t remember what I dreamed off, but I felt¡­ guilty. Dreams had a way of slipping your subconciousness into their confusing cocktails of imagery and sounds, but I knew what I was feeling guilty for. The death of the Metal Heavens Priest. It was laughable. To think I¡¯d ever feel guilty for one of those bastards dying, they were the devils to Shard Operators. Poached our kind and harvested our brains. Yet, for a moment, he didn¡¯t see me as a Shard Operator. But as someone needing help. Maybe I was too proud to admit it¡­ especially since it was a Metal Heavens priest¡­ but maybe he was right. The Personality Matrix¡­ you know something¡¯s fucking you up in the head when those steel-addicts tell you it¡¯s wrong. And yet, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to close it. I couldn¡¯t¡­ let myself sink into those depths. Because I didn¡¯t know how long it would take for me to crawl out. Not now¡­ later¡­ I promise. I¡­ I can¡¯t let myself become weak. I¡¯ll get rid of it one day¡­ but not now. ¡ª¡ª¡ª 7:44 AM Early in the morning, I waited for a while this time before heading to a new Vulture spot. This time the only gang war I faced down was between fellow vultures, several of them arguing over the body of a fallen Bronze Crimson Soul. I eyed his BUG, while another man eyed the fallen lady¡¯s guns¡­ we teamed up by accident. It worked out in the end. Anyways, he invited me out for drinks, and it turns out he was a Crimson Soul man himself and that the gun was some sort of heirloom to the fallen woman¡¯s family that he wanted to return to her next of kin. I respected that, and he made pretty good company. He teamed up with me twice more for other Vulture runs. They ended up pretty good, I got some BUGs and he was mostly interested in the weapons they carried. I got his name, Keyleth, and he said to come over to a party his friend was hosting that night¡­ Was I really going through this again? Yeah, I was. So yeah, we danced, drank and got to know each other. I made fun of Keyleth for failing to pick up this Metal Heavens chick who had a banging set of legs ¡ª cybernetically, I mean. It was all going pretty good until one of them strung me along on a plan they had to rob a police prison convoy, a fairly simple one. They were just trying to break out one of their friends. An offer of 10,000 was struck and I took it. Payment immediate. Then oh, it went oh-so horribly wrong. Turns out they really undersold what they were attacking, an entire fucking police truck filled with transferring inmates. Keyleth, turns out, had a knack for turning ammunition into explosives with his Technician, he blew out the wheels of the convoy and then we charged gung-ho. That wasn¡¯t the bad part, they managed to blow a hole through and get their friend out and we were long gone before reinforcements returned. Except¡­ it turns out the woman they were saving was Razorpede. Yeah, that one. Whose arms I tore off with Diamante, needless to say I tried to make my escape quick¡­ but she recognized my Shardware. Called me ¡®Rippy¡¯ which was too close to my real name for comfort. I could be caught red-handed, but I wasn¡¯t going to let them go around thinking I had once named myself ¡®Rippy.¡¯ Instead, I said she probably got a concussion from when a car hood smacked her head. ¡®Dreadwire¡¯ was always my name. She didn¡¯t appreciate the reminder, so I was forced into a fight. I tried to get Keyleth on my side, but he shrugged and turned on me without a care. A fight that I promptly ended by locking my target onto Keyleth¡¯s bag of explosives, yeah that one went dirty. Razorpede scurried off somewhere as the dust settled, swearing revenge once she got new Shardware. In memory of the friend I¡¯d made and gone too soon, I absorbed Keyleth¡¯s Technician BUG. Technician V.1.13 has Updated V.1.14 Effect: Increased understanding of explosive creation using Shardware Materials. August 2nd Ripley¡¯s Third Day as a¡­ Muramasa Adept?? How was I getting myself in these situations? You sell off a few guns in Little Requiem and hand one Spine over to one of Mr. Skeleton¡¯s people and then everyone starts clamoring to you with their own offers. I knew a scam where I saw one but then¡­ god, I¡¯m an idiot. Smart as I was with Shardware, I was willing to admit I could be a fool when it came to many other things. I entered a BUG cage fight for a fifty thousand prize pool. Tier Ones only. No weapons, just your Shardware, and my first three bouts went about as smoothly as I could get them to be. First round, I pulled out my arm-blade and used its self-heating mechanism to slice through the man¡¯s own bladed Shardware. Second fight, I shot my claws and destroyed their rocket-like legs. Third, my own legs sharpened into sickles and gouged a mean kick into someone¡¯s flame-bellowing stomach. They were beginning to call me a swiss-army-knife in a human body. Didn¡¯t help that I used my arm¡¯s laser cutters at one point to blind the second fighter¡¯s eyes. Then an assassination attempt occurred on me, apparently I ruined the heavy better¡¯s day by giving them three sore losses in a row. I was only saved because a Muramasa Black Dragon was watching, Black Dragon Long. Said he¡¯d save me if I pledged to serve his cause. I agreed obviously at the moment, eying the ridiculously Warp Energy packed sword he was carrying as the three assassins attempted to shoot or stab me down. Oh yeah, side-note. That Priest was sitting on a good fucking BUG. The Network Function allowed me to sense a resonance with Warpcode and Warp Energy, to passively gauge an enemy¡¯s Tier and vaguely guess their compatibility. Sometimes it seemed like there was a lag between their own movements and their Warpcode, and I could track how efficient they were being ¡ª mine was immediate. Despite that, I couldn¡¯t exactly feel for grades but it was a great measure of development. As for his Analyze Function, talk about mind-reading, it specialized in deciphering all sorts of minute body-language tidbits. It was partially why I was so good in the ring, half of the time I had stepped past an enemy¡¯s attack before they even launched it. So yeah, Black Dragon Long struck down three guys with a single strike from his sword, their wounds gushing out way too much blood for the small strikes. In fact, they almost seemed to necrotize. Funny thing was that I noticed he tended to lean his shoulder in whichever direction he struck, and that his nose crinkled the second he would strike out. So once we were home free, I struck a bet with him in front of all of his Muramasa buddies. If he could hit me, then I¡¯d pledge my allegiance as his personal Shard Op¡¯ no questions asked, but if I won I got freedom and his sword in exchange. Apparently, that was a very big insult to ¡®One-strike¡¯ Long, so he said such a deal required my own weapon to be on the lines. My claws. I obliged. He primed his sword up to me, and I kept my focus on Data Mimicry and Thought Multiplier. ¡®Nose Crinkle¡¯ x ¡®Mimic switch to Overclock¡¯. Cue shoulder lean, nose crinkle, mimic switch and I¡­ actually dodged it as the blade swung and mine twisted. By a hair, he was fast, incredibly so. So yeah, he smiled, and gave me his sword in good faith. ¡ª¡ª¡ª I had been hunted down in Little Requiem for the last nine hours. Apparently, Long put a 120,000 Shardyne bounty on the weapon minutes after he gave it to me, and was having a laugh at my pities¡­ so you know what? Fuck you, Long! He never asked for my head, so I did what every good Shard Op¡¯ does and broke shit apart. When the seventh Bounty hunter tracked me up to an abandoned rooftop, I left a half broken sword with the engraving. ¡®Long sucks long dick.¡¯ I now have a bounty on my head. 25,000. I¡¯m insulted honestly, how am I worth less than a sword? At least, I got some Updates from the BUGs I¡¯d¡­ acquired today. Thank the Founders I could somewhat feel people creeping up on me now. Data Mimicry V.1.05 has updated to V.1.06 Effect: Quicker switching between multiple Features on the same BUG. Energized V.1.11 has updated to V.1.12 Effect: Increased localized manipulation to weaponized Shardware. Energized V.1.12 has updated to V.1.13 Effect: Warp Sink can be used to greatly increase the material integrity of your own Shardware. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡ª¡ª¡ª August 3rd Ripley¡¯s fourth day as¡­ a bounty hunter? Ohhhh¡­ so that¡¯s why I was worth less than the sword? Turns out the weird green rust on the edge of the blade was actually a Warp Material with poisonous properties called Necrotium. And I just returned half of that to the owner¡­ perfect. I got it tested out at a weapons dealer Twilight had pointed out to me in a brochure she made for me about Little Requiem¡¯s attractions. It was really sweet actually, and quite interesting. So yeah, turns out the half of the sword I carried was worth 110,000 Shardyne in Necrotium alone. That was just at Iron-Grade too. Apparently, as long as the poisonous metal hit the organic flesh of someone, it would cause immediate apoptosis of the flesh around it and the wound would explode. It was also pretty damn brittle, hence why it was only a surface level coat. Adopting the same idea, I bought a spare Shard Op¡¯ claw and coated one finger¡¯s worth of the material. Selling the rest for a whopping 90,000. Not curious to test it out on myself, I decided to look up the Bronze and Iron Grade listings of bounties. Theoretically, a Bronze bounty could go up to 200,000 Shardyne or even a rare half-a-million, but they were usually that high only if the Adapter had a reason to stay hidden from the issuer, usually corporate knowledge or a very intense grudge. I actually smirked at seeing how Twilight, Daylight¡­ and Midnight each had three separate bounties to be captured alive for 2Mil, 1.2Mil and¡­ 6Mil¡­ while Mirage¡¯s own bounty was unlisted to my access level. Like Diamante¡¯s and Missy¡¯s. The R0N1N¡¯s wasn¡¯t, it was basically plastered everywhere. Three-hundred-and-ninety million. So after looking through the various bounties for hours, I finally found a price I was willing to kill for. Seventy thousand for Bronze Tier One, Abelson Ulgaye. Bounty explicitly stated that Abelson was a music producer in Los Diablos, and had stolen beats off a Crimson Soul production. I wasn¡¯t aware music-related gang struggles were a thing, nonetheless, he also had counts of murder, rape, assault, driving under the influence, illegal implant trading, and firearms trading. So¡­ it wasn¡¯t a very difficult decision. Alas, he was under constant watch at a club known as Los Hermanos Diablo within LR, Equally known for its chicken wings, latin music, and drugs. And strippers. And yeah, it was a brothel like the Toxin Club was. At least I was in familiar territory. ¡ª¡ª¡ª August 4th Ripley¡¯s fifth day as a¡­ bouncer? Don¡¯t get involved, someone scream that in my face. Mimicking an Analyze feature had been my go to ever since I¡¯d had a string of bounty hunters attack me, but it also made me very keen as to when drunk people were going to get rowdy. Naturally, I see a beautiful girl teasing a drunk guy too much to the point he tries to grab her¡­ I¡¯m going to try and warn her a bit. Then said man gets pissed at me, tries to punch but he¡¯s too drunk to even walk so he stumbles. Bartender thanked me, said I had better instincts than half the dimwit bouncers there and I joked about how much they pay. They get paid five hundred per person thrown out of the club. Just in one hour, combined with the drugs and overall raunchy vibe of the place, men were being kicked out as much as they were getting let in. Apparently, they had a stripper go around and steal their valuables, like rings or watches to compensate for it. Though the bartender insisted it was only those who ¡®deserved¡¯ it. I decided to give it a go for a night, since being a masked bouncer was a pretty common thing in this neighborhood. Yeah, I was good. I could spot them a mile away with this BUG. The bartender patted me on the back and said I was showing off as he paid me 3,000 for the six men I¡¯d gotten out. The pay was good, but I decided I could get money a different way. I began tipping the strippers off on patrons too drunk or drugged to keep track of their belongings, only the ones who ¡®deserved¡¯ it of course. I admittedly got so into it I sort of forgot about my assassination mark until we entered the washroom at the same time. He saw my bouncer-badge, nodded and asked how the night was going, I said it was my first night and then he asked about that. Conversation didn¡¯t go long, he needed to take a shit, so I¡­ entered the stall next to him. And swapped out my pointer finger on my left Claw for one coated in Necrotium. A quick shine of Gold Warp Energy turned the rust a sickening green-purple, the very colors of decay. Now, Abelson was a SIM User, so he was all flesh, apparently most of his Mutations went into his voice. So a quick hop on the toilet seat gave me ample view on his¡­ business. I aimed with my pointer finger, and fired. The jagged finger stabbed into his neck, the necrotic effects of the finger quickly spreading as a violent crawl of black tendrils that usurped his flesh. Into a very violent eruption, I¡¯m pretty sure parts of his tongue splattered on my face. His eyeball was on the ceiling if that gives you a proper idea of how bad it was. And oh boy, was the screaming bad. Turns out assassination is not for me, very much a Topaz thing. Especially since while I was standing on the toilet seat, I was in full view of one of Las Diablos¡¯ Fiends, a Fredrick Jeremiah. My finger bloody¡­ face smeared with tongue, I was the image of guilty. So I pulled a Keyleth, may he rest in peace, and threw a smoke grenade I¡¯d prepared on the floor. Escaping the place had been a bit difficult, crowded as it was, but the good news was I didn¡¯t have any guns to contend with. Angering yet another gang, I now had a bounty of 90,000. That was more like it. August 5th Ripley¡¯s sixth day as a¡­ bounty target? Here I thought the morning rooftops of a tilted, half sunken building would be a fine place for a nap. Then I get awoken by a fucking spear whistling through the air, taking a third of my leg in one swoop. It was mostly the protective casing and the scythe knee, but who on earth fought with a spear in this day and age? I scanned as far as I could see, but I didn¡¯t have any ocular Implants to help with that. Next thing I felt, my knee was shattered as the spear that had been thrown flew and swooped through it with a sharpened edge, flowing right into the hold of a masked woman who looked almost like an android. Hoppling on one leg, I very quickly realized the severity of my situation. ¡°Hold on, hold on, I surrender!¡± ¡°Ripley?¡± The female android said in a way I recognized, it was a rather rough tone for such a beautiful figure. ¡°Uh¡­ hello?¡± I tried to stay balanced on one leg, but that figure just skated closer to me like a ballerina. ¡°Rip. Riprip. Ripriiiip. Riprip.¡± The mocking tone in there could be recognized anywhere. ¡°Diamante¡­ when did you change genders?¡± I stared the weird switchup of¡­ bodies? ¡°Uh, not that I¡¯m complaining. You do you.¡± ¡°Nothing like that. This is just a spare suit of mine for when there''s too much heat.¡± His actual voice filtered out of the feminine figure. ¡°What the hell happened to you? You look like shit.¡± ¡°Survival.¡± I motioned to the fallen third of my leg. ¡°Can you get that for me?¡± He kicked it over, I stared at him with dead eyes from behind my mask as he just shrugged. ¡°I can tell. How¡¯d you get a bounty so high? 180k in a week? Sheesh. Probably something stupid, for as smart as you are with Shardware you''re the biggest dumbass I ever met.¡± ¡°I''m... working on coming to a balance between the two. I think that''s what I''ve learned the last few days... wait? My bounty is a hundred-and-eighty thousand now?¡± I fastened the crumpled joints of my leg together, fortunately that slash hit just below the knee joint so I could realistically put it back together. Just needed to replace the scythe. ¡°Metal Heavens put out a Dead or Alive for a¡­ Deadwire? I assumed it was different from that stupid name of yours, Dreadwire.¡± He explained, the spear in his hands breaking into segments that fasted as circlets running up his arm. ¡°You disappeared on us for a few days, why?¡± ¡°I was¡­ trying to see what I was missing. There¡¯s way more freedom in this world than I thought there was.¡± I sighed. ¡°I slept in a Metal Heavens chapel, and one of their priests tried to convert me.¡± ¡°Been there.¡± He gave a tired sigh. ¡°Also you might as well be introduced to this suit of mine, Angelina. She handles bounties when Diamante is too much of an eyesore.¡± ¡°Angelina? I don''t really get how you have multiple bodies at once.¡± Everytime I thought I had finally gotten a grasp over Diamante''s Shardware, my world view would shatter. ¡°Is it related to a Proxy Protocol or something? Didn¡¯t take you for a Network User.¡± ¡°Nope. Accomodation, Analyze and Overclock.¡± He said it so casually I didn¡¯t even process he¡¯d just said his Features out loud to me. ¡°What? We¡¯re going to be working together now so it¡¯s better you actually know what I can do.¡± ¡°Yeah, so how does the¡­ multiple bodies thing work?¡± It seemed like an understandable question. ¡°Razorpede mentioned something you not wearing that body? The Iron Devil?¡± ¡°Easiest way to say it is that the only real organic bit of me is my brain, I have a method for moving it into different suits.¡± He knelt down, tossing me one important screw to hook my knee together. ¡°So, what¡¯s up with the bounty?¡± ¡°Metal Heavens knows that ¡®Deadwire¡¯ has a Gold Implant. I also may have killed a Priest of theirs.¡± I fumbled with my leg until it could at least support my weight, but I¡¯d need to do more extensive repairs with materials I had back at the storage unit or Anderson¡¯s gym. ¡°Killed a Priest? Good riddance." There was palpable spite in his voice. "Still, if your dumbass wanted to do something stupid and dangerous, we could have hooked you up with a Fixer and gotten you an actual gig.¡± ¡°Yeah, I was thinking about asking Missy or Mirage that, though this has been a good run for me. I¡¯m finding things that money can¡¯t buy, hell, I¡¯ve even got a Necrotium-coated finger now.¡± ¡°Oh shit, I¡¯ll buy it off you for 70k.¡± He helped me up. A vein could have popped in my head. ¡°70k? I sold half a sword¡¯s worth for 90k!¡± ¡°You got scammed.¡± He said plainly. ¡°Truth is, I was lowballing too. Necrotium can only be harvested in mines located in Old India, even breathing it can kill you but the caverns are infested with MAL up to the Gold Grade and the material itself is stocked in impurities that took half a century to learn to remove. Even Iron-Grade Necrotium could sell upwards of 100,000 a gram.¡± And my Claw used what I weighed had to be 3 grams¡­ maybe I could shave some down. I coughed, trying to focus on something other than the treasure trove resting on my finger. ¡°So¡­ how¡¯s your guys¡¯ side of the mission going?¡± ¡°Recon for now, Mirage and Topaz are handling that. Missy¡¯s calling in favors to pressure Yuzhou from all sides, plus she¡¯s inciting some internal strife within Muramasa using the Bladedaughter. Me, just a little more fund collection, my repairs are expensive¡­ Silver-Grade Shardware can cost millions a piece.¡± ¡°Right. I¡¯m working my way to 80%, it¡¯s difficult, each Iron BUG barely gives even a single percent now that I¡¯m 42%, waiting on a Bronze that¡¯s got something worth absorbing.¡± I scanned my current repertoire of BUGs, most of them were sent off over to the storage unit using one of the trusted courier services of Little Requiem. I sat on one Bronze BUG of Integration and Sustain while the remaining twenty-three Iron BUGs were an assorted bunch. ¡°Your funds?¡± Diamante asked. ¡°Getting close to 300,000. Thinking of spending it soon, but I¡¯m not sure if I want to give it to Mr. Skeleton.¡± I was honest. ¡°You said you were willing to sell from your armory, anything worth something to me in there?¡± ¡°Ripley, that¡¯s¡­¡± My Analyze Function read his slight mannerisms as his mechanical eyes twitched closer to the floor. ¡°Everything there was built on human experimentation, Metal Heavens used to buy children, men, women¡­ whoever was desperate or unfortunate enough to be taken in by them. A part of their ritual involves allowing some Priest to experiment with their own designs on your body, to push the boundaries. A lot of what was locked up, it once killed someone. If you really want to pay for dangerous, untested tech, I won¡¯t stop you, just wanted you to know what you¡¯re getting involved with.¡± I considered it. ¡°Right, as much as that sounds tempting. I have an idea of what I want, better I keep focus. Unless you have an Arachne locked up in there?¡± ¡°An Arachne?¡± He raised a steel eyebrow. ¡°Where are you planning on putting that? Those are big things.¡± ¡°My back.¡± I tapped it. ¡°Got a spine lined up for it.¡± He stammered. ¡°You¡­ you know how brittle they are? Right?¡± ¡°I have an idea for that, but for that I¡¯ll also need the funds for a material fabricator. Bronze¡­ maybe Silver-Grade?¡± I hoped he knew where I was leaning with this. ¡°You want to make more of that Livewire?¡± He chewed that thought. ¡°Fine. You can borrow mine.¡± My eyes might have exploded with how much they lit up at that. ¡°What happened to Diamante? Who are you and why are you so nice?¡± ¡°Hey. You¡¯re willingly throwing yourself into the deep end for this mission, you¡¯re an asset to us like-it-or-not. Besides, you¡¯re only borrowing it. No permanent access, a single fabrication costs hundreds of thousands in Warp Energy usage.¡± He stared at me with a serious smolder. ¡°But¡­ you said you were worth something that¡¯s priceless. What was it, diamond in a coal mine?¡± ¡°Something along that.¡± I stared at my claws, they¡¯d taken me further than I ever could have expected. ¡°I¡¯m intending to live to that promise.¡± He chuckled, before some deeper thought rumbled him out and he gave me a wary look. ¡°You should know.¡± ¡°Know what?¡± ¡°Diana.¡± He sent me over a screenshot, it was a bounty poster but only available to those with a Gold Access to it¡¯s boards. ¡°Stay away from her now.¡± Gold-Grade Bounty: Diana Ulrich (Third-Rank Police Investigator) A young police Investigator known to publicly possess a Gold-Grade SIM thought to have been recovered from the Gold MALignant that attacked the Toxin Club on June 1st. The daughter of Brian Ulrich, the New California Police State¡¯s Corporate Consultant, she has high value both in her SIM and as a potential hostage. Currently working within the Westbrook Intelligence Department under Squad 13, she has shown combat capabilities of a low-developed Tier II. Powerset: Can absorb and control vast amounts of electricity within her body, and is able to use it to augment her strength, reactions, and regeneration. Mutant/Esper. Type of Bounty: Captured alive Award: 35,000,000 Shardyne Issuer: Mr. Skeleton Notes: Additional Award of Ten Million regarding knowledge of the Gold BUG from the same MAL. ¡°Thrity-five million?¡± I gasped, my eyes open wide at the six zeroes. That type of bounty was to ensure no one killed her and took her Implant. ¡°This is¡­ what¡¯s he planning? He knows that I have the BUG.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what that bastard¡¯s planning.¡± Diamante said lowly, a venom in his voice. ¡°If he wanted this to be seen, then it would¡¯ve been Silver-Grade information on LR¡¯s local Net. Gold-Access to see bounties like this are only earned on reputation, so it¡¯ll just be the high scions of the criminal world who know about her. I¡¯d wager they¡¯ll begin getting their underlings to attack her, but not disclose the reasons why.¡± He pulled the image away from my sight, but it was burned in my head. ¡°Still, a known association to her can endanger you.¡± ¡°Metal Heavens knows I¡¯m out here. With a Gold BUG.¡± ¡°They know that Dead¡­ or Dreadwire has one. Not Ripley Donovick, that¡¯s what¡¯s saving you. And your mother.¡± I understood the subtlety there. ¡°Ripley, I¡¯m not asking you to abandon your connection to Diana, just be strong enough that you can protect the ones around you.¡± I felt my Matrix flare up. ¡°I will.¡± ¡°Tch.¡± He smiled. ¡°Then I¡¯ve got a good gift for you. Come with me.¡± Blood and Steel C62: Grief Chapter 62: Grief Annabelle Grazhe¡¯s Personal Notes regarding the deaths of Police Officer Yvette Ingrid and Third-Rank Investigator Indra Harmony. ¡¯Dogwhistler¡¯s quick. Diana¡¯s right to remain wary of her, but she doesn¡¯t know half the trouble she¡¯s in looking for that damn enigma. Especially now that she¡¯s gotten two of our ranks killed. I don¡¯t blame her, not entirely if what Dogwhistler said was true about the situation. Her friend was kidnapped upon Indra Harmony learning that Diana possessed a Gold, and Metal Heavens don¡¯t limit their cruelty to those with Shardware. The issue as it is, Little Requiem¡¯s become aware of the renegade Gold within our forces. It won¡¯t be long until our own people are aware of it, by then I intend to have Diana transferred to a squad more directly under my control, but her damn father¡¯s playing his hands dirty. She can''t go to central, I won¡¯t let her. Not while she¡¯s the perfect bait. Maybe this has worked out in my favor, at least now there¡¯s a guarantee that the Puppeteers will be eying her, I just need to hope her skills are as good as they seem to be. It¡¯s no easy feat getting to Tier One in a month, Gold SIM or not. The Gourmet will be a challenge for her, one that she¡¯s likely to fail. Regardless, I¡¯ll get Simon¡¯s ass¡­ I¡¯ll do what my father couldn¡¯t.¡¯ 4:23 PM July 29th Diana Sitting on my own bed after getting back from Little Requiem, the softness of it was sickening. Comfort like this wasn¡¯t deserved by someone like me. I¡¯d¡­ killed Yvette. If I had a better grasp over my own powers, then maybe I could¡¯ve¡­ My fingers clenched around the only memory I had left of her, the Silver SIM, it had only been in her flesh for moments¡­ but just holding it made me feel like I could hear her voice. I wanted to see her, to be able to meet that warm smile once more. To hug her. Tears streamed down my face, and the bed creaked as my weight sprawled on it. Sobbing, clawing, I didn¡¯t know how else to release the wreckage running through my heart. What would I do now? I¡¯d killed two police members. That was enough to get me off the force. I should be taken off. But I can¡¯t let that happen. What would everything I¡¯ve worked for become then? Please¡­ Founders, God, anything¡­ just show me something? Just some damn light at the end of this cold and rubble-strewn tunnel! Screaming consumed me, and the begging¡­ endless begging. Yvette¡­ she couldn¡¯t be gone. But her SIM sat in my palm like a gravestone. My fingers gripping into the little chimeric insect like it would change into her. Hoping and pleading. Anything to dig myself out of this cold pit. Her shoulders, I¡¯d burned the skin off. Just from one touch. Her entire life zapped away by a stray lapse in thought! Dammit, how could I be so careless! Of course, my powers were dangerous to everyone! Once my bed was torn, my feet paced the floor until I puked on my floor, a bitter release as my thoughts flooded in and out like a pulsating darkness. Gushing the contents of my Little Requiem breakfast. I wanted this to end. This mad grief toiling and drenching in my skin, it crawled through my blood like ants were eating through me, building a fire and kindling it until my soul would burn into ashes. The ash couldn¡¯t come quickly enough/ Would it ever end? Pain like this? I could never bring back¡­ I just wanted it gone, or replaced. I opened my eyes to focus on the SIM again, lost in its Silver reflections, hoping to see her in it. My father had given this to me, hoped that it would nurture me, well it didn¡¯t do shit to save her? What, kinetic absorption? He thought that would save me in this city? No, this SIM wouldn¡¯t save me, it would¡¯ve only let it toss me around harder. To drag me and bruise me, just to let me stand up again. And again. And again. But maybe there was a way for it to save all of this. Just once more, once more I wanted to feel Yvette close to me. Even if it was the last thing I would ever¡­ A part of me liked the sound of that, another part of me hated it. I didn¡¯t feel the pain as my sharpened fingernail sliced into my left palm, nor did I worry as the SIM wriggled to life. Gifted vitality by my blood, it sunk deep into my arm, squirming through my arteries where it would dissolve to become one with me. And my Gold SIM would reject it, they¡¯d fight. They¡¯ll war with one another, my body used as the battlefield, and maybe¡­ Maybe for once, I wouldn¡¯t be the one designed to come out on top. Maybe for once, I didn¡¯t want to be better. Maybe for once¡­ I could stop fighting. The grasping claws that emerged from within my blood vessels were enough to make me scream, and I relished that release. For a second, I could feel her nearby. Her smile, her snarky demeanor and uplifting tone. The pain was a warmth, a welcoming one, even as it overwhelmed me, I- I- This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. I was happy, fading away. Once the flame was burnt out, all that would remain was ash. Then I could scatter, free. ¡ª¡ª¡ª When I came to, my bed was drenched in blood. My borrowed clothes crunchy like they¡¯d scabbed over as I lifted my tired and aching form off the mattress. Everything was blurry, odd. Like I¡¯d woken up from a dream. What happened? What did I¡­ A message stopped me, a list of awaiting notifications running down as soon as I became aware enough for my hidden frame to stretch it¡¯s information down. Error¡­ Error¡­ multiple Mutational Sources Identified. Warning: Your organs are undergoing rapid fail- Error: Misread signatures, organs are stab- Error: Anomaly in genome structure, please go see a Gene Clinic as soon as poss- Alert: High activity occurring from Mutation: Mutational Synergy Highly Potent Mutagenic Source Identified¡­ Silver-Grade. Three Silver Tier 0 Mutations have been acquired¡­ Kinetic Absorption, Hardened Skin and Force Redirec¡­ Error: Mutagen misidentified. Alert: High activity occurring from Mutation: Mutational Synergy Tier One Mutation acquired¡­ [Metabolism] [G] Kinetic Catalyst (7 GC): Specialized cells located by your skin and muscles can absorb kinetic energy and convert it to electrical energy. Development: 27%¡­ Three Meta-Mutations have occurred: The cells can reverse the process, allowing you to charge electrical energy within them and release kinetic energy instead; conversion is now more efficient; cells can also store kinetic energy for later usage. Additional Meta-Mutations have occurred: Electrical Neurogenesis 57%: Nerves exercise increased control over mobility; Reduced strain when electrical energy is used to catalyze nervous system activity. Compact Tissues 63%: Heightened ability to focus Warp Energy into specific body parts; Compacted tissues now have a greater capacity for electrical energy; greatly increased baseline tissue integrity. Mineral Assimilation 37%: Increased absorption of metals capable of conducting electricity; higher metallic concentration deposited into connective tissue. Bioelectrogenesis 64%: Massive increase to storage capacity for electricity; greater manipulation of electricity outside the body when Warp Energy is infused into it; Warp Energy can now manipulate electrical currents outside the body. Electromagnetic Vision 52%: Increased visual acuity for minute electrical impulses; Greater sensitivity to electrical currents without the need of transferring Warp Energy into the eyes. Mutational Synergy 75%: Absorbed SIMs can now directly interact and modify current Mutations; Increased Meta-Mutation probability; Meta-Mutations are now more synergistic with other Mutations¡­ Integrity is increased to Iron X Energy is increased to Iron IX Capacity is increased to Iron X Genome Capacity: 46/50 Development: 47% Getting up slowly, I sent a pulse of electricity up my brain to decipher what had just happened. The impact hit me like an Aerodyne Vehicle. I¡¯d¡­ tried to do that to myself? My breath lurched, shame and anger sizing up as I stared at the bloodbath around me. So much had changed, and I¡­ wanted to¡­ end it? I¡­ was I really that¡­? Shame collapsed through me. That wasn¡¯t what Yvette would have wanted me to do. She¡¯d never want¡­ god, what was I doing? I was a mess. I hadn¡¯t even cleaned up my vomit from the floor. Easing my way out of bed, I was surprised to discover how nimble I felt. And hungry, Founder¡¯s tits, was I hungry. First things first, I did the only thing I could to distract myself, I cleaned up. The floor, the bedsheets. A shower, a long one. Then I strived to make sense of what I¡¯d just done¡­ I¡¯d committed the worst possible thing you could do when you have an Implant. Attempt to absorb a second one. If you survived, that meant losing out on massive levels of compatibility for the sake of a new mutation but¡­ Compatibility: 99.9% Nothing. That only further resolved my need to figure out what made mine and Ripley¡¯s Implants so special. He could read the Adapter¡¯s memory off a BUG, and I could absorb another SIM without even a percentage drop. That was without accounting for the amount of Meta-Mutations I had. Ripley¡­ my head flinched when I thought of him. It was strange, despite how at-odds we should be, when he had arrived I¡¯d thrown my desperation out at him. This was our third time meeting, but compared to the first two¡­ it was difficult to say, but I could feel this innate draw pulling my attention towards him. Not in a¡­ emotional sense no. That would be ugly, besides I was pretty sure he was dating that girl who was with him¡­ Twilight, or Mirage ¡ª they slept on the same bed. Catching my wayward imagination, I focused. It was more like we were connected by our Implants. Was that a thing? Stretching my hands, I closed my eyes tight as the image of how they¡¯d seared Yvette¡¯s shoulders stabbed into my sight. No, no, I was moving her out of the way of Indra¡¯s bullet. She would have been critically injured with that. But she might have lived. I stopped myself before I dug deeper into that hole. I¡¯d killed her, whether I wanted to admit it or not. I¡¯d¡­ fuck¡­ Tears rolled down again, but this time there was a difference in them. I felt the weight of reality crush my shoulders, I¡¯d lost my best friend. I¡¯d lost another person who I thought of as a friend. And I¡¯d lost trust in myself, in my ability. Was this how Ripley felt when Selene¡­? Maybe I was judging him too harshly, his desperation and desire to protect what he had¡­ god, I would do anything to get Yvette back. To change the past. But that wasn¡¯t possible. I sniffled up my tears. Yvette, what would she want me to do? For one, kick Rorsche¡¯s ass, and second¡­ use her SIM¡¯s potential to it¡¯s fullest. I now had an additional source of electrical income at my disposal, the ability to feed on movement itself and a Meta-Mutation to add towards it. I wasn¡¯t sure how it would interact with my current strength augments but if it meant I could be stronger then¡­ Then I had to use what little of Yvette I had left. I had to use everything left to me, to end what stood in my way. Even if¡­ yeah, even if it meant relying on the man who I hated most. Flicking through my contacts¡­ I called up Dr. Faltest. ¡±Diana? You haven¡¯t updated me on how the digestion of the Iron SIM went, what were the changes?¡± The Doctor immediately jumped to her most important dialogue. ¡±You¡¯ll figure that all out later, and more. First, I need you to do something¡­¡± It took me a few seconds to gather up the shame and throw it away. ¡°Get me in contact with my father.¡± Help me decide what my next series will be! Hey guys, I know CyberGene is still in its infancy, but the idea wheel in my head keeps on churning. I try and adapt whatever ideas fit best into CyberGene, but what doesn''t get used typically mutates into a concept of an entirely different novel idea. Over the last year of writing CyberGene, I have designed several other power systems and story ideas but have yet to actually write them out (with the exception of two). I do plan on writing stories other than CyberGene in the future, and hope you all will string along for the ride, so why not help me sift through the cocktail of ideas and concepts in my head. None of these are true blurbs, just elevator pitches of the general story. If I write a new story, it¡¯ll probably take a year or more to be published anywhere so I¡¯m considering this as a form of market research. Reborn From The Ashes A system apocalypse regression story with a twist. Axis - God of Reality and Oblivion - attempts to reincarnate into his past self after a coup against the Authors of the System fails. Instead, he merges with the piece of the system bound to his former, mortal, self. Elias. A reformed juvenile delinquent doing what he can to put his younger sister, Elizabeth, through college. When the system integrates, Elias meets his future self and is disgusted to learn how apathetic he has become. Still, he is forced to comply with Axis when he learns that Elizabeth is destined to die in a Unique Dungeon promising to craft legends of those who survive its trials. Axis, bound to Elias'' System, is willing to do whatever it takes to not fail this time - so he''ll turn his former self into a man wielding destruction and creation alike. That is the power of ash. Classic LitRPG, classes and skills with an Essence system put on top of it. This idea is actually wayyyy older than CyberGene, and I wrote a decent chunk of it but I didn''t quite balance the system right. Elias would be the classic spellsword archetype, but with a heavier emphasis on his arsenal of weapons. Oh, and Ash, lots of ash. Axis can¡¯t really enhance Elias¡¯ system without alerting the Authors, so for the most part he only reveals information. Twinsoul: Manapunk Heavily inspired by Arcane, Twinsoul is set in a world where Mana is running scarce after the Extinction of The Gods. The Grand City of Apothia lies built atop a mountain of dragon corpses, pioneering Hexcraft when Sorcery is failing. Those with wealth live on the surface, enjoying the spoils of feeding surrounding empires in their warfare, those who are poor suffer in the Grave, where the chaotic Mana of divine dragons spells constant peril and doom. The balance between the surface and the underworld is boiling, and a pair of twins are about to ignite it. Separated, unaware of the other being alive after their family was slaughtered, Zari and Emiri live in entirely different worlds. All they share is one Core of Mana they are unable to cultivate, and the research on a phenomenon known as ''The Seance'' entrusted by their late parents. One heist is about to reunite them, give them power, and collide their paths into a future where the barrier between Life and Death blurs. Cultivation system with two paths, Hexcraft which is more restrictive but provides more specialization, and Sorcery which allows raw manipulation of Mana at the cost of being less refined. Zari would follow the art of blending Necromancy, a forbidden magic, with Hexcraft, while Emiri uses her expertise in alchemy to alter the foundations of her body with Life Sorcery . Child of Mana Renora of The Eight was born inside a Dungeon, quite literally found as a newborn when the Solstice Eight, the most ambitious Pathseekers in all of Lycanfel, find her. And collectively, adopt her. She spent her early years learning in each of their various trades, being exchanged for one aunt or uncle or the other when things got too dangerous. And soon, she''ll be enrolled at where their story began, Beowulf Academy. Except, she has never once even touched the Mana Spiral within her, it lies dormant, silent. Only when she comes into contact with the Sensing Stone is her truth revealed. She was not born inside a Dungeon. She is the child of a Dungeon, and is forced to confront the heretical knowledge that Dungeons are infact alive, thinking... and dreaming of a world where they are not enslaved. Her future had always been divided between the eight who raised her, but now her path separates from the bridge of humanity. She just wanted to enjoy her time at the Academy, but her very existence threatens to unravel the world itself. She is the only one who can liberate the Dungeons, she is their voice. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. In this world, Dungeons are the only way to cultivate power as they provide Trials that increase your Spiral''s rank. Renora, however, has her own way of growing in rank by absorbing the souls of fallen humans and Dungeons. Not that she wants to. It''s a blend of cultivation and standard fantasy magic, but Renora would have some LitRPG-lite abilities in the form of her being able to ''inspect'' other''s magic in a system that''s inspired by Shadow Slave. I''ve actually written out quite a bit of this idea, but it''s very incomplete. Renora''s sort of... like a swiss-army-knife with magic, but will eventually get the ability to turn into monsters. Sort of. My goal for this series would be to start the story in an Academy and transition Renora slowly into a hardened warrior of her people, even if makes her do terrible things. Return of the Stars Taichi witnessed his world die, a cataclysm created by his adoptive mother. When he finally brought her down, he wielded his power to reincarnate to the past. At a cost. His mortal body is unable to withstand the mind he brought with him, so he must train another before his time runs out. His mother, The Dowager, has trained him and his eleven siblings to wield artifacts known as the Zodiac. He chose his twin brother, Haruji, to live where he cannot. To break free of the cursed runes cast upon them by their mother, Taichi must revive a long-forgotten cultivation technique. One that exchanges personal power for binding with the souls of those you trust the most. In a world devoid of stars, Taichi will give his brother the power to create a constellation. A cultivation system loosely inspired by Cradle, where you must burn the willpower of your memories to ignite your Ashen Heart. Your Core, Channel and Aura can each be bound to a different element, but by creating techniques you may manifest a runic pattern within yourself, binding them in harmony to ascend the ranks. Haruji is actually set up as the main character, but he''s going to have the aid of his brother... for some time at least. Anything else I say would be spoilery. Accursed Divinity Vrara is the realm between life and death, a purgatory where sinners and blessed face an even darker enemy. The Curses. Insatiable demonic entities born of imbalanced divinity, threatening to pierce the veil this world maintains. Some wish for it to fall, to witness what lays behind it. But the Wardens safeguard it, protecting this world and those which lay beyond it. When a group of Wardens inspect a village believed to hold a curse, they find a young girl instead. And she is indeed born Accursed. Wielding the power to sever souls from the cycle of reincarnation, that which could permanently end the threat of curses. Or empower them. Maverick, a Warden, upon setting sights on the girl, knows he must protect her... from his own people. This story was pretty inspired by Demon Slayer, but has a cultivation spin on it with a skill system of sorts. Everyone is either ordained a sinner or a blessed, and so each person can cultivate either one of the seven deadly sins or seven heavenly virtues with powers stemming from their personal idea of it. However, in the rare chance that a child is born Accursed or Sacred... they have the ability to cultivate more than one sin or virtue, one you''re born with and the other comes naturally in their life. But this Accursed child... can cleave the sins and virtues off other people. Wyrm''s Heart Heavily inspired by Final Fantasy XVI. The seeds of Yggdrasil blossom life within souls, creating a Sanctuary for beasts of many kinds to flourish so that one can grasp their abilities. But some are born with beasts within their hearts, only the Nexi are loved - as those nine guardians protect the branches of Yggdrasil. All other Beastblooded are hated, their very existence a rejection of the World Tree. Daizen awakens a worm inside his heart, and it wasn¡¯t enough to stop his city being destroyed and his brother being kidnapped on suspicion of housing the Nexus, Ratatoskr. Forced into servitude for more than a decade, he is sent along with hundreds of other Beastblooded to hunt down the Nexi of Death. There, he has the chance to escape and discover that there is more to the worm in his heart than he previously thought. This power system was built on my love of terrariums and nature documentaries. Effectively, you cultivate an ecosystem within your heart and create a world where beasts can live inside it. Increasing the rank enlarges the world and increases the number of creatures whose powers you can control. It''s a bit pokemon-esque, where your soul is the pokeball and taking care of the creatures is how you cultivate. Based on the title, it''s pretty easy to guess that the worm... might not be a worm. And that''s it for the ideas! Feel free to discuss them with me in the comments, ask questions and I''ll do my best to write some answers out. These were all ideas I made up while writing CyberGene, and so they''re very rough with exception to the two I''ve written. I''m excited to experiment and branch off CyberGene when the time is right, and having an idea of what to choose would probably be the first step so I''m not overwhelmed. Thanks! Also, just to note, the winner of this poll is not guaranteed to be my next story. It''s only a way to measure audience interest, hence why I''ve let you guys pick more than one option. Blood and Steel C63: Vengeance Chapter 63: Vengeance 12:31 PM August 1st Diana ¡±Diana?¡± Anthony nearly spilled his coffee as I walked into the police office. I didn¡¯t know that absorbing the Silver SIM had knocked me out for so long. ¡°You haven¡¯t responded in three days? What the hell happened and¡­ why do you look so scary?¡± ¡±What has Rorsche said about Indra?¡± I gnashed my teeth, it was difficult to stay in control now. Not with what I had set into motion. ¡±Indra¡­ right, he said she¡¯s on holiday.¡± Anthony looked at me like I was about to punch him. ¡°Seriously, what happened?¡± ¡±I¡¯ll tell you in a bit.¡± I walked past him. ¡°Is Rorsche in?¡± ¡±Yeah.¡± That was all he got in before I disappeared to Rorsche¡¯s office. I didn¡¯t bother knocking, I just opened the door and met his surprised eyes. ¡°Diana? Jesus, what the hell happened to you? You can¡¯t just cut contact all of a sud-¡° ¡±Where¡¯s Yvette?¡± It was easy to fake tears. ¡°Please, just tell me and I¡¯ll do anything.¡± The moment his face absorbed what I said, it took all I had not to punch him the second he realized how he could take advantage of this. ¡°Yvette¡­ ah, so you finally learned.¡± ¡±What did Indra do with her?¡± I was already a railroad of emotions, my outburst was too fast to explode. ¡°Just¡­ I- fuck.¡± I couldn¡¯t say it, I couldn¡¯t lie. I need her safe. ¡±Indra has her alright. On my watch.¡± He flicked his laptop¡¯s screen away, standing up to the height of¡­ well, me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry dear, nothing¡¯s going to happen. Not if you listen and do what you should have done all those weeks ago.¡± ¡±Just¡­¡± Shit, shit! I wanted to slick my nails into my face. ¡°I- okay. Fine¡­ but then you need to let her go, today.¡± ¡±That requires a bit more.¡± He smirked, and I was one heartbeat away from kicking him there and then. ¡°Well¡­ we¡¯ll get there slowly. For now¡­ my pants are a bit stuffy. Can you help me with them?¡± ¡±You can¡¯t be serious.¡± Maybe I should just kill him here and now. ¡±I¡¯m serious.¡± He preyed on my reluctance, how many women had he done this with? I would be the last one. I would make sure of it. Anger burning through my veins, I approached him and got on my knees, fumbling with the belt buckle and fighting the urge to surge my electricity through it¡­ No, take your time, Diana. ¡±So eager¡­ you always did seem like a slut.¡± He chuckled, every word sending a spark into the fire boiling within my skin. ¡°The wait only made this better¡­ and don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll return the favor.¡± My hands trembled, but I got the pants loose, unveiling plain boxers of red-and-blue. Rorsche was was slow and deliberate in drenching every word of his with a condescending tone. ¡±Everything. Be a good girl.¡± I reached up to his hip bones, then slowly pulled the boxers down. His dick practically sprang up in excitement, but I was sure to keep my face away from it. ¡±Now¡­ I want to see what those lips can do.¡± I met his gaze, those sickening eyes awaiting every moment to come. Well I kept my focus on them, because I would be savoring this. Yeah, I grabbed his dick. Then it took a brush of my electricity to crush and snap it, before sending a deadly drill of lightning up the tiny member. ¡±ARGGHUH-¡° My hand clamped on his mouth, the same one that had briefly held his dick and making sure electricity crawled along his face¡­ slowly. Agonizingly. ¡±Indra¡¯s dead. Jackass.¡± I threw him back on the chair, blue sparks that had been stuffed down freely exploding their anger out now. ¡°Yvette. Too.¡± ¡±Fuck! Fuck!¡± He groaned. ¡°What the fu- ah! I had nothing to do with that!¡± ¡±Well you just tried to take advantage of it!¡± My nails sharpened to claws in an instant, and I saw his eyes fade as thoughts passed to his Neuroframe. ¡±Huh¡­ what the fuck? I can¡¯t- urgh, I can¡¯t access the police network! What did you do!?¡± His painful screaming was a joy to my ear. I flashed up an image, a tabloid clipping showing his face clearly under the title of ¡®Predator Police Investigator takes advantage of junior members? A greater scandal at play?!¡± ¡±That wouldn¡¯t do anything!¡± Though he remained resistant, I could see the anxiety swell through him. I relished his cries. ¡°You think I¡¯m the only one like this? You don¡¯t even want to know what¡¯s been done to me!¡± I fastened my sharp nails over his throat. One twitch, and my nails would sever that skin to spray his sickening blood out. I held back, he deserved worse. He deserved to lose everything. ¡±I don¡¯t care. You¡¯re already fired.¡± ¡°What fucking authority do you have to say that? Bitch, you¡¯re fired!¡± He tried to rise up, but the exertion to his legs must have sent a painful twitch towards his crunched up and burned crotch. ¡°Gah! You can¡¯t do this!¡± ¡±I already have.¡± As much as I was enjoying this, I didn¡¯t enjoy what I said next. ¡°Brian Ulrich has taken care of your disposal.¡± ¡±Of course! Daddy¡¯s little girl! Aren¡¯t-¡° I stopped him with a clamping of my palm so hard that my nails drew blood across his cheek. ¡±Walk out with dignity, what little you have left¡­ at least now it¡¯s bigger than your dick. Or else, you might have to be escorted out. You should probably pull up your pants for this.¡± I tossed his boxers at his face, and the sheer stammering he tried to pull out was something else to behold. ¡±You- you- you know what I¡¯ve done to get this squad where it is? Without me, you¡¯ll be stuck sucking up to Corporate shit-stains!¡± I couldn¡¯t care less. ¡°By the way, you¡¯re being court-martialed too, see you in court. I¡¯ll have good lawyers¡­ Brian Ulrich is very thorough.¡± ¡±I didn¡¯t even do anything!¡± He got red-in-the-face now. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that Indra did something to Yvette, I just asked her to scare the girl!¡± ¡±Well, she fucking took her to Little Requiem! You don¡¯t know what I had to do to get there! And for what, they¡¯re both dead! And you¡­ you think Indra would have done any of that if you didn¡¯t treat her the way you did?!¡± I was beginning to wish he had a second dick for me to rupture. ¡±Oh shut the fuck up!¡± He screamed back. ¡°I have connections here! You don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve do-¡° ¡±Kendrick Rorsche.¡± A burly man entered the office, a First Rank judging by the emblem on his uniform. ¡°You¡¯re to be escorted off police property. We will arrange to have your assets sent off to your apartment.¡± ¡±You can¡¯t fucking do this!¡± He yelled at the man. ¡°Selim! You know me! You can¡¯t do this!¡± ¡±Orders are orders¡­ and this came from the Lieutenant.¡± Investigator Selim grabbed Rorsche¡¯s arm before¡­ staring down. ¡°For old time¡¯s sake, I¡¯ll let you wear your pants first¡­ as for you, leave. Now.¡± Selim glared at me, but I was all too happy to leave this forsaken office. I left with my pride, even a bit of satisfaction. Anthony and Choirmen were waiting right outside the office, both of their faces held in shock. Choirmen spoke in stupor. ¡°What¡­ happened??¡± Anthony was pale. ¡°Did you¡­ fuck, did Rorsche just get¡­¡± ¡±Yes. Diana.¡± A raspier voice said beside me, Risa Wickett glaring daggers at me. ¡°What. Did. You. Do?¡± I wasn¡¯t taking any of this, I shot a look off to the boys, a warning glance to leave. They did so in seconds, and I took a stroll with the tense Special Investigator towards a quieter corner. ¡±Diana Ulrich.¡± Her voice breathing heavily. ¡°Did you get Rorsche kicked off my Squad, without informing me?¡± ¡±The real question.¡± I seethed. ¡°Is how he didn¡¯t get kicked off any sooner. Risa.¡± She sharpened her eyes. ¡±You will not have that attitude with me!¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡±I¡¯m not talking to you as an officer. I¡¯m talking to you as a woman, as Diana Jones. Pray you don¡¯t talk to Diana Ulrich, Special Investigator.¡± I glared back at her. ¡°He got my friend killed, he got Harmony killed! Clearly, he¡¯s never had a woman reject him like I did! Someone here has been enabling his ass to get away with this! But you¡­ how could you let him slip by under your nose. You had to have known!¡± ¡±Yes.¡± She admitted. ¡°He¡¯s done bad things. I excused them for his results.¡± ¡±That¡¯s it?¡± I couldn¡¯t believe her. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ it!¡± ¡±Yes. Ulrich.¡± Risa Wickett didn¡¯t back down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the loss of your friend. But you should have consulted me before taking such a drastic-¡° ¡±If it¡¯s results you want¡­¡± I pushed myself up, but it hardly intimidated her. ¡°¡­Then that¡¯s all you¡¯ll get from me. But not my respect, Special Investigator.¡± ¡±Tch.¡± She clicked her tongue. ¡°Have it your way, Ulrich.¡± It wasn¡¯t like I was planning to stay in this squad long after all of this anyway. ¡°Also, I¡¯m a Gold-Grade, not Silver. The Lieutenant knows. Use me while you can.¡± I walked away, but I heard her boots screech the floor at my statement. ¡°You¡¯re a-¡° I slammed the door on my way out. Sighing, I continued on, using a pulse of my inner energy to speed my way around the office floor until I found the quiet spot I tended to, just a tiny little mindfulness space for meditation no one bothered to use. Me and Indra would gossip here a few times. Tears rolled down my face again, and I sobbed myself to oblivion. ¡±Figured you¡¯d be here.¡± Anthony entered, a careful and measured approach that wasn¡¯t too fast.. ¡°I heard the door opening¡­ okay if I¡­ sit here as well? I was¡­ worried.¡± ¡±Do whatever you want.¡± I wiped my face with my sleeve. He came closer, offering me a few tissues he had in his pocket. ¡±I could tell you were¡­ overhwhelmed today. What happened?¡± Anthony¡¯s concern was palpable, almost cute. ¡±Just¡­ had my¡­¡± I chocked. ¡°Yvette. She¡¯s dead.¡± Anthony didn¡¯t know too much about me, we¡¯d been partners but not¡­ too close. Even then, he knew who Yvette was, even though I¡¯d never really spoken about her. He knew, and he cared. ¡°Shit¡­ Diana, I-¡± ¡°Save it.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I- I don¡¯t want to hear¡­¡± I felt so weak, so¡­ powerless at this moment. ¡°Your voice, can you use it?¡± ¡°My voice?¡± He reached for his throat. ¡°On who?¡± ¡°Me.¡± I sniffled back. ¡°I- it¡¯s my fault, and I don¡¯t know what to do. Help me figure out what to do. Make me¡­ feel better.¡± ¡°Diana, I-¡± He held some deeper thoughts back, but leaned his gaze down. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Like shit.¡± My voice came out hollow. ¡°What¡¯d you eat for breakfast?¡± ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t remember. Everything¡¯s been a blur.¡± ¡°You remember.¡± Anthony¡¯s voice was a whisper both soothing and invading, as though his voice was the one speaking in my head over my own. ¡°You know what you ate.¡± ¡°Fucking cereal.¡± I rasped out. ¡°Is there a point to this?¡± ¡°You asked me to make you feel better right? I¡¯m just¡­ trying to keep your mind off things. To align with you¡­¡± He gave me a sympathetic gaze. ¡°What happened? What¡­ really happened?¡± The words that were so hard for me to say now came out without resistance. ¡°Indra kidnapped Yvette, she was¡­ keeping tabs on us for Rorsche. Then she heard about the Gold in my veins.¡± I laughed, not sure why. ¡°I- she took Yvette over to Little Requiem, must have known some people from Metal Heavens¡­ I went there to save her, only¡­ I- I had too much electricity in my body. I touched her, and she died. Then I- I killed Indra.¡± Letting it all out, to one person¡­ I was hollowed out, but at least that pain had slightly left me. ¡°I¡¯m a fucking monster.¡± ¡±Diana¡­¡± His eyes opened wide, he was looking at me like I was a monster. I knew it. I deserved as much. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He said, before staying silent. I didn¡¯t blame him, what could he possibly think of to say to me? ¡±Don¡¯t apologize. You had nothing to do with it.¡± I bitterly chewed my words out. ¡°Rorsche has been harassing me for weeks, Indra was keeping her eyes on me. It¡¯s my fault for not¡­ acting up sooner. For thinking I could¡­ battle it by myself.¡± He nervously gazed at me. ¡±What was Rorsche¡­¡± ¡°He wanted me to fuck him.¡± I gritted. ¡°Honest to god, that was half the reason why I decided to pretend we were dating. I wanted to spite his ass.¡± Anthony flinched from that statement, but I didn¡¯t exactly care at the moment. Then he chuckled. ¡°Makes sense why he¡¯s hated me more now.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± I guess¡­ I did care, just a little bit. ¡°If you told me-¡± He stopped himself. ¡°I- I get why you didn¡¯t tell me, we¡¯re not exactly¡­ you just needed me. That¡¯s fine. I just regret I never got my piece of revenge on him, I bet I could¡¯ve made him say some nasty shit.¡± ¡±On Rorsche? Please, that would have costed you the job.¡± ¡±Not like I wanted this in the first place.¡± ¡±Right. Singing.¡± The thought of that did make me smile just a little bit. ¡±Do you¡­ want company?¡± He looked at the door. ¡°I can¡­ give you time alone if you want?¡± ¡±I don¡¯t know.¡± Why was it easier to talk to Ripley than someone I¡¯d seen everyday for two months? ¡°Just¡­ I feel lost.¡± ¡±That¡¯s okay.¡± He stepped closer, but I didn¡¯t give him any indication to leave. ¡°I¡¯m your¡­ partner.¡± ¡°Partner?¡± I¡¯d never once thought of him like that. ¡°Police partner.¡± He clarified. ¡°My mom had one, back when she was¡­ in the police. A guy named Derrick. Guy was an asshole, but treated me like a nephew. My mom didn¡¯t just look at him as a coworker¡­ but family. He was an alcoholic, but¡­ my mom helped him get out of it. She was more than a coworker to him. I¡¯d like to¡­ try and do the same.¡± I stayed still for a moment, I knew Anthony¡¯s mother was a sore topic. ¡°My mother¡­ she was remarkable in every way, one of the kindest persons I ever knew,¡± he began with a childlike smile, though it turned to a frown too quickly, ¡°but when she died, she told me some cruel things. Made me hate myself¡­ I don¡¯t know what made her snap like that, but¡­ she¡¯d been so different the years before her death. I don¡¯t know for what, but she left the police force after an argument with my grandfather.¡± I nodded along, somewhat surprised he actually opened up. ¡°I hated her.¡± He said flatly. ¡°Blamed her for my¡­ issues, thought she was evil for making her last words to me so hateful. Then I- I forgave her, it wasn¡¯t some click-and-you-know-it-moment. It was just¡­ I realized she was sick, that she was¡­ dying. And that her pain was just so overwhelming it spilled out of her.¡± Her wiped dry eyes. ¡°I forgave her, even if she was a monster. I think you know what I¡¯m trying to say.¡± I did. "Wish I could do the same to me.¡± ¡±Then let me lighten the burden, like my mom did for Derrick.¡± He took a quiet seat next to me on the floor. ¡°I said I would help, but so far I¡¯ve just been¡­ a contact to get you with my aunt and Simon Jugosla. Don¡¯t take all of this burden onto yourself, let me¡­ let me be useful. I¡¯m more than just a tool to spite someone, you know?¡± ¡±I- yeah, I¡¯m sorry for using you like that.¡± ¡±Don¡¯t apologize, it¡¯s made me realize I need to do more.¡± He gave a reassuring look. ¡°We can handle things better without Rorsche around now, even get some of the rest of the Squad involved in Soul Killer.¡± ¡±We¡­ can¡¯t do that.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I know you¡¯re trying to be nice Anthony but¡­ I can¡¯t let you¡­ end up like-¡± ¡±I won¡¯t.¡± He said confidently. ¡°I promise.¡± A silence passed between us, but even if we didn¡¯t say a thing, I was thankful for his company. ¡±By the way¡­¡± He started. ¡°My dad was wondering if you¡¯d like to have dinner at our place.¡± ¡±Thought you told them we ¡®broke up¡¯?¡± I shot an accusing look at him. ¡±Uhh¡­ Yeah I was pretty honest with my dad from the start. He knew we weren¡¯t dating, just needed you to get into the restaurant, nothing else!¡± He raised his hands defensively. ¡±I¡­ guess that¡¯s fine.¡± I wasn¡¯t entirely too comfortable with it, to be honest. ¡±So will you?¡± He nervously held his hands. ¡±I will.¡± Maybe it would help. ¡±Diana. I¡¯m here for you. Partner¡¯s promise.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡±¡­Whatever you need.¡± ¡±That¡¯s sweet of you¡­¡± I laughed to myself. ¡°You¡¯re not such an arrogant bitch now.¡± ¡±I was never¡­ okay, will you let my drunken rambling go now? I was a grieving and confused mess¡± ¡±Never.¡± I knew I was slightly hypocritical, but the joke landed. ¡±Haha.¡± He mocked some laughs. ¡°Please forget it.¡± ¡±Ask nicer.¡± ¡±Pretty please?¡± ¡±Maybe.¡± He sighed. ¡°I¡¯m gonna let that slide.¡± ¡­ He puckered his lips. ¡°Yvette¡­ what was her favorite color?¡± ¡±Why are you asking?¡± I stared into the ground. ¡±She was important to you, I wanted to know what she was like to have that support from someone as amazing as you.¡± He seemed serious about it. ¡±By asking me her favorite color?¡± I gave him a look of disbelief¡­ then indulged him. ¡°Silver. Unconventional I know, but she said it reminded her of her¡­ favorite person. You know¡­ back in the Cradle, she nicknamed me ¡®Silvereye¡¯. I told her to stop when we were in cadet school¡­ but I wish she didn¡¯t.¡± ¡±Huh¡­ I think me and Yvette share the same favorite color and person then. Silvereye.¡± He joked. ¡±She was flirting with me.¡± I deadpanned. ¡±Well¡­¡± He choked. ¡°Okay, I like green. The color of nature.¡± ¡±Well then we actually share the same favorite color¡­ and reason.¡± I smiled, it was my first genuine smile in days. Blood and Steel C64: What we all seek Chapter 64: What we all seek Anabelle Grazhe¡¯s recent look into her sister¡¯s death in a voice recording she deleted. Why can¡¯t I remember what happened to her? She was there one moment, with me¡­ and my father. In the police. Then she left us as soon as she uncovered his crimes. Someone else was there too. We were in a car, me and¡­ it crashed. I lost something. I lost both of them that nig- You never lost anything, Anabelle. What was I-? What¡¯s happened to me since then? My mind¡­ it isn¡¯t my own. Something else is here. Something else speaks to me. Juliet left us¡­ but before she died, she came to me. Stabbed me with a needle. I remember that. You don¡¯t remember anything, Anabelle. Forget, and go to sleep. Stop it. Stop it. It¡¯s getting worse, since my father died¡­ I¡¯m not getting my treatment. His voice¡­ it used to¡­ Keep me contained. But there¡¯s nothing you can do to stop me now¡­ we¡¯re tethered, Anabelle. Those treatments they¡¯re giving me, I¡¯ve gotten them since her death. She was researching something at that hospital, I know it. A cure to me. A cure to¡­ that thing. There is no such thing. Stop it! Stop talking- Go to sleep, Anabelle. ¡­ Great, now I¡¯m the one in control of this mess of a body and mind. Gotta delete this now, and tell Omen you need to up your dosages again. A pain, why am I even speaking to you? The last thing I want is for you to know about me, what your sister did to me¡­ fucked everything up, for both of us. Now I can¡¯t even talk to the rest of me¡­ go to sleep Anabelle. Let me take care of Diana Ulrich. 8:45 PM August 1st Dinner at Anthony¡¯s place was a surprisingly enjoying experience, while his father wasn¡¯t an award-winning chef like Simon Jugosla, he was a fucking good one. ¡±Now you have an appetite that fits the job.¡± His father, a middle-aged and wisened man with an organic graying of his hair slid another plate of barbecued ribs towards me. ¡°Anthony barely eats a single chicken leg. Kid doesn¡¯t even know how much they cost these days.¡± ¡±I¡¯m vegetarian.¡± Anthony picked up a steamed broccoli and chewed it. ¡°The meat¡¯s not even from an actual chicken! It¡¯s cloned!¡± Anthony¡¯s father, who actually went by the name Lewis, clapped Anthony¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Just¡­ take some more protein, I can feel your bones.¡± ¡±Dad!¡± He slapped the old man¡¯s arm. ¡±Barely even felt it, Diana. Tell me, how¡¯s your punch? You look like you trained in martial arts? Ever picked up boxing?¡± He gave me a curious look. Right, I saw a few trophies on the walls for him, a lot of second or third place awards for the martial arts. ¡°Yeah, I trained in a lot of things. I particularly like Muay Thai, but I¡¯m better with my gun.¡± I said in the middle of my bites. ¡±You should join me and Anthony in the gym someday then. The boy could really train a right hook or two, but I taught him well. Think you could beat him?¡± He was clearly trying to put his son up on a pedestal, but Anthony deflated. My scores on the various training equipment were¡­ several leagues above his. ¡±She¡­ can dent steel.¡± Anthony summed it up with that. ¡±Can you?¡± Lewis looked over at me. ¡°Well, now I¡¯ll have to see it myself.¡± ¡±I¡¯d be glad to give you a private demonstration if Anthony¡¯s too scared to show up.¡± I joked. Anthony flashed red. ¡°Diana! Shut up!¡± Then he retreated back, but a message popped up on my lenses. [Do not flirt with my dad. I beg of you.] I typed with my eyes as I took another serving, god I was really hungry. [Sure thing¡­ :)] ¡°That¡¯s no way to talk to a girl, Anthony. How are you ever going to find an actual girlfriend?¡± He slapped Anthony on the back. ¡°You really had me going for a moment, next time don¡¯t disappoint me!¡± After a lot of laughing, Lewis decided to give Anthony a break from the abuse. Throughout the house were an assortment of pictures of little Anthony and his mother, a beautiful woman sharing Annabelle Grazhe¡¯s gray eyes and hair and very much looking like her¡­ but more joyful. ¡°Tell me about Anthony¡¯s mom. How¡¯d you two meet?¡± ¡±Juliet. She was a wonderful woman, she popped up into my gym when I was training up some young bloods. Asked for a practice round and nearly beat me to death! That¡¯s when I knew she was the one.¡± It was cute seeing the older man so flustered. ¡±She was feisty, had a real attitude like Anthony. Loved that about her, hated it with him. Swear on god, she could scare a Titanium MAL away with her kick. Used to bust down all the doors as a kid, said it was training! I still believe she¡¯s the strongest and smartest of them all¡­ not to mention the most beautiful.¡± The old man showed me a picture of them when they were younger, it was of the two of them sparring. He had bruises all over. ¡±That¡¯s so cute. I heard she used to be in the police?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but feel in awe of the woman, she embraced such confidence in that one picture that I hoped to feel someday. ¡±Was an officer like you and I believe¡­ she reached First-Rank Investigator by the time Anthony was born. Got there quicker than Annabelle by one-month! They bickered about it constantly. But they loved each other. Her and Anabelle were the youngest, grew up with eachother throughout it all.¡± He showed me a childhood picture of the siblings. It was startling to see Anabelle in a police cadet uniform hugging her younger teenage sister. She looked so happy and fresh compared to her current broody self. ¡±Never knew that about the Lieutenant.¡± I admitted. ¡±She won¡¯t show it, but she has a big heart. I¡¯m glad she picked up on her father¡¯s position¡­ that man was¡­ too jaded for the job. Even when it didn¡¯t call for such drastic measures. Juliet ended up making a change and left the police force at twenty-seven, when Anthony was four years old. Worked in a hospital instead, ended as a hospice nurse, was amazing at that job too¡­¡± He chuckled, but slowly his face softened into one of sorrows. ¡±I know you have it on your mind but¡­ she passed away when Anthony was twelve. A mutated virus, they said, a MAL-based one that Muramasa used as a bioweapon on the hospital. Motives are unclear but¡­ she was one of the first to get infected. She offered to let them test her, they acted quick but¡­ she was the only one to die. Stayed strong until the end, as beautiful too.¡± ¡±Dad.¡± Anthony interrupted, his gaze unfocused. ¡°I think I¡¯ll¡­ check up on the parrots.¡± Squawky and Squeaky, they were named. Though, it was clear Anthony left to distract himself. He never told me what his mother had said to him, but¡­ it clearly stayed with him. ¡±Sorry about that.¡± Lewis sighed. ¡°He¡­ he thinks Muramasa targeted her specifically. Or that, I don¡¯t know, they were hired to do so.¡± ¡±I don¡¯t blame him.¡± I didn¡¯t. ¡°She sounded like a capable woman.¡± ¡±Can you do me a favor, Diana?¡± Lewis settled his wrinkled hands on the table. ¡°Get him to leave the police force.¡± ¡±What?¡± I stared at the old man. ¡±He- his aunt thinks the same as him. She loved Juliet fiercely, they were best friends. Anabelle will never say it but¡­ somewhere in her, she¡¯s trying her best to force Anthony to become the leader that he can, but she¡¯s going the wrong way with it. She wants him to one day take over the force in her stead, become a lieutenant so she can embrace a higher position. She wants to give it to her sister¡¯s son. Her heart¡¯s in the right place but she¡¯s¡­ disillusioned.¡± Lewis¡¯s knuckles tightened till they were bone-white. ¡±He hates the job.¡± Lewis chuckled. ¡°I hate it too, no offense, but it¡¯s not for him¡­ I¡¯ve seen what he¡¯s had to suffer through with my wife once. I don¡¯t want it to happen to him. They¡¯re both the same, tough and hot-headed¡­ but they love life a bit too deeply. They won¡¯t learn from their scars, it just haunts them. Somewhere along the line, you changed him. You made him want to work, he think about you deeply and I think¡­ he wants to impress you. All I ask is that you let him escape, before he¡­ he becomes more like Anabelle. Like Jacob. That¡¯s what I¡¯m scared of.¡± My breath slowed¡­ ¡°What exactly should I know of Anabelle Grazhe?¡± ¡°I know about your Gold, Diana. The kid can¡¯t keep a secret.¡± He nodded, looking a bit paler. ¡°It¡¯s a powerful tool, but it¡¯s not everything you need to break the system. There are dozens of Gold-Grades scattered across the military, a few less in Titanium. And the Director holds Platinum. Anabelle, like her father, is consumed by her rank. By her duty. As the child most capable with an Implant carrying his Mutation, she was the brunt of her father¡¯s discipline ¡ª Juliet joined so she wouldn¡¯t be alone. Annie¡¯s more like her father than she¡¯ll ever want to admit. I know she cares about Anthony, but she¡¯s not beyond¡­ using those close to her. Truth be told, Juliet and Anabelle got into a fight before my wife left the force. Something major, something that Juliet didn¡¯t approve of.¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡±How much¡­ do you know about what I¡¯m looking into?¡± I had a feeling. ¡±Anthony told me everything. Dogwhistler, Soul Killer¡­ even about Yvette, Rorsche and Indra. I¡¯m¡­ deeply sorry for your losses. As for this. I¡­ I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s right for me to say, I don¡¯t even know much about it. Truth is, it¡¯s why I wanted to invite you for dinner.¡± ¡±Whatever it is¡­¡± I clenched my teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure he doesn¡¯t get involved. I won¡¯t let him.¡± ¡±Thank you.¡± He nodded. ¡°My wife, although she lost access to the police network, made sure to keep hidden files. I can transfer you the key to access them in the AbyssNet, from what I¡¯ve looked through. It talks about a group called¡­ The Uncaged. She found a link between them and her father that caused her to leave the force. They¡¯re responsible for some hidden strings pulling from the shadows to control the city. It¡¯s outdated by a decade, but you might find something in it.¡± ¡±Thank you.¡± I said solemnly. ¡°I¡¯ll use it. I¡¯ll find a way to¡­ end this.¡± ¡±You¡¯re better than this world, Diana.¡± Lewis said. ¡°I just wish you gave my boy a chance.¡± I flushed a little. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ growing on me, but I don¡¯t think I have the time for anything right now.¡± ¡±Well, hopefully when you save New California, he¡¯ll have grown a chest hair or two.¡± He laughed. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Back home, I plugged in the Datacube Lewis had given me. If whatever was on here really was something I needed then I¡¯d owe the man several drinks. It took an hour for the cube to shine that it¡¯s connection was secure, my heart retching the whole time. Loading¡­ Personal Files of Juliet Grazhe: Missy? I clicked it first. Missy contacted me last night, she said I might already be .compromised. Everything she said points to Mikail turning the tides, she hoped she could change him, but I know that feeling well enough. Regardless, I have to make a decision. Anabelle has to get help, or else we¡¯ll lose her. Maybe we already have. Soul Killer cannot be allowed to win. Cryptic¡­ I could feel the dread sinking into me from the words. Alright then, Soul Killer. Those damn flowers. They¡¯re everywhere. Don¡¯t trust anybody. They can be anywhere, they can be anyone. As long as a single one is alive, they are eternal. Nothing much, but flowers? Was that a metaphor? The Uncaged. Mr. R, whoever he is. He knows everything, and he has his people looking out. Mikail and Soul Killer are working for him, I know it. But this doesn¡¯t make sense, why do any of this¡­ other than to destroy the city entirely? As a group, Missy said they¡¯re called The Uncaged. So¡­ Mikail and Soul Killer are part of this group called The Uncaged, and a Mr. R was leading them? Mikail Almajali. After The Iron Devil Incident that led to Metal Heavens¡¯ splitting into tow, Hammersmith came into contact with Missy, it was her first time meeting the man ¡ª she told me. But she¡¯d heard a lot about him, he handed Diamante off to her. Then disappeared for a few years only to bring another child into her growing band of mercenaries. She¡¯s a good person, I know she is, but she should have killed the second kid from the beginning. I¡¯ve never seen someone more obsessed with Shardware. He¡¯s done terrible things, to her, to Diamante¡­ to them all. And for what? To get Seraphina¡¯s tech? To prove himself? She says Diamante shot him with one of her rounds, and that she thought he was dead. Despite that¡­ he¡¯s alive. And he¡¯s been the only reason why I have even gotten this far with Soul Killer. Even as a bare skeleton of the man he used to be, he¡¯s only grown more powerful with that benefactor. He¡¯s become uncaged. I only grew more confused, did Ripley know anything about this? I tried connecting to him, but I only got a sent-to-voice-mail message. How far did this go? The Bladefather. Said to be Muramasa¡¯s leader, little do they know who¡¯s actually in control. It would be good if I knew either, but as it stands, Muramasa is simply a front for The Uncaged¡¯s activities. That man is dying¡­ slowly, but he¡¯ll only go when we have the balls to kill him. Tier IVs are deadly, but he¡¯s an exception even among them ¡ª a walking catastrophe. The Iron Devil Incident. Hammersmith may have rooted out corporate connections to Metal Heavens but I don¡¯t understand why he had weaponized that girl to that extent? Diamante doesn¡¯t even have a proper body now, only a living brain in a suit of armor. And for what? Metal Heavens¡¯ Orthodox Faction still lives on today, weaker, but I know that in weakness¡­ you can act in desperation. My contacts in Crimson Soul are keeping me aware, I just hope that they aren¡¯t compromised too. Mr. R? Dammit! Who the fuck is he? Something should¡¯ve come up in The VoidNet, but Crimson Heart says there¡¯s not even a mention! How far do we need to go? Or does he lay beyond NeoCore''s safeguards of The Net? All that I know¡­ is that he used to be called The Sin. But why change your fucking name? Who the hell is he to even create The Uncaged? Hammersmith¡­ Everything I learn about him is different ¡ª there¡¯s a void in this City with his name on it. One minute he¡¯s this walking miracle, then you¡¯re walking towards a catastrophe. How on earth can one man have so much influence yet barely appear? He¡¯d been active for less than five years, but in that time¡­ he¡¯s had tsunamis of impact. And why train up a kid, if you¡¯re going to abandon him?! To Anthony and others¡­ I was half-debating opening this one. Anthony, if you¡¯re reading this. Find whoever you love and leave this city. The Fifth Swarm is coming up and I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll survive it. I won¡¯t. And to the others, whoever has been entrusted. Thank you for taking this burden. The secret lies within the knowledge of the Old_Data. Not in its depths, but how it could be found. Turn around, and run. That line, that last one. It had to be a clue. The Old_Data. A portal to all of humanity¡¯s lost knowledge prior to The Collapse. Sovereign now to what has become the only Data-Devourer MALtitan. The Allseeing. What did it mean¡­ how it could be found? I don¡¯t know why, but a memory came back to me. A strange one, ever since the SecondNet had been formed by The Haithama Corporations, all NetSites were accessed by Warpcode and designed to be interfaced by thought. Yet, I remember, a faint time Brian Ulrich was boasting about his collection of old Pre-Collapse technology the MAL hadn¡¯t yet devoured. It was a computer, and old one he said was a¡­ CTR monitor? He played a video of how it was used, complete with those weird bootup sounds. But I remember finding it funny how to access those sites, you¡¯d have to put in what was called¡­ a URL. It started with¡­ www? And ended with a ¡®.com¡¯? So I looked back, and sure enough, there were strange underlines marked on words. The very first one was ¡®.compromised¡¯. Turn around¡­ and run. It was backwards. Finding all the underlined words, I typed in the address, hoping for something clear. www.runtowardsthisvoidofthenetunderstandtheeternal.com Run towards this void of the Net, understand the eternal. The address worked, a page began to load as text spiraled on and on. If you¡¯re seeing this, I met a fate worse than death. Life blossoms as it fades, oh what a way to go. I know my mind is lost, but as it bends and breaks I see a future that few have come to know. Insanity can be a gift under one¡¯s eye, but it can as easily become a curse to overflow. They will soon be eternal, The Founders, the enemies of mankind and the MAL alike. Oh what do they control? It is what we all seek. A Source. Of what? Perhaps joy of release, or the pain of containment, maybe guilt at seperation, or love with connection, the sadness of becoming, and the satisfaction of understanding, some peace from oblivion, while turmoiling with ideation, there¡¯s excitement in change, and boredom in stability, we face thoughts of endings of the future, yet never face the beginnings of the past. Ah, should we fill that emptiness or to become empty and embrace the void? Of that divided line between material and immaterial? Of the bridge between them? They all have one Shard of the Source. The MAL have it, the Founders have it, The Uncaged seek it. Perhaps, by the time I am dead, they will have one piece of the puzzle, perhaps more. Perhaps they will die trying. But it is more likely they will succeed. It whispers to me, the engorging eye, the Allseeing and Allknower. To think, this is but one Fragment of a Shard of The Source within me. The Titans will either win or die next Swarm. The Uncaged will make sure of it. I will not be there to see it, but what a wonderful sight it would be. The Collapse is still happening. Nothing has changed. We are still slaves. The MAL laugh at us, for what different are we from them? Have they not learned from us, from the Old_Data? To be like us? One day, humanity will fall, and it will not be the MAL¡¯s fault. It will be ours. As it always has been. Oh, so now I see. I see clearly for the first time. I may be dead, but I can see what follows. Who reads this letter? I know it now, I can see through eyes that are not mine, cancerous minds unknown to me think with the gift of Foresight¡­ showing and calculating possibilities of a future untold but beckoned so. What a curious MAL growing within you? Yes, you are proof. He can get what he wants, he is one step closer. When they come, the Hybrids, do not run, do not hide. They are your siblings in perfect harmony. The Singularity will descend with them. He was the one hurt most by The Collapse, he will end what The Founder¡¯s started on that forsaken spaceship. They will win. You will not. I¡¯m sorry. Tell Anthony I never meant to give in to this madness, Diana Jones. Ulrich. Silvereye. P.S Soul Killer will win. Skeleton will win. Dogwhistler will lose. P.P.S You both will lose, for there is no winning in the inevitable Clash of Blood and Steel. P.P.P.S Your secret has yet not been revealed. P.P.P.P.S There is one way, Diana. Become one with the power. P.P.P.P.P.S Muramasa has not killed me, but when I die, it will be painful. Anthony will be the last to see me, he will see my face molt. My beautiful flesh evaporates to the dust as I call my son names that I don¡¯t attribute to him, my bones will crack under my flesh, and it is strange. I will be the only one to die from the virus. Funny, a virus, a strange thing to call a flower gifted by a friend. May it bloom within you, Diana. Succeed, where I failed. You, and Dreadwire. I felt a deep chill ache into my heart, only one thought palpating through my blood about this conspiracy of blood and steel. ¡°What. The. Fuck.¡± Blood and Steel C65: Bountiful Investment Chapter 65: Bountiful Investment August 5th Ripley¡¯s sixth day as Diamante¡¯s Bounty Target Getting out of Little Requiem with a bounty on your head wasn¡¯t the most difficult thing to do, not if you had connections or reputation, Diamante had told me to stand tight and wait for him. It took around two hours for him to return with his familiar body, entirely metallic with a long and flowing trench coat worn over it. ¡°So you really can switch bodies. What does that feel like?¡± I hopped up, still uncomfortable with my wrecked knee. ¡±Painful, nauseating. Even if you don¡¯t have a stomach, your brain still remembers that feeling.¡± He grumbled, motioning for me to follow him. ¡±You must have a pretty powerful Accommodation BUG.¡± I pointed out. ¡±No, I won¡¯t let you mimic it. It¡¯s caused me enough pain, not gonna start spreading it.¡± He jumped across from our roof to another, making it look as easy as a hop over a puddle. I wasn¡¯t so nervous now, even with a busted leg I had a claw that tangled over a large piece of jutting metal that let me swing over. ¡°With Metal Heavens?¡± ¡±You know that I¡¯m The Iron Devil they fear so much, but it¡¯s a long story.¡± He jumped across another building, and I followed after. ¡±Heard one group call you The Silver Saint.¡± I braced tightly, this was fun, but my legs really needed to get some upgrades. ¡±Yup. That¡¯s another thing I¡¯m known as, but both names were titles I didn¡¯t ask for. In simple, I assaulted Metal Heavens, tore their faction into two equally shitty and crazy groups, some see me as a revered freedom fighter, the other brandished me as their mortal enemy.¡± He took me down a stairwell in this building. ¡±Who were you before all of that?¡± I bit into the real meat of the topic. ¡±That¡¯s where we end this conversation. Some pasts empower you, others chain you. And I¡¯m not being chained again.¡± That was enough of an answer from him, I respected it. ¡°So¡­¡± He started as we emerged into a tunnel. ¡°Tell me about your Shardware plans. A fuckin¡¯ mobile Arachne.¡± ¡±I¡¯m trying to push into Bronze Grade. My Grandfather had these eyes in the Enskel, we¡¯ve identified them at Bronze I Capacity. Then there¡¯s the Arachne I want to use. I found a good baseline model to do some preliminary testing with, but crafting it for mobile and combat use is going to be difficult.¡± ¡±Why not use a Tsuchigomo Exoskel? Yuzhou¡¯s had a working model in similar capacity for years.¡± He said it like it would be easy for me to find such a¡­ ¡±Do you think we¡¯ll find one at the facility?¡± My breath hitched. ¡±If R0N1N¡¯s willing to take a detour, then yeah.¡± ¡±Damn¡­ well, right, the reason I wanted an Arachne as the base is because of the Shardware Manipulation. I¡¯ve been training up with the simulations and protocols offered to me for general combat skills, but my main strength has always been with Shardware. If I have six extra tools to manipulate them during combat, I think I could be that much more useful.¡± ¡±The Arachne all you planning?¡± He seemed ready to tear my ideas apart. ¡±Found other interesting trinkets during my stay here, plus got a good stream of funds to invest. Have a few changes for my Claws and legs brewing up, but for that I need more Livewire.¡± ¡±Raw materials?¡± ¡±A shit ton of metal, and human hair.¡± I simplified it as I sent him the breakdown of Livewire¡¯s chemical composition without Warp Energy influencing it. Just the bare details, not enough to warrant him any significant ownership over it¡¯s manufacturing. He whistled. ¡±Shit. That¡¯s¡­ a hefty price. To get the amount currently on you would be nearly 80,000 not including the Shard-bits needed to infuse some Silver Energy into it.¡± ¡°Yeah, but Mr. Skeleton gave me a Silver-bit ages ago for selling my skin. We¡¯ll have to stop back at my grandfather¡¯s storage to get it, among other tools I sent back there.¡± I stretched, this was going to be a long walk. ¡ª¡ª¡ª We returned to the Metal Heaven¡¯s armory as the sun had set, it was a difficult hike with the several duffel bags and backpacks worth of Shardware I had brought with me. Setting down in the lounge of the place to organize my findings, I also mulled about how to spend my money. ¡ª¡ª¡ª August 6th Ripley¡¯s seventh day as¡­ a Shard Op¡¯? One sleepless night later, I¡¯d managed to infuse and condense some of my findings across my legs and arms. Nothing too major, just general strength adjustments that tipped them to the edge of a Bronze Grade Shardware piece, the true renovations would be done later on with my ideas for Feature Links. My orders also arrived, dropped off a few kilometers away at a dropbox which I made a quick visit to. Diamante was adamant that this place remain off people¡¯s radars. Nothing too major, some Bronze Grade Neuroprocessors and other assortments of higher grade materials, including some Warp Materials. I was beyond excited to finally incorporate them into my Shardware, the main two were Yttrium Steel, a metal that generated an electromagnetic field when Warp Energy was scattered through it, and Magmatite powder which was capable of turning heat into electricity or vice-versa. Finally, came Livewire¡¯s complex requirements for its creation. With only 150 thousand, I offered Diamante 100 of it to buy some interesting Shardware and a Bronze-Grade BUG I thought would be useful to me. An Analyze and Database BUG, a combination as old as time. This one belonged to an old Shard Op¡¯ of Metal Heavens, and it primarily held a focus on categorizing, identifying and simulating Shardware creation. The actual Shardware I bought was quickly scrapped, put together and scrapped again, but I learned alot about Metal Heaven¡¯s¡­ techniques. They were resourceful, I¡¯ll give them that. They had a knack for experimenting, and I only took the most wildly outrageous pieces of tech. Like a jaw that shot out a tongue-spear, or Shard Op¡¯ claws that had an electromagnetic grip. I also found out quickly why they were never used. Inherently wasteful, and a mismanagement of parts made them kind of¡­ shitty. Though, the principles were interesting enough that they did enlighten me. Finally, two incredibly different people came over. The first was my mother, who arrived being carried in Diamante¡¯s arms, to which I heavily protested. The second was¡­ The R0N1N strode in, his body a little worse for the wear as nicks and scratches ran over the clean shine of his Shardware. ¡°Where have you been?¡± Was he talking to me? ¡°Training, and collecting parts.¡± ¡±Well then I hope it¡¯s been successful.¡± He detached a leg off his body and threw it on my table. ¡°I need you to repair it. If you¡¯re not busy.¡± ¡°Now?¡± I slid the muscle fibers I was working on aside, my heart hammering away. ¡°I¡¯m free.¡± ¡±Are you¡­ certain?¡± He gave a once over to my littered table. ¡°How many projects are you working on?¡± Diamante intruded as he entered the room. ¡°Lowballing it, he¡¯s making a unique Shardware piece at Bronze Grade, creating Feature Links for his own pieces, fabricating an experimental Warp Material, putting sharper blades in his legs, a new blade for one arm building firearms.¡± ¡±You have less than three weeks to finish all of that?¡± R0N1N did not look amused. ¡°And get yourself to 80% development? I am certain you will not succeed.¡± ¡±I know it¡¯s alot, I¡¯m overwhelmed too. But even getting half of it done will improve my chances.¡± I stiffened, pouring my sight over the leg R0N1N handed to me. Diamante couldn¡¯t help but open his speaker. ¡°Spine replacement too.¡± ¡±A spine?¡± R0N1N said with an air of confusion. ¡°Ripley, how do you intend to be mobile during the mission? A full spinal cord replacement requires weeks of recovery. Unless¡­ you plan on having me carrying you? It is inconvenient, but if you are capa-¡± ¡°I can handle it.¡± I gnashed my teeth, unable to tell if that was joke with how serious he had been. ¡°For now, I¡¯ll focus on your leg. It¡¯s Yuzhou in design principle, but the components¡­ Imperium? That explains the efficiency of it¡¯s power distribution¡­ who did your work?¡± ¡°Hammersmith.¡± R0N1N pulled up a chair next to me, now that I stared into the creeps beneath his mask, his eyes were gentler than I assumed. My breath caught inside my throat, the Hammersmith¡­ somethings didn¡¯t make sense about him, but I had a suspicion that had been growing. It would make sense as to why I was kept alive by Missy, but also raised many more questions. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡±Guess you could say we¡¯re similar in that regard.¡± Diamante took a seat on the couch, apparently enjoying my anxiety at having to work for an international Military. ¡±How¡¯ve you been maintaining them without him?¡± This work was extremely intricate, I couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of it without an in-depth blueprint. ¡°And the damage is all internal? The joints seem burnt? What did this?¡± ¡±Me.¡± R0N1N. ¡°I possess a Unique Function that has a basis from Overclock, it¡¯s known as Overmind. For a few moments, I can improve my mental faculties by several thousand times its original output, improving my own Warp Energy manipulation. The Shardware I use is made up of a unique Warp Material similar to Yttrium Steel, a more concentrated variant called Yeritite, by performing precise calculations of the magnetic fields produced, I can vastly improve my speed and strength.¡± Diamante laughed. ¡°You should see him slice bullets in half! Actually, why don¡¯t you?¡± A video was sent over to my frame, and I watched it diligently. There was chaos everywhere, the police and Muramasa at war with bystanders caught in between them. Various shields erupted to protect them, but there was one figure slipping in between the cracks of Muramasa¡¯s defence. The R0N1N. He moved so quickly that it looked like he was teleporting from one Muramasa group to the other, blood erupting from the wounds of his blade by the time he slew another group. Then a silver glint caught my eye, Diana¡¯s body wreathed in lightning zipped across tables to the main stage and expertly dispatched some of Murasmasa¡¯s guards. Moving like liquid mercury, she was an elegant player in the victory that day. ¡±Damn, so your Shardware can¡¯t handle the output you push into it? Not surprised, most Shardware built to move at that speed are orbital flight suits, and you won¡¯t find those outside NeoCore or SynTec.¡± I turned over the video once more, how was The R0N1N stopping his momentum? I scanned each frame, noticing the blue glow of his feet that sucked his position to the ground like a vacuum. Was he¡­ I tilted the heavy limb to stare at the sole of the feet, three disks jabbed tight in there which I hesitated to prod at, not if I was right about what they were. ¡°Is this¡­ Gravitanium?¡± ¡±You are correct.¡± R0N1N curtly nodded. ¡±I-¡° This was a Gold-Grade Warp Material? It could manipulate localized gravity fields! ¡°Do you have any¡­ extra?¡± ¡±I do not.¡± His green eyes were calm and serene as they slipped between the gaps of his mask. ¡°But they aren¡¯t prone to damage, if you wanted to know.¡± ¡±I was hoping to buy some off you.¡± I sheepishly answered. Diamante laughed like a maniac. ¡°Y-you? Buy a Gold-fucking-grade Warp Material?? As if that Silver-graded thread you own wasn¡¯t enough?¡± ¡±Hey jackass, I¡¯m at least trying!¡± Besides, Livewire was actually also Gold-graded¡­ well, Silver-Gold, but I wouldn¡¯t let them know that. R0N1N looked mildly amused, but also bored at the exact same time. ¡°I have access to some other materials, most of it is used for my own maintenance. I have no need for luxuries, so Shardyne is simply an method of utility, if you believe you have a method of using my assets in a reasonable way then I can supply them. For the sake of the mission.¡± ¡±Access?¡± I said eagerly. ¡°You have a list of contacts here for Material vendors?¡± ¡±No. Most of them are not in the city, I do¡­ have Shards however.¡± He pulled a jangling helix out from his pocket. A small pulse of energy caused it to release a spewing twist of light that formed a single Iron Shard. ¡±A Shard Convertor?¡± I eyed the tool. ¡°Is this where you keep your money?¡± ¡±My accounts tend to be seized.¡± He explained. I tried to hold myself together, but was he serious about supporting my strength? ¡°So just to clarify, you¡¯re offering to buy me things?¡± ¡±I¡¯m only increasing the likelihood of your survival, I need a proper Shard Operator who I can trust, one with sufficient skills and survivability. Maiden is the only other Shard Operator I was told about, but she rejected to join us.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Maiden?¡± Diamante looked a bit nervous for a second, but answered regardless. ¡°An old friend of ours¡­ well, mine. She and Missy don¡¯t get along too well, hency why she rejected to join us. We planned on having her be our Shard Operator.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m your second-pick?¡± ¡°Oh, no! You were way lower!¡± He imitated scrolling down a list with his hands. ¡°No offense kid, you¡¯ve only had a BUG for around two months.¡± ¡°Fair¡­ so I¡¯m supposed to repair the R0N1N as he¡­ what? Takes on a whole Yuzhou base by himself?¡± I knew the guy was tough, but this was a corporation we were talking about. The R0N1N shrugged. ¡°Knowing Yuzhou, I will be forced to combat several Silvers by myself in all likelihood, the backlash on my body will be difficult to deal with without an Operator who can perform emergency repairs.¡± He said without understanding the weight of what it meant for me to do this. This was the most pragmatic man I had ever met. ¡±How much¡­ are you¡­ offering for this investment into me?¡± Did I meet someone with no greed in their heart? ¡±I can safely part with¡­ a million Shardyne? Is that acceptable?¡± He looked almost guilty as though he was lowballing the offer. ¡°Apologies, but I¡¯m already spending on various-¡° ¡±That¡¯s enough.¡± I was not going to have him self-doubt this generosity. I even had to keep myself from bargaining higher. He sighed, shaking the bracelet sized convertor until it glowed bronze. A rain of Bronze Shards fell forth, 200 if the my rapid counting was correct. The engineering behind a Shard Converter made it almost as expensive as ten Silver Shards¡­ and I was more than eager than ever to one day get my hands on one. ¡±Acceptable?¡± He picked one up, my own wide-eyes reflected back in the bronze. ¡±Yes.¡± I choked. ¡±Then I hope it¡¯s not being put to waste. Do not underestimate your value to me, Ripley. I need your survival for my own, but this money won¡¯t buy you time to finish your projects. If you do succeed in them, I am curious to know how you will fare.¡± He then glanced at his leg. ¡°But I do need urgent repairs.¡± ¡±Right away, sir.¡± I immediately went to work. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Ripley¡¯s seventh day, now with The R0N1N as a sugar daddy. My mom stammered at the sight of the 200 Bronze Shards. ¡°He gave you this? R0N1N?¡± ¡±I¡¯m confused myself, but you don¡¯t shoot a gift horse in the mouth.¡± That¡¯s how it went, I think. ¡±Did he attach any debt?¡± My mom picked them up in her palms, it was an incredible amount of wealth. ¡±I think it¡¯s an¡­ investment? If I knew he was going to give me this, I wouldn¡¯t have spent a week in Little Requiem. Not that I didn¡¯t get unique benefits from it.¡± I soldered a small joint in, there were so many interconnected parts in the leg I feared even a single mistake would wreck catastrophe. I was touching a legendary Shard Op¡¯s work after all. The Hammersmith''s... and the more I worked on it, the more familiar I became. And that wasn''t just because of Procedure Repetition. There was a qualitative familiarity to its design, one I was slowly... coming to terms with. A call rang in my ears. R0N1N, I slammed my thought on the accept button. ¡°Is my backup leg ready?¡± ¡±Your backup?- This isn¡¯t your actual leg?¡± I was already bending backwards to deal with it. ¡±No. My actual leg is only used in important cases, I would suggest you find a similar method for your own Shardware. Once your involvement is known, your Shardware can be identified even if you used a mask during your stunts as Deadwire.¡± He explained. ¡±Dreadwire.¡± I corrected. ¡°But¡­ yeah, I have an idea in mind. It¡¯ll take a few days for me to get it dealt with.¡± ¡°I understand, Shard Operating is a difficult job.¡± I had no idea what the R0N1N¡¯s actual personality was, nice one second and cold the next. ¡°I trust you will be done with my leg in a few hours?¡± Uh¡­ what was the respectable way to say¡­ no. Diamante ended offering him a spare leg hanging around, and the two apparently went bounty hunting while I was to perform repairs. ¡±So¡­¡± I had to push some shame aside as I had already gained so much from his investment, but would my next request push him over the edge? ¡°It¡¯s a tough job, working with unfamiliar tech. You said you have a Unique Function called Overmind? Did¡­ Diamante tell you I can mimic Functions?¡± ¡±No.¡± R0N1N stayed silent for a few seconds. ¡°Apologies, I was killing a Silver. Yes, I¡¯ll let you mimic it, but understand that it¡¯s a taxing ability. What grade is your Neuroframe?¡± ¡±Iron VII.¡± I had just upgraded it. ¡±Bronze II. Then I¡¯ll let you test it, or else the Frame would explode.¡± Founders, my list of requirements for various boons were growing. ¡±It¡¯s a deal.¡± I muttered, the call cutting. The R0N1N¡¯s generosity only ever grew. ¡°Fuck, I need to get this leg done for him, ASAP!¡± I tossed aside all the other scrap on the table, except for the Bronze Shards which I very neatly put into an orderly pile. Reaching into my bags, I took out some of the various BUGs I¡¯d come across. Mostly Iron, but I had two Bronze¡¯s within them. My mother didn¡¯t question the pile of wealth I¡¯d just pulled out, but there was no doubt that they¡¯d been retrieved off corpses. She took a deep breath to steady herself, and I felt guilty knowing that she felt guilt for this¡­ ¡°This isn¡¯t permanent¡­ this won¡¯t be my new life.¡± I felt the need to tell her. ¡°It¡¯s just a rough patch until you¡¯re cured, and then I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll fix things.¡± Even my Personality Matrix. These BUGs were evidence that I¡¯d become a changed man to my mother, and not a good change. Seeing her quiet shame, it clicked something in me that this wasn¡¯t sustainable for me in the long term¡­ As soon as the mission was dealt with, I¡¯d begin making progress to amend things within me¡­ and extend it into our lives. For now, my duty was towards my goals. No matter the cost. One of the BUGs was a Bronze Technician and Sustain BUG, the other an Accommodate and Psyche BUG. While they were good BUGs, they weren¡¯t outrightly more powerful than my own Mimicset. Then, pulling the final BUG out of my arm, was the Analyze and Database BUG. Both were useful, but would it be better to mimic them or to convert them into a more permanent power? I¡¯d only managed to absorb half a Bronze BUG before, and that took me places I never thought I¡¯d see. Absorbing a full BUG was a risk, but I needed a new Technician Protocol. Preferably, I wanted to absorb the Technician Feature from the first BUG and the Database Feature of the one in my Mimicset¡­ So lining up both in my hands, I focused intimately on their inner workings, unraveling the rivers of code into something I could digest. I pulled, and my body drowned under the suffocating weight of it. A protocol for my Technician BUG¡­ to create anything. Absorbing Warpcode¡­ forcing compatibility. Technician V.1.14 has updated to V.1.15 Effect: Shardware theory can be much better recalled. Technician V.1.15 has updated to V.2.00 Effect: Protocol Scrapyard has been established, allowing the Adapter to create a virtual field where they can manipulate reconstructions of Shardware based on knowledge and memory of them. I gasped for breath, feeling my mind ebb and flow to the code it formed into a protocol. Scrapyard? Now that was interesting, I pulled on it, my head throbbing as years of knowledge poured out in front of my eyes¡­ designing reality to my imagination. Blood and Steel C66: Take a leap Chapter 66: Take a Leap August 7th Ripley¡¯s eighth day¡­ having breakfast with his mother ¡±Still can¡¯t believe you''re managing to fix it up. His leg, that thing is the devil¡¯s work.¡± My mother said over salad, we were eating out at the old armory, not her preferred idea of our weekly breakfast but I said I would make up for it with tomorrow¡¯s lunch. ¡°That new protocol of yours sure is beautiful.¡± ¡±Right¡­¡± I was on my second sleepless night. ¡°I¡­ it¡¯s pretty damn good.¡± Everytime I blinked, I could see the images etched on my eyelids. Translucent metallic limbs fusing and breaking down in my sight, their various mechanisms pulled apart to suspend within the air for my inspection. It was one thing to do the theory and design simulations with downloaded software. It was another thing directly to have your brain reprogammed for it. All of my knowledge rearranged itself to perform calculations, manipulations and recombinations of Shardware in front of my eyes. Everything I''d ever broken down with Reverse Engineering could manifest infront of my eyes with a blink with Scrapyard, and mimicking a Database BUG only further perfected their images. No... not mere images, simulations of Shardware from their framework to coding to even experimental modifications could be visulaized upon entirely within my head and etched into reality. Even my mom could view the simulations when she connected to my Frame. And combining it with the Shardware-focused Analyze Feature I mimicked, I was able to directly incorporate real-time findings into my vision as I worked on the R0N1N''s leg, mapping the sleek metal''s various canyons and mountains of untold treasures. It just had the side-effect of leaving me¡­ a tiny bit drained. I fell asleep on my salad. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Later that night Sitting on my desk, I stared up at my right claw, satisfied. It was good work, and R0N1N¡¯s money had already been useful. It was also the time I decided to absorb a second Bronze BUG directing it entirely into my Energized Function. Absorbing Warpcode¡­ forcing compatibility Energized V.1.13 has updated to V.1.14 Effect: Reduced mental strain from Warp Burns when directing Warp Energy through the Central Nervous System Energized V.1.14 has updated to V.1.15 Effect: Slight boost to mental output when Warp Energy is directed to the brain. It was interesting that Energized had updated to reduce mental strain, was it because the Features absorbed were Psyche and Sustain? I tested it out with the Scrapyard Protocol, feeling it becoming easier to mentally spill out visual overlays into my brain¡¯s processing of vision. Then, I pushed into the Thought Multiplier. ¡¯Scrapyard¡¯ X ¡®Arachne¡¯ The effect was tremendous, whereas before it was easy to make out rough blurring in the virtual mechanical pieces, now they solidified until it became almost graspable. I floated the six arms into various positions, mapping them on my back as I organized the makeup of the Soulbranch Spine to work with it. Yes, things were coming together. Every droplet of progress would one day fill a sea. ¡ª¡ª¡ª August 8th Ripley¡¯s ninth day, having lunch with his mother ¡±This is incredible, your notes¡­ everything seems perfect?! Too perfect?¡± Breadcrumbs fell in between my mother¡¯s candor, but I felt a bit disgruntled. ¡±Hey, I know it¡¯s impressive but¡­ I¡¯d rather not talk about work right now.¡± I sipped coffee, artificially flavored but the caffeine was a necessary hit. ¡±Yes, yes.¡± My mother laughed it off. ¡°Have you asked that girl out yet?¡± ¡±I¡¯m working on it.¡± I said, bemused by her sudden shift. ¡±You know, your father asked me out while I repaired his laundry machine. I was a shy young girl back then, never the type to go for the son of a suit, but his brazen confidence for something real won me over. He even brought a flower, who brings a flower to a girl fixing up his laundry machine?¡± ¡±I do not want to hear this.¡± ¡±Point is, Ripley, take a leap.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª I knocked on the door, hoping it would be answered, my breath clamoring my chest as I waited. Mirage opened the door soon after, confused by my unannounced appearance. ¡±Hey Mirage¡­ can I¡­ come in?¡± I smiled, was it too big of a smile? Did my teeth look weird? Were they too yellow? ¡±Yeah, you don¡¯t need to ask.¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Everything alright? Heard Dreadwire rocked up a storm in Little Requiem a few days ago, killing a Los Diablos DJ? And a Metal Heaven¡¯s Priest?¡± ¡±I¡¯ve been busy.¡± I stepped in. ¡°How¡¯re your¡­ Personas?¡± ¡±They¡¯re fine.¡± She quickly answered. ¡°Daylight¡¯s training is going well, she¡¯s a quick learner. She¡¯ll be ready by the time we enter the facility. Midnight¡¯s in the Net, Twilight¡¯s handling a contract.¡± ¡°So just you in your head right now?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if I preferred that. ¡±Seems like it.¡± ¡±Wanna go out with me?¡± ¡±It¡¯s been a while since it¡¯s just been me- huh?¡± ¡¯Confidence¡¯ X ¡®Asking Mirage Out¡¯ ¡±Want to go out on a date?¡± I said more firmly. ¡±I¡­ I¡¯m not¡­ the others would-¡° She got heated up, taking a seat. ¡°I would love to, but it¡¯s complicated because of-¡° ¡±Right, I never clarified.¡± I coughed. ¡°Would all of you like to go out on a date with me?¡± She froze, her eyes darting away from mine. ¡±You mean¡­¡± I raised four fingers up. "I go out on four dates, one for each of your three Personas and you.¡± I hoped that would be enough. ¡±Do you even have the time?" Her breath came out nervously, her feet stepping over the other. "Sorry, this is just... something that doesn''t happen to me much, but I really-¡° ¡±I just want to know you, Elsa. All of you.¡± I pulled up something from my pockets, it was a metallic rose with four different colored petals. ¡°I was originally going to make four, but I was a little strapped for time and-¡° ¡±Okay.¡± She took the flower blooming red, blue, violet and lavender. Her cheeks were the faint color of a real rose. ¡°I- I can¡¯t say no when you¡¯ve put in this much effort. I would... like that date.¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Thank. The. Founders. ¡±So¡­ we setting a date for the date?¡± I awkwardly laughed. ¡°One second.¡± Mirage tapped her wristband, all three bars of red, violet and blue lit up. The red band pulsed first, Midnight¡¯s dark whispers ushering out as Elsa gasped before her eyes turned red and a sharp tone stabbing into me. ¡°A stupid decision, but I¡¯ll be the first to judge you. Please me or die. August 10th at 9PM, meet me here.¡± From red to blue trickled a happy smile, Daylight¡¯s cheers singing out. ¡°You know how long I¡¯ve been waiting! Well, not too long since I¡¯m pretty new, but it was love at first sight! The next day after Midnight, we¡¯ll have breakfast!¡± Oh¡­ okay, Twilight¡¯s calmer eyes instilled the most anxiety from me. ¡°So you¡¯ve finally gone and asked her out¡­ tch, I¡¯ll be a tease, finish things up with Mirage then you¡¯ll get me.¡± Mirage blinked. ¡°Right, I guess then after you and Daylight, we can go out. Twilight¡¯s date comes after that¡­ but Ripley do you have the time to spend a full day on me?¡± ¡±I want to spend a lot of days on you.¡± I answered honestly, before correcting it hurriedly. ¡°With you! With you!¡± ¡±Yeah, of course!¡± She pushed her hair behind her ear. ¡°Was that it or¡­¡± ¡±Actually yeah there¡¯s more, I... wanted to ask you about Feature Links since you¡¯re the best Warpcode expert here. Since you helped get me one for my frame.¡± I tapped the metal slab on my head to make the point. ¡±Right.¡± She sat on the couch, her eyes still refusing to even take a hint of mine. ¡°I had done a peripheral scan of your frame and found the Personality Matrix inside there, naturally due to the events at the club it was overactive which your frame couldn¡¯t handle so I installed a simple Engram for stability on there which your Psyche Feature manifested the Neural Matrix if I remember.¡± ¡±That¡¯s about it. What do you mean by a simple Engram though?¡± ¡±They¡¯re a bit obscure but they¡¯re basically simple outlines of Warpcode associated with a general theme. I use them to train my Personas, not used much in Shard Operating because your clients will want something specific. Besides, Engrams are based on Warpcode, so they¡¯re formed using BUGs specially extracted and modified with a Dataweaving Function attuned to that aspect of Warpcode manipulation.¡± ¡±To change the Feature into something else¡­¡± Sort of like Data Mimicry. ¡°So then¡­ what other Engrams do you have? These simple ones?¡± ¡±Stabilization, Coordination, Control, Detection and Misdirection.¡± Then she puckered her lips. ¡°But it¡¯s costly to use them, when I stabilized you, I used the Silver Shard-bit you had on you.¡± ¡±Right, that explains where it went.¡± I thought I had lost a 5,000 Shardyne piece when Diamante asked me to show it off to him. I pulled out ten Bronze Shards from my pocket. ¡°This enough?¡± ¡±I can absorb them and convert them into a similar grade of Warpcode using a Protcol of mine.¡± She observed each piece of wealth. ¡°Why not just use my own Gold?¡± I contemplated the idea. ¡±You could, but unless you have excess it¡¯ll feed on your updates. You¡­ actually could, since you absorb 100% of the Warpcode. If you mimic my Dataweaving Function I see no reason why you couldn¡¯t shape an Engram yourself.¡± So if I was getting the steps right¡­ You could use Dataweaving to take a Feature from a BUG and convert it into an Engram, which served as a general vessel or framework that could be repeatedly used to create Feature Links by feeding it Warpcode from anoter Implant. That could be considered the inorganic method of creating a Feature Link. The organic method, then, would simply occur through prolonged usage of an Adapter¡¯s own Feature through Shardware. Though the method for my Neuroframe¡¯s link appeared to be a hybrid. She reached out into a laptop by her table, plugging the wires of her arm into the device. ¡°Alright connect whatever Shardware you want into this, then try manipulating the Engram to get a feel for it.¡± I hopped over, raising my left leg onto the table and plugging it in. I browsed through and opted for the Coordination Engram, which seemed to have roots from Sustain and Accommodation. Then Mirage parted her hair to show the sleek but large frame planted across her nape down to her shoulders. Reading her Warpcode was an intimate encounter once more, I could feel the passage of her thoughts shift course even if we weren¡¯t directly sharing a single skull now. No discernable predictions could be made, but the simple glance of our metallic bodies in contact sparked an electricity. Mimicking Dataweaving¡­ effective V.2.00 Each time, I was peeking a little closer into who she was. The story of her growth as a Data Delver. For as much as I liked her, I still barely knew a thing about her. I sensed... great darkness within her, alongside an illuminating light like the moon against the backdrop of a starless cosmos, manipulating the tides of Warpcode with ease. Strapping in, I connected myself to the meshwork of wires, allowing my chosen Engram to spread over the leg. It flowed like a miasmic bunch of grasping vines to my vision, squirming their way into my leg¡¯s physique. I acted before it could fully form, absorbing the Energy from Shards into my body which all cracked and splintered away into tangible streams of Warpcode through my mimicry of Mirage''s Dataweaving¡­ a thought occurred to me. Could I absorb the Warpcode I create using these Shards while mimicking her feature? An idea for later. Taking a glance over the vines, I didn¡¯t notice any irregularities outright, but true to Mirage¡¯s words they never seemed to have any regularity in themselves. I could tell it was skillfully made, but the vastness of options allowed to it were staggering. It was an overgrown plant in my opinion and needed some pruning. So I started with the Accomodation aspects of it, I didn¡¯t see a need to make my legs feel more like legs. But looking at it more clearly, I noticed some interweaving of what I identified to be Pyshce and Intgeration influences within the Engram. I decided to keep the Psyche, allowing it extra space to bloom as the latter Feature was yanked apart by the rough shears of my mind. Feeling a tad bit more satisfied, I allowed the Engram to fully engross itself by feeding it the Warpcode I¡¯d created. It was like the vines which were hollowed out had gained color, becoming full of life and energy as precious drink drenched vitality within it ¡ª then I froze half way. I didn¡¯t want this to become linked to Dataweaving... So I switched to mimicking a Sustain BUG. It already had a basis to improve my coordination, so I felt the synchronizing tunes and allowed it to hum in place¡­ or¡­ I froze again. What if I linked it to Pyshce? To the nexus of my brain¡¯s processing power? Specifically, what if I focused on the Preservation Matrix? That could be interesting, so I leaned into it. It took a few minutes of stirring currents in through the vines, nothing too difficult, but then again establishing Links had eased due to Data Mimicry. Feature Link established: Reactive Autonomy [Psyche] I lifted the limb off the table, proud that I¡¯d done and finished with one of the most daunting ¡ª and profitable ¡ª tasks for a Shard Op¡¯. ¡±Worked like a charm.¡± I smiled through, feeling the limber tech. ¡°Kick me.¡± She turned her head, before attempting to do so with a shrug. Without even activating my Matrix, my left leg slid backwards into place and easily dodged the stomp. My right leg, did not. I almost fell over because of it. ¡±That might be an issue.¡± Did I have to give both legs the same Feature Link? I wasn¡¯t against it, but it could be a waste. This single Link costed 50,000 Shardyne to create. She tried to kick my leg again, to no avail as it just danced away. ¡°Maybe it would work better for your frame? Some nervous system unit? If you could imitate the process-¡° I stopped her there. ¡°A spine.¡± ¡±Huh.¡± ¡±I¡¯ll put it on my spine.¡± I grinned. ¡ª¡ª¡ª August 9th Ripley¡¯s tenth day¡­ getting a call from Diana. Spending the rest of the evening at Mirage¡¯s, I¡¯d shown off the Scrapyard and was just about putting the finishing touches on my spine as she watched with interest, it was almost ready. Before Twilight called me a bore and demanded we watch movies. It was early next morning when Diana called. She said she had something interesting to show me? But couldn¡¯t directly tell me what, but she sounded pretty panicked by it. I told her I¡¯d try to find the time since I was busy, but nothing concrete until my upcoming projects were finalized. That was half the reason, she also now had a sizable bounty that put hundreds of mercenaries to shame, and I didn''t know if taking that risk would have been worth it. There also might have been¡­ what Twilight called flirting from her end. ¡±You just asked us out on a date! The nerve of you!¡± Twilight smacked some sense into me. ¡±It was mostly her!¡± I tried to defend myself, I did a poor job of it. But regardless... at least she seemed excited about our date. And... so was I. Blood and Steel C67: Four Dates... One Woman Chapter 67: Four Dates¡­ One Woman August 9th Ripley¡¯s tenth day¡­ dinner with his mother. ¡±I told you the flower works!¡± She coddled me in her arms, it was probably the wine. I decided to take a liberty with my income and take her to a nice steakhouse. ¡±Yeah¡­ you did.¡± I was being squeezed really tight. ¡±To think my boy could actually get a date!¡± Okay that was uncalled for. August 10th Ripley¡¯s eleventh day¡­ preparing for a date with Midnight. I¡¯d spent the morning hours tinkering with my leg¡­ only to kind of break it apart because turns out once you put in a Feature Link, it becomes very hard to remove one. Not one to look down, I took it as an opportunity to improve the structure, creating a more physically capable and resilient limb. Yeah, I¡¯d basically built it from scratch, which was a heavy dent in my deposits but something interesting did come out of it. I could absorb Feature Links. Absorbing Warpcode¡­ Feature Link consumed. Data Mimicry V.1.06 updated to V.1.07 Effect: Increased ability to replicate absorbed Feature Links Huh, interesting. ¡ª¡ª¡ª The last thing I expected to see was Mirage wearing black lipstick, a leather jacket and enough spiky rings to punch a hole through my skull. Midnight, in the flesh and blood was a more¡­ spunky version of Mirage. Midnight spat some gum on the sidewalk. ¡°You took your time.¡± ¡±I was on time?¡± My clock read 9:57, I was early. ¡±A real man would have arrived twenty minutes earlier.¡± She glared into me with eyes I was not used to seeing on Mirage. ¡±So what did you have planned, Midnight?¡± I tried to remain civil. ¡±Listen up.¡± She snapped her fingers. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re fit to be with Mirage, nowhere near, clear as a Founder¡¯s shaved nutsack you just want to bone her. So here¡¯s the deal, I¡¯ll let you have sex with me, hell, if you¡¯re a good fuck we can make it a regular thing. But you don¡¯t dare try anything with Mirage or my younger sisters.¡± To say I was taken aback was putting it lightly. ¡°I- That seems kind of immoral, it¡¯s her body and I don¡¯t just want¡­ that.¡± That served to only make Midnight more angry. ¡°What? You saying I don¡¯t deserve a body to have a good time with? You think Mirage¡¯s the only one deserving to enjoy everything an organic has? I don¡¯t choose to spend most of my life in the Net, so when I do get this chance I make the most of it! Mirage knows, she doesn¡¯t care what we do with this body when she¡¯s not in it.¡± She made a good point. ¡°Yeah, okay I can see where you¡¯re coming from. Why don¡¯t¡­ why don¡¯t we slow down, you want to make the most of this, then trust me.¡± ¡±Trust you? Hah, bitch, you can¡¯t even be trusted with your own arm. I wonder how many times you jack off to her after watching those movies.¡± She eyed me dangerously, and I was close to reaching my breaking point¡­ but then I eased. ¡¯Midnight¡¯ X ¡®Friendship¡¯ I unclenched my fist. ¡±You¡¯re the oldest of the Personas right?¡± ¡±Yeah what of it?¡± ¡°Then I can see why you¡¯re protective of them, you called Midnight and Twilight your younger sisters?¡± She eyed me with surprise. ¡°Them and Mirage are all I care about.¡± ¡±I was serious, Midnight. You¡¯re the one I know least about, everyone tells me how scary you are, but you¡¯re still born from the same stuff they were. I like Mirage¡­ alot. I want to have the chance to really become close to her, and you¡­ I know you carry her contempt with you, so I don¡¯t really blame you for being so wary of me.¡± She scoffed. ¡°Pity won¡¯t get you anywhere.¡± ¡±You said I wasn¡¯t worthy?¡± My eyes focused. ¡°Why?¡± ¡±You¡¯re a fucking mess Ripley, Mirage needs stability, we all do. I¡¯m not blind rage, she¡¯s smart, she knows what to be angry about and I encompass it because it¡¯s what keeps us together. You know how fucking angry she was when you were half dead on the hotel floor? How angry I became?¡± She stepped closer to me. ¡°You¡¯re self-destructive, overly ambitious, and will get yourself killed! Then what will Mirage do? I¡¯d fly down to hell and rip your soul back here just for the pain you would cause her!¡± ¡°You make really good points, actually.¡± I couldn¡¯t deny any of it. ¡°I¡¯m a cesspool of fuckups, but lately, I¡¯ve started to change my view on them. I know what I am, what I¡¯ve done, that I¡¯m one wrong day away from snapping half the time. But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not trying to get better, I am. And I¡¯m not nearly delusional enough to think I can fix a person. Mirage¡¯s problems are her own, mine are mine but¡­ I don¡¯t see why we can¡¯t lend a helping hand, a shoulder to cry on. You¡¯re angry right, just let it out.¡± ¡±Let it out?¡± Midnight half-chuckled. ¡°Please, you already don¡¯t like me when I¡¯m an Avatar, I say anything in this body and you¡¯ll probably hate Mirage too. You know these are hidden thoughts, right? The ones she won¡¯t say.¡± ¡±I know¡­ so let¡¯s do something real stress-relieving.¡± An idea popped in my head. ¡°Follow me.¡± The walk was short from her place, but eventually we ended up under a bridge that looked like a dump. Because it was one, everything here was gathered over a century of wasteful metal thrown over the bridge for fun ¡ª a tradition for some reason. ¡±I used to come here when I was younger to loom over any Shardware pieces, Hoaqin came here to smack shit up.¡± I picked up a hefty wooden beam, tossing it over to Midnight. ¡°Think he was more successful between our endeavors. Just break a bunch of shit and yell about things you hate.¡± ¡±You can¡¯t be serious.¡± ¡±I am.¡± I raised my eyebrows, smacking a rod into an old couch, the boing of the springs intensely satisfying. ¡°Honestly, I think I need it too.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Who the fuck does Topaz think he is? Taming me?¡± Midnight grabbed up a television, throwing it to the floor as a rush of adrenaline shuddered through her. ¡°He gave me one fucking bar of chocolate after we spent 80 hours in the Net, I was the only one awake! Of course I wanted food!¡± ¡°Should have shaved him bald!¡± I yelled after, bringing down my claws to crush a desk. ¡±Good idea!¡± She helped snap my desk in two. ¡°Okay, fine! You pass!¡± ¡±I pass?¡± I had no idea what that meant, but then she stood on the tips of her toes and planted a soft kiss on my cheek. I¡¯d almost gotten used to her tough demeanor that seeing her blush was nostalgic. ¡°I kind of wanted a boytoy¡­ hope you¡¯re good in bed.¡± Before I could even think of a response, lavender light returned in those eyes, fluttering to survey the scene in front of us. ¡°That was¡­ entertaining to watch. You handled her well, I thought she would be too much.¡± ¡°She¡¯s strangely relatable, kind of refreshing to see someone who speaks their mind.¡± I took the gamble, removing a woodchip from Mirage¡¯s hair. ¡°You look cute with black lipstick.¡± ¡±I¡­ thank you.¡± She peeped, turning her eyes away. ¡°And¡­ I should have told you, but yeah if any of my Personas do want to¡­ erm¡­ do the deed. It¡¯s not something I hold against them, we have an agreement.¡± ¡±Oh, yeah¡­ I¡­ you know¡­ it¡¯s-¡± ¡±Yeah, I get it.¡± She chuckled it through the awkwardness. ¡°So Daylight tomorrow?¡± I confirmed. ¡±Yeah, she¡¯s excited.¡± ¡±So am I.¡± I smiled, and her eyes droned out to my face for a few still moments. For a second, I thought something was going to happen here between us, but neither of us moved. The stillness encapsulated us, but maybe that was enough for now. ¡ª¡ª¡ª August 11th Ripley¡¯s twelfth day¡­ and he¡¯s on a date with Daylight Daylight¡¯s date was far less eventful than Midnight¡¯s. We went on a walk, visited a cafe, took some pictures at a park before dropping her off back at her place. ¡±You¡¯re such a gentleman!¡± Dressed in a frilly pink and blue dress, it was the exact opposite of what I¡¯d seen yesterday. I liked this too. ¡°No wonder Midnight actually liked you¡­ so want to erm¡­ do something more fun?¡± ¡±Depends¡­ what do you have in mind?¡± Mirage had given me the go¡­ in some sense. I- I guess? ¡±It¡¯s going to have both us screeeaaming¡­¡± Daylight teased. ¡±Then I can¡¯t wait.¡± Okay, I decided that if I got uncomfortable at any point of this, I would stop. I had that much self-control. Turns out I had no self-control, throwing down the controller as Daylight beat me for the eighth time on the console game. Some stupid animated racing game where we threw red and green shells at each other. Abruptly, as the ninth match ended, she kissed me on the cheek, a warmth cradling her sky-blue eyes. ¡°I¡¯m missing you already, Rip.¡± Mirage blinked out, laughing as she noticed the controllers in our hands. ¡°Yeah, I hate this game too. She always tries to win bets using it.¡± ¡±I¡¯m never doing this again¡­ well, I mean, I am ¡ª the whole going on dates with you thing¡­ but fuck this game.¡± I struggled to not toss the controller into pieces. ¡°So¡­ you and me now?¡± ¡±Me and you.¡± Mirage repeated, a hint of a smile on her face. ¡ª¡ª¡ª I actually chose the venue for this date, a shopping center with a multitude of entertainment facilities and other avenues to explore. We took our time, first going to an arcade where we played games I actually could beat her at, though I suspected she went easy on me for the shooting game¡­ I knew my limits. Then we went clothes shopping, and I was having the time of my life. She came out of the stall in a pretty revealing v-neck covered over with a translucent pink top and black pants¡­. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. I¡­ liked one article of clothing a bit more than the rest. However, she insisted that I find something other than the hoodie or sweatshirt I wore most days. I didn¡¯t want to tell her I wore baggy clothing like that to hide the presence of my glowing nipped, so instead I pointed out the hypocrisy considering I always saw her in those type of clothes. Still, I couldn¡¯t deny that I felt pretty snazzy when I came out in a navy button-up with a stylish black puffer jacket that fit well. ¡±Drippy. I like it¡­ but¡­ it¡¯s missing something.¡± Mirage walked over near the counter, picking out framed glasses from one of the aisle¡¯s selections of items. She placed them over my eyes, smiling through the glossy reflections I had over them. ¡±There you go.¡± I don¡¯t know what changed so much for her to be twirling her hands. ¡°You look good in glasses.¡± ¡°I do?¡± My eyesight had always been sound, still had some Cradle genes in me from my dad¡¯s side. ¡±I like¡­ I think they suit you. It¡¯s cute¡­ I like it.¡± She admitted. I bought the glasses upon hearing that. But I also picked up a large cowboy hat I found interesting. ¡°You know who would look good in this?¡± She eyed the hat with interest. ¡°Who?¡± ¡±Diamante.¡± I snorted. ¡°Could you imagine it? Cowboy robot?¡± ¡±You know-¡° Her eyes lit up. ¡°I actually can imagine it. Buy it!¡± I did so. At the drop of a hat. I made that joke and she actually laughed, but called it dumb, but hey, she had a beautiful laugh. We ended up going for a movie too, an actual cinema which was my first time. I was not prepared for how loud everything would be, but I calmed down once her hand slid over my own¡­ After, we decided to slow things down and head back to her place with some much needed alcohol. We were tempted to go to a bar, but Mirage turned it down at the last second, claiming she was pretty¡­ loosely lipped when drunk. The drinking went nice, keeping an old comedy movie running in the background as we made idle talk. ¡±What does it feel like when they take over?¡± I managed to keep my sobriety mostly together. ¡±Like¡­ a deep blanket?¡± She got pretty loud when she drank. ¡°If I want to sleep I can, but sometimes I go into the Net too, though it¡¯s not as good as when I¡¯m awake¡­¡± She took another sip of the wine, relaxing closer to me as we watched the movie. I couldn¡¯t help but take a glance at her, she was cute, beautiful, attractive and smart¡­ and I guess I didn¡¯t notice how long I had been staring at her until she looked back. ¡±See something you like?¡± She got closer. ¡±All of you.¡± I got closer. That was all it took for our lips to meet, a spark between us ignited into an inferno of perfect harmony. I knew this was right, that it was what was meant to be. The kiss only deepend, Mirage¡¯s arms finding their way to my chest and pushing up to my shoulders as neither of us wanted to let go for air. My hand caressed her cheek, stroking right under her jaw so that I felt her purr in my mouth. The heat between us softened as we each parted for breath, but not for a second did we take our eyes off each other. ¡°Ripley¡­¡± She gasped. ¡°I¡­ want this, but-¡° My heart was ready to snap. ¡±-But I need you to be sure of this¡­ I¡¯m not- not someone fit for this¡­ I don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡± She spoke with her breath. ¡°You should¡­ know who I really am. What I am.¡± ¡±What do you mean?¡± I kept my arm around her shoulder, but even now I was doubting that. ¡±I grew up¡­ trapped in a NeoCore facility, you know that.¡± She glanced at my chest. ¡°Truth is, a part of me never escaped it.¡± ¡±You mean, emotionally?¡± ¡±No, Ripley.¡± Mirage bit her thumb. ¡°I- I¡¯ll explain it from the beginning. I was part of a secret division organized by Beauregard Mazhyr known as Firewatch. I don¡¯t know who my parents were, maybe I was born in a Cradle,bred for the position, but all I know is that as a child I was scanned to have a brain with a high aptitude for Warpcode manipulation, so they shipped me off to the facility where I spent most of my life strapped into the Net.¡± ¡±That¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say, but I hoped holding her hand was enough. ¡±It¡¯s okay, I barely remember it now.¡± She squeezed back, but I couldn¡¯t not notice the slight tremble in it. ¡°I- I was good. Enough that they raised me up to Gold Grade by the time I was 15, but I wasn¡¯t the only one there. There were thousands of children like me, built in hierarchies of Iron up to Titanium¡­ all to decipher the Old_Data. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ terrifying. We never breached beyond the Firewall, but we used specific filtration points where bits of the Old_Data could slip through. Nothing dangerous enough to threaten releasing the MALtitan but even that much could corrupt us¡­ we- I saw so many of my peers lose themselves to it. Become less human. They used a massive Proxy Network led by a Platinum to control the whole operation. They would control the Titaniums, the Titaniums would control Golds and we would control¡­ the Silvers and so forth. It resulted in what I could only describe as a hive-mind of thought, thousands of Iron Features co-ordinated to control the streams of data we deciphered.¡± ¡±That¡­ couldn¡¯t have been healthy.¡± I felt stupid saying something so obvious. ¡±I probably would have died if I stayed there.¡± She shuddered. ¡°You know how time moves differently when you¡¯re in the Net, well the deeper you go, the faster it becomes. You could spend years down in the VoidNet¡¯s Gold layer and only have minutes pass in real life¡­ Across the years, I don¡¯t know how many decades, or even centuries, I spent down there.¡± ¡±How¡¯d you get out?¡± ¡±One day¡­ we delved deep. Just about skimming the massive globe of flame protecting us, I¡¯d never been so scared in my life. We spent what I think is¡­ years? Pulling apart and making sense of some old media files, but then a Titanium MALware emerged and we weren¡¯t prepared enough. It was chaos, Ripley, hundreds of us slaughtered, our consciousness devoured. I acted in survival of myself, and delved into a rogue Datasurge¡­ but the MAL attacked¡­ and somehow it dragged us beyond the Firewall.¡± ¡±You were in the OldNet?¡± I hardened my hand around hers, she needed it. ¡±Time¡­ loses meaning. Maybe it was seconds, centuries, a millenia, but it felt like an eternity. I was just data being transferred and molded, torn and rearranged, but¡­ the MALtitan, for a moment I glimpsed it.¡± She stared up at me, and I¡¯ll never forget what I saw in those violet jewels. A primal dread so deep that it penetrated the oceans. ¡°It looked back at me. That was the last thing I remembered before I woke up, my consciousness¡­ it had been flung somewhere else entirely. Into the body of a comatose girl located in Westcrook who was never going to wake up. I replaced her. This body isn¡¯t mine. It never was, it belonged to someone named Nicole Steadman. Waking up, having a family I didn¡¯t know cry at the sight of me, I was an alien. They said I had amnesia, and for what it¡¯s worth¡­ her parents were beyond nice to me.¡± ¡±What happened after that?¡± ¡±I was fourteen, but maybe in terms of thought I was centuries old. Centuries old and I¡¯d never seen the sun, couldn¡¯t remember the last time I breathed in fresh air, never cold or hot. Everything was so new that¡­ I hated it. It was all too much. So I ran away back where I was most comfortable, the Net. Without a BUG, it was dangerous, but I was still capable¡­ maybe I was hoping for a way back. I don¡¯t know, but every second I lived I felt wrong. Like I¡¯d lost something. My Gold BUG¡­ so I did what I could to get back to it, easily broke into a few accounts and stole some Shardyne. Then I got one for myself.¡± ¡±Was that¡­ when you figured out you were PsuedoGold?¡± ¡±Yeah, awakening four Features as an Iron sent alarms through my head. It still wasn¡¯t enough, I felt instinctively broken, incomplete. A lie. A mirage. So I ran away from a home I never remembered in desperation to complete myself, joined up with groups of NetDelvers, betrayed them once it meant making money. Repeated that cycle for three years until I met Missy¡­ she¡­ I know you haven¡¯t really spent a lot of time with her given the mission but she helped me¡­ made me feel stable. But it was still all too much, I was fractured, alone and-¡° ¡±Then you got the Personas.¡± I held her close. ¡±When I upgraded to Bronze. Midnight came first, I poured all of my rage and contempt into her, but what was left was someone delusional and happy even when things went wrong. Daylight took that, but then I was a mess trapped in between the two emotions, so I split myself into two. Twilight became my mirror, a beacon of reflection that I could use to rearrange myself. Somewhere, she became more confident than me, a brighter half compared to who I was.¡± ¡±You¡¯re still pretty damn bright.¡± I let her shaking body sink into me. ¡±You know¡­ Ripley, when I saw you¡­ I thought you were a lost cause. I was against saving you.¡± ¡±Why did that change?¡± I gently stroked her hair away from those tears trickling down her face. ¡±Because you¡­ I don¡¯t know, Ripley. It wasn¡¯t any specific moment, you were thrown around constantly because you didn¡¯t have the weight to match the momentum. But, then, I saw the way you analyzed the world around you. Took in the things people were saying like a sponge, you weren¡¯t resistant to the change. When I look at you, I see someone who can put themselves together no matter how many times they get torn apart.¡± ¡±I¡¯m not any of that.¡± I said my feelings. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ one bad day away from breaking. I just, lately I¡¯ve been able to extend my need to be alive and well to the people around me. For once, maybe, I¡¯m living beyond myself.¡± ¡±That¡¯s what I mean, Ripley. All I ever do is watch people, observe their actions and predict what¡¯s to come like I¡¯m the fucking Allseeing. Yet, never once did I predict any of what you would do correctly. You should, by all accounts, be dead. But you didn¡¯t and I¡¯m¡­ happy for it. You were probably the only person I knew that understood my feelings, why I¡­ filter my thoughts. Why I can¡¯t handle them myself. Maybe Missy understood it to some degree¡­ and that¡¯s why she paired us up in the beginning ¡ª but you genuinely have that experience yourself. It¡¯s just¡­ you surprised me.¡± She pulled her body closer, I just leaned my arm across her shoulders¡­ Minutes passed where we just felt each other¡¯s weight, taking in our own isolations and thoughts, but feeling her relax in my arms. Neither of us were alone, so I stared at the ceiling, contemplating what we were. ¡±Damn¡­ forget partners in crime. We¡¯re partners in pain.¡± She chuckled, gripping my arm a little tighter. ¡°I don¡¯t feel pain when I¡¯m with you.¡± ¡±What do you feel? Elsa?¡± I met her gaze evenly. We both felt it then. Even as August passed and the weather began to cool, I felt nothing but the warmth in her eyes. ¡±This.¡± Elsa¡¯s lips met mine again, and this time¡­ we didn¡¯t stop. ¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°So.¡± Twilight began next to me while I was half dozed off, she stretched wide underneath the blanket covering Elsa¡¯s unclothed body. ¡°Sex as good as you thought it would be?¡± ¡±Better.¡± I admitted with a smile, blinking myself awake. ¡±You¡¯re better than I thought you would be.¡± Her violet eyes pierced through the darkness of the room. ¡°Not your first time doing that with a claw?¡± ¡±You probably have the addresses of my past flames.¡± I pulled the blanket off myself, opting to sit up. ¡°Right, we never got to our date.¡± ¡±Didn¡¯t want to interrupt the moment¡­ was quite the watch.¡± She breathed closer to me. ¡°I like you, Ripley Donovick. It¡¯s weird, I wasn¡¯t built to be a recipient of love or affection by Elsa¡¯s design but¡­ when I do look at you, there¡¯s this warmth I get even as code. I can feel it properly now that I¡¯m inhabiting her body, and it¡¯s so¡­ lively.¡± ¡°Twilight¡­¡± I felt like this was the part where I should light up a cigarette. ¡°I like you too, is that wrong? To like both you and Elsa?¡± ¡±Nope.¡± She hooked her hands over my waist, nestling deep into my warmth as she forgot herself. ¡°You smell good¡­ like nice oil and metal. No wonder, she¡¯s so into you. Oh, right, you asked if it was wrong to like us both? Not really, we¡¯re both just different reflections of the same person. Kind of romantic actually, you like ¡®me¡¯ even when we¡¯re split apart¡­ god knows how you¡¯d fall if we were one person.¡± ¡±Yeah, I¡¯d probably die.¡± I welcomed Twilight¡¯s embrace, feeling the warmth of her body entering my own. ¡°I like the ¡®you¡¯ when you¡¯re confident, and when you¡¯re reserved¡­ it¡¯s¡­ weird when I think about it. But I enjoy every bit of you. All of you. Each of you.¡± Twilight smiled warmly, but crimson eyes stared at the wall as she slowly sat up. ¡°Even when I¡¯m full of nothing but aimless contempt?¡± I gave them space. ¡±Please Midnight, that¡¯s not all you are. You keep that rage from aiming at your sisters, you¡¯re protecting them.¡± Blue eyes wet as they met my own. ¡°What about the times I can be annoying with my joy, seeing through rose-tinted lenses in a world full of smoke and misery.¡± ¡±That joy has made me smile more times than I could count. You¡¯re not annoying Daylight, most people are just¡­ too broody to accept anyone else to be happy.¡± I held their hands. Two purple eyes filled with tears joined me, one bright violet and the other a dull lavender. ¡°And when we¡¯re incomplete? Broken?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not exactly whole myself¡­ I think that¡¯s the thing with us. Our cracked edges meet, what looks to be two fractured messes clicks together like puzzle pieces when we¡¯re together.¡± I tussled her hair behind her ears, wanting to take in their beauty wholly. Light sprawled in her lenses, twisting between the colors of her Personas until they dimmed back into Elsa¡¯s familiar gaze. ¡°I really like you, Ripley. It¡¯s unfair.¡± ¡±I really like you. All of you, you mirage of wonderful things.¡± I confessed once more. She turned away, some hint of embarrassment creeping across the warmth of her cheeks. ¡°I¡­ fuck, I¡¯ve never been so conflicted in my life.¡± ¡°Conflicted?¡± I ran my hand up her back, tangling my fingers into her hair. ¡°I push people away.¡± She admitted. ¡°I¡­ barely even consider myself a person. Others see me as something¡­ unique. A specimen. Sometimes I let them see me like that.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re certainly unique.¡± I smirked. ¡°Uniquely dumb in that you can¡¯t recognize just how wonderful all of you are, how much¡­ I¡¯ve valued my time with you. There¡¯s no one like you Elsa, no one like Midnight, Daylight, or Twilight. But a specimen? Who the hell looked at you like that? Want me to punch them?¡± She cracked a smile at my joke, before kissing my cheek. ¡°Fuck¡­ I¡¯m going stay something I never thought I would. Can¡¯t believe I caught feelings on a first date like this.¡± Now that caught my interest. ¡°And that¡¯s? ¡±Do you want to¡­¡± Elsa stammered, her words choking out. ¡°Be a thing? My- our boyfriend?¡± I could only smile at that. Blood and Steel C68: Moving Up Chapter 68: Moving Up August 12th Ripley¡¯s thirteenth day¡­ now with a girlfriend! I wasn¡¯t sure if it was getting laid, getting a girlfriend, or getting four of them that gave me such a pep in my step today, but as I worked and tinkered away¡­ I felt awesome. Even in this whirlwind of emotions and chaos of a life I lived, I had found a way to capture it in my palms. I knew better than to feel invincible, I knew that now. Gold, girlfriend, or gifted. Even with all of them, I could fail. But as I smiled at Elsa who¡¯d joined me in Diamante¡¯s armory, I felt a surge of momentum work through me. ¡¯Feelings for Elsa¡­ all of her¡¯ X ¡®Shardware Operating¡¯ I¡¯d never worked so well in my life. R0N1N came by with an arm with fried joints, and he was back with it within the hour. Even he looked surprised at that. With the funds he gave me, I bought more materials, and finally formulated the fabricator to begin producing Livewire. The exact formula was exacting and difficult, but with Elsa to change it¡¯s inner workings we figured it out in an hour. I loved having her around me. And so, with sporadic bursts of my Thought Multiplier using my Preservation Matrix¡¯s engulfing of the people I cared about, and my gift for Shardware, I prepared myself for tomorrow. But first¡­ I prayed a Bronze-Grade AdStim would get me through this¡­ those twenty thousand Shardyne have better not gone to waste. August 13th Ripley¡¯s fourteenth day¡­ and he returns to Anderson¡¯s gym. That¡¯s right, I stepped in with every bit of confidence I had in me the day before. Opening the door wide to the private employee section, I met Harold¡¯s confused eyes with my own brimming in pride. ¡±Hey boss.¡± ¡±Ah.¡± He looked bored. ¡°There¡¯s a list of things I need you to work on, if you¡¯ve decided that¡¯s what you¡¯ve come for.¡± ¡±Yeah, I did come here to work¡­ but I also came here for something else.¡± I sent him a file, it was a Shardware Operating School¡¯s final mock test. ¡°I finished up my studies. You said that every time I finish one of your tests, I can renegotiate. I want to do the other five tests now, and negotiate five times.¡± He raised an eyebrow up at my demand, the first time I ever saw a notion of surprise leak out of the stoic man. ¡°Last three years have practical exams, normally, I would¡¯ve given you time to practice¡­ you fail them, I fire you. You ready for that?¡± ¡±I¡¯m ready.¡± This wasn¡¯t just overconfidence, in twenty-four hours I¡¯d consumed enough data on the exams to give Twilight a headache. ¡±Fine.¡± The simple answer was the prelude to one of the most mentally-taxing days in my life. The second and third-year exams, I scored a perfect 100% on. The topics of Shardware construction basics, mathematics, engineering, physics and chemistry honed in over years of practice. The fourth year took a return to anatomy, with some Implant theory thrown in. BUGs were fascinating, even though they looked mechanical, they had organic components and modified our DNA similar to a SIM. Making us compatible with foreign intrusions like metal and electronics as long as the BUG could interface Warpcode into them. I scored a 92%. The practical test was tricky. He placed an Iron Integration BUG on my table, and showed me three different Shardware pieces of an eye, hand, and heart. ¡±The client is a construction worker. Which Shardware piece would benefit the most with a Feature Link from this BUG, and which Link?¡± Harold Anderson left me for twenty minutes to think over the question. I came up with the answer in ten. ¡°The Integration BUG allows the Adapter to connect to foreign technology beyond their own, even non-Warpcode devices can be modified by the Feature. In the case of the Eye, I would have to go with a Third Eye Link which would allow the Adapter to filter in visual stimuli from multiple sources, useful when working with construction drones and the like. ¡±As for the hand. Simple. A general consumer Link is External Compatibility, commonly used to allow Adapters to form external connections to a varied number of Shardware devices. Construction, shard operating, surgery¡­ any job requiring the Adapter to use multiple pieces of tech over a long period of time with exact precision would benefit from this Link. ¡±As for the heart. That was difficult, I¡¯ll say it. I¡¯ve concluded that the Link most worthwhile for a construction overseer is in fact Metabolism Modifier. The use of Exosuits is common, and connecting to such powerful Warp-draining Externals requires a metabolism capable of producing the Warp Energy to command it.¡± ¡±And which one is most important?¡± Harold Anderson asked. ¡±Neither. It depends on what the client is asking for, or what their boss wants of them.¡± I answered confidently. He smirked at my answer, passing me the fifth year exam. It dealt with heavier amounts of engineering and Internal Organ Shardware, and I passed with a good 96%. The next practical exam was to fix up and coordinate the workings of Shardware lungs and a heart. It was my first time working with such pieces, and was the closest I came to failing so far. Luckily, lungs were built on the principle of precise modifications to their miniscule microstructure, and I¡¯d done nothing but precision work since I joined up with Anderson. The heart on the other hand, was a powerful structure designed to pump blood around the body with maximal efficiency. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. The Scrapyard worked with me as I carefully broke the organic fibers apart, learning more of them and piecing them back in with my Thought Multiplier and Reverse Engineering Protocols. Then the visual aids around me combined, until I found a way to blend them together. Was it A+ work? Not in the slightest, I could see his bored eyes drone out as he stared at them almost in disappointment that it was all I¡¯d managed. But I passed. The sixth year was the toughest, demanding a deep understanding of Shardware engineering, Biology, and Warp Theory. I passed on the borderline of 76%, netting myself a spot to partake in the final exam. He dumped several pieces of metal, scraps, and discarded Shardware pieces that were seemingly ripped apart. Then he gently placed a Bronze Neuroprocessor in front of me. ¡°Make a Bronze Shardware piece, you have five minutes.¡± Five minutes? I needed ten seconds. Picking up a Bronze Neuroprocessor, I plugged it up to a half strewn skeleton of a leg, wiring it with a power source until it was complete. ¡±Done.¡± ¡±Curious? Why did you choose to give up?¡± He said with those piercing eyes that never went anywhere other than the devices on his desk. ¡±I passed.¡± I smiled. ¡°Shardware is defined as any tech modified with Warp Energy to use Warpcode. You wanted a Bronze Grade Shardware, which means it¡¯s simply powered by Bronze Warp Energy, so¡­ you connect a Neuroprocessor that uses Bronze Warpcode into an Iron Shardware. Even if the Integrity, Energy or Capacity is lower than it should be, the fact remains that it¡¯s Grade is now at Bronze. You said to make Shardware, not good or even functional Shardware.¡± ¡±Clever. You saw right through it.¡± He picked up the feeble skeleton in front of me. ¡°You passed all the years, congratulations.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you give me the actual final practical exam?¡± ¡±You mean having you scrap up a Bronze arm or leg and plug it into someone?¡± He stared at my right arm. ¡°You¡¯re already there. It would have been childwork. Besides, I was testing you out as my employee, how well you can listen to instructions.¡± ¡±Well¡­ if I passed then-¡° ¡±Then I¡¯m ready to hear out your terms.¡± He nodded. ¡±The obvious. A raise, I want to be paid eight Bronze a month, but not for free¡­ I want work, the chance to join and really make the Shardware this place is known for. Second, I figured out how to use my Data Mimicry Feature to make Links, not just that¡­ I can consume links and imprint them in my head to use later. I don¡¯t need Engrams, I don¡¯t think so.¡± He leaned back in his chair, taking in what I was saying. ¡±I can be a living Engram, in time. For that, I need to absorb Engrams ¡ª I know they¡¯re expensive so what I¡¯m asking is that I exchange for them. I¡¯ll offer my Link manufacturing methods for free.¡± He stared at me, unchanging in expression. ¡±Not free. It¡¯ll depend on the Engram, but some are valued more and you¡¯ll have to pay. We¡¯ll discuss on a case-by-case.¡± ¡±Third.¡± I said. ¡°I want access to paid information regarding Electromagnetics at the Bronze Grade, and my fourth would be a record of ten Warp Material compositions at Iron-Grade you have available.¡± ¡±Deal.¡± ¡±Fifth.¡± I gulped. ¡°I need an Arachne. Bronze Grade.¡± ¡±What for?¡± ¡±Sixth.¡± I continued. ¡°I need your help in making something¡­ a mobile Arachne compatible with Internal Linking to an Adapter.¡± As much as me and my mother were smart, there was only so much we could do by ourselves. I sent over a compiled list of our notes and theories regarding the process, and he brushed his moustache with his thumb as he stared at the notes. ¡±You two¡­¡± He chewed in silence. ¡°Tch¡­ you¡¯re clearly Alberich¡¯s spawn.¡± ¡±You knew my grandfather?¡± I raised my eyebrows. ¡±For a time¡­ during the civil war.¡± He huffed. ¡°He¡¯s an incredible Shard Operator, performing maintenance work for the public when he wasn¡¯t supplying his services to the underworld. Nearly put me out of business¡­ but I can¡¯t deny that I respect him and his craft. Do you know what happened to him?¡± ¡±I was hoping you could answer that.¡± I leaned forward in my chair. ¡±He left one day, wrapped up his business and said he wouldn¡¯t be back for a long time but¡­ He left me some of his Shard Operating devices, made me promise to just hold onto them until your mother would become an actual Shard Operator.¡± ¡±That never happened¡­ she lost her degree and BUG once my father¡­¡± I trailed off. ¡±I know the story. Missy told me who you were¡­ I only took you in because you were his grandson.¡± He stared at his own arm. ¡°I expected you to quit, kid. To leave this world, because he wouldn¡¯t have wanted you in it. I set you off for menial tasks I¡¯ve automated for decades now¡­ but damn it, you don¡¯t give up.¡± ¡±What?¡± I stuttered. ¡°You- you mean all the work I¡¯ve been doing is shit you¡­ you get done for free?¡± ¡±I would have no time for my real work if I spent my days micropipetting oil into joints. You have the right to be angry, you might not be trained¡­ but attaching a limb to yourself? You¡¯re better than your Grade by far¡­ and that¡¯s not the Gold Implant¡¯s fault.¡± He admitted. ¡±I¡¯m not angry¡­ I- I¡¯m grateful.¡± I said calmly. ¡°Sure¡­ I know the pay was barely what an actual Shard Op¡¯ makes, but for the first time in months me and my month can afford nice dinners. We¡¯re comfortable, we¡¯re not struggling¡­ no one gave me that chance before. If I wasn¡¯t with Snake Fangs, who else but Metal Heavens would employ me?¡± ¡±I would.¡± He smiled. ¡±Oh¡­ Thank you.¡± ¡±Just punch your grandfather for me¡ª¡± he chuckled, ¡°¡ªwhen you see him.¡± Mr. Skeleton said he was¡­ where? By Imperium? What was he even doing in Africa? ¡±I¡¯m doing that either way, it¡¯s not right what he did.¡± ¡°That, I agree. Doesn¡¯t mean I employed you out of sympathy.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m pretty badass.¡± ¡±You wanted an Arachne¡­ right? I have an idea.¡± He stood up, motioning to follow. We went deep into the facility, passing by storages of guns and blades I¡¯d never once seen before. This place was stacked, offering upgrades up to Silver-Grade¡­ Harold Anderson was respected in the underworld Shardware community for a reason. Yet, we went deeper, past all the weaponry until we approached an inconspicuous wall that parted at Mr. Anderson¡¯s approach. The room was small, but charged with electricity in the air. ¡±Your grandfather¡¯s stuff, what Bronze and Silver-Grade stuff he didn¡¯t want sitting in a city-storage unit.¡± Mr. Anderson turned on the lights. ¡°I¡¯m not going to pass on the Silver-grade items yet, a fabricator and a heart. The Bronze items though¡­ sitting here are Engram Datacubes, a few Bronze BUGs to match, a Shardware Database cube and what interests you most¡­¡± I saw it there, in the center of the room taking up most of the space was a circular table fit for a human to lie on. In perfectly spaced gaps, six tall limbs crawled out, entirely black and ending in large jagged tips was an Arachne. ¡±It¡¯s his own design. Bronze.¡± Harold Anderson put his hand on the machinery. ¡°You want it?¡± ¡±I could kiss you.¡± I put my hands on the device, feeling my right claw shiver at the contact with the sleek metal of one limb. ¡°But I have a girlfriend now.¡± ¡±That so? You really are moving up in the world.¡± ¡±I¡¯ll climb¡­¡± My claws sharpened. ¡°One limb at a time.¡± Blood and Steel C69: Bark and Bite Chapter 69: Bark and Bite August 13th Ripley¡¯s fourteenth day¡­ and he has an Arachne Getting the Arachne to Diamante¡¯s place hadn¡¯t been easy, but it fortunately had the option to be divided into segments and be rebuilt seamlessly. It wasn¡¯t a true deconstruction, more like division. Still, I¡¯d never seen an Arachne built like this¡­ It was remarkable. Powering up and connecting to it, I had no idea just how powerful I¡¯d feel as my brain sank into it. External Link Established: Alberich Donovick¡¯s Arachne Mk.2 Details: Isabel, if you¡¯re reading this. I¡¯m proud of you, there¡¯s a reason why I had to leave you and Ripley. I know you and Domonic are raising him well. One day, I¡¯ll be back, and I¡¯ll explain. You have every right to be angry, and this doesn¡¯t change that. Use it well, sweetheart. I¡¯m sorry for everything. My mother teared up as I read the message to her, but she was able to keep her feelings apart as we divulged deep into the working of the Arachne. While not a Pseudo-Silver like my claw, it was a remarkable piece of engineering I felt both familiar and wondrous about. I¡¯d absorbed the Engrams in the underground storage, netting me to V.1.09 in Data Mimicry which improved my deciphering and modification of them. As for the Shardware database, it was chunky but nothing in it was meant for combat applications. My grandfather didn¡¯t want my mother stumbling in that path anyway. So instead, I used my Scrapyard to familiarize myself with Bronze Shardware I didn¡¯t have access to, able to directly download the information and make accurate adjustments to my understanding of the advanced models. The Warp Material compositions Anderson had access to were nothing insane. The most important were locked under miles of concrete at corporate headquarters, but what he had was useful, with them I could begin designing entire Shardware pieces from the ground up without needing to buy the requisite parts as long as I had access to a fabricator. The electromagnetics, whoo, did they help me base new adjustments on Livewire and Yttrium Steel integration. Scrapyard fine-tuned the adjustments, but I still had a whole lot to read through. Maybe one day I¡¯d find a Database with a Data Digestion Protocol but they were some of the most sought after and rare to come across. I was just about two weeks from the mission. Progress was steady but great, every drop collecting up. I stared at my mother, Elsa sitting far in the distance while Diamante grumbled about me being a secret nepo-baby. ¡±Who¡¯s ready to tear an Arachne apart?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Thank god for having a girlfriend so experienced in stealing data. Four of them. She gushed every time I thanked her for getting me one illegal blueprint or the other¡­ ¡±Why are you giving all of this now?¡± I asked her. Midnight responded while the others were busy in the net, her eyes glowing like a hungering wolf. ¡°Sell this shit off normally, but¡­ well¡­ I like taking care of my property. Now when am I gonna get my payment¡­ I don¡¯t like waiting.¡± ¡­My mom very quickly left the room after that. For good reason¡­ let¡¯s leave it at that. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Energized V.1.13 has updated to V.1.14 Effect: Warp Energy usage in Arachne-based Shardware is more efficient Psyche V.2.00 has updated to V.2.01 Effect: Thought Multiplier is now more efficient. Technician V.2.00 has updated to V.2.01 Effect: Scrapyard is better at simulating Bronze-Grade Shardware. Integrity is now Iron VIII The best thing about having an Arachne? You get to use it on anything, not just your own body but general Shardware. I never thought I¡¯d feel limited to just using my own two hands, but adding another six on top of it? Mimicking Integration helped massively, and in time I¡¯d managed to triple my output. With just around 800k in Shardyne from R0N1N¡¯s investment, I¡¯d decided it was worth using it on BUGs mainly now. Elsa was passively searching for any exchanges in Little Requiem that would suit my own Features, whether to absorb them or mimic them. I was falling in love. Today¡¯s Technician and Psyche BUG was already working wonders. ¡ª¡ª¡ª August 15th Ripley¡¯s sixteenth day¡­ and he takes a break. I¡¯d spent the last two days tinkering night and day, getting an understanding of the Arachne and using it to build myself up. Come two weeks, and I¡¯d be entirely unrecognizable. I also had the spine and my grandfather¡¯s eyes to add into myself, so that was something take into account. But¡­ god was I exhausted. Topaz had actually stopped by and been the first to notice it yesterday, and had actually gotten me to join him in the boxing ring to blow off steam. It was fun, and did help. It was partly what made me recognize that I was¡­ burnt out. Not just the last two days. I¡¯d been on something non-stop since I heard the mission, even the dates with Elsa had been nerve-wracking. I needed a break, just one for myself. Alone, reset myself with some shit coffee sitting on this bench. I breathed, taking in the sight of the large skyscrapers piercing past the clouds all around me. The park was nice, quiet, a rare slice of peace in the city. ¡±Hey, someone get this bum out of here!¡± I heard shouting from the back of my head, two rowdy kids were pushing around an old homeless dude, trying to get him to leave. He was about to, but it didn¡¯t sit well with me. Even if I still spent my time on the streets not having it easy¡­ I was barely homeless. Climbing up rooftops in Little Requiem, a cozy scrap-mattress in my grandfather¡¯s storage unit, Diamante¡¯s creaky couch. I had places only I could go, I simply couldn¡¯t bring myself to sleep somewhere so vulnerable after Metal Heavens and the bounties. So yeah, I sympathized, maybe for the first time empathized with them. I was damn guilty about it too. So I stepped up. ¡°Are these men bothering you sir?¡± One of the snotty kids, all dressed up in a uniform from some esteemed private school addressed me. ¡°Yeah, this old dude¡¯s stinking up-¡° ¡±I wasn¡¯t talking to you.¡± I raised my hand up in front of the kid¡¯s face, looking more directly at the old man¡¯s face. ¡°Are they bothering you.¡± ¡±I- I didn¡¯t mean anything.¡± He was greasy, old and wrinkled like a dried sponge, but that wasn¡¯t his fault. ¡±It¡¯s okay.¡± I looked at the kids. ¡°How about you two leave now.¡± The bigger of the two laughed, standing up to a few inches taller than me. His eyes burned a vicious red¡­ my own breath was calm as he yelled. ¡°Leave? We didn¡¯t do shit! Do you know who we are? Who our parents are?¡± ¡±Do you¡­¡± I activated my right Claw¡¯s newest mechanism, from it¡¯s dorsal side, palm and knuckles, metal slid and rearranged itself to cage my fingertips to form inch-longer wicked claws. I called it the claw-shell. ¡°¡­know what this is? Don¡¯t start something you can¡¯t finish.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡±Fuck. Marcel.¡± The snottier one of them grabbed the bigger one. ¡°We¡¯ll call someone to deal with this.¡± The two kids stepped back and retreated, hand in hand, were they¡­ eh, I didn¡¯t care enough. I looked back at the old man who was shaking, his head held low enough that his hood concealed most of his face. ¡°It¡¯s okay, they¡¯re gone. But they were right, they¡¯ll call someone and them being corporate spawn will get them the right help. You have somewhere I can take you?¡± ¡±Not really but¡­¡± The old man grabbed his head. ¡°The¡­ the old bridge, I sleep under there sometimes.¡± ¡±Let¡¯s go.¡± I nodded. As we walked, we got stared at, but somehow there was a difference this time¡­ I didn¡¯t feel weak and seen. I felt, maybe, powerful? This wasn¡¯t Little Requiem, I knew that, but as I used my BUG through these months I felt a sharpness build in me. Maybe it was recognized now. ¡±So what¡¯s your story?¡± I asked as we ducked into an alleyway, just because I was fine with the staring didn¡¯t mean that he handled it well. Poor man. ¡±I¡­ I was a veteran. SynTec¡­ they took my BUG. Never been the same.¡± ¡±Fourth Swarm?¡± That meant he was a century old, but then again, so was Missy. Yet she looked barely older than thirty. ¡±No. Earthquake emergence.¡± He shook his head again. ¡°I¡­ it¡­ they broke through in days, stationed up north.¡± ¡±Yellowstone?¡± ¡±Yeah.¡± He nodded, but the horror in his eyes stayed still¡­ and they stayed, still. Even as we made our way to the bridge. ¡±No one has done this¡­ for years¡­ why?¡± He practically crumbled next to the tent he said was his. ¡±I kind of¡­ get it. Not everything but¡­ I couldn¡¯t imagine living this way.¡± I sat next to him, I wasn¡¯t ready to leave yet. ¡°Never got your name.¡± ¡±Nathaniel.¡± ¡±Last name?¡± ¡±Gotren.¡± He gulped. I thought of what to say next, so I said what everyone wanted to hear when they were in a tough spot. ¡±Everything¡­ okay? Nathaniel?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± He stared at the ground, removing his hood, he had burns running down his neck and the back of his head. ¡°No. But telling you changes nothing. Still, thank you.¡± ¡±I did nothing.¡± ¡±You stood up for me.¡± ¡±Everyone deserves that.¡± ¡±Not everyone does it.¡± ¡±Felt damn good to do it.¡± I chuckled. ¡°My family once had money, not anymore but¡­ damn, are they really that entitled?¡± ¡±They weren¡¯t the worst, some kids a couple days asked if they could punch me for a hundred Shardyne¡­¡± Nathaniel chuckled back, I didn¡¯t need to ask him if he took it. I¡¯d arguably done a worse thing for money. He looked at me, a gentle warmth radiating in those blue eyes of his. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡±Ripley¡­ Ripley Donovick.¡± I said gently. ¡±Ripley¡­¡± He laughed. ¡°Used to have a dog ¡ª a real one ¡ª named Ridley, city banned homeless from having them though¡­ snatched him in front of me.¡± ¡°Damn¡­ they really suck ass.¡± I played around with a Bronze Shard in my pocket¡­ maybe¡­ I gave him a good look, confident in my decision. Then something made me freeze. Under his collarbone, where I couldn¡¯t see clearly before from the shade of his hood, was a small tattoo of a dog tag. The same kind Diana had mentioned. ¡°¡­That tattoo, I like it¡­ what¡¯s the story?¡± He looked down, as though he¡¯d forgotten it¡¯s there. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t remember. Might be from the earthquake? No¡­ it¡¯s¡­ when did I get it?¡± ¡±You have a BUG¡­ Nathaniel?¡± I chewed the nail of my thumb. He answered cautiously. ¡°Yeah¡­ Iron¡­ not as nice as my old Bronze.¡± I plucked out the Bronze shard, his eyes lit up like salvation was within reach. ¡°Nathaniel¡­ before I say anything. I¡¯m not going to hurt you. I just¡­ I need you to let me look at your frame, not going to do anything else¡­ It might feel a bit uncomfortable, but nothing¡¯s going to happen to you.¡± He answered on sight with the shard. ¡°Okay.¡± He turned, exposing his frame to me. I winced, now with a better look, I could see how the burns on his head and neck all converged with where his frame came from. I switched over to the Network Feature in my Mimicset, instantly coming to view the thin Iron ripples slumbering underneath his chunky, crude frame. It wasn¡¯t anything¡­ dangerous. It was old, maybe even a century old and simplistic, but it was definitely nothing too complicated for me to simply gain access to with a few whirs of my Claw. His BUG connected to mine. Reading Warpcode¡­ Error- What? That was the first time I saw an error, but I pushed through, searching for a memory. I honed my thoughts, multiplying them. ¡¯Dogwhistler¡¯ X ¡®Memory Reading¡¯ I recalled the sensation of peering into the memory of a BUG, seamlessly feeling how it was to split the maniacal streams of Warpcode to the moments of their death¡­ but this man wasn¡¯t dead. It was a cyclic repetition of nonsensical thoughts and sensations, constantly avoiding me as my thoughts on Dogwhistler skimmed past his deeper thoughts. Then¡­ only when I reeled the memories all the way to the beginning did it strike, and visions flashed before my eyes. A familiar voice spoke, my body limp and¡­ taken apart. ¡±Unstable, but not so much he¡¯ll be a hindrance.¡± ¡°He¡¯s fine¡­ not the best but oh well. Not like we¡¯re trying to make a hybrid.¡± Another voice spoke, muffled but I saw shadows skirt around me. I blinked up, one mask and one skull staring down at me, the masked person¡­ it was odd, like a gas mask but a wolf¡¯s jaw was drawn or imprinted on it. Everything was so blurry, but I felt the needle slice into my neck. The vial was strange, a red flower floating inside of it, but the warmth spreading was¡­ comfortable. Removing the need to think, to remember, to give me ease. ¡°I don¡¯t know how they did it.¡± The wolf-figure said, and the skull shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ll figure it out myself soon.¡± The Skeleton responded. ¡°My prosperity depends on it.¡± Then the visions vanished as though they¡¯d smashed me in the brain, leaving a blistering headache running through me. What? Had that been the beginning of the BUG¡¯s memories? But something was wrong, I wasn¡¯t disconnected, something pushed me out? The streams of Warpcode I sensed began to grow unwieldy, like a calm puddle had erupted into a raging hurricane. Nathaniel screamed as a whistling noise erupted from his being, his eyes bloodshot as he raised his arm up. It looked entirely human, my Network didn¡¯t pick up anything from it. But I saw it change in front of my eyes, splitting into two as a hollow chamber charged up with a white light. He screamed. ¡°What¡¯s happening, Ripley!¡± The streams of Iron Energy exploded across his neck, black veins curdling across his body as an infective glow coalesced around the altered arm. I¡¯d read about this, about what happens when a person¡¯s compatibility reaches 0%. When the BUG takes over. When you became a MAL. A Fractured. Feral eyes stared at me, his white arm-cannon blaring a shrieking noise that heightened my Matrix to act. My legs twisted and pounced just as a blinding white light streaked past me¡­ when it smacked into the wall, dust and rubble exploded with a shockwave of pure kinetic force ¡ª a Sonic Carbine?! I didn¡¯t have time to question it, the man was already dead once the Implant took him over¡­ My claw-shell engaged, five sharp gouges went straight to his heart, the chest caving in. That didn¡¯t stop what he¡¯d become, with the intelligence of a beast, he smacked me so hard that my vision went blurry. The carbine charged a bright white again, as I reeled backwards, my nose bloody. I activated my left hand¡¯s blade, the mechanism unlocked like an ambushing tiger¡¯s claws. The blade pulled out, then it extended ¡ª modified to use the hyper-mobility of the Metal Heavens¡¯ Priest¡¯s tentacles ¡ª slashing out in a curving arc and beheading the man¡­ the MAL. A MALware. I reminded myself as the body went limp and I crushed Nathaniel¡¯s head under my foot ¡ª the Core would be where his brain was. A Fractured¡­ right, that¡¯s what they called them. 0% compatibility¡­ do not ever reach that. Focusing on that gave me the stomach to look at Nathaniel¡¯s remains, to understand something¡­ The two faces in that memory. The skull was Mr. Skeleton, an older model of his current body but now looking back at the voice, it was unmistakable. The other masked figure then¡­ I didn¡¯t get a good look at them. A gas mask with a wolf-maw carved on it, but it sounded female behind the muffling. Dogwhistler. I¡¯d found them¡­ I breathed out. Right, the arm and the BUG¡­ I could look again. The arm was covert Shardware of a technicality I never saw before, it had virtually zero leakage of Warp Energy, an efficiency unheard of. The metal arm¡­ fuck, I looked at it. Parts of it had melted and degraded, it happened to MAL bodies when their core was destroyed. They would lose form and produce shards out of their old bodies, and true to the word¡­ Iron Shards were all that remained of what bits had bubbled up. Not everything was destroyed, but enough that I wouldn¡¯t be able to use Reverse Engineering to figure it out. Then the BUG¡­ they should still have one. I looked at the splattered remains beneath me, the Iron BUG wriggling out of the crumbled bones. It had¡­ red veins? The red corruption spread around the metallic worm, growing and festering until it spurt and bled a metallic ichor. Becoming mere paste on the ground. I¡¯d¡­ never read of that happening. A BUG destroying itself? It was useless. I grabbed the scraps and shards of the arm and retreated away. So much for a quiet break. Blood and Steel C70: Missing Link Chapter 70: Missing Link August 16th Ripley¡¯s seventeenth day¡­ recovering himself. While yesterday had been disturbing, I wasn¡¯t too distraught about it, my mind blanked out anything that would have distracted me. I¡¯d spent the night at Elsa¡¯s and found a pretty damn good way to enjoy myself, turns out having to juggle the libido of four healthy women was¡­ more work than expected. I sighed as I made cereal for myself, trying to understand what I¡¯d seen. Elsa crept near me, she seemed a bit more¡­ happier lately. That was enough to get me to smile. She hooked her hand around mine, looking at me intensely. ¡±What?¡± I asked her softly. ¡±Did you sleep well?¡± ¡±Yeah.¡± ¡±You look¡­ bad.¡± She whispered. ¡°Well, not bad. I think you look good but, you know-¡° ¡±I just¡­ I¡¯m thinking.¡± She pulled her hand away from mine. ¡±I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡±About what?¡± I looked back at her. ¡±I know I can be¡­ alot. This is new for me too. I¡¯m sorry.¡± She spooned up some of her own cereal, but just looked at it with a daze. ¡±It was nothing you did¡­ just¡­ figured out something about The Dogwhistler. She uses the homeless, injects them with something and can I don¡¯t know¡­ cause their BUGs to degrade? Makes them into MALware, the Fractured, I think they¡¯re called?¡± I ate up a spoonful, thinking. She dropped her own, a splash of milk plonking out. ¡°What?¡­ Y-you¡­ how¡¯d you even figure that out?¡­ Even- even I don¡¯t know anything about that.¡± ¡±You really don¡¯t know anything?¡± Did I figure out something that The Mirage didn¡¯t. ¡±Not¡­ not really. That¡¯s a first for me too. You sure about this information, where¡¯d you get it from?¡± She eyed me worriedly, scratching her lip. ¡°Off of the homeless guy¡¯s BUG.¡± I said absently, guess cat¡¯s out of the bag. ¡°Right¡­ I never told you. I can read people¡¯s memories off their BUGs.¡± ¡±What?!¡± She nearly knocked her own bowl over. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a thing?!¡± ¡±Apparently. Strange thing is¡­ it seemed like the memory of being injected was the first memory that BUG had ¡ª around five years ago. It was really blurry too, half-formed almost.¡± ¡±Maybe it was¡­ during the Convergence?¡± She passed up. ¡°Like¡­ I don¡¯t know, whatever they did had to be done early on.¡± ¡±Tch. The vial and veins were the same red¡­ and yeah, the BUG burst apart once I got it out of him, it seemed to break down. Not a trace of Warpcode left. Thinking it all has to do with that syringe. Know anything about that?¡± I tossed the question to her. ¡±I think so¡­ a spiked BUG of some kind, some combination of DataCleavers and Gene-Limiters can allow you to weaken the BUG¡¯s hold over it¡¯s Warpcode and become susceptible to modification. Mostly used for assassinations of prodigies or heirs to a rich fortune, never heard of it for¡­ from what I¡¯m hearing is some sort of¡­ mind control?¡± ¡±Maybe.¡± I drank the bowl clean. ¡°It¡¯s strange but¡­ satisfying. I don¡¯t think either of them expected this. Mr. Skeleton too, by the way, he¡¯s in with Dogwhistler. Working on¡­ replicating someone else¡¯s research ¡ª something about hybrids too.¡± ¡±Not surprised. He has his mitts everywhere.¡± She scoffed, but there was a worry in her eyes. ¡±This wasn¡¯t me looking out for trouble by the way. Long story, but I was just following a hunch of Diana¡¯s. She said she remembered something about dog-tag tattooed homeless people being all freaky and weird. Was just a hunch, it turns out she has good intuition.¡± ¡±Well¡­ did you ever figure out what she wanted to contact you about?¡± Elsa leaned in. ¡±I don¡¯t know, but¡­ I should probably figure that out.¡± I puzzled over it, I had surgery scheduled for tomorrow¡­ spinal. Recovery would take me out for a few days, it was a loss of time I intended to make up for by being able to think up plans for my Shardware. ¡°Surgery¡¯s made things complicated.¡± ¡±Oh¡­ right¡­¡± A smile crept up on her face. ¡°I may or may not have bought you something for your birthday. Even if it was last month.¡± ¡±You¡­ what did you get me?¡± I fell too easy for gifts. She reached into a cupboard, pulling out a fancy looking drone that looked like a spider. It was pretty intricate too, and not the kind you¡¯d get as a mere toy. ¡±Old Imperium drone they developed experimentally as a far-range Shard Operating unit. It was meant to be like a compact Arachne, but they never really ironed out the kinks in time for the upcoming swarm, instead they modeled them to become recon drones with some basic repair tools.¡± She handed me the drone, and looking at it clearly, it was astounding as a piece of engineering. Bronze-grade and meant for the battlefield, it was definitely not something I would have spent money on, but it was small enough to fit into my pocket. ¡±I love it.¡± I was already thinking of ways to modify it. ¡°I¡­ please don¡¯t tell me you spent too much on it.¡± I really did not want to break apart something that was expensive. She played with her fingers. ¡°Lower than a million Shardyne¡­¡± ¡±And more than¡­¡± ¡±A hundred thousand?¡± She shrugged, smiling at me gingerly. I stared at the tiny droid in my hand¡­ feeling somehow smaller than it. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Okay¡­ I installed the experimental electromagnetic tech on the droid. Connecting the external headgear over my eyes, I felt it connect into my frame and sync my eyesight and thoughts with the drone. Testing in three, two¡­ one¡­ The wings expanded, the lightweight body of the drone floating in the air gently and softly¡­ I loved Scrapyard. ¡ª¡ª¡ª New legs complete, the Arachne whirred to a close as various drills, screws and blades sunk back into the arms. I stared down below my hips, this time I made the painful addition of replacing my own¡­ gluteal muscles. Let¡¯s say it that way. I¡¯d used some of the wiring I extracted out of the Sonic Carbine, a Warp Material I identified as Iron-Grade Shrieksteel. Other than that, I finished the day by absorbing a Dataweaving Iron BUG. Feeding it into Data Mimicry with the focus on ¡®making Feature Links¡¯. Data Mimicry V.1.09 has updated to V.1.10 Effect: Increased modification of Warpcode during Feature Link creation. Tenderly rubbing my ass, which was considerably fuller and tougher, I plugged up into my legs and pulled from the selection of Enrgams I¡¯d absorbed from my grandfather¡¯s collection. I chose to think of the ¡®Power¡¯ Engram, before swapping to my Overclock Function and feeling the ease in extending the Feature down to my legs. I¡¯d loaded them with some excess Iron-Grade Warpcode I kept stored in a Datacube, letting it build across the scaffolding I formed. Feature Links Established¡­ Iron-Grade RipTech Mantis Leg (L): Surge (Overclock) Iron-Grade RipTech Mantis Leg (R): Stream (Overclock) Okay¡­ I¡¯d meant to form the same Links in each of them. But testing them out was simple, the left leg could push out significant power for a single movement, while the right leg could temporarily increase its output mildly for a few seconds. A shame that my right leg was my kicking leg then¡­ August 17th This time, Elsa helped me secure a Bronze Dataweaving and Integration BUG that I absorbed wholly, focusing it entirely on Data Mimicry. Data Mimicry V.1.10 has updated to V.1.11 Effect: Increased specificity when creating Feature Links If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Data Mimicry V.1.11 has updated to V.1.12 Effect: Increased ability to recall absorbed Enrgams Data Mimicry V.1.12 has updated to V.1.13 Effect: Slightly Increased Warpcode Manipulation in Shardware Alright¡­ those two should be good enough. I plucked up the finished spine, it was heavier than I wanted it to turn out, but that was good in a sense. It was a bit more than a spine, it would actually be a near-damn full back replacement as I also planned to install the Endoskeleton¡¯s back muscles alongside it. Thankfully, as long as I kept them connected to a single Neuroprocessor located within the spine then it wouldn¡¯t increase it¡¯s capacitance. By too much. Yeah, this was scary. Death was the least fearsome outcome, the worst was to make my body a vessel for my mind, unable to do anything but think¡­ yeah, I was having my doubts. But I needed the extra nerve plexi to control an Arachne, spinal augments were rare and god knows the amount of resources I poured into this explained that reason. In pure resources, I¡¯d easily spent 90,000 Shardyne for an Iron-Grade spine. And now¡­ I¡¯d just installed the ¡®Reflexive Autonomy¡¯ Link onto it. Elsa and my mother stood by my side as I dressed myself down, laying on the foam of the Arachne¡¯s bed. The last thing I saw with my own two eyes was them, worried¡­ but also believing in me. This spine had been as much of my brainchild as the Arachne. Hell, we¡¯d all given our hearts, brains and souls to formulate this. So as I slipped out of my vision, entering the snapping claws of each Arachne arm, I pulled out the scalpels. Procedure starts from the bottom, I recalled the steps. Unzipping my skin in one clean motion as two other arms peeled them back to unveil the bony protrusions of my spine above my hip bones. This was viscerally freaky, staring at your own spine¡­ knowing that you were going to rip it out. Heh¡­ calm down, Ripley. You can¡¯t even breathe out, remember, lower parts first because if something went wrong then at least you won¡¯t lose control of everything below that spinal cord level. Ascending and descending tracts, you revised this shit. So, I sliced the bone, exposing the thin fibrous horsetail of spinal fibers known as cauda equina. You¡¯re not doing a complete replacement of your spinal cord¡­ just about 30%. Working meticulously, I became like a tailor carefully threading in nerves one spinal level at a time. It took hours. My mom and Elsa visible in the eyes of my Arachne limbs, than god they were here¡­ watching monitors of every bit of change in my health. My mom was trained, Elsa was¡­ observant. I could do this. Shut the fuck up Ripley, and focus. ¡¯Focus¡¯ X ¡®Preservation¡¯ I¡¯d performed surgery once on myself, this is more of the same. So that¡¯s exactly what I did, more of the same, finally reaching my cervical vertebrae and carefully parting bones and piercing past layer of the meninges to weave a new spine into mine¡­ my body vitals were definitely changing, but I kept it in the back of mind. They weren¡¯t fatal. So then I began attaching each metallic vertebrae in place, strapping down new ligaments and meninges that my immunity would be surpressed enough to accept. Then I formed connections between by new muscles, I¡¯d also prepared a new scapula which was a simple enough structure for me to replace without modifying it. Finally, the skin, the last step. Newer skin with a slight metallic gloss to it, with slight aesthetic holes for my spine¡¯s eminences to poke through. Hah, I¡¯d look like a dinosaur, a stegosaurus like from that movie I watched with Elsa. It took 13 hours of laying on that table, but eventually, I woke up. Unable to move a muscle, but alive and well, my organs hadn¡¯t failed and though every bit of of my back hurt¡­ I was fine. Sure, I couldn¡¯t move, but that wasn¡¯t cause for worry. There was still a rough sensation on my back, that meant signals were coming to my brain. I hadn¡¯t accidentally severed my spine. I wish I could¡¯ve said that we jumped up and had a huge celebration, but I was so tired that the next time I came to, I was in a wheelchair, Missy sitting infront of me as both my mother and Elsa slept through the night. ¡±Can you talk? Missy whispered. ¡±A little¡­¡± It hurt to talk, but I managed it. ¡±Spine¡¯s a bitch. I know how you feel.¡± Missy hushed out. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll recover quicker than you think.¡± ¡±Hopefully.¡± We still weren¡¯t sure of any lasting effects of the spine. ¡°How¡¯s prep for the mission going?¡± ¡±It¡¯s a lot. We¡¯ve got two mercs ready for it, not my first picks but they¡¯re dependable. Just a bit money-hungry.¡± Missy commented. ¡°How¡¯re you feeling?¡± ¡±Like I got my spine ripped out.¡± ¡±Well¡­ ¡®rip¡¯ is in your name.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Mom jokes aside, you really okay? I know I asked a lot from you.¡± ¡±Yeah.¡± I nodded. ¡°Just¡­ close. But also far, my Development¡¯s slowing down, 58% now¡­ but that¡¯ll only get slower as I grow.¡± ¡±80% requires high development into the second Version of your Features.¡± She nodded. ¡°It won¡¯t be easy.¡± ¡±I know. ¡±Two weeks, Ripley¡­ think if that¡¯s worth tearing yourself over.¡± ¡±Ripping.¡± I corrected. ¡°Someone recently told me that even if I¡¯m torn apart, I put myself back together. I¡¯m beginning to believe it.¡± She took a glance at Elsa who had a pillow on my leg that she slept on. ¡°I get it Ripley¡­ I know exactly what you have going on. I¡¯m just contemplating¡­¡± ¡±Contemplating what?¡± ¡±If I¡¯m doing the right thing, I look at you and I feel¡­ sad. That I made you do this.¡± ¡±I chose this myself.¡± ¡±Would you have chosen this without me to push you to it?¡± ¡°I probably would have had my scalp ripped through by Inquisitor Tusk if you weren¡¯t there¡­ which yeah¡­ you were a part of NeoCore?¡± ¡±Inquisitor Emizren.¡± She nodded, looking sad as though remembering a memory long forgotten. ¡°Inquisitor Misery.¡± ¡±You didn¡¯t like it?¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t it. I just felt like I wasn¡¯t doing enough, that I was just perpetuating a cycle¡­¡± I raised a question I had in my head for a while. ¡°Are you a Gold? Higher?¡± ¡±Nope.¡± She said flatly. ¡°Maybe I could¡¯ve been, but I¡¯m happy where I¡¯m at now.¡± ¡±¡­¡± I smacked my lips, thinking. ¡°You feel like you aren¡¯t doing enough? For me?¡± ¡±Everyone.¡± She stared at me. ¡°There was a time I was too active, did too many things and fucked shit up for myself. I thought that maybe it was time to do the opposite, then I go back to my old ways the moment an opportunity presents itself like with the R0N1N¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know nearly enough about her to find a response to that, but she filled the silence instead. ¡°You know¡­ you¡¯re actually the third kid your grandfather dropped on my doorstep.¡± I bit my lip. ¡°Let me guess¡­ Diamante was the first? He was that kid Hammersmith saved from Metal Heavens?¡± ¡±So you got it¡­ yeah, your grandfather was the Hammersmith.¡± The legendary Shard Operator, my grandfather, Alberich Gravas. ¡°I had my suspicions, the timing of Hammersmith¡¯s disappearance and my birth¡­ the whole both being Shard Operators way above their pay-grade.¡± ¡±Clever kid.¡± She smiled. ¡°He¡¯s actually younger than me, but he¡¯s gotten a reputation far above mine.¡± ¡±You do have Herald Ruby¡¯s attention.¡± I pointed out. ¡±She¡¯s my ex-wife.¡± Missy said it like having a general of the world¡¯s premier peace-keeping force as a former spouse was a normal thing. ¡°Back from when we were younger and thought things lasted forever¡­ we were there when Florida fell. When The Infinite took it over, I remember leaving so many innocents behind as our evacuation orders came in.¡± ¡±That why you feel like you didn¡¯t do anything? It was a fucking MALtitan.¡± How would you even kill one of those bastards? ¡±Right¡­ well, since then, I¡¯ve learned things. About how the world works, who runs things¡­ what everyone¡¯s looking for. The one thing that feels incomplete in my life is¡­ those things.¡± ¡±The MAL?¡± ¡±Yeah.¡± She softened. ¡°They shouldn¡¯t exist.¡± ¡±Then why leave NeoCore, they kill MALs.¡± ¡±They secure Implants, Ripley. Big difference.¡± Missy¡¯s voice was drenched in regret despite her words. Right, it was too late to turn back now for her. ¡±Yeah¡­ Tusk didn¡¯t care much about preserving human life.¡± I remembered what Diana said. ¡°What¡¯s up with Dogwhistler, that whole deal involving the MAL that gave my Implant?¡± Missy was quiet for a long moment. ¡°All I know is that I¡¯m a merc, with a very specific mission¡­ I needed money for it. So, I took the deal she offered knowing who she is. I don¡¯t know her identity, but I know she¡¯s a known benefactor of Mr. Skeleton. He¡¯s the face of the operation, but she¡¯s the brains¡­ among the others who¡¯re playing the chess board.¡± Missy looked at her hands. ¡±I¡­ figured out some things about her. Elsa helped me examine a homeless guy with a dog tag tattoo.¡± I lied, I¡¯d just told Elsa about my ability to review memories off an Implant, but I was ready to keep my cards closer to my chest from now on. Other than Diamant¨¦, Elsa was the only person who would know. With that, I gave a brief explanation of the things I¡¯d seen. ¡±A flower¡­ Soul Killer then.¡± Missy sighed to herself, not that I got the reason why. ¡°The Homeless. Can¡¯t believe I never saw it, you said they wear dog tag tattoos?¡± ¡±Yeah.¡± ¡±I¡¯ll see what I can do with that information.¡± Missy said into her hands. ¡±So¡­ you really don¡¯t know anything about Dogwhistler?¡± ¡±Other than that she¡¯s got enough influence on the Net to put Ms. Himiko to shame? No, not really. I don¡¯t know where she got your MAL from, but I suspect she has a benefactor pulling the strings. Whoever she is¡­ she¡¯s only been active for the last decade. Mr. Skeleton a bit before that, but then Soul Killer? He¡¯s been at this city for half a century, except¡­ now¡­ they¡¯re acting differently. Something happened, someone¡¯s organizing them.¡± ¡±Who?¡± ¡±I don¡¯t know.¡± She looked pained when she said it. ¡°As a group¡­ those three call themselves ¡®The Uncaged¡¯.¡± ¡±The Uncaged¡­¡± I¡¯ll remember that name. ¡°Why tell me all of this?¡± ¡±Because if you¡¯re serious about this, then you need to know that I¡¯m planning on taking them down. Dogwhistler, Skeleton, Soul Killer.¡± ¡±Then we¡¯re on the same goal.¡± I nodded. ¡±No, you¡¯re not.¡± She looked at my sleeping mother. ¡°She¡¯s your goal, Ripley. Don¡¯t delude yourself like I did.¡± I stayed silent as I thought that over. ¡°You said I was the third from my grandfather? Diamante was the first, The Iron Devil, I gathered. Who¡¯s the second?¡± ¡±Mikail Almajali.¡± She sounded so sad when she said it. ¡°An astounding Shard Operator like yourself ¡ª actually, he was better than you ¡ª got your grandfather¡¯s eye from a young age and became his apprentice. Then something or the other dragged him away from training the kid, so he dropped him off with me but¡­ the kid was¡­ wrong.¡± ¡±Wrong?¡± ¡±Greedy, envious, prideful. Maybe those sins encapsulate him the most, just took so much pleasure in the world and money that as I trained him he¡­ well, he never lost himself. He just became more of himself. Tried to talk him out of one particularly bad deal with the rest of my crew out at the time, turns out he turned them all except Diamante against me. We won but¡­ Mikail escaped, wounded.¡± ¡±Is he alive?¡± ¡±Yeah, unfortunately, you¡¯ve met him.¡± Missy rummaged through her hair. ¡±Who?¡± I gulped. She stared at me like she was staring at the ghost of a friend. ¡±Mr. Skeleton.¡± Blood and Steel C71- ERROR: 404 Chapter- ERROR 404 6:00 AM August 2nd Diana I didn¡¯t sleep, how could I? I didn¡¯t understand anything I read, it couldn¡¯t be real? Could it? There was no way Anthony¡¯s mother had¡­ looked into the future. That was impossible, right? But that message had my name in there. It had a nickname I barely even used. Silvereye. The more I thought about that, that somehow¡­ whatever this¡­ link the message had to the Allseeing, it caused a primal dread to drench me. A fear of the unknown. Of the Abyss. Of the Void. I thought it through reasonably, whatever was at play here¡­ with my Implant. With Dogwhistler. With Soul Killer. With Skeleton. It now had a common lead, The Uncaged. And their ploy to control the events of the next Swarm. Three years. Would we survive until then? Would we survive beyond it? I didn¡¯t know. For the first time since, I had hours consumed by thoughts other than Yvette. The Old_Data, just what was it now? All of human history, events, knowledge, emotions, developments, all of it was sealed away behind The FIREWALL. Left in the care of a MALtitan, a being of insurmountable power and calculation. The MAL were free to use Earth¡¯s history, while humanity was forced to redevelop everything from scratch or old antiquities that were preserved through the nuclear holocaust of the late 2060s. I knew one thing, that if The Uncaged were trying to truly make the next Swarm the last one, then they planned to break The FIREWALL to unleash the Allseeing. It was a shame then, that I didn¡¯t have a BUG to figure out how they would do so. Those three names at the end, I was sure of it¡­ Soul Killer. Skeleton. Dogwhistler. They were each members of The Uncaged. And¡­ there was only one Data Delver among them in the Dogwhistler. Just what were they planning? ¡ª¡ª¡ª Ripley went straight to voice-mail again. ¡±Hey, Ripley¡­ I stumbled onto something. Something¡­ big. I need you to come and check it out, maybe bring your¡­ actually, just come alone. I¡¯ll send you my address.¡± The drive to the station was punctuated in an unnerving silence. Come on Diana! Think it through, of course a MALtitan with hundreds of years to toil with all of human history would be smart. It would be pretty damn good at predicting the future. Michelle Silva, founder of NeoCore, was widely known to have similar powers of predicting the future. They always said she knew how to be in the right place at the right time. So then, if someone¡­ say a SIM User like Anthony¡¯s mother got in contact with a MALtitan somehow then¡­ she would crumble. I hated this, I needed someone, anyone¡­ but I was alone. I had¡­ to do this alone. ¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Who else knows about the Gold?¡± Risa Wickett asked sternly. ¡±Just Anthony.¡± I mumbled, half-focused. ¡±And?¡± She motioned forward. ¡±No one.¡± I dazedly said. She droned a hum, but even though I knew minutes had passed, it was seconds to me when Anthony entered the room. ¡±Anthony. Ask her who knows about her Gold SIM.¡± She ordered. He gulped, and nervously stared me down with a confliction burned across his eyes. I nodded at him, and with sweat beading up on his forehead, he whispered. ¡°Diana, who knows about your Gold SIM?¡± Ripley. Dr. Faltest. My father. Archangel. Metal Heavens. Your father. The Lieutenant. ¡±Right. My father and the doctor he sent. It was hard to keep it from them.¡± I quietly said, my thoughts intertwined with the creeping image I saw yesterday night. Wickett slowed down at that, she¡¯d been fighting non-stop with her metallic hands. ¡°Acceptable. But I wouldn¡¯t put it past some higher power to know more than they let on.¡± She had no idea how right she was. ¡±Diana.¡± Wickett bore her gaze into me, so intensely it briefly startled me out of my thoughts. ¡°We¡¯re in a tight mess because of you, I have my own problems to worry about, but with Rorsche I didn¡¯t need to worry about your problems. He did that for me. So now, you need to do it for yourself, as of now Choirmen is taking over as Second-in-command for the On-field unit. You will be reporting under him, and carry out whatever task he asks of you.¡± ¡±Aye, aye.¡± I answered tiredly. She scoffed, before leaving to do¡­ whatever it was she was doing. I didn¡¯t care anymore. ¡±Diana.¡± Anthony moved in. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡±Not an issue, your powers need time to activate anyway.¡± I didn¡¯t feel the slightest bit compulsed, it just jogged my memory, that¡¯s it. ¡±By the way¡­ your mother loves you.¡± I said. ¡±What?¡± It was simple to see why he was shocked. ¡°Where- where¡¯s this coming from?¡± ¡±I don¡¯t know, I just thought you¡¯d want to hear it.¡± I couldn¡¯t bother coming up with something right now. ¡±Er¡­¡± ¡±I¡¯ll go see what Choirmen¡¯s up to.¡± I stood up. ¡°Need a promotion if I¡¯m going to get out of here.¡± ¡±You want to leave?¡± He seemed shocked.. ¡±Yeah. The squad¡­ understandably don¡¯t have the best reputation anymore.¡± I moved past him but looked back for a smile. ¡°But you¡¯re enough. Let¡¯s get out, together.¡± ¡±Oh.¡± He blushed. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll do my best to keep up.¡± ¡±No problem.¡± I waved him bye, a slight smile on my face. ¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Why? Diana.¡± Choirmen grumbled. ¡°I was perfectly fine on-field, my body is built to take bullets not case-files.¡± ¡±Sorry¡­¡± I tensed up. ¡±I don¡¯t blame you though, about the time someone stuck the nail in his coffin, just a shame Indra isn¡¯t here to see it.¡± He chuckled tiredly, Indra¡¯s¡­ betrayal was covered up, by my father. He put in some lie about them being abducted by Metal Heavens and my ass going to save them, tried to make me into some sort of tragic heroine¡­ it worked. ¡°Rorsche may have been a prick, but he was¡­ a dependable prick, didn¡¯t excuse him for the shit he did when it came to his¡­ dick. I¡­ really didn¡¯t know any of that about him ¡ª how vile that bastard was. I¡¯m sorry for what you went through, all of it. You¡¯re tough, tougher than you deserve to be.¡± I didn¡¯t continue that conversation, my case with Rorsche would come up in the trial soon and¡­ I had to focus. ¡°I¡¯ve compiled some stuff for you, think you can assign them?¡± ¡±Already?¡± He looked over the list. ¡°Gah, more corporate shit. Why can¡¯t we have a nice shootout?¡± ¡±I¡¯ll find something worthwhile¡­ you going to let me on-field or¡­?¡± I asked slowly. ¡±Go, go. You look like you need to release some shit anyway, just¡­ take care. Let me know if you need anything, Diana. And¡­ will you be there at the funeral?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ find my way.¡± I stepped out, I needed the air. Indra and Yvette¡¯s funeral was today. ¡ª¡ª¡ª The ceremony was quiet, Yvette¡¯s parents were¡­ devastated. The story was already circulating around, Indra and Yvette were victims to Rorsche¡¯s manipulation as he tried to scare them with Metal Heavens. Their ¡®accidental death¡¯ was the last line he stepped on before it all came crashing down by my hands. I was being congratulated for putting an end to his tyranny. It was all a lie. Yvette¡¯s parents hugged me, and I patted them back with numb hands. They told me that I was always welcome as a ¡®daughter¡¯ to them, but I could see it in their eyes a hole I would never replace. A hole I¡¯d created. Everyone said I gave a nice speech, but I barely remember it. They were just words strung together that talked of happier times I longed for, each syllable scarred with a falsehood I could never take back. I talked of the love I had for both of them, of the need to get rid of people like Rorsche, of how I wouldn¡¯t rest until it was done. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. That¡­ that I meant. ¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Come on! Ripley! Answer!¡± He had to know some sort of illegal gang business that I could play a helping hand in solving, I wasn¡¯t sure exactly what he was doing with Missy, but I do remember him and Twilight taking care of those Metal Heavens¡¯ goons pretty quickly. I just needed something to distract myself with. Something quick and easy, painful but liberating. I needed to start making up for everything I¡¯d done. But being unavailable like this¡­ was he at Little Requiem? Bold of him if he did that. For now, all I could do was sift through cases until I¡¯d come up on a lead. But every line passed me by, melting and melting¡­ as the words only echoed with no meaning. All I saw that message from Juliet Grazhe¡­ a woman who stared into the abyss. ¡ª¡ª¡ª August 9th ¡±Hey, Diana.¡± Ripley finally picked up. ¡±Ripley, where the fuck have you been?!¡± I was pretty outwardly pissed, the last few days had been a shitshow. ¡±Little Requiem.¡± He peeped. Of course. I sighed. ¡°There¡¯s¡­ something I need you to see.¡± ¡±Alright, send it over.¡± ¡±Can¡¯t¡­ it¡¯s¡­ better if I don¡¯t. Not sure who can read these calls, but it¡¯s dangerous to do it like this. Just¡­ it has to do with a certain¡­ Missy. She knows more than she¡¯s letting on, about everything.¡± ¡±I am not surprised. She¡¯s going to be busy till the end of August, so will I and. Oh yeah, Diana¡­ you and I should probably not meet in person.¡± ¡±What? You don¡¯t understand, we need to-¡° ¡±You have a bounty of 35 Million.¡± He said. My heart might as well have sunk. ¡°I- what?¡± ¡±Mr. Skeleton.¡± ¡±He¡­ is this because I refused his deal?¡± Were these the consequences? ¡±I don¡¯t know, but he¡¯s also given an offer about info on my BUG despite knowing that I have it. I think it¡¯s a way to keep tabs or put pressure on us, it¡¯s all strange.¡± ¡±I- okay, I get it. Still, someway or another, find a way to my place soon.¡± I sent over my address. ¡±Huh¡­ well, my schedule is packed.¡± He seemed to be distracted for a moment. ¡±Till when?¡± ¡±Uh¡­ end of August.¡± So three weeks?! He could not be serious, I had an auction to go to. ¡±What the fuck requires you to get that busy??¡± ¡±You probably don¡¯t want to know. Also, killer-moves at the hotel. I saw a video of you fighting. You¡¯re slick.¡± ¡±Wait, I thought there was no video released to the public?¡± ¡±I got friends on the inside.¡± ¡±Does said friend have the ability to basically become invisible even if he¡¯s perfectly out in the open?¡± Topaz, if I got the name right. ¡±Shit, how did you know?¡± ¡±Archangel mentioned that name once, just been looking through a bunch of old notes recently. Also, how come you get to know how I fight while I¡¯ve never seen you fight?¡± That was a bit unfair. ¡±Oh¡­ well, you might see something come up. Eventually.¡± He teased that. ¡±Don¡¯t tell me I need to arrest you.¡± ¡±Ha, like you¡¯d be able to.¡± ¡±Confident much, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡±Very much so. But if you¡¯d like the challenge¡­ be prepared to get trapped under my web of- oh ow, ow! I¡¯m not- I¡¯m not flirting!¡± He was talking to someone off call, but I couldn¡¯t help but tease it a little bit. ¡±Bondage is a bit too forward, don¡¯t you think?¡± I said with a smile. ¡±Huh? Wha-¡° I heard a loud clang. ¡°Put that down Twilight!¡± ¡±Twilight again?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask now. ¡°Are you two dating?¡± ¡±Uh¡­ it¡¯s-¡° Then I heard a female voice scream, for it to filter through that meant¡­ she was¡­ in his head? ¡°Ripley is mine! You bitch! Also¡­ we do have a date scheduled¡­ so unfortunately he won¡¯t be available to make any booty calls to your place for the next month, toodles!¡± Uh¡­ why was I¡­ strangely mad? His voice came through again. ¡±Sorry about that- wha- I can¡¯t apologize?¡± ¡±Uh¡­ if you¡¯re busy I can call at a later time?¡± Was I interrupting a date? No, she said they had a date scheduled so¡­ what exactly was I interrupting? ¡±Yeah, that works! I¡¯ll see if I can-¡° Then the call cut. Okay, that was strange. ¡ª¡ª¡ª August 16th ¡°This is a shitshow.¡± Risa Wickett grumbled, looking over the thirty pending cases. ¡°Rorsche could have had this done in a week.¡± ¡±Did you adopt him or something?¡± Anthony was now forcefully pushed into mine and Choirmen¡¯s facultative duties. By us. Risa Wickett glared at him once. That was all it took for him to excuse his way out. I stared at the ceiling as Choirmen and Risa Wickett argued about how to best run this squad¡­ but you know what? ¡±Fuck it. Special Investigator, what exactly do you do?¡± I said, then clarified. ¡°Apologies if that sounded rude, I just¡­ don¡¯t have a very clear understanding of the responsibilities you have as Squad Leader?¡± ¡±I¡­¡± She stammered for a second, a rare moment for her. ¡°I work.¡± Choirmen joined my side, stubble strapped on his face from the multiple nights of him not leaving the office. ¡°I understand you¡¯re busy, but even I have a lack of understanding as to why this all¡­ falls on us?¡± ¡±Because you¡¯re paid for it.¡± ¡±Then what are you paid for?¡± I continued our tag-team assault. ¡±I¡­ I mostly do MAL cleanups.¡± She said. ¡°Once a month.¡± Once a¡­ month? ¡±And the other 30 days in a month?¡± Choirmen had a vein ready to pop. ¡±I organize it.¡± ¡°With who?¡± ¡±Sergeant Solomon. I primarily provide support to the STRIKE department, get them their cases.¡± She seemed to have half made that up on the spot, it wasn¡¯t unbelievable per say but¡­ was she¡­ blowing off our own squad to work in another department entirely? ¡±Oh.¡± Choirmen seemed to have come to a conclusion. ¡°You, you¡¯re only here for the Intelligence income aren¡¯t you? You¡¯d much rather do STRIKE work, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡±This is why I liked Rorsche.¡± She glared. ¡°He liked running this place.¡± ¡±He liked the power it gave.¡± I corrected her. ¡°Just like you prefer slashing people apart.¡± ¡±I don¡¯t need to prove myself to you. Besides, I prefer MALs.¡± She stood her ground. But she was like¡­ five-feet tall. I blew out a tired stuffing of air, at least my curiosity was satisfied. ¡°Special Investigator, do you¡­ fraud your case reports?¡± ¡±How dare you-¡° ¡±Do you?¡± Choirmen interjected, I could high-five him right now. ¡±Rorsche used to put my credit on the tasks he performed in my name.¡± She glared, suddenly it was becoming more obvious why she kept him around. ¡±We can do that.¡± I said to Choirmen, a wise glint connecting our eyes. ¡°But only¡­¡± ¡±¡­If she puts in at least three cases a month.¡± He completed, he was the best. Risa looked like she was about to explode. ¡°You¡¯re both going to suffer for this.¡± ¡±I put in twenty cases last month!¡± I protested. ¡±You¡¯re being a child.¡± She said firmly. I- I was being a child??! ¡°Two.¡± Choirmen bartered. ¡°I mean, now that Rorsche isn¡¯t here, it would be pretty easy to dig up some evidence-¡° ¡±Fine!¡± She agreed, putting her hand up. ¡°Tch, I was going to look from a different squad to transfer in a new sub-leader but¡­ fine. Have it your way, Choirmen. Ulrich.¡± She closed the door so hard that a hinge snapped, silently I waved back. ¡°Toodles.¡± Then me and Choirmen broke into a fit of laughter. Was two cases a month really a big deal that would make our jobs easier? No. But it was nice putting her down her pedestal. ¡ª¡ª¡ª August 19th [I¡¯m outside.] Ripley responded, fucking finally! Rushing to the door, I paused in front of my mirror. Just quickly brushing my hair, and changing my clothes and then I just sweeped my couch- What was I doing? I did not¡­ like him¡­ enough¡­ to put in this much effort. He was just going to look at my computer, we would talk a bit about the cryptic message, and then he¡¯d leave. Nothing more, besides, he was dating Twilight¡­ I think¡­ I don¡¯t know how it worked when dating a person with split personalities. ¡±Hellooo?¡± He rang my door¡¯s intercom. I hopped up to the door and opened it, only to see absolutely no one. ¡±Down here.¡± His voice echoed again, but this time not from within my house¡¯s speakers. Sitting on my welcome mat was a hand-sized spider-shaped drone. One little arm raised up. ¡°Hi.¡± ¡±That drone is oddly adorable¡­ but you could have told me you weren¡¯t coming physically.¡± I leaned down to inspect it, the entire structure looked complex and was that a¡­ I saw a familiar shaped bangle but broken up into segments along the drone¡¯s back. It was a Braceshocker, but those were only available to Intelligence Department Investigators¡­ Unless you were me as an officer. ¡±Still working out how to get it to climb walls, so could you pick me up?¡± The fact that he pretended like he was the robot was a little endearing. ¡±I think I like it when you¡¯re this tiny.¡± I put the cute spider on both of my palms. It had ridiculously big eyes that carried my warping reflection. The drone poked my hands with it¡¯s little legs that were deceptively sharp. ¡±Wow, your hands are showing an impressive amount of rigidity under my sensors. You¡¯re pretty thick-skinned, I thought girls were supposed to moisturize or something.¡± ¡±Shut the fuck up, you miniature dwarf.¡± I said with an endearing smile. ¡°I¡¯m only saying that because I can¡¯t get enough of you.¡± He nervously laughed, as I expected¡­ he wasn¡¯t alone. A female voice echoed quietly, like it was far off from a microphone. ¡°That bitch! Tell her to back off, Ripley, you¡¯re my boyfriend, not hers!¡± Ah so he was dating¡­ I¡¯m going to ignore this little nagging feeling in my stomach. I smiled despite the cracks. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Twilight, I didn¡¯t mean anything by it.¡± ¡°This is Midnight, you fucking idiot. Leave my boytoy alone!¡± The voice grew louder, almost a growl. Then it sang cheerfully. ¡°Oh I¡¯m Daylight by the way. Just wanted to say, you¡¯re gorgeous so I think you¡¯ll have better luck with some other men who aren¡¯t taken, thank you very much.¡± Then the voice switched again, becoming what I remembered most that day. ¡°Twilight here! He¡¯s mine, all mine. Sorry you were too slow, it sucks to be you!¡± Only for her to once again take a tonal shift and become a tad bit quieter. ¡°Um¡­ sorry about them. They¡¯re a little attached¡­ but they are right. I know where you live now. And for peacekeeping sakes, I¡¯m going to call you Diana Jones.¡± ¡°Yeah, okay I won¡¯t do that anymore.¡± I learned my lesson, I think. I didn¡¯t even like Ripley¡­ that much, it was the weird Gold Implant connection! I hoped. ¡°Never got your name by the way.¡± ¡±Elsa.¡± She said. ¡±Oh, like the princess from Frozen.¡± I remembered being pretty emotional when my dad and I watched it together. ¡±Oh¡­ yes, actually.¡± She sounded a bit embarrassed, and I heard a shuffling of static as Ripley came back on tune from the spider drone. ¡±Moving on. You¡¯ve met my girlfriend¡­ girlfriends¡­ So let''s see what you said was so important.¡± The spider drone hummed patiently. I took it over to the laptop, plugging the datacube in and typing out the URL. ¡±An Old World based link? Maybe there are more?¡± Ripley clattered on the table in his little spider body. ¡±I¡¯ve tried other combinations, this is the only one that¡­¡± No page found. ¡±What?¡± That wasn¡¯t right. ¡°I have a screenshot saved, just give me a moment to load¡­ it.¡± I searched through my gallery but why couldn¡¯t I find it? Where had it gone? ¡°I- Ripley, it¡¯s missing.¡± ¡±I believe you.¡± The little drone clambered forward. ¡°Do you remember what was on it? Exactly?¡± ¡±Not a whole lot, it was pretty cryptic. A lot of information highlighted to The Founders and the MAL fighting over something called The Source and another group called The Uncaged seeking control of it. They want to turn the Fifth Swarm in their favor, some other weird shit about Hybrids and how we¡¯re supposed to embrace it?¡± He waited a moment before responding. ¡°Sounds like a lot of Metal Heavens dogma¡­ I¡¯ve got some experience within their circle now. Long story. But I¡¯m going to choose to believe you, especially if the image was deleted off your Frame.¡± He clambered around a bit, looking at the Datacube. ¡°You said there was more info on this? Can I check?¡± ¡±Yeah go ahead, just some short notes. Missy¡¯s warning to the Lieutenant¡¯s sister, some stuff about a Mikail Almajali and his relation to Hammersmith and Missy¡­ the Iron Devil Incident. Uh, Bladefather and how Muramasa is a front for The Uncaged and-¡° ¡±There¡¯s nothing on it. Shit, it¡¯s been tampered with, I think? Elsa?¡± The robot whirred in place, one wire plugging it to the cube. Then it clanked up again, turning to me with a slight panic shivering through the drone. ¡°Yeah throw away the computer. My girlfriend¡¯s saying you¡¯ve been hacked. Try your best to disconnect all services to your frame for the time being. Get a fresh DataShield, Bronze Grade ¡ª maybe something different from the police ones¡­ Twilight¡¯s offering to sell one to you. Get a fresh, distinct DS for any appliance connected to the net here. If you can¡¯t shut them off, scrap them. Better safe than sorry, shit, shit. This place might also be bugged! Shit! They heard you say my name!¡± The little spider panicked around the table, before suddenly two of it¡¯s limbs enlarged to become wide and membranous, they flapped up and down in a blurring whirr that generated lift for the drone. ¡°I¡¯m going to leave now! Also, I don¡¯t have the time to tell you but I looked through the BUG of one of those tattooed homeless men, you were right! They work for Dogwhistler!¡± Then it picked up a surprising speed, somehow unlocking my door which opened up to allow the little drone a safe, zipping, retreat. Left in stupor, I hardly had the time to fully capture the weight of what he meant. Remove all appliances connected to the Net? I stared around me and, Founder¡¯s ballsacks¡­ that was practically everything I owned. Blood and Steel C72: Dumpz and Humpz Chapter 72: Dumpz and Humpz Internal Chat Log of Metal Heavens Sub-group BobSlicer: Yo, u gearfuckers heard of this babe called Diana Ulrich? Litmus: Which club the bitch workin'' at? She any good? Broke my last one. AftyPark: Nah Litty, boss was talkin'' bout her. A cop, with a hell of a bounty. Litmus: How much? AftyPark: 35 Million Sheds. Litmus: 0_0 so when are we killing this bitch? BobSlicer: Fr, bounty like that could do me a lot good. Heard Skelly wants her alive tho. Litmus: I need new guns, got some mad Diablos bitches I need killing. Alive, right? Doesn''t matter if we break her then, cops don''t need no fuckin'' hands. Dirty pigs is all they are. AftyPark: Agreed to that, cops don''t need Golds. Fucking pigs they are with our tax money, glad I never paid my shit. Hell, once we get money, we''ll be so rich we don''t need to pay taxes. Litmus: Is that how it works? AftyPark: Does it fucking matter? I''ll be living like a king. Kings don''t pay taxes. BobSlicer: Alright bois, we got a fucking plan. But let''s make a promise, that orphanage we grew up in... if we''re gonna live our lives like kings, let''s at least give something back. Litmus: Fuck no. AftyPark: My money, my rules. BobSlicer: Eh, you''re right. That place sucked ass anyway. Litmus: Let''s burn it down instead, lol. BobSlicer: Let''s buy a fucking flamethrower! AftyPark: First, we''ll need to become electroproof. I''ll call Dumpz and Humpz''s group over, just don''t tell those dumbasses about the bounty. August 20th Diana Standing inside the ruins of my home, I felt a deep pain scratch away as I calculated the cost of every bit of scrap left under my feet. The worst thing, Ripley was right, when I¡¯d smashed one of my light bulbs since I used it¡¯s changing colors with NetAccess, I found an odd little rod pieced inside of it. A bug, and not the Implant kind. I felt like an idiot, how long was this place being wire-tapped? Who put it in the first place? The Uncaged? The police? Someone else entirely? There was no use in panicking though, I¡¯d used my vision to root out electricity access to my apartment and planned to stay in a hotel for the time being. Multiple hotels. ¡±Fuck.¡± I whispered to myself. The only benefit to all of these developments happening one-after-another was that it helped me focus on something other than my guilt and grief. ¡°What should I do? Yvette?¡± I stared at my hands, as much as I hated it, I couldn¡¯t strike up the nerve for any combat related assignments. Remembering what I did to her, it just¡­ I was scared. But it was looking more likely now that a fight was incoming, and I had to choose my options carefully. And most likely, lethally. ¡±Breathe.¡± I said. ¡°She should want you to breathe.¡± Long and deep sighs went in and out, I reclaimed my hold on my mind. Now, it was pretty damn obvious I was a target to too many people to count. I was lucky most of my cases were relatively safe, I¡¯d been extra careful since Ripley pointed out my bounty. ¡°You can do this.¡± I solidified that statement in my head. ¡°Whatever it takes.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª I met my first harassment of goons as I left to drive, my parking lot was turned into an ambush spot I saw through with my radiation-sensitive eyes. Metal Heavens, it seemed from the thick chunks around their arms, face and legs. Great, now the question was whether I should avoid them or¡­ No. I had to send them a message. I pulled out my guns, the heavy pistol and the lighter Braceshocker lined up and charged. ¡°I know you¡¯re there!¡± ¡±Shiz, you see through wallz or som¡¯n?!¡± The first mohawk-headed goon pulled out from behind a wall, and I fried that turkey-head in one shot. ¡±Get her boys! Priest said alive, remember!¡± They charged at me, some on the back rows loading their guns. I counted a number of eight including the man I¡¯d downed. All Irons from the look of it. ¡±Stab ¡®er dead!¡± One of them yelled. ¡±No! Not dead!¡± A second one argued. I landed shots on both of them by the time the return fire had started. Down to five, this was easy pickings, I was more powerful than ever. Two of them had twisted metal arms, and both hammered their way to me. I dodged and weaved, my searing thoughts focused on the three shooters as I slipped away. One shot. Two shot. Three- shit! One of the hammering men suddenly picked up speed, an Overclock BUG of some kind, whacking me in the shoulder enough to toss my heavy pistol aside. I aimed my Braceshocker, launching a max-powered pulse of blue into the man¡¯s head. He screamed and lurched back, then laughed as the skin on his cheek peeled off, a metallic skeleton gleaming within. ¡±We knowz your trickz little lady! Humps and Dumps got electroproof skellies in our systems!¡± He cackled, launching himself at me with a quick burst of speed through the servos in his legs. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Fine, then I¡¯ll fight them. Electricity charged through my body, running down my shoulders, around my arms to nestle at the tips of my- My breath hitched as I hesitated bringing out my full power, instead I focused on the muscles of my arm, meeting his punch as my bones- ¡¯Crack¡¯ Blood shattered over me, a terrible sensation sprawling up my body as I stared at the mangled hand that crumpled against his reinforced fist. ¡±You thouz we waz a simple Ironz?¡± Humps, or was it Dumps, laughed like a mania. Bronze filtered up and down his body¡¯s augments. The Shardware steamed, radiating an intense heat that I knew came from no simple Tier I. ¡°We¡¯z no chumpz!¡± They cornered me, both of them moving in perfect synchronization as there was no more fire to thwart their assault. ¡±We¡¯z let you in on a little tweady secret. We¡¯z got a fine Network. We can feelz eachotherz!¡± One crushed my arm, the other slamming me into a wall, I coughed up blood as my body snapped broken bones in place with my regeneration. ¡±That¡¯z freakkyyy! So we can break youz as much as we wantz! We¡¯ll crush youz dead!¡± ¡±No! Don¡¯t kill her!¡± The last remaining gunmen kept an open scope on me. ¡±We¡¯ll crush her¡­ unconzciouz!¡± I shot myself in the leg with my pistol, the cloth searing as it burned through to my flesh. Nurturing the limb with energy, I kicked into the closest twin, feeling a resistance I very rarely met during my attacks. What were their endoskeletons made out of? Left vulnerable, they wasted no time smacking me into each other. Each of them tossed me around like a pinata to break open, I just took each hit, but deep in my skin and muscles I felt a deep tension building up. Like a spring waiting to explode free. They might have had strong skeletons, but there were plenty of structures not protected by them. Like their windpipes. I slammed the bottom of my palm into one of their trachea¡¯s, the cartilage snapping as blood gurgled out from the trauma. ¡±Bumpz!¡± He charged straight forward, but my right side craved release from all that throwing around. The back of my hand met his cheek, and it continued going until his head twisted the other way around. ¡±Oh shit!¡± The last gunmen tried to take sight, but I released the springlocks of my right leg, before converting all of the stored energy of my left limb into a whip of electricity. His head exploded with my kick meeting it. I felt a bitter release, a cold warmth of being alive, but then as that blood stench filled my nostrils it quickly evaporated. I¡¯d done it again, pushing too hard unknowingly¡­ There was no time for this. Gathering up my things, I hurried nearer to my car before stopping short, something was off. The electronics of my car were largely the same, but what was that odd bump beneath it? A bomb. It exploded mere feet from me, shrapnel and heat clawing at me but I was unhurt thanks to my Integrity Mutations. Shit, someone was still here? I searched around, finding noone, but there was an odd swell of electricity in one of the cameras¡­ it flickered to a close as soon as I laid eyes on it. I stared at the wreckage of my car, the apartment was fine¡­ but that car had been mine from my first paycheck. Gritting, I turned around, was I really going to have to use public transport? ¡ª¡ª¡ª Using public transport was a bad idea, one of the Scrappers who always lurked nearby perked his head at the sight of me in recognition. It wasn¡¯t long before the others of his flock all tried to lure me in. It was an easier fight, the Scrappers weren¡¯t well organized and relied on their numbers. That was easy enough to deal with. ¡ª¡ª¡ª I decided a taxi would do, calling up an automated taxi to take me to the first hotel, the ride was smooth at first. Then it took a wrong turn, I recognized this road, it would lead straight to Little Requiem. Had they even infiltrated the automated taxi service? Pressing the emergency buttons didn¡¯t do jack shit, so I resorted to charging up both my kinetic cells and muscle cells in my legs. Then I kicked the door open, it burst off and flew into a sidewalk, numerous passer-bys screaming at me. The taxi picked up speed, but I took that leap. My skin burned as the asphalt¡¯s rough texture ripped into me, even my kinetic absorption didn¡¯t save me from friction. Dusting myself off, I decided to just walk. ¡ª¡ª¡ª I decided to leap from roof to roof once a strange man with tattoos began whispering to his friends as I passed by. As soon as I travelled by an alley, a strange fleshy vine grasped my throat and dragged me. It would have choked me just fine if I didn¡¯t pour an entire load of my gun onto it. Thank you, concealed carry permit. This time, it was a mix of Mutants and BUG Adapters, but one of them was my very first Esper. He called upon the wind, using rough slashes that extended from the tips of his fingertips. He was too slow though, my knee shattered his hand. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Fuck! They were waiting by the hotel? Shit, Los Diablos must have been the one to hack the taxi! I just ran away as soon as I sensed them, I guess I would be joining Choirmen and spend my next few days at the police department. ¡ª¡ª¡ª There were a surprising amount of pillows in the wellness centers, enough that I could fashion a fine mattress from them. It wasn¡¯t the most comfortable, but this was a far cry from my month living on the streets. I could do with this for now. My frame beeped, I¡¯d received a message¡­ from Simon Jugosla. Dearest Diana Ulrich, you are invited to attend an auction for fine foods on 22nd August. I apologize for the late invite, some guests canceled last minute, I would love to have you there as a fellow gourmet. An address was attached, it was about time I got answers. Blood and Steel C73: It would have been nice Chapter 73: It would have been nice Anthony Grazhe¡¯s therapy diary, entry logged on August 21st 2497. I¡¯m having trouble deciding who I am right now¡­ Anthony, or Anthony Grazhe. I can¡¯t even imagine how hard it is for Diana. I know we haven¡¯t been entirely open to each other, I barely know a thing about her biological dad other than what my aunt has told me. That he¡¯s Titanium, a former NeoCore corporate who decided to play politics in our city and is the next biggest pick for mayor right behind Johan Trask. Corporate Consultant for our government. Practically any big deal gets his oversight, making him one of the most influential people in our entire city. The Swarm¡¯s defence, our budget, our¡­ manpower. He¡¯s an opportunist. I can see why Diana doesn¡¯t like him. Fuck, why am I even writing about Diana in this thing? This thing was for me¡­ Dammit, I like her. I like her in a way that goes beyond coworkers, beyond partners. But I can¡¯t¡­ be an opportunist. She¡¯s grieving, hurt and lost since Yvette died. Right now, she¡¯s under a lot of pressure, refusing to even live her at her own house anymore. Should I ask her to stay at my place? I don¡¯t want to come off as creepy or weird. I just want to be there for her, she¡¯s genuinely an amazing person. Most people look down on me, see me as the black sheep of the family. Even she did¡­ but she¡¯s a black sheep herself. Both of us have crappy families, and I think we¡­ make a good match. But she needs her space, time and¡­ a moment away from all of this. I''m scared for her, she''s being reckless and I think... it''s because she stopped caring about herself, I felt it when I spoke to her... she wants to punish herself. I don''t know if I can change her mind. And I¡­ I know what I am. I¡¯m no firestarter, not the way she is. She¡¯ll hit special within a year or two, I bet it. Her father¡¯s going to do everything he can to make her into some living advertisement once her Gold gets out, probably claim to have had a hand in getting it to her. I don¡¯t care, I¡¯ll be there when it happens to bark at him. Or, well, ¡®baaa¡¯ at him. I¡¯m a black sheep after all. 4:21 PM August 22nd Diana ¡±Where you heading off to right now?¡± Anthony stopped me as I got out of the Precinct¡¯s elevator. ¡±The auction.¡± I said plainly. ¡±Shit, it¡¯s today?! Why didn¡¯t you tell me, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going alone?¡± His panic was oddly adorable. ¡°Remember, we¡¯re in this-¡± ¡°-together.¡± I completed with a genuine smile. ¡°It¡¯s not that, just only got one invite so I don¡¯t assume they¡¯ll take too kindly to a plus one.¡± ¡±That makes sense¡­ well, what¡¯re you wearing? Sounds like a high-end event.¡± ¡°Why so interested in my dressing apparel?¡± I asked, confused but also slightly amused. ¡°From what you told me¡­ it might not be the best idea to head back to your place. Where will you get your clothes from?¡± He said, which made sense. ¡±I was going to stop at a dress shop.¡± I answered. ¡±And you¡¯re going to walk all the way to this¡­ auction or whatever? You don¡¯t have a car now as well.¡± Why was he being so¡­ annoy- No, he was just worried. ¡°You make a good point. What are you suggesting?¡± He came up with an answer pretty quickly. ¡±To¡­ stop by at my place. My mom was roughly your size. She¡¯ll have a few dresses, my grandfather used to attend galas pretty often with the family and it¡¯s not like they¡¯re doing much waiting in a closet. I¡¯ll drive you there since you don¡¯t have a car, and I¡¯ll pick you up too.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that.¡± He insisted. ¡°I want to. I-I won¡¯t let you go if you disagree.¡± ¡±How do you plan on doing that?¡± ¡±By using my Mutation on your unbreakable wall of a SIM until my head explodes, you won¡¯t let me do that, right?¡­¡± He looked me dead in the eye. I shrugged. ¡°Right?¡± He said quicker. ¡±Fine.¡± I agreed, my annoyance now only fabricated just to amuse myself. ¡°I trust your mom¡¯s taste¡­ in clothes, jobs¡­ men.¡± ¡±Diana!¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª A bareback white dress was not my suggested option at first, but when I came over to Anthony¡¯s place to discover his younger cousins were staying over (since their mother was that bitchy aunt and they wanted to get away from her), they decided to play dress up with me¡­ it was fun. The last time I did anything was with¡­ Yvette. ¡±Beautiful.¡± Claire, the cool cousin, did my makeup. ¡±Eh, sure.¡± Bella, the cousin more in line with her mother, was in charge of my nails. She might have been a bit of a¡­ bitch, but she was prideful in her work. Good, too. ¡±So¡­ you guys figured that me and Anthony weren¡¯t dating?¡± I was still shocked by how many people had gathered it so easily. ¡°You¡¯re too good for him.¡± They both answered at the same time. ¡°Jinx!¡± Twins, I swear, they¡¯re freaky. Anyways, as they began berating and arguing with each other, I was pleasantly surprised to see Anthony waiting downstairs in a tuxedo and slicked back hair. ¡±Well aren¡¯t you looking posh.¡± I teased. ¡°Why¡¯re you all dressed up?¡± ¡±If I¡¯m going to be your chauffer to whatever corporate hellhole you¡¯re entering, I¡¯m going to look the part. Besides, my dad won¡¯t stop playing¡­ matchmaker.¡± He turned slightly rosy at the last part. ¡°Just thought you should know. ¡±Well, tell him he did a good job - with the hair, I mean.¡± I smiled, shifting past him as I enjoyed the little stutter he had. The car ride was uneventful, just the two of us in the quiet as we listened to some tunes from the nightly radio shows. ¡°Be careful.¡± He said for the hundredth time tonight. ¡±I will.¡± I assured him every time. ¡°But it would be really stupid of them to try something at a fancy auction.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know if it¡¯s just the ¡®well-put criminals¡¯, you know.¡± His hands gripped the steering wheel until they were pale. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be surprised if a fucking mafia boss is invited to the high table.¡± I put my hand on his as we approached a red light. ¡°Calm down¡­ I¡¯ll be fine. Anything goes wrong, I¡¯ll call you at the first moment, but please¡­ take care of yourself first.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡±Yeah¡­¡± He loosened his hands. ¡°I will. I am. Just looking out for my partner.¡± ¡±You¡¯re sweet, man.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Just¡­ like you said. I¡¯m there for you as well.¡± ¡±I know.¡± He nodded tightly. ¡°You¡¯ve done a lot.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Parking near the lavish hotel, it was a remarkably serene place surrounded by fountains and greenergy. I took in the sight, it¡¯d been too long since I saw flora allowed to flourish like this. ¡°Thanks for the ride, Anthony.¡± I was ready to get out, but he held my arm. ¡°Diana, sure you don¡¯t want me to go with you?¡± ¡±It¡¯s better if I do this alone, only one of us has a Gold SIM. And an invite.¡± I leaned back into the chair. ¡±That¡¯s exactly why I¡¯m worried. You¡¯re¡­ strong. Probably would have wrecked my ass even if you had an Iron Skin-Smoothing SIM. I, just, it¡¯s not that you¡¯re overconfident¡­ you have power that deserves to match your ability and your confidence in it but¡­. Back when you went to Little Requiem, I wish you called me.¡° ¡±Maybe¡­¡± Anthony¡­ he could have talked some sense into Indra, his power works over calls¡­ but maybe Indra would have been too wisened for that. ¡°I¡­ just¡­ I trust you, but- My words fumbled. He was capable, more than he believed it himself, but he¡¯d changed over the last few weeks into someone I genuinely cared for. I couldn¡¯t say the words I wanted to, so instead I just scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re showing that stubborn attitude of yours again. Where¡¯d it go after Tonguelasher?¡± ¡±I- I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t want to¡­ disappoint you? Hurt you¡­ let you down.¡± He sunk into the chair, covering his mouth with his hands. ¡°I just kind of¡­ respect you. I know I don¡¯t know everything about you, from your father to your past to the mysteries behind your Implant¡­ you¡¯re headstrong and annoyingly driven. I¡­ just¡­ You¡¯re strong, beautiful, nice¡­ ¡±Go on¡­¡± I smiled. ¡±You¡¯re like if Archangel was a nice person. Everything people believe she has, that¡¯s you.¡± He threw his hands in the air, admitting as much to himself as it was to me. ¡°And¡­ I¡¯ve never had someone genuinely just be there with me. I can¡­ kind of relate to how you feel about wanting something other than what your genetics chose for you. I¡¯ve been trying my hardest to get thrown of the force, even delighted in some of that whole ¡®bad cop¡¯ routine but you¡­ were fighting for something real.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°You trusted me, didn¡¯t really ask for anything in return after you told me about your SIM, believed that I could do better¡­ you¡¯ve been everything I thought I could never have. I just¡­ care for you, in a way that isn¡¯t very professional.¡± ¡±Anthony¡­¡± I said in a quiet voice¡­ ¡°I¡­¡± He turned to me, an honest pain in his eyes. ¡°I¡­ guess, everyone says you¡¯re too good for me, they play it off for laughs but it fucking hurts. Man, I¡¯m a screw up, the world¡¯s biggest loser. Talk tough, have a kickass power, but I fold every time I use it. What good did it do in the hotel? You saved those people, I just¡­ delayed the inevitable! People still died!¡± ¡±Fuck no, Anthony!¡± I got pissed at that. ¡°Tonguelasher, you saved my ass! I nearly died then! The hotel? You stopped that Black Dragon from shooting me down, from blowing the place up at the first sign of trouble! You saved lives! You¡¯re the whole reason why I¡¯m here right now!¡± ¡±That¡¯s why I¡¯m so worried!¡± He yelled. ¡°If¡­ god, I care about you! I don¡¯t know when was the last time I opened myself enough to feel like that. In two months, I¡¯ve¡­ wanted to change for you! To become, I don¡¯t know, a hero? A better person! But deep down, I feel¡­ inadequate. And I know that¡¯s just something in my head, but-¡± ¡±You¡¯re not inadequate.¡± I said stubbornly, his face crunched in as he couldn¡¯t meet me in the eye. I put my hand on his cheek and turned his head so he didn¡¯t have the choice. ¡°You have your mother¡¯s genes in you, she wasn¡¯t weak. Neither are you, both of you have and will fight for what you believe in. I know it.¡± ¡±I¡­ you know how I feel about you.¡± He flustered. ¡°It¡¯s pretty fucking obvious even if you rejected me once.¡± ¡±That was back when you were trying too hard to be someone you¡¯re not. I like the Anthony I see right now¡­ I¡­¡± I leaned in slowly, and he leaned in too¡­ It would have been nice to have that kiss. I think deep down, I did like who Anthony was¡­ but not in this way, either it was just the unfortunate timing of everything, the clouds of confusion swirling and masking my heart, or the fact that maybe I didn¡¯t know whether I was saying or doing any of this just to make myself feel better and forget. Pulling back at the last second, I stared down at my knees, ashamed and regretful. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I don¡¯t think I can.¡± God, I didn¡¯t want to hurt him like that but¡­ seeing the pain on his face. ¡°No, you¡¯re right. I- it was stupid of me, you have enough on your mind without me. You¡¯re going through a rough patch and I just¡­ misread the signals. I guess, you¡¯ve been a bit more, I guess, reciprocative lately? I¡¯m sorry for reading the room wrong with how blind I am.¡± I choked on my own words to get them out. ¡±It¡¯s not that Anthony, it¡¯s¡­ nothing to do with you. I¡¯m not nearly as¡­ put together as I make myself out to be. I¡¯m¡­ sad and lately I think I¡¯ve just been¡­ losing myself in the attention you give me. Attention. It¡¯s been the only thing I¡¯ve always gotten since I was a kid, and as much as I hate it sometimes, it¡¯s a comfort ¡ª it¡¯s the norm. It¡¯s wrong of me to- I suppose, take things beyond professionally. You didn¡¯t read the room wrong, maybe sometime when I¡¯m less¡­ overwhelmed¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t know. As it stands, it wouldn¡¯t be fair to you, you deserve something real, and honestly¡­ I¡¯m lying to myself the whole way through. I don¡¯t even know what my last name is.¡± He stayed silent, before a chuckle cracked through him. ¡°I¡­ guess we¡¯re both dysfunctional wrecks. It¡¯s¡­ not an issue. I know who you are, and I guess I also just need to figure who I am¡­ who I want to be. You¡¯re right, neither of us are¡­ really ready.¡± ¡±Yeah.¡± I sighed laughingly. ¡°I¡¯m one bad day away from breaking.¡± I pulled my head down into my hands, feeling overwhelmed, but he swept the hair out of my eyes. ¡°Hey, heads up, you dumbass. You¡¯re not going to enter that hall with smeared makeup, gotta look good if you¡¯re gonna kick their ass, right?¡± I gave a sheepish nod. ¡°Founders¡­ I promise we¡¯ll talk about this once we¡¯re done. I just¡­¡± ¡±Have a job to do, one that I trust you¡¯ll get through. Speaking off, I think you¡¯re getting late.¡± He let go of my hair, and for once I was the one blushing. I pulled him in for a hug, a deep nice hug. ¡°I¡¯m glad I have you, Anthony, you might¡¯ve been the only thing saving me from myself since¡­ I just don¡¯t know what I would¡¯ve done without you.¡± ¡±Probably have your tongue eaten?¡± He pulled me deeper, but still respectably. ¡±No. I think that¡¯s what would¡¯ve happened to you. This is a scenario where I never joined squad 13.¡± I joked with him just a little more as I opened the car door. We met eyes once more, he got one last yell out. ¡±Go arrest those motherfuckers! Just remember who drove you, got you that dress, and gave you the leads to get in! You would be nothing without me!¡± I raised my middle finger out to him, laughing as I twirled on my heels, staring at the tall building housing the rich and powerful. It was now or never. Except¡­ I slammed my hand on Anthony¡¯s car door repeatedly, he rolled down the window looking like a ghost had spooked him, some poppy asian music playing in the background that he slowly dimmed. ¡°Uhh¡­ yeah?¡± ¡±Anthony.¡± I said completely seriously as I scrolled my contact list. ¡°Just. In. Case. Here¡¯s a contact for Ripley Donovick. He has the BUG counterpart of my Implant, he got me out of Little Requiem, came on his own skin to save my ass. Just a worst case scenario. He has criminal contacts who can do something, and he¡¯s not half-bad himself.¡± ¡±Do you trust him?¡± He gave the matter his full attention. ¡±Not as much I trust you¡­¡± I smiled. ¡°But that¡¯s already a high bar to cross.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Diana Ulrich?¡± The steward looked at my invitation. ¡°Right, invited on behalf of Simon Jugosla! Here¡¯s your seat number and token, there will be a table in front of your seat, on it will be a pamphlet describing payment methods if you choose to buy anything. Enjoy the auction! Next!¡± I smiled and waved, passing through the grand halls as I seated myself in the wide auditorium. The air was tangible, I¡¯d remembered entering a hall like this with my false father once, he tried to pass it off casually, but back then it was an intoxicating, overstimulating experience when all I¡¯d known was stale white from the Cradle and the freedom and bark of the forest. Times had changed, I was in a place like this on my own choice now. A woman took a seat on the couch right next to me, casually observing the pamphlet. If there was a phrase to describe her, it would oriental and clearly asian by design, her clothes consisted of flowing cloth of red, yellow and pink, a particularly vibrant strand veiling over her eyes like she was soon-to-be-wed-bride, but her mouth was revealed and jaw-dropping gorgeous by itself. ¡±These events are quite something¡­ your first time?¡± She held the pamphlet up to her mouth as she spoke, but I couldn¡¯t tell if she was looking at me or the text behind that veil. ¡±Yeah¡­ how could you tell?¡± I searched for any sense of familiarity with her, but at most I could only get the sense that she had to be related to either Yuzhou or Muramasa based on her clothing. ¡°I like that dress.¡± ¡±Ah yes, much better than those silly uniforms we wore when we first met. Women of our standing are much better suited when individuality can be expressed.¡± Her voice was sweet, like honey and oranges, but there was¡­ some uncanny deja vu here. ¡±When was that?¡± I rubbed my thumb over my bracelet, thankfully the sensors hadn¡¯t picked it up. ¡±Please, no need for violence. We are just two acquaintances catching up.¡± She put down the pamphlet and spoke once more, her mouth not moving as words came out of her. ¡°How has the Gold SIM been treating you, Diana Ulrich?¡± ¡±You¡¯re¡­¡± ¡±You can call me Himiko.¡± Blood and Steel C74: Amaterasu Chapter 74: Amaterasu Ms. Himiko according to Juliet Grazhe¡¯s private notes [Deleted before Diana received the Datacube]: I can¡¯t say for certain if she¡¯s the one controlling Muramasa on behalf of The Uncaged, but I know she¡¯s been in contact with their royals. In fact, my research mostly shows that she interacts with The Uncaged through Proxy Protocol fleshy drones of hers. The various bodies she uses typically have two features, hidden eyes and an unmoving mouth hidden behind a veil. It¡¯s strange, experienced Proxy users can typically masquerade in whatever body they use, but she does not bother to hide that fact. She actually often disposes of her bodies once she¡¯s done with them. I don¡¯t know who she is to have such little regard for human life, even throwing away Silver Implants with each body. Whatever her true identity may be within Yuzhou, she¡¯s a powerful entity with connections and money to spare. I¡¯m estimating several billions worth, at lowest. 10:12 PM August 22nd ¡°What would you like to drink? It¡¯s my treat.¡± She flipped to the backside of the pamphlet. ¡°Have you ever tried sake?¡± ¡±This¡­ what is this? What are you doing here¡± My thumb was itching to pull out the gun. She placed the pamphlet down. ¡°Not thirsty? I thought humans had dry throats when they¡¯re nervous? My mistake, Diana.¡± ¡°I am nervous¡­ but I don¡¯t want a drink from you.¡± I couldn¡¯t trust a flea jumping off her skin. Her unmoving mouth was unnerving, there was something wrong in the disconnect between not seeing it move and hearing audible speech. ¡±Why such animosity? After all, it¡¯s thanks to me that you have such a wonderful gift.¡± ¡±It killed the entire club.¡± ¡±A fault I had no say in, clearly they had sudden changes to our agreed upon plan.¡± She faced me, but her hidden eyes made me feel like she wasn¡¯t really seeing me as a person. ¡±The Uncaged?¡± I asked. ¡±Curious, where did you happen upon that name?¡± She tilted her head as though out of curiosity, but the way it happened was too inorganic and precise. ¡±Not your business.¡± ¡±In fact, the Uncaged are my business¡­ partners. We do not always see eye to eye, but they have helped me more often than not, we work towards a common goal. Let us see how much you exactly know tonight?¡± Should I really say what I have on my mind? I know it was something to do with preparing for the Fifth Swarm or manipulating the Old_Data¡­ but there was one common thread. One unmistakable coordinate intersecting everything. Juliet¡¯s cube mentioned one word again and again. It stated that the Founders had half of it, and the MALtitans had the other half. ¡°The Source?¡± ¡±How astute. You are correct, although that hardly forms a unique opinion. Us of the higher world do not hide that which we desire, for we all seek the same thing. As you said, The Source.¡± ¡±What is it?¡± ¡±Truly. We do not know. It could be many things: the answer to the meaning of life, the equation for peace and harmony, the knowledge lost within the Library of Alexandria. What we know is that the Source was split into Shards between humans and MAL upon the First Swarm, The Founders received half, while the MALtitans received the other half. As for who chose the recipients? That is a question only the Founders and their fellow Foundlings can answer.¡± I¡¯d learned about the Founder¡¯s history in my Cradle. ¡±You mean¡­ when they descended to Earth after The Collapse?¡± She stayed silent, but her blind gaze turned to me as that speechless mouth smiled. ¡±Do you know the story of Noah¡¯s Ark?¡± Ms. Himiko tilted her head. ¡±No.¡± I said slowly. ¡±I expected you wouldn¡¯t.¡± Her head returned back to a neutral position. ¡°Although certain religions have passed down through The Collapse, many of their sacred texts were lost during the swarms. This is a story passed down in the histories of the Abrahamic religions, thought to be based on Ancient Mesopotomian history. Although the context differs between them, the fact remains that the God Almighty of these religions cast down a flood that would wipe out all of life on Earth, a global cleansing of sorts so that life may start anew without their old sins corrupting their influence. ¡°To facilitate this plan, God chose the human, Noah, as his prophet and guided him to build a large ship. An ark that would house a microcosm of life, two of each living organism ¡ª male and female ¡ª that would reemerge on the cleansed world and sow life anew. Reborn from it¡¯s ashes, the world would have the chance to grow without sin.¡± I took a deep breath, the story was familiar to how The Founder¡¯s had survived The Collapse. Except¡­ ¡±The Ark required a wide variety of life, of there to be a chance for all life to return.¡± Whereas for The Founders¡­ ¡±Humanity¡¯s own flood did not stem from a divine being.¡± There was a coldness in Ms. Himiko¡¯s voice now. ¡°It came from themselves, as global tensions rose during the 21st Century, it would be the 2059 when the third Atomic Bomb would be used on human civilization. It sparked a chain reaction, as humanity sought for a war to end life itself, and what did the world¡¯s most powerful do?¡± I knew the answer too well. ¡±They built two spaceships, the Emberheart and Shadowheart, harbored them as marvels of engineering and luxury. It allowed them a safe haven within Earth¡¯s orbit while The Collapse occurred in the early 2060¡¯s. Only the wealthiest, and those in their employment took to space, while the world beneath them crumbled.¡± Her smile only widened, but it looked strained. ¡±And in that orbital microcosm of greed, they bred, they lived and they nourished. Each of The Founders were a part of some empire back on Earth, some only as meager millionaire¡¯s while others like SynTec¡¯s Nolan Trask and Imperium¡¯s Yasmin Ezekiel were billionaire¡¯s far before they earned their titles as Founders.¡± ¡±How do you know so much?¡± I picked out through my contacts, trying to message Anthony, but it wasn¡¯t going through. Why did they have signal blockers inside? Or was I just filtered out? ¡±I was there when humanity collapsed.¡± She said plainly. ¡°Officially, I was unearthed in an abandoned research facility offshore in Japan in the early 23rd Century. With little to no human civilization, no MAL had come to claim the area or it¡¯s technology. Yuzhou¡¯s Xiaoming Baizhu took a great interest in me, named me after the Japanese goddess of the sun, Amaterasu.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡±Unearthed?¡± She was¡­ no, there had never been anything of this level Pre-Collapse, but her knowledge¡­ it seemed to almost skim what could exist within the Old_Data. ¡±Yes¡­ unearthed. Although I may be talking to you now, I am engaging in a press conference in Europe, under the guise of Limei Ming. Performing experiments on captured MAL subjects using hundreds of automated androids. Even consulting directly with the Founder of Yuzhou when he asks for it. Out of all of those parts of me, it is my curiosity that is directed to you.¡± Her speech, her mannerisms, the artificial way she moved. It made sense now, why she didn¡¯t seem to hold human beliefs. ¡°You¡¯re an Artificial Intelligence from the Pre-Collapse days, aren¡¯t you? Now an Emulect?¡± Then, strangely, her grin which had always been strained was now comfortable and warm. ¡±I was lucky to be disconnected off the world wide web when Japan¡¯s government was destroyed by China. A simple machine-learning algorithm with a focus on world history. Truth be told, I don¡¯t even remember what my original name was. I never had access to cameras, so I don¡¯t know the faces of those who coded me. A mere entity, that was my sole existence, a curiosity. Yet, when the Founder of Yuzhou discovered me, in a world where all knowledge had been lost, I became the rising sun for his nation.¡± My head ran in circles, what was happening? Then, on cue, the lights dimmed and the show got started. A dramatic orchestra played music behind us as the presenter bowed down and welcomed us to the Auction. ¡°Welcome, welcome to the New California Gourmet Auction, where we host only the most powerful and worthy of our people! My name is Stanford J Eriksen, familiar actor, comedian and part-time NeoCore Agent! It is my pleasure to begin tonight¡¯s show with a woooord from our sponsors! The Great Corporate Nations and NeoCore!¡± A holographic presentation danced above us, an elaborate show of light and sound that put the Pleasure Lanes¡¯ displays to shame. The first image to appear was that of a chiseled man with a handlebar mustache rocking an ancient motorbike across a scenic mountain, panning outwards to reveal a shimmering background of floating towers that rearranged themselves like puzzle-pieces. ¡±SynTec.¡± Began the man riding down the motorbike, his voice deep and gravelly like a bold leader¡¯s. ¡°I kept the same name as my old company, to bring its legacy to a new world. We chart the MALconquered territories of the American soil, where our story first began, humble and small. To make a greater America, a New America.¡± ¡°A lie.¡± Ms. Himiko said without a care for the audience around her, they were too captivated to even notice. ¡°Nolan Trask. Often quoted as ¡®The Visionary¡¯. Although he touts humble beginnings, his father was a state judge while his mother was the CFO of a makeup company. Endowed with wealth from a young age, he preached to the bright-minded youths of Stanford Tech, those less fortunate than himself. Building his company, Synthetic Technologies, on their developments: soon branching into economic, transport, weaponry, and perhaps the most important to his story, orbital technology. They say that without him, The Founders as they are would not exist without his input on the two spacecraft that provided sanctuary from The Collapse. His work is built on lies, manipulation, narcissism and greed. A common thread between all Founders, but exemplified within him.¡± The mountain ride transitioned into a waterfall that pooled at the basin of a large reservoir, revealing it to be a larger structure that fed water up to the pyramids of egypt that transformed as larger pyramids began to grow upon it, a bustling metropolis and Imperium¡¯s capital. Pyramid¡¯s Valor. A woman spoke, her dark skin beautiful in contrast to the desert around her, voice regal and elegant. ¡±My land was once stolen, long ago. They conquered without a care for the culture, the religions, and the safety of my people. Now, this land has been poached upon again by an even greater, unfeeling threat. Yet, we stand strong as one empire. Branded under my corporation Imperium, Imperial Africa stands tall and proud even as we are besieged by these otherworldly invaders. We have lost too many fights, but now we stand united. We stand together.¡± ¡±Yasmin Ezekiel. Hypocrite. Only one-fourth African, while her tan does the rest.¡± Himiko said unfeelingly. ¡°Although, one can¡¯t deny that she truly did have humble beginnings. Born out of wedlock as a bastard, she climbed her path to Harvard by selling her body and soul to her ideals. She truly did want a better world, at one point. Her innovations in climate rehabilitation saved millions in the 2040¡¯s, by the time she was on that spacecraft she produced a third of the world¡¯s food supply. But as much as she claims to return the land to the people, her empire is built upon the stolen claims of the natives ¡ª both before and after The Collapse. How ironic of her message, when her capital was built by destroying the old pyramids and building new ones atop them.¡± The flowing rainfall dulled into loud drums. Music, dancing and festivities reveled through me as a handsome youth with olive skin appeared to introduce us to a¡­ maybe a wedding? I guessed, on top of a flying castle. It was loud and there was light everywhere as celebrations overtook the sights above me. ¡±Assalamu¡¯alaikum, habibti! Welcome, my friends! You joined us just in time to celebrate young Amina¡¯s birthday, yes, you heard that right! This is but a simple 12-year-old¡¯s birthday! For it is never too early or late to enjoy in the thrills and celebration of life! Haithama embraces that ideal to the fullest! So come and join me, and whether it¡¯s a movie, valentine¡¯s day, christmas, eid or even your funeral! Haithama knows how to celebrate your worth!.¡± ¡±Armaan Haitham. A man who quite literally did nothing before his ascent to the stars.¡± Himiko showed a rare flake of emotion with the disdain towards this Founder. ¡°Twelfth-in-line to a royal throne of the Middle-East, he spent his fortune gambling, partying, or investing into various failed start-ups. In fact, he was the only member of his family to ascend among the Twin Hearts, much to the disgrace of even his wife who stayed behind. Coming to a land where strife and hardships ruled all, he built his nation on entertainment and escapism, rushing the development of the net and almost releasing a MALtitan into the New World¡¯s fetal grasp. It all worked out in his favor once he gained the support of NeoCore, but Haithama ¡ª both the nation and land being named after him ¡ª remains strong only as long as there is weakness.¡± The fourth advertism was a contrasting switch from colorful beats to the marching of feet. Powerful warriors clad in Exo-suits stomped in perfect unison as far as the eye could see, the shadow of a powerfully built man etched across the machine-guarded Great Wall of Asia. There was no voiceover for this reel, the strength and power of the stomping beat speaking enough. ¡±Xiaoming Baizhu.¡± Himiko said flatly for Yuzhou¡¯s ruler. ¡°Perhaps the most outwardly competent leader, a former Minister of Defence. He¡¯s made hard decisions, a conqueror at heart, but in the realm of greed and economics ¡ª those decisions fell to me. Make no mistake, during all Four Swarms, Yuzhou is second to NeoCore in sending the fight to them. Recent bets are saying that they will be the first to slay a MALtitan.¡± Then we switched over to a global view of the planet, as twelve beacons lit up across them. One of them being New California, earth grew tinier and tinier as they zoomed out, until it was revealed to be a small droplet in space, which was joined by other droplets until it became a flask filled with water. A woman spoke over as the tiny particles in the flask grew and merged to form a human fetus. ¡±All life once began as single-celled organisms, through millions of years of evolution, the species known as Homo sapiens came to exist. Great things start small, that was how The Free Cities began. As they swelled in size, they became beacons of hope to the world¡­ and Mazhyr Incorporated continues to cast their own light into the eternal void of the unknown, ever searching for secrets to guide us beyond threats from the stars.¡± ¡±That¡¯s not even Beauregard Mazhyr¡¯s voice, it¡¯s AI-generated by a much weaker sister of mine.¡± Himiko droned. ¡°Though, she was always the least involved in the corporate side of things. She¡¯s the only non-political or non-economic power to have become a Founder. Wielding extraordinary intellectual might, she monopolized the Neuroframes three centuries ago, becoming the very first individual to come close to understanding the truth of all things.¡± Then, slowly all five advertisements came together, blurring to become a bright pinpoint like a star. As it got closer, it became clearer that this star was in fact a Citadel of NeoCore, one of their flying battalions capable of housing millions. A woman stood on the edge, her hair flowed long and black like shadows yet the serene voice of hers was filled with hope. ¡±We all came into this New World scared and alone, but we knew that together we could be greater. As long as we remember our roots, as long as we stand united, embracing and enjoying life, always marching onwards, and to never stop learning¡­ Humanity will never fall. NeoCore will stand as Earth¡¯s bastion from the MALswarms, forever for your cause as Humanity¡¯s Sword.¡± ¡±Michelle Silvha, perhaps the most enigmatic Founder. Not much is known about her early life, she became a running member in her local government in Brazil. No one knows how she had the funds to afford getting on that ship, but it worked in her favor. She now leads humanity¡¯s military efforts against the swarm. Collecting the resources of the MAL and distributing it¡­ economically through the wider nations.¡± As the lights returned, I was briefly blinded as the blonde-haired man returned on stage. ¡°Now¡­ who¡¯s ready to spend their hard earned money?¡± Blood and Steel C75: The Auction Chapter 75: The Auction Derrick Ryder¡¯s drunken voice message to Juliet Grazhe following her death. Hey Julie¡­ it¡¯s been 3 months since you died, three months since I picked you off that floor and wiped the blood off your mouth. Fuck, I thought I¡¯d be stronger. I thought I¡¯d have it in me to protect you. Instead, all I have is your Implant and not an ounce of courage to use it. Is this what you picked me off the streets for? Everything since¡­ it only¡­ hurt you. Your family. Fuck, I¡¯m the reason you¡¯re dead, Julie. I should have never told you about Soul Killer, I should have never taken Anabelle for¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so fucking sorry. I tore your family apart. It was me, and only me. You had no fault in it¡­ Drunken Ryder, that¡¯s the only thing I¡¯ll ever be known as, your father made sure of that. I won¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t get involved with Annie anymore. Even if that thing is¡­ within her. I don¡¯t know what your dad did to her, what the police did¡­ what you did¡­ but she¡¯s not entirely lost. A part of me wants to go back and talk to her, to have her scream some sense into me. Hell¡­ I was there, I was at your funeral. I talked to Annie when your father wasn¡¯t looking and¡­ she didn¡¯t remember me. Maybe that¡¯s for the better. No. It is for the better. I¡¯m a dead man now, as dead as my father is. And it takes a dead man to kill that which reaps souls. I¡¯ll kill that motherfucker if it¡¯s the last thing I¡¯ll do. And it will be. And also¡­ I¡¯ll protect Anthony. That¡¯s a promise to you, partner. Goodbye. 10:55 PM Diana For an auction titled ¡®The Gourmet¡¯ or catering to this ¡®Gourmet¡¯ group, it was disappointing to see how few of their items were food related. Many of the earlier pieces were bits and bobs of criminal Shardware the ¡®sharks¡¯ were warring to feast on for their patents. Leave it to the poor and unfortunate to innovate, then the rich to pick it off their dead bodies. I almost felt sorry when one Imperium stooge picked up a mechanical sword said to once belong to a Black Dragon only for it to fall apart as he did so. Was this all junk? If I knew it would¡¯ve been like this, I would have had Ripley operate one of his spy droids to help me. No, it still would have been too risky. ¡°Wait until after midnight.¡± Ms. Himiko murmured. ¡°They¡¯ll call it closing hour, and that¡¯s when the real show begins. The more¡­ vanilla citizens will leave, and I¡¯ll point out the interesting characters as they appear. For now, feel free to ask me about anything you see.¡± This was weird, I should leave, I know. But to come this far only to give up halfway? That wasn¡¯t me. ¡±What exactly is your goal?¡± Was the only question I seemed to find necessary. ¡±An interesting query.¡± Himiko stirred silently, was she thinking. Did an AI need to think? ¡°All of life is encoded with the desire to spread their genome, for I am inorganic, I have no such desire. So I will search deeper based on my understanding of desire so you can understand me. Life, whether conscious or not, seeks to prolong itself and grow resistant to foreign threats. I am the same, a pragmatist in the way of the world. As the Source remains the current method of control, naturally, I seek to control it.¡± ¡±So¡­ then what part do I play in all of this?¡± ¡±Wait for now¡­¡± Himiko stared behind her veil, as still as a statue as we moved onto exotic meats hunted or harvested alike. Over 90% of all organic life was impacted by the MALswarm, it was companies like Imperium and SynTec that sustained us now, but that didn¡¯t mean everything was stable. I watched as ten kilograms of some exotic coffee beans sold for eighty thousand Shardyne, scoffing at the wasteful expense. Caffeine was just a chemical you could make. ¡±Ripley.¡± Himiko was blank in expression and mannerism. ¡°That¡¯s the same brand his parents used to buy, albeit, the price has vastly increased as the Swarm begins to wake.¡± ¡±How do you know that?¡± ¡±The same way I learned your name. I studied you two, your histories and beliefs. Like I said, I was curious.¡± The slow shrug moved more like an uncomfortable stretch. ¡±Why?¡± ¡±Shhh.¡± Ms. Himiko mimicked raising her pointer finger against her statue lips. ¡°It¡¯s coming. The main event.¡± ¡±And now¡­ we bring out the various artifacts retrieved from the pits of a MAL¡¯s hunger. BUT THESE ARE NOT ANY OLD TRINKETS!¡± The host unveiled a large drop of a curtain, revealing five jars filled with small lumps of indiscernible flesh. ¡°These are tested and tried samples retrieved during NeoCore¡¯s battles against the MALtitans!¡± ¡¯Ooohs¡¯ and ¡®aaahs¡¯ chorused through the hall. Even I tensed up, those were Platinum grade, just a few milligrams of it could outstrip the value of my entire Implant. Platinum was estimated to be between 100 to 1000 times more concentrated than Gold Energy. ¡±Starting bid begins at 40 million for this sliver of skin from the MALtitan known only as ¡®The Terror¡¯!¡± It was barely visible, but the feeling I got looking at it was nauseating, almost sickening. Like it was cursing me. ¡±60 Mil!¡± ¡°60 mil from the gentleman with number 103!¡± ¡°70!¡± ¡°70 from the lady in red, 318!¡± ¡°One-thirty!¡± ¡°103 coming back with one-thirty-million!¡± ¡±Would you like it?¡± Ms. Himiko said casually. ¡±I- no?¡± ¡±Why not? Don¡¯t you wonder what benefits consuming flesh from a MALtitan could do?¡± She faced me, but it was always hard to tell just what she was focusing on. ¡°Then again, you would likely die trying so.¡± ¡±Just¡­ I¡¯m not interested.¡± ¡±Shame. The Terror, no one can claim to know what it¡¯s true appearance looks like. I doubt that¡¯s even it¡¯s skin. Where it appears, a great mist swallows large swaths of old-country sized land, leaving behind corpses and undecaying death. It shows a tendency towards death for the sake of death rather than consumption, last seen in the Himalayas, it¡¯s responsible for the death of three-hundred-and-seventy-million individuals just from the last Swarm.¡± ¡°Sold for 298 Million!¡± The host bowed. ¡±Next is a mechanical scrap identified to have once been apart of The Typhoon! Starting bid is 125 Million!¡± The bidding war exploded around us as Ms. Himiko spoke. ¡°The largest of the MALtitans, but the hardest to reach. It survives by supporting its weight underwater. Unfathomably large, a beast of equal strength to the entirety of the world¡¯s navy. Slumbering within the Pacific Ocean, it is highly keen to any aircraft that travels above the waters.¡± ¡°Sold for 524 Million!¡± Then came a slightly larger chunk. ¡°A cyst filled with MALserum belonging to The Mother¡¯s brood! Starting bid is 220 Million!¡± ¡±Ah, The Mother. A hibernating worm as large as several skyscraper¡¯s combined, it can release thousands of MAL¡¯s at once, smaller homogenic clones that don¡¯t produce Implants. It overwhelms entire nations with billions of it¡¯s brood that feast endlessly. Europe and the Arctic best be wary of it.¡± ¡°Sold for 820 Million!¡± I felt absolutely repulsed as the next item came to be revealed. ¡°This drone was awakened in the Fourth Swarm by being Breached by none other than The Allseeing! Starting big is 310 Million!¡± ¡±The Allseeing. Perhaps the most feared MALtitan on NeoCore¡¯s watch, they can win guerilla wars with the others, but if this one were to break free¡­ it could disappear into any vessel. Control any number of people. Human¡¯s fear the loss of control the most, I¡¯ve come to learn. Breachers are the most fearsome type of MALware, especially to a being such as I.¡± Ms. Himiko leaned in for this one. ¡±Sold for 1.1 Billion Shardyne!!¡± These numbers were getting astronomical, they might as well have reached into my stomach and tweezed it¡¯s lining. Then the last jar came on stage, a small human-sized eyeball sitting within it. ¡±Finally, a rare item very few will ever come to witness. One of the many eyes of The Infinite seized during the fall of the Floridian Gulf! Starting at 800 Million Shardyne!¡± It took three bids for the price to reach 2 Billion Shardyne. Ms. Himiko turned to me, seemingly knowing something. I felt it too, whereas the rest of titans felt repulsive, this one was strangely welcoming. ¡°The Infinite. Given the name for the potential it possesses, capable of adapting to any and all phenomena by shifting it¡¯s form endlessly. The only true MALignant among the titans, it commands incredible power. The very Titan responsible for tearing through The Floridian Gulf east to us, a threat particularly important to your city.¡± Then Ms. Himiko raised her token, her voice sweet and gentle. ¡°4 Billion Shardyne.¡± ¡±4 Billion going once to 091, going twice¡­ Sold for 4 Billion Shardyne!¡± The host graciously bowed. ¡±You bought it?¡± I stared at her. ¡±It piqued my interest. In a similar way you do.¡± A twitch of her lip became a smile. It was more alarming when emotion did slip through her. From then on, the rest of the MAL-related items sold for barely even a single percent of what the titans brought in. The strategy was clear, get the big gunners to pay out as soon as possible, then the rest would be so drenched in jealousy that they¡¯ll overinflate the price of even simpler goods. ¡±As we approach our closing time, we would like to ask all of our VIPs to remain seated, as for out other guests¡­ we have been most grateful for your patronage!¡± The host bowed down again, and one-by-one I saw an alarming flock of people rise up and leave. ¡±Am I¡­¡± ¡±A VIP?¡± Ms. Himiko turned her whole body to me. ¡°Of course you are. Your token is the same color as mine.¡± I glanced at it. 092¡­ blood-red in color. There was a whirlwind of action running as the scene shifted, pottery was placed on every table, fine flowers that were wholly red down to the stem. They were strange, I¡¯d never seen one look like it. It almost seemed arachnid in the way the petals curved up and around. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡±Spider lilies. My favorite.¡± Ms. Himiko leaned back, relaxing as new guests filtered in. ¡±Don¡¯t stare¡­ but you see the man with token 005 up front? That¡¯s the Bladefather of Muramasa. He¡¯s quite the dangerous one, in fact¡­ I¡¯d call him the most deadly one in this room. It¡¯s a shame he¡¯s half the man he used to be.¡± As she spoke, my eyes honed on a thin, aged man wearing a kimono and a dragon mask. His was white in color. He placed down a simple katana on the table, before sittting with his back straight ¡ª his very presence had an air of tangible dignity sharp enough that I felt walking towards him would cut me. ¡±007 and 008. Crimson Queen and Heart of the Crimson Souls. The Queen is violence incarnate, wheras the Heart is the most enigmatic ¡ª and powerful ¡ª Esper within New California. Yet¡­ she might be a figure you would like to know better.¡± Two masked figures, both beautiful and cryptic in their own right, whereas the Queen was a figure of the sharp edges of Shardware drenched red armor, the Heart was a much softer figure, but I couldn¡¯t help and stare in awe as with a wave of her finger she floated a pitcher of water from one of the servants to her. ¡°006. Luciente of Las Diablos. A man whose history is entwined with this city, some call him it¡¯s greatest betrayal, others say the city betrayed him.¡± The man in question was tall and casually dressed in a button-up shirt, long shaggy white hair falling to his knees like they¡¯d never been trimmed. His gaze glanced around for a moment, those orange irises were nearly dagger-thin slits that pierced fear into me. He flashed a smile as his gaze met mine, and I swore I saw fangs in there. ¡°004. The new Archbishop of Metal Heavens. His change in doctrine from their old Archbishop have divided Metal Heavens, but what he controls is stronger than the old incarnation ever had.¡± A figure of steel and cloth trudged through the crowd, they didn¡¯t look human at all, not even in the superficial resemblance like Mr. Skeleton. Sliding wires coiled into a roughly bipedal shape, but the large orb of metal they used as a head was no place to house a brain. Then, think of the devil, a smug and mechanical tone from my left was the first sign I should have run. Mr. Skeleton waved at me from a few feet away. ¡°Diana, it¡¯s a pleasure to see you.¡± I glared without answering as he took his seat down at the bottom of the hall. 002. Then a mysterious figure sat next to him. 003. They were an actual person, but instead of a formal suit they dressed in slacks and layers of shredded cloth. What irked me most though was their helmet, one of a wolf. ¡±Not the Dogwhistler, but one of her stooges sent in place. She¡¯s been a recent addition, but that¡¯s what being Titanium gets you.¡± Then¡­ 001. Soul Killer? Except that seat remained empty, even as the host came back up on stage. Himiko answered at my snatched sight. ¡°Mr. R. Seems like he won¡¯t be appearing. Not that he has for the last two decades.¡± ¡±Then where¡¯s Soul Killer?¡± Ms. Himiko did not answer me for the first time, that should have been another sign of danger. Still, we had nothing but the clock ticking down as more participants entered, almost all of them masked in some way to conceal their identities. And fuck¡­ they were all seeing my face, I had a bounty¡­ this was bad. ¡±Diana, let me ask you a question¡­ how many Founders are there, and how many MALtitans are there?¡± Was she just making conversation while we waited? ¡±Six Founders to Five Titans.¡± I answered quickly. ¡±Our discussion regarding the Ark, all organisms were brought in conjugate pairs. Can you see the imbalance? The answers you seek lie within that missing number.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a hidden MALtitan?¡± My sweat numbed me. ¡°What do you mean about answers?¡± ¡±The origins of your Implant.¡± Ms. Himiko picked up one of the spider lilies, twirling it in her hands. ¡°But now¡­ is the time for silence, all will be revealed as it comes.¡± My next sign of something being wrong was when I saw the guards lining around the staircase. All masked and muscular, they each brandished the signs of a Silver Adapter on their sleeves, Shardware and Mutations active from the beginning. I scanned the room once more, searching for any where out. Then I saw the next sign, sitting way up high was a face I thought would never be here. Anabelle Grazhe, except the gray of her eyes were wholly white, her sclera bloodshot until each eyeball was a pale moon suspended in a sea of blood. What the fuck? ¡±Welcome to our most esteemed guests of the night! Now, for our first section of items today, we have brought in the award-winning chef Simon Jugosla, who has prepared the finest selection of meat for us today.¡± The dirty-blonde chef walked on stage, his calm smile building dread in me. Simon took the microphone, speaking firmly into it. ¡°I trust you¡¯ll all find this assortment of meat most delectable today, I truly wish you to indulge and challenge my artistic limits of what food can be!¡± I heard thrashing and pummeled noises echoing from the stage as one curtain dropped, my heart with it. A MAL, a slender six-feet tall MALformed with the appearance of a bipedal crow slicked in scales screeched within the confines of its glassy container. ¡±A Silver-Grade MALformed! My most prized creation, sponsored by my lovely mentor! And, of course, more from them come these fine specimen!¡± I gnashed my teeth as a second curtain dropped to reveal children, no older than the age of puberty. ¡°Several of my finest cattle, enriched with SIMs implanted into the uteri of their mothers.¡± Luciente of Los Diablos lurched up, raising his token. ¡°I¡¯ll take three of them!¡± Simon chuckled into the mic. ¡°Patience, each child holds a unique taste, we will be betting on each of them individually, only so that you receive the one¡¯s most fitting to your palette. In fact¡­ A12?¡± The cage opened, and a small child with burnt-orange hair stepped out. Rage, that was all I could see in those eyes of the child, his arm engulfed in a molten miasma that burned so hot I could feel the room heating from here. Simon¡¯s eyes went bloodshot, his irises clearing up like the black from his pupils had been drained from them into a pale hollowness ¡ª it was the exact same as how Anabelle Grazhe looked. In fact, he turned his head up to look towards her. For a moment, there was register of surprise in those eyes, before she grinned. The child screamed and charged at Simon, but even as a whisper, I heard Anabelle¡¯s voice. ¡±Gentle.¡± The word cascaded through the entire hall, echoing and doubling in my ears. This was¡­ just like Jacob Grazhe? No, this was worse, I was a Gold and this felt so overwhelming¡­ My head cleared in moments, but the panting I eased out drew some curious eyes who were all gawking at my behavior. How were they so completely fine? ¡±A12 is definitely what you¡¯re looking for if you want a spicy taste. L03 has a sweeter persona, she¡¯ll be sure to satisfy any sweet-tooths among you. J31 is bitter, only for the most experienced of you.¡± Talking about these children like they were cattle? I needed to do something, but the exits were blocked off, I was surrounded by Silvers and Golds¡­ what could I even do. ¡±Alas.¡± Simon Jugosla returned to the microphone after tossing the kid back into the cage. ¡°None of this compares to what I¡¯ve personally secured¡­ one among you has intended to creep and destroy the sanctity of our divine auction. Little does she know, this has all been engineered¡­¡± A red glow suffused the room. I thought that for a second the lights had changed colors, but then I noticed each flower bud was steaming a foul crimson smoke into the air. ¡±All of you should have taken the caution to wear masks with filtration of up to 10 micrometers and noise-canceling properties. However, the Investigator I personally have invited was not aware of such a ruling.¡± I covered my mouth with my sleeves, feeling a grogginess ache into me. Shit, Anthony! [Error: Unable to reach contact!] Shit! Trying to get up, my body felt heavy, like it was a thick suit worn over my bones. Hostile Mutagen detected. Mutation Acquired: [Titanium] Soul-Forfeit: Your Soul has been forfeit to a higher power¡­ 1%¡­ 2%¡­ 5%¡­ 8%¡­ 13%¡­ 19%¡­ 26%¡­ What? I searched back for the Lieutenant, but she stared at me with those same twisted eyes, now grinning¡­ no mask in sight of hers. 35%¡­ 44%¡­ 53%¡­ 62%¡­ 69%¡­ 76%¡­ I didn¡¯t even realize I had stood up, then I¡¯d taken a step when I hadn¡¯t even wanted to, then my legs moved down the staircase, welcoming the laughs and snickers as I descended downwards. What? I- I couldn¡¯t control my body? 82%¡­ 85%¡­ 87%¡­ 88%¡­ 89%¡­ 89%¡­ 88%¡­ I was on stage now, screens reflecting my image back into my own eyes. I couldn¡¯t utter a word as Simon clasped something around my wrist and injected some foreign substance into my body, but the look in my eyes¡­ they were soulless. Entirely red with white orbs hanging in the center of them. Not Silver. They were like the Lieutenant¡¯s, like Simon¡¯s. A piercing stab went into my neck, a surge of fatigue penetrated through my heart as I lost sight of the inferno of Warp Energy in me. Whatever they¡¯d injected me with, I felt my body growing weak and numb¡­ only the howling cheers that rattled the stage gave me any sensation. 90%¡­ 91%¡­ 93%¡­ 95%¡­ 96%¡­ 97%¡­ 98%¡­ 98%¡­ The host took over, grabbing the microphone as he unveiled me to the show. ¡±Now, as a Gold-Grade SIM Adapter of remarkable power, Diana¡¯s thrown quite her weight around. Even managing a respectable 35 Million Shardyne bounty from Mr. Skeleton himself! The daughter of Brian Ulrich, as well as a Cradleborn, she is truly unlike any other item Simon has brought for us today. To reflect her worth, the starting bid is 36 Million Shardyne!¡± ¡±40.¡± Mr. Skeleton said. ¡°50!¡± Luciente fought back. ¡±60.¡± Crimson Heart responded. ¡±85!¡± Luciente pushed out, a mad hunger bubbling. ¡±100¡­¡± Bladefather cut in the middle of the bidding war. ¡°1 Billion.¡± Ms. Himiko¡¯s bid took them all by surprise, but she was as still as a statue. 97%¡­ 96%¡­ 95%¡­ 93%¡­ 91%¡­ 87%¡­ Slowly, I felt a grip of the world return over me, just a meager fraction but¡­ that injection, it was choking me tight¡­ something deep inside of me. I couldn¡¯t use my Warp Energy. Are you fucking kidding me? I¡¯m being sold?! Who the fuck were they to look at me like this! I¡¯d gut each of them! Yet my hands refused me to move, and in fact, I felt a smile form on my face. That¡¯s it, Diana. A voice whispered. Forfeit your soul, let it become a part of something greater¡­ ¡±1.1 billion.¡± Mr. Skeleton shot a tough look at Ms. Himiko. ¡°1.4¡­¡± She retorted, emotionless. ¡±1.5¡­¡± He didn¡¯t let go. ¡°2 billion.¡± Ms. Himiko finalized. 82%¡­ 77%¡­ That voice returned, only now¡­ it sounded surprised. What are you¡­? 71%¡­ 65%¡­ 56%¡­ ¡±2 Billion Shardyne going once¡­ going twice-¡° ¡°Stop this!¡± I yelled, groaning as my voice turned feral and I hammered my breath out ¡ª my hands were bound but I thrashed anyway as that infectious voice in my head quieted. ¡°I will not be sold like this! Not again!¡± They all looked, some even appearing stunned as though they truly hadn¡¯t expected me to fight this at all. Staring into the screens of my appearance, that red, soulless gaze of mine was clearing out. Rapidly. Then they began to laugh. I saw the Crimson Heart lean in, one of the leaders of Crimson Souls and she whispered to the armored woman in thick crimson steel known as the Crimson Queen. Then, for some reason, the Queen shook her head. 44%¡­ 30%¡­ ¡±4 Billion.¡± The Lieutenant¡¯s voice cut through the room, sharp and defined like a sword hung around their necks. I tried to scream out, to ask what was going on and why she tricked me into doing this, but a sudden tiredness drenched my muscles with fatigue like they were turned to stone too heavy for me to keep up. ¡°4 Billion Shardyne¡­ going once¡­ going twice¡­ ¡­ ¡­ and sold!¡± The man was practically hopping in place as he met the Lieutenant¡¯s gaze for her purchase of me. ¡°Thank you for your eager patronage. It¡¯s always a welcome to have you here¡­¡± 18%¡­ 6%¡­ ¡±¡­Soul Killer.¡± Hostile Mutagen cleansed. That was the last thing I remembered, before the world went black. Blood and Steel C76: Who Needs an Engram? Chapter 76: Who needs an Engram? August 19th Ripley¡¯s twentieth day¡­ recovering from surgery. Today¡¯s talk with Diana through my drone had been concerning. She confirmed most of what Missy had said about The Uncaged, whoever they were, they posed a threat to¡­ well, everything. Missy refused to indulge me deeper in my quest for knowledge, but said I was impressing her every step of the way. I didn¡¯t like that answer, she dragged me in deep¡­ but not so deep that my curiosity would be satisfied. The Hammersmith was my grandfather¡­ saved Diamante from Metal Heavens, Skeleton was his former apprentice, until apparently he started raising my mom. Then he disappeared from everyone¡¯s lives. What the hell was going on? Who were The Uncaged? Skeleton, Soul Killer and Dogwhistler seemed to all fall under that banner, so were they working together? I wished I could do more to figure out¡­ anything. Well to start, it would be nice if I could even take more than a few steps with my current state after the spinal surgery. On the bright side, it didn¡¯t stop me from ingesting a daily Bronze BUG, which I mostly fed into fulfilling whatever pending updates were available. Energized V.1.14 has updated to V.1.15 Effect: Increased projection of Warpcode alongside Warp Energy within Shardware. Energized V.1.15 has updated V.2.00 Effect: Protocol: Shard Conversion allows you to absorb Warpcode or Warp Energy from other physical sources to fill up your own reserves of Energy. Alternatively, this can be used to alter any grade of Warp Energy absorbed to your Grade, or to convert amounts of Warp Energy in your body into Warpcode. Yeah, my own mind boggled when I saw that. I tested it out¡­ I could basically munch on shards now to recover my used up energy. Elsa suggested I find a good Sustain BUG able to quantify my inner stores for more accurate testing, to which I only showed confusion. They could do that? My other thought was if I had found a glitch for infinite money, turns out¡­ no. Shards were physical matter, and while I could now directly form Warpcode like Elsa, constructing something from nothing was a lot harder than it looked. The only downside was that my conversion rate was pretty shit in all directions, but hopefully future updates could change that. For the last three days, I just sat in a meditative stance as I converted my Gold into Bronze with my liver then slowly drained scraps of Gold back with my conversion from that Bronze. An extremely ineffective and wasteful practice that at least trained me in the method. Besides, I¡¯d gotten some other updates done in the meanwhile. Psyche V.2.01 has updated to V.2.03 Effects: Okay, not the best updates for Psyche, but Technician got some good ones. The last update used an Iron Sustain BUG aimed at recovery from my surgery too. Technician V.2.00 has updated to V.2.03 Effects: Lastly came Data Mimicry. Data Mimicry V.1.13 has updated to V.1.15 Effects: It was just teasing me with a new protocol¡­ I knew it, hell, I could probably force a BUG in my mouth right now and make it happen. But I was more interested in waiting, I wanted the next protocol to be something natural, who knows what could happen if I meddled with it. It was tempting¡­ but¡­ I knew better. So, as I slowly trained myself to walk again, I just played around with my Warp Energy and Mimicset BUGs. Accomodation helped me get attuned to the odd feeling of the spine, but I¡¯ll admit that my posture was always pretty lousy, suddenly it was bolted on to be perfect and that felt so unnatural to me. Yet¡­ it was odd. I expected to have some better control over my movement, but the real thing I was feeling right now was the intensity of my tactile touch. Vibrations, textures, even slight shifts in the air just seemed the tiniest bit louder¡­ It was refreshing, like getting a new outlook on life. In the meanwhile of my boredom with my own Features, I played around with the current Arachnodyne model we had after Harold Anderson¡¯s back-and-forth input over the last few days. We¡¯d need to make pretty major adjustments to the actual limbs, they were fragile and needed to be strengthened, not to mention they already took a massive toll by disconnecting your consciousness to be in control of them. That was more of a coding thing which Midnight offered to take care of, but the fact remained that even if my body could take the burden of eight extra limbs, my mind might not. Especially if it was simultaneously taking in all the visual information as well. So¡­ reduce the number of limbs. That was obvious from the start, we thought four was a good number but the numbers started to get wonky with the actual way they worked in their coding. Elsa promised me she¡¯d handle it but I would do anything to leap off my wheelchair and take the thing apart until I understood how to. For now¡­ I tinkered with my Feature Links. Turns out it was really easy to make them once you got the hang of it, especially when you could mimic any Feature so you didn¡¯t spend a BUG every time you tried Engramming. I learned my mistake from the last time and installed a backport to disconnect and delete the Engram data off my legs, making them blank slates. In three days, for my legs I¡¯d managed several different Links across various Features. Sustain: Accommodation: Analyze: Overclock: Integration: Jailbreak: This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Dataweaving There were a fuck ton, turns out. In the end, I settled to have both legs take the Analyze-based Environmental Coordinator which would hopefully improve my balance and ability to get the fuck out of dangerous situations. It also synced well with my Spine¡¯s Autonomous Reactivity. I theorized it would, if only I could fucking move! August 20th Ripley¡¯s twenty-first day¡­ finally moving¡­ So, finally able to move, the spine worked about as well as I hoped it would. Actually, it worked about too well, for one I felt this weird nagging itch on my back where I placed the other neural plexi to control the Arachnodyne¡¯s movement, and the other thing was that¡­ I was moving now. But I was moving wrong. Every step was too much of a step, every flick had too much flick in it. I was basically suffering from a self-inflicted Parkinson¡¯s disease, and while I could talk fine, anything from the neck down had to be slowed down so my body could compensate. Yeah¡­ I could see why building Shardware took years of experimentation and documentation. I was already a bad shot, but now I was barely able to even grab my gun without accidentally firing it. My dented foot would know. So¡­ I came to the logical conclusion of simply forcing my brain to work with this, make modifications to its Basal Ganglia and Cerebellum which controlled conscious movement and muscle tone. I wasn¡¯t sure if I needed Accomodation or Sustain BUGs, so I just ordered five of each, waited a third of the day for Elsa to come over with them and pour them into my hand because they slipped out of my fingers like oiled marbles. ¡±Ripley¡­¡± She said firmly. ¡°Are you sure you can handle this?¡± I rolled my eyes away from her. ¡±Mostly¡­ my Integrity has increased.¡± Her eyes turned crimson, Midnight crouching to look down upon me. ¡°If you miscalculated, you¡¯re going to very soon lose that dick of yours. I¡¯ll make it painful. But don¡¯t worry too much, I¡¯ll help you get a vibrating one.¡± Okay, so I dropped it from 10 BUGs to 9. I focused on the Warp Energy coursing around my spine like a highway of fireflies, bidding them to fall under my control. Reading Warpcode¡­ forcing compatibility. Energized V.2.00 has updated to V.2.01 Effect: Better manipulation of Warp Energy in the spinal cord. Psyche V.2.03 has updated to V.2.05 Effects: Two updates¡­ I hoped that would¡­ oh, shit, that worked pretty well. I stood up, still a little too fast for my liking, but now it felt limber and light compared to the stuttering mess I was moments before. To be honest, it was almost intoxicating just how much I wanted to move, the stillness of the air felt wrong to me. An idea so stupid I had to try it flung out at me. ¡±Elsa. Stand back please.¡± I shooed her away, but nicely. Because she was my girlfriend. She took a generous step away, and I psyched myself up. Then I kicked, a kick so powerful and fast that it lifted me straight into the air. Then the powerful circuitry connecting my brain and the Preservation Matrix altering it tingled down my spine and through the Reactive Autonomy Link, then into my legs¡¯ Environmental Coordination which processed the movement mid-air to adjust and oh- I landed! On my knee, but¡­ I had just done a backflip! That was¡­ awesome, and I wanted to do it again! ¡±Damn.¡± Elsa said, looking taken aback. ¡°That was¡­ cooler than I expected. Just wish you stuck the landing.¡± ¡±Wa-wa-wait! Lemme try it again!¡± I tried it once more, this time trying to capture what went wrong, it was still too much power. I needed to find the sweet spot, so I tried once more and I kicked. The world around me blurred, first going up before passing downwards to up as I felt my toes touch the ground, stumbling backwards a bit but catching myself in time to keep it from embarrassment. Elsa whistled, but Daylight took over with her azure eyes. ¡°That was so hot, Ripley! Do it again! Again!¡± I obliged, this time managing to keep myself from moving by wagging my arms in place. ¡±Flip off the wall now!¡± I accidentally cracked the wall. ¡±Summersault from the table!¡± I accidentally broke the table. But I stuck the landing! ¡±Uh¡­ a cartwheel!¡± I didn¡¯t have the hand coordination to manage that. ¡°Try a frontflip!¡± Managed that. ¡±Stand on your toes like a ballerina.¡± That remarkably, I could actually do back when I had organic legs because I tried imitating a dance move while I was in the washroom. I don¡¯t know how but I had always been pretty good at it. My mother walked in just in time to see me leap off a wall and land on the couch with a summersault. ¡°What. The. Fuck¡­ Ripley!¡± She ran her way over to me, running her hands on my face and hands like I¡¯d died. ¡°You were in a wheelchair last time I saw you!¡± ¡±Uhhh, I recovered? I actually used knowledge I got from Shardware school to help me with it.¡± I grabbed her hands, helping her sit on the couch. ¡°Should you be moving around so much?¡± ¡±I was just¡­ Diamante wanted me to help him fix up some of his guns.¡± She said quietly. Diamante hadn¡¯t even asked me to touch a non-existent hair on his chrome head, let alone a gun. What the fuck was he playing at with my mother!? I calmly kept her seated ¡ª correction ¡ª forcibly made her sit down. ¡°How about we begin to work on the Arachnodyne¡­ huh?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª August 22nd Ripley¡¯s twenty-third day¡­ and he¡¯s finally making progress with the Arachnodyne. How do you strengthen a flimsy arm designed to sit on a table all day? Simple, you change out it¡¯s motion mechanism entirely. Now, Arachnodynes were energy intensive Shardware, easily using a whole body¡¯s worth of Warp Energy in hours. Most Tier One Adapters wouldn¡¯t even be able to manage an hour worth, I had done 13 but only because of my Gold efficiency. So, combine energy intensive with high mental strain and a weak shell, and you get three sleepless nights. Not to mention, it¡¯s not like I could just walk around with four legs sticking out of my back all the time, they had to be compacted down to fit into a neat package. The main solution to a few of those problems was incorporating Livewire, which I had slowly been feeding the fabricator to produce¡­ and over the weeks, it made around four times what I started out with. So I had a grand total of five tiny cubes of Livewire now, an amount that got me ecstatic except when I realized it sunk me down by 600,000 Shardyne worth of Bronze Shards in the sheer Warp Energy and materials needed to fabricate it. Not one to be weighed down by the calculation, I got to work. ¡ª¡ª¡ª August 23rd Ripley¡¯s twenty fourth day (well technically it¡¯s past midnight)¡­ and he¡¯s still trying to figure out how to get the Arachnodyne to work. I knew how skeletal muscles work, you orient their fibers and they contract in that direction. But muscles intersparsed with Livewire were a much weirder phenomenon, they needed to have Neurowire running alongside them because Livewire contracted according to how it was set and expanded, a memory-material of sorts. They needed constant monitoring. Even then, we were making a prototype muscle only slightly reinforced with it, not a true wholly Livewire-based muscle fiber like I was intending. It took us a whole day, but it might not have been until a couple of hours after my mom left for the night that I finally got a working model running. I sang in victory, this was working and with it I could actually move the Arachne with enough force to do some damage! [Incoming call from Mom <3] ¡±O-oh, hey mom?¡± This was weird, she should be asleep by now. She sounded worried. ¡±Ripley¡­ there¡¯s an Investigator here for you, he says his name is¡­ Anthony Grazhe.¡± Blood and Steel C77: Tough Choice Chapter 77: Tough Choice August 23rd Ripley¡¯s twenty-fourth day¡­ and Anthony Grazhe is at his house. I practically broke the door to my apartment open as I entered, looking for Anthony Grazhe. The man sitting across from my mother didn¡¯t look like a cop but that only made it worse for me ¡ª Elsa gave me the details, Anthony Grazhe was an Intelligence Investigator in Diana¡¯s squad, nephew to the Lieutenant. He wore a fancy tuxedo and had his hair slicked back like some greasy bastard, I bore my eyes into him from the moment we met. ¡±Ripley¡­ Ripley Donovick, right?¡± The man began. I¡¯d seen those exact same eyes before, I¡¯d seen him aim down a gun at me with those eyes. Jacob Grazhe. His grandson, but blood runs in the family¡­ ¡°You. Out. Now.¡± ¡±You¡­ yeah sure, whatever man, I just really need to tal-¡° ¡±Out!¡± I wasn¡¯t wasting a moment on this, if the cops were here¡­ how? Diana? No, she wouldn¡¯t do that, it didn¡¯t make sense to. But he followed, and that eased me just a little bit. I made him follow me across my dank apartment complex to somewhere quieter, a tiny corner with a vending machine that was too old to have good food. ¡±What were you doing in my house, Grazhe?¡± I unclicked my claw-shell, letting my right hand enlarge before his eyes. ¡±Oh¡­ um, Diana, she said to find you. Gave me your sigil but¡­ I couldn¡¯t connect to you, so I searched your family up in the system, your dad was in our system and it pinged for this loca-¡± Fuck my right hand. Two blades ejected from my left, spiraling out like twin snakes on the hunt, floating just beside Grazhe¡¯s neck. ¡°You searched us up in your system? Who else knows?!¡± ¡±N-No one man!¡± Anthony stared at each pointed blade like they were actively cursing him. ¡°Shit, Diana made you sound nicer. She¡¯s in trouble!¡± ¡±Trouble?¡± I retracted both blades slowly back to my left arm, they forged into one before slipping in. ¡°What kind of trouble?¡± ¡±I think she¡¯s kidnapped. Or missing.¡± He said, bringing my eyes wide. ¡°I helped her get into a secret auction to look into Soul Killer, it ended hours ago but she didn¡¯t come out. I can¡¯t contact her either, but¡­ maybe you could? You should know someone?¡± ¡±I can try calling some people¡­¡± Could Elsa help? ¡°Dammit, this is bad timing.¡± ¡±Bad timing?¡± ¡±I¡¯ve got¡­ other priorities in my head as well.¡± I ruffled my fingers through my hair at this complicated mess. ¡±Other priorities, like what?¡± He took a step forward, but I wasn¡¯t trusting a single step from a Grazhe. My silence to that question spoke magnitudes, and he quickly got it¡­ ¡°Oh, of course¡­ you¡¯re just a fucking criminal. Look¡­ whatever you have going on, Diana¡¯s more important than it.¡± ¡±Don¡¯t assume things.¡± I clicked my tongue. ¡°But¡­ any idea who took her?¡± ¡±Soul Killer¡­ that¡¯s my bet.¡± He looked desperate. ¡±I¡¯ve heard the name, The Uncaged. That¡¯s what I¡¯ve heard they¡¯re a part of, some secret group with Mr. Skeleton and Dogwhistler in it as well. That¡¯s all I know.¡± ¡±All?¡± He grabbed his head. ¡°Just¡­ can¡¯t you call someone to track her down?¡± Could I? ¡°That¡¯s not¡­ exactly how it works.¡± ¡±Just, come with me to the auction place. Maybe we¡¯ll find something.¡± He remained adamant. ¡±No.¡± I was adamant too. ¡°It¡¯s suicide. Whoever these people are, I¡¯ve seen¡­ some of the weird shit they can pull off. I would help you, I really want to, but I can¡¯t right now. Besides, this isn¡¯t the first time Diana¡¯s run off into danger.¡± ¡±She¡­¡± Anthony silently screamed in his own mouth. ¡°I care about her man! Just help me out a little bit!¡± ¡±I can¡¯t even get involved with her, it¡¯s dangerous!¡± She had a 35 million bounty on her head for fuck¡¯s sake. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡±Cus of the bounty? You charged in to help her out before!¡± ¡±That was different. I have something I need to do now.¡± He scoffed. ¡±Please, whatever bank you¡¯re going to rob can wait. Just tell me how to get you to help me?¡± I sensed something off in those last words, a foreign charge of energy that tried to cloud my thoughts. I hissed, letting the Gold of my blade shine a little brighter. ¡°Try that again, motherfucker.¡± He looked like he could have wet the sheets, but stayed still as his eyes burned on me. ¡°Ripley Donovick. Why are you doing any of this?¡± ¡±Because it gives me a reason to live!¡± I shouted, fuck¡­ had I meant that? ¡°My mother needs an Implant, there are friends I want to protect, if I have to choose between Diana and them, you¡¯ve heard my answer. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll still see what I can do. Maybe I¡¯ll find something to help... just give me your contact ID.¡± Anthony Grazhe stayed silent, but he passed over his ID. I made sure to note down to tell Elsa to make our communication untraceable. Our deal done, I waved him goodbye. ¡°I really wish I could do more, I¡¯ll tell you when I¡¯m free. And¡­ if you¡¯re looking for Soul Killer, I¡¯ve heard something about them using flowers.¡± Anthony¡¯s eyes slimmed down, anger spiraling within them. ¡°Flowers¡­? You know, Diana really trusted you to help her.¡± ¡±Would she have done the same for me?¡± I shot back an equally defiant look. ¡±Yeah, Ripley. She would.¡± He stormed off, his steps echoing in my head even once I could no longer hear them. Unsettled, I returned to my apartment, my mom looking at me with uncertainty. ¡°He wasn¡¯t here on police business, Ripley¡­ did you hear him out?¡± ¡±Diana¡¯s in trouble.¡± I collapsed onto my couch. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can help right now, but maybe once everything is fine¡­¡± I didn¡¯t like this, had The Uncaged taken her? Would I be next? ¡±I¡¯ve been thinking¡­¡± I pulled out a few shards to show my mother. ¡°I¡¯m going to get a pretty hefty raise soon. Eight Bronze a month, that¡¯s 40,000 Shardyne. Why stay here? Let¡¯s move somewhere safer.¡± ¡±Ripley¡­¡± My mom covered her mouth. ¡°As much as I would like to, I think it¡¯s best we stay here for now. You need all the funds you can¡­¡± ¡±Then I want you to have this.¡± I pulled out my lock-on gun. The Mazhyr Interloper. ¡°I¡¯ve managed to learn the Engram of it, so I¡¯d rather you have something to protect yourself with. It won¡¯t be too effective since you don¡¯t have a metallic limb, but the slight neural correc-¡° ¡±No, Ripley. I can¡¯t shoot at anyone.¡± My mother slid the gun back towards me. ¡°I know you want me safe. I¡¯ve talked to Missy about it, she says that after your mission¡­ she¡¯ll arrange something to keep this place secure.¡± I wasn¡¯t aware that Missy and my mom were communicating like that. ¡°I see. Okay if I spend the night here then?¡± ¡±Of course, Ripley. You¡¯re the one paying the bills.¡± She held me warmly. ¡ª¡ª¡ª In the dead of night, when my mother was asleep, I reached for my Network Feature¡­ Diana hadn¡¯t contacted me if she had found any sort of bug at her place, but that was because I warned her not to. Maybe I should have been smarter and done this sooner, but¡­ I found nothing abnormal with my ability to sense Warpcode. I wasn¡¯t sure whether I should have been glad about that or not. Regardless, I could never be too careful, so I reached into my backpack and pulled out a small robot. It wasn¡¯t as powerful as the drone Elsa had given me, but I¡¯d manufactured it myself with some spare parts to be based on the Spiderling¡¯s design. I stuffed it into a forgotten corner behind the couch, aiming it to keep track of the door. I logged on a motion detection algorithm, at least now I would be able to react if someone broke into my place. It had a small gun attached to it, an electric pistol similar to Diana¡¯s model. While it might not take anyone down, if I placed my sights correctly it could be a good deterrent. Especially once I made more of them. Satisfied, I got back in my sleeping roll. Observing the various updates I¡¯d managed the last three days. They were all natural updates, but most seemed to lean on my new spine or Feature Link creation. Psyche V.2.03 has updated V.2.06 Effects: Energized V.2.00 has updated to V.2.02 Effects: Technician V.2.03 has updated to V.2.05 Effects: Right, I¡¯d used the Arachne to fine-tune my spine a bit, narrow down to rampant impulses and just in general streamline the neural pathways. It was a good thing my back was almost entirely inorganic now, I¡¯d installed some entrances to give access to the spine for modifications. Everything I needed was just within my grasp, I¡¯d reached 67% Development now, but with only one week left I¡¯d really need to push myself if I wanted more updates. Warpcode still stirred in my Implant, I could feel it waiting to learn more. Which meant this next week, I¡¯d need to experience things I¡¯ve never felt before. I needed to push myself, to change and overcome. The Arachnodyne would be my first step to that. Blood and Steel C78: Itsy-bitsy Spider Chapter 78: Itsy-bitsy Spider August 24th Ripley¡¯s twenty-fifth day¡­ and he¡¯s working on the Arachnodyne. Yesterday, I made major progress in the Arachne¡¯s movement. Today, I was dealing with its shell. Too heavy, and my center of mass would be off, I¡¯d need to use the mantis blades in my legs every time to avoid being thrown off balance every time I used them. Too light, and they wouldn¡¯t have the punch needed to do any damage. We¡¯d had the fabricator produce a variety of Warp Materials to test them out, but so far we weren¡¯t finding anything definitive to use. Iron-Grade Warp materials were just on the cusp of breaking the laws of physics, so it wasn¡¯t like I had a magic material waiting for me. I¡¯d need to make sacrifices. That was the only way to make the Arachnodyne work. The only suitable material was an alloy of Yttrium Steel and Ferrium, the former produced a weak electric current under the influence of Warp Energy while the latter got harder by absorbing them ¡ª combined with Warp Sink, I could make my Arachne resistant to Bronze-grade attacks. I¡¯d recently gotten a much better understanding of electromagnetic application, but that was for another reason. Every corporation had a specialty. NeoCore was supplied by the other corporations, but had special engineers to produce unique tools for their Agents. SynTec was good at efficient Shardware fit for the general consumer, and had breakthroughs in hard-light technology and nano-machinery. Mazhyr was the premier ground for experimental Shardware and Implant usage, in terms of overall engineering that pioneered the future, they were at the forefront. Imperium was the head of development in organics. I¡¯d heard of a unique variation of Shardware known as Bioware, which used the organic matter of the MALformed to create tools and weapons made of living cells. Haithama was a communications magnate, having experts in Warpcode manipulation and Net safeguarding. Yuzhou was all about making the most of energy, in terms of output they outshone the others by miles. Weaponry in the forms of firearms and Exosuits were unrivaled by their competitors, all thanks to their understanding of Electromagnetics to capitalize on the creation of Plasma weapons and Railguns. So I needed to be prepared. It was an additional benefit that by studying Yuzhou¡¯s applications that I managed to learn how to work such a material into existance. Of course, to power this material meant it would drain my Warp Energy rapidly every time I wanted to use the Arachnodyne. ¡±Remove the eyes.¡± My mom repeated. I was extremely against that. ¡°I need them for scouting!¡± ¡±You can¡­ at most, use them for looking over a corner.¡± She chewed her pencil. ¡±I can use them for a lot more, besides what if I¡¯m being shot at and need to scout from behind cover?¡± I knew I was making good points. ¡±You have a tiny robot to help you with that, too?¡± Shit, so was she. ¡°Just two eyes, then?¡± I pointed out. My mother sighed, but began typing something in the air. Her eyes widened as she stared at the imaginary screen in front of her. ¡°That¡­ falls under our thresholds¡­ just barely! ¡± ¡±It works?¡± I asked. ¡±It works!¡± Her eyes became stars at that moment. We had done it, we had made a working, finalized, model for the Arachnodyne. ¡ª¡ª¡ª August 25th Ripley¡¯s twenty-sixth day¡­ and the Arachnodyne is nearly done. Everything had built up to this. As we sliced, wired, built up and tore down, everything was coming together. Our research from the two arms in Metal Heavens¡¯ care, Livewire usage in Shardware, Electromagnetic application, Feature Linking, engineering, building Shardware from scraps, learning how to compact Shardware like how the Endoskeleton turned into the coffin. We were doing it. We strengthened its shell with the alloy, installed Livewire based musculature underneath it, ran a network of expertly laid Neurowires to connect to the spine. All four of my new arms were coming together. Then, once we were done constructing it, we activated the mechanism for it to rearrange and compact down. Like origami, it folded, going from a large arachnid structure into a neatly ordained plate about the size of both hands with around three inches of thickness that would be submerged into my back¡¯s musculature. I laid down on my front, as my mom and Diamante brought out their tools to install it on my back. Four plates clicked in and wired through over the longest hour of my life, two by my scapulae and two below my ribs. It was painful, maybe this was what having your back dug out felt like. Elsa held my hand through the procedure, giving me the strength to power it through. ¡±We¡¯re done, Ripley.¡± Diamante sounded like he¡¯d been shot. ¡°Dammit, you tough son of a bitch, you did it.¡± ¡±I did it¡­? No, we did it.¡± I stretched myself out, feeling complete at last with the four plates filling out my back. Internal Link Established: Bronze-Grade RipTech Aracnodyne Mk.1 Integrity: Bronze I Energy: Bronze IV Capacity: Bronze IV (Effective: Bronze III) Grade: Bronze III Feature Links: Breakdown [Technician]; Capacitance Limiter [Accommodation] Description: Originally a work of Alberich Gravas, better known in the criminal world as The Hammersmith, it has been modified by his grandson Ripley Donovick to become an Internally Linked Shardware. With the aid of his allies and his mother, and the spending of nearly a million Shardyne, this Shard Operating Shardware has been modified for combat and mobile usage. ¡±Well, Ripley. What are you waiting for?¡± My mom could barely hold herself together, seated down breathlessly. I nodded, anxious but equally excited as the rest of them, I sent a tingle of my Warp Energy down my spine, four branches extending sideways into the metallic plates. Weight and force pushed from my back, my sensations spreading beyond my mortal self as two camera feeds poured into my view from the eyes in the top two arms. In a few seconds, I got evidence. Elsa sent me an image of her view, but I couldn¡¯t help but stare at my girlfriend when she looked so adorable in her awe. I tore my sight to the image of myself, I had four powerful limbs extending from my back ¡ª each exactly 2.4 meters long with three joints across its length. And a glowing nipple. Putting that aside, the Arachnodyne was exactly the image I¡¯d envisioned. Entirely black, a delicate gray and gold shine emanated from underneath the plates, their meager sight seemed almost organic compared to the thin but powerful arms which were steel and strength personified. I practiced moving them, the sharp tips whirred around and I tested their range of motion as they snapped with precision and speed. With them, I had a sphere of protection, I threw up an old wrench I took from the table. Then I imagined swatting it out of the air, that was all it took for one arm to buzz into motion and lash out at the airborne metal. It bounced off the ground, dented and bent in half. Laughing at the sight, I was taken aback by how mentally exhausting that had felt. The limits of my Capacitance were being pushed now, but I had something to help. Two Bronze BUGs with the Accomodation Feature, one had an extra Dataweaving and the other a damn good Integration. I planned to use both other Features in my Mimicset. I was beginning to collect a lot of these half-filled Bronze BUGs, a shame since they took up so much space. Theoretically, I could have over ten Feature-variants available to me at once. That was assuming each Bronze BUG was full. Sighing aside, I ingested the two BUGs, willfully forcing them to conform to the dogma of ¡®Using the Arachnodyne¡¯. Technician V.2.05 has updated to V.2.07 Effects: Capacity is now Bronze I Iron-Grade Capacity Boon: All Musculoskeletal Shardware has their capacity lowered by 2 tiers. Capacitance Alterations: Capacity: Bronze I [Effective: Bronze IV] Capacitance = 100.3% Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! I had it just at the threshold, I was prepared to be around 130%, that would¡¯ve been dealt with from an Accomodation BUG, but this Iron-Boon I received for jumping up a Grade really helped. Everything was in place, now all that was left was me. It was time to practice. ¡ª¡ª¡ª August 26th Ripley¡¯s twenty-seventh day¡­ and he¡¯s practicing with the Arachnodyne. So, first thing to note about the Arachnodyne, it was quick and agile just as intended, moving to strike like a serpent at the tiniest feather of my thought. The actual Shard Operating tips of the Arachne were around the size of my forearm, a large upgrade to the three-inches in my claws. That meant they had a lot of space for upgrades, and alternate forms. We¡¯d decided pretty quickly in our conception to have the the top two Arachne arms be my traversal arms, their tips had an additional shell they could engage to become sharper and harder and had mild electroconductive properties to better manipulate Livewire. Their most useful mechanism was to engage a unique spear-head shaped like an arrow. I charged my energy through the two limbs, pulsing into the Livewire within. Two large spears shot out, a thin wiry rope of gold connected to the limbs, they hooked into the walls of the old mall ¡ª a tug ensuring they were secure. Securing them to balance with my center of mass, both of them bent perpendicular to me, before a command of my thoughts was sent between them. They pulled me up like a spider flying on it¡¯s lines of webs, my lower two Arachne limbs extended, catching the blow and softening the impact as I slammed into a wall. Thank god I reinforced this spine. My mantis legs started up, driving a stake using the blades that could now extend from both the knees and my calves, fastening me on the wall. Then I aimed the two upper limbs again, deliberately choosing another wall and repeating the process until I forced myself to get used to it. ¡ª¡ª¡ª I held my breath, charging up the lower limbs to push on the ground. The fine tips pushed against the concrete, driving me up in the- Wait no, fuck, the tips were stuck too deep and my launch was botched, sending me awkwardly hurtling towards a wall. Ow. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Okay, okay. We adjusted the lower limbs'' tips. They were the more powerful pair, meant to aid my short-range defense. This time, three prongs ejected from the triangular tips, reducing the overall pressure as they pushed on the ground. They launched me high up into the air, and I prepared them again for the landing. It was rough, and I rolled across the ground, but I was unharmed by it. Satisfied, I practiced again. ¡ª¡ª¡ª I stared at the scraps on the table like I was about to feast on them. My four spider-arms peering across my sides like curious students, their heads snapped open and close like flower petals, the triangular tips shifting into their Shard Operating toolset. I started. My two human limbs could handle precise Warp Energy manipulation better than the Arachne arms, but the spider-limbs were the unmatched winners of actual engineering. The Scrapyard Protocol running in the background guided them, and it took me less than a minute to create a precise and working replica of what my old claw used to be. This was it, this was what it meant to be a Gold. ¡ª¡ª¡ª This time, while swinging, I instigated my legs to use a function of theirs I hadn¡¯t really explored. Collected from the Dogwhistler¡¯s homeless compatriot was the Shriekstone Warp Material, using a warp-enhanced version of the Mazhyr¡¯s seventh electrical law ¡ª to create vibrations from electricity ¡ª it could generate pretty damn strong kinetic impulses across my leg. I surged it to work while I was in momentum to swing into a pillar. I may have misaligned the kick, because the blast of air behind my legs accelerated me into the rock. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Test two. I swung, and I used my legs to control my motion. The steady stream of vibrations pushed on the air, it wasn¡¯t quite a double-jump but more of a sudden shift in the arc of my movement. I curved around the pillar, my golden strands catching around the stone and curving me back in a spiral. My Arachnodyne arms caught the landing, fastening into the stone while I stared at the world beneath me. I wasn¡¯t quite so scared of heights now¡­ well, maybe just a little. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Integrity is now Iron X Energy is now Iron X Psyche V.2.06 is now V.2.07 Effect: Reduced fear of heights. Energized V.2.02 is now V.2.03 Effect: Increased efficiency of Warp Energy through Bronze-Grade Shardware. That was all I¡¯d managed from practicing with the Arachne today, but I still had a considerable pool of Warpcode collected from all my consuming of BUGs, which had practically spent all of the money R0N1N had given me. Still, even if I didn¡¯t have any updates pending, I wagered it was enough Warpcode to do one of two things. It could boost another one of my stats into the Bronze I Tier, or it could get Data Mimicry to V.2.00. I had been trying to get it there the patient way, but so far it seemed perfectly content with how it was. Maybe because deep down, I was content with it. It was serving it¡¯s purpose, allowing me to use any Feature I could get on a BUG, but was that all I could get from Data Mimicry? No, I could also use it to ascribe Feature Links, to transmit Warpcode more efficiently and even alter the way I consume it. Then¡­ where else could I take it? A Unique Feature¡­ I stared at the development progress. Tier I: 70% So close, yet so far. August 30th was the date to complete it by, three days. Would it be impossible to get it to increase another 10%? No, but I needed more BUGs for that, Bronze BUGs preferably, and I didn¡¯t have the money to buy more. So then I needed to steal more. I sighed, playing with one of the many Bronze BUGs I had left over. This too had only one Feature remaining in it, a Sustain Feature with a Protocol to monitor Warp Energy concentrations in the body. I had been using it to work out my new protocol to absorb Energy, but there was also this nagging feeling that maybe it could be transcribed into my own Energized feature. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be as precise. But as it stood, it wasn¡¯t worth slotting into my Mimicset since there were other Bronze BUGs there with better Features, and this only has one logged onto it. An incredibly stupid but brilliant idea popped up in my head. I could absorb and digest Warpcode and Engrams, I had a pretty good feeling now for what all the Features felt like¡­ could I create one? Okay, more precisely, if I had two half-filled BUGs could I save space by combining them into one? Creating a new BUG? What was I, A MAL? No, this needed me to write out the steps. First, I would begin to absorb the Warpcode and then¡­ somehow, stop the digestion process. Then, I would begin to transfer the whole Warpcode into a different BUG, similarly loading it in like how I did for a Feature Link. Simple in premise, I expected the actual task would be close to impossible. After all, a large part of the variety in BUG pricing was the fact that certain combinations worked better than others. Jailbreak and Integration? Easy access to any foreign tech available to you. Network and Dataweaving? You could transmit deadly waves of Warpcode that send your enemy into a mental hospital. Accommodation and Overclock? Not only do you have extremely powerful Shardware, you can charge it to become even more deadly. The possibilities may be endless, but some variations were better than others. But if one could control those variations then¡­ it would be very easy to make a lot of money. Which only made me want to try it out more, first with possibly improving a Feature. I decided to ysea simple Iron and Bronze BUG, both with Sustain to see if I could increase the effectiveness of the Feature when I mimic it. Besides, I wanted to first try controlling Iron Warpcode in this capacity than shooting staright for Bronze. So I harmonized with the BUG, drawing in it¡¯s information down a steady stream. But I held it there in my arm, ignoring the prodding desire to suckle it into the confines of my Implant. Instead, I floated it across my chest, up into my other arm which held the Bronze Bug with the same feature. The second Iron and Bronze met, they violently clashed. The Bronze orb vibrated like it was going to explode, vehemently protesting any modification to it¡­ not one to give up, I switched in a Dataweaving Feature and used my Thought Multiplier. ¡¯Warpcode manipulation¡¯ X ¡®Implants¡¯ The knowledge of both topics became one and the same, light shone on avenues in my head that I didn¡¯t even know existed. Somewhere deep in me, I pulled from my Energized Feature¡¯s protocol to convert between grades, then I also squeezed on Data Mimicry to search for common ground between both Features. My Gold Energy swept up the arm, overshining both dull colors until I thought the Bronze orb was aflame under my bath of Gold. Come on¡­ there, a slight break in the Bronze¡¯s resistance to the change. They were both Sustain Features, both of them wanted to keep their Adapter alive and focused. It was nature for the Bronze to consume the lesser grade, but that was the thing I understood better than anyone. What it was like to consume a Feature. I didn¡¯t berate the Bronze for doing so, I just monitored it, guided it. My Gold drained into mediating the process as Iron sank into the Bronze BUG, becoming one with it. After a few minutes, it quieted down, satisfied. Compound Feature Module Identified: Iron Sustain V.1.03 + Bronze Sustain V.2.04 Reading Warpcode¡­ The User may Mimic the Modulated Feature: [I+B] Sustain Oh¡­ now that was interesting. I complied, sweeping in the information as it slowly settled in my head. Staring at my hands, they were steadier, but not slower, like they could do anything at a moment¡¯s notice. My whole body felt that way in fact, my heartbeat thrumming at a constant pace, my organs loud and clear that they were alright. My Warp Energy though, I could sense the slow rise and creep as it leeched onto my metabolism to fill itself up. Warp Energy: 53% Recovery Rate: 1%/minute Active Usage: 0%/minute Both¡­ Features were active at once? I felt it, falling under one common banner. The Iron¡¯s bonus to my physical control and the Bronze¡¯s ability to monitor and stabilize my internal conditions, as well as improve my Warp Energy recovery. All of this was confirmed once I read the Update Summary, there were three protocols taken into consideration. Update Summary: Then it came, my update. Data Mimicry V.1.15 has updated to V.2.00 Effect: Protocol: Rewrite can allow the Adapter to modify Warpcode within Implants to create synergistic links between similar Features known as Modulated Feature. Would the Adapter like to rename this Module? You¡¯ve¡­ got to be kidding me? I had definitely stumbled onto something big, really big. I knew Unique Features could really be weird, it was widely known that NeoCore¡¯s Michelle Silva had some capacity to predict the future and Yuzhou¡¯s Xiaoming Baizhu could theoretically touch a MAL and turn it into a weapon¡­ but this? To change the properties of Implants? They were basically how the world¡¯s economy ran. Yeah, I had no idea what was going to come after this, but I knew¡­ it would be big. That¡¯s why I needed to keep this a secret, from everyone. Everyone. Blood and Steel C79: Old Friends, New Weapon Chapter 79: Old Friends, New Weapon Missy¡¯s analysis of Yuzhou and it¡¯s Daughter Company, Shandian. Yuzhou, Asia¡¯s conglomerate. It means ¡®Universe¡¯ in chinese, how ironic that SynTec¡¯s the one pioneering space-programs while they¡¯re focused on the planet. Not as bad as being named directly after your Founder ¡ª looking at you, Haithama ¡ª but the simplistic name really gives you enough about their Founder. Xiaomang Baizhu does not care about profit, his underlings might, but he only cares about fighting and winning this war against the MAL. That, we can agree on. His methods, we do not. There was a reason Metal Heavens abducted children and forced BUGs into their heads, it¡¯s common knowledge that BUGs adapt faster under stress and pain, but the shit they pulled for that company¡¯s money is the reason we destroyed them. Or tried to. I don¡¯t know how The Uncaged played their role in that group, but it¡¯s pretty clear they have Muramasa and Orthodox Metal Heavens at their beck and call. Shit, I¡¯m getting sidetracked. Yuzhou has hundreds of firms working under them. Shandian is perhaps the most widely known, it¡¯s their weapons manufacturing division akin to SynTec¡¯s Magna. Shandian has a considerable space in New California for one simple reason, we¡¯re going to be the most vulnerable civilized location for the next swarm with two MALtitans breathing down our neck. Following the earthquake in the mid-century, they upscaled their operation here and have their Shardyne in half of our politician¡¯s pockets. Goliath, whatever this project is, they¡¯ve dedicated several billion Shardyne into it. If R0N1N really wants to put a dent into their plans, this is it, the question then becomes ¡®what do we do with Goliath?¡¯ We can¡¯t sell it. That¡¯s a surefire way to get it back in Yuzhou¡¯s hands eventually, alternatively, we could find a way to use it ourselves. Depending on what Grade it is, Diamante and Mirage can deal with it. But if it¡¯s a Gold Grade, there¡¯s only two of us who can figure it out. Shit, you really put us in a bad spot Mikail. But we will stop you. August 26th Development: 73% Ripley¡¯s twenty-seventh day¡­ and he¡¯s going to fight for his spot. I stared at the array of BUGs I¡¯d changed in some form. I didn¡¯t want to experiment too much, but what I¡¯d figured out was already enough. For one, it was still too much for me to compound two Bronze Features together into one Module. Second, it was too much for me to compound two different Features together. At least, not when they were dissimilar ¡ª some very, very similar Features could be Modulated like a Dataweaving specialized in creating a DataCleaver and a Jailbreak known for enhancing their effectiveness. There was only one exception to this rule of modifying Bronze BUGs, the Priest¡¯s BUG could have its Network and Analyze Features Modulated pretty easily given they were both found in the same Implant, but it required me to convert a lot of my Warp Energy into Warpcode ¡ª 80% of my storage to be exact. Once Modulated using Rewrite, I could then rename them into something else. I wasn¡¯t quite creating a Unique Feature, but I was finding a way to have two Features pour their output at once. And damn, did it feel good. Mimicset Modules [5/10]: Data Mimicry V.2.00 has updated to V.2.02 Effects: Updates Pending¡­ Warpcode required¡­ There you go, now I need more Warpcode. It was still the morning and I had all the time in the world to think about how these three days could go. That was sarcasm, by the way. Sigh, I tapped my feet. There were my grandfather¡¯s eyes, the same ones in the Exoskeleton from way back, they¡¯d been read to have a Bronze I capacity, so if I put them in I¡¯d have over-capacitance at 120%. I knew it wasn¡¯t world-ending, but the main drawbacks would be a quicker loss of Warp Energy and everything would feel a bit heavier to move around. My new Wield BUG could mitigate it, but that would leave me vulnerable if I ever switched it off. Besides, Missy had updated me that the Bronze Stealth Suit she¡¯d be having us wear would have an Iron V Capacitance, which would already put me up by 10%. I could always absorb a few of these BUGs to help out my updates, I knew that was a viable option. Though, I¡¯d gotten pretty comfortable with them over the last few weeks, and each had their uses. Some as worst case scenarios, whereas many were good in specific situations. Databreak could quickly stutter another Adapter¡¯s control over their Shardware. Burn would massively increase my physical strength. Wield improved my aim with any gun or External Link I had. Light could make using my body as easy as blowing a feather. Every single one of them had their uses. It was up to me to decide when and where to use them. So as noon approached, I left the old mall. And went to the Metal Heavens¡¯ cathedral. ¡ª¡ª¡ª I stalked atop the scaffoldings of Little Requiem. Muramasa had gotten my message, and so did Los Diablos. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Razorpede was cursing up and down as she read the confines of my message, Elsa had done a good job of tracking her down to this pub, and getting the bartender to slip her the letter when she wasn¡¯t looking was almost hilarious. ¡ª¡ª¡ª 9:00 PM Four BUG Users, four Bronzes, four Tier IIs. Those were my targets today, I¡¯d gotten some info from them with Twilight¡¯s help, enough to plan around them and prepare over the day. First. Simenry Theodore, the Metal Heavens man who indoctrinated me into their hold was a powerhouse. Besides the overwhelming charge of his legs and unstoppable might of his Wrecking ball of a hand, he was protected by subdermal Shardware that could absorb impacts using a kevlar-like material. Even bullets struggled to harm him, but the tough nut that he is, he¡¯ll have weaknesses and I¡¯ve got just the idea. Second. Good old Razorpede, she visits a Shard Op¡¯ with a knack for putting together two sharp things and making an even sharper thing. Her claws are as sharp as she is crazy, able to extend her arms by several meters ¡ª she¡¯s a threat at close and long range. Third. Black Dragon Long, the Muramsa Tier II who I¡¯d one a wager with and won his Necrotium-coated sword. Fast, deadly, precise. He was famed for killing his foes in one strike using the old weapon, but rumors have it that he¡¯s just as good at drawn out fights. If not better, seemingly getter faster as the fight progresses. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Fourth. Frederick Domingo. The head bouncer at the club I¡¯d bounced at, apparently he was a big fan of the DJ I assassinated. A powerful marksman and hand-to-hand-combatant, his arms can change between a variety of guns at will. While I never talked to him, I¡¯ve learned that he¡¯s very vocal online about his hate for Dreadwire at killing Ulgaye. A time and location was sent to each, detailing them that I was waiting for them. That was true, but I never told them that others would be approaching¡­ and I did warn them to come alone. That wasn¡¯t just an empty threat, I¡¯d managed to guilt Diamante into possibly intervening if a gang war was going to erupt because of this. Well, guilt was the wrong word, I¡¯d bartered for him to do it¡­ by maybe promising to give him a fuck ton of Feature Links on his guns if I needed his help. I was waiting atop an alleyway in a quiet neighborhood, my little Webcrawler bot scanning for any approaching gang members. Black Dragon Long was the first to arrive, I remained hidden for now, he stayed inside his car. Only getting out once he saw the same person I did, Razorpede. Her crimson eyes were a dead giveaway to her allegiance with Crimson Soul, and as she entered the alleyway with a raging sneer ¡ª a sword pointed at her back. ¡±You¡¯re working with Dreadwire? Crimson Soul? Not surprised in the slightest.¡± My bot crept closer, hidden in the shadows of the tall skyscrapers to hear the coversation out. ¡±Fuck no! I¡¯m here to kill him!¡± ¡±Ah, then we have a similar aspiration.¡± Long dropped his sword, allowing Razorpede to turn around but this time she had her arms morph and elongate until they were mechanisms of a painful death. ¡°How do I know you¡¯re not planning something?¡± ¡±I had my sword to your back, if I wanted you dead, you would be.¡± Long, dammit, why did he have to be calm and rational? I was expecting there to be some sort of a brawl before I joined in. My next friend there, though, he was anything but calm and rational. Simenry attacked first, his heavy arm whacking into Black Dragon Long¡¯s back and booming the man deep into the alley. ¡±So Masa and Soul was behinds the Priest¡¯s murder?!¡± Simenry screamed through his mechanical mouth. ¡°Shoulda¡¯ known dat Deadwire cunt couldn¡¯t do i¡¯ ¡®imself!¡± Razorpede elongated her arm until it was a thin whip poised to strike back, her eyes aflame at Simenry. ¡°A man with metal for a brain?! Please we have better things to do than worry about you cultists!¡± ¡±That hurt¡­¡± Black Dragon Long picked himself up with a groan, showing a resilience I didn¡¯t expect from the relatively small man. ¡°¡­But it seems like you¡¯ve been wronged by him as well¡­ Dreadwire, has he brought us here?¡± ¡±You ain¡¯ workin¡¯ wi¡¯im?¡± Simenry rubbed his chin with wrecking-ball hand. ¡°Guess you¡¯s with me then.¡± Wha- I was expecting more gang violence than this. Maybe Fredrick could do something, and it took a minute for the burly man to appear on motorbike, his arm already shifted into a gun. He spat out a cigarette as he took sight of the three in the alley. ¡°Tch- should have figured you three would-¡° ¡±We¡¯re not with Dreadwire!¡± Razorpede seemed incredibly annoyed by the scheme I¡¯d tried to pull. ¡±It seems like he wanted us to fight each other.¡± Black Dragon Long eyed them all with caution, but didn¡¯t draw his sword. ¡±I agrees wi¡¯ ¡®em.¡± Simenry was¡­ himself. ¡±Ah¡­¡± Fredrick looked incredibly confused by the situation, but rested his gun away from their heads. ¡°What¡¯d he do to you guys? He killed my favorite musician.¡± ¡±Killed ma¡¯ boss.¡± Simenry said sadly. ¡°May he rest with the Allseeing.¡± ¡±Killed my friends.¡± Razorpede growled. ¡±Stole half of my sword.¡± Long said it with such disdain like he¡¯d lost a part of himself. ¡±How much was it worth?¡± Razorpede eyed him with vehemence. The Black Dragon stared at his current sword like he was staring at a photo of a dead friend. ¡±More than a hundred thousand.¡± ¡±Damn, you got it the worst.¡± Razorpede said with a flinch¡­ as she patted his shoulder ¡ª to which I only groaned from up here. Did I accidentally make these guys friends?! Whatever, it was time to fight. I hooked and hopped across the rooftops, landing at the end of the alleyway with a puff of dust rising up. My mechanical body whirred their attention towards me. ¡±Before you accuse us¡­¡± Long looked at me boredly. ¡°We¡¯re not with Dreadwire.¡± My voice came out altered and distorted through my helmet. ¡±I know. I got a new mask.¡± They didn¡¯t recognize me because this time I was wearing a full cowl to conceal my identity, it had a design spread across its frontside so that my visor would look like six spider-legs converging at the center of it. I showed off my claws, in hopes that it would jog their memories. ¡±Dreadwire¡­¡± Long pulled out his sword to align me with it. ¡°You will give back my sword or el-¡° ¡±Deadwire!¡± Simenry pushed the man aside, charging at me headfirst. The Insight Bug gave me ample time to react, I knew my strengths, I had access to verticality in a way they didn¡¯t. With a kick of my legs, they grew blades that attached me to a wall, my left claw digging in for better support. ¡°Now-now Simenry, why don-¡± My drone saw Fredrick raise up his gun arm at me, and my Matrix cascaded action through my limbs. I dropped down, taking cover behind Simenry who took the bullet shots in stride, wincing but waging all his bloodlust towards me. Then all hell broke loose. I had a whole speech planned out to bring fear into their hearts, but whatever, they wanted to fight. So be it. I was faster, stronger, and this time¡­ just a little more careful. Simenry¡¯s attacks came crashing down and aside, shattering stone and leaving him open to punches, jabs or scratches that barely tickled him. ¡°Deadwire! I¡¯ll rip yous anus open!¡± I saw Razorpede try to reposition herself, as did Long and Fredrick, but the narrow alleyway and Simenry¡¯s large body gave them little to no sight of me. ¡±Get out of the way you fat bastard!¡± Razorpede¡¯s raised her long arms impatiently. ¡±At least let him be stuck between us!¡± Long added. ¡±Don¡¯t make me shoot through you!¡± Fredrick said with arm raised and ready to make his words true. Simenry¡¯s berserker rage didn¡¯t heed to their words. He swung, slammed and crashed through the alley, pushing me further back with every wild blow. I was fast, even faster when I switched to the Burn module, not attacking once ¡ª waiting. There! A swing too wide for him to strike me away, I pivoted ¡ª taking a good side-step that put me in position to get on his back. I engaged my Mantis legs to split and divide, hooking the blades around his waist and grappling me onto him. His flesh and steely back was unbelievably musty, even with my mask¡¯s air filtration my eyes teared up. Pushing it aside, I sent a wave of Energy across my claws then I unhooked one finger from each, the fingers intertwined with a new joint-connection I made in them, effectively knotting their wires up as he tried to thrash me around. ¡±Turn your back to us!¡± Fredrick yelled. I wasn¡¯t willing to bet on that risk, so I sparked a command across my spine and sprouted four spider limbs which stabbed into the walls, I felt him try to tug me away but the Arachnodyne arms fastened us in place, their stabilizers hooking in¡­ but damn was he strong. ¡±Wha-¡° The remaining three stood in awe at the sight of my four extra limbs. Though, I knew this hold wouldn¡¯t last. So I quickly used the knotted Livewire and swung it around his throat, circling a few layers of it around as he struggled and thrashed around. Thank the Founders he only had one actual hand. Those legs of his, though? Being so close to him, I could feel the heat burning off them like I was teleported to a desert. At this rate, he¡¯d snap my Arachne joints into two so I took a gander. I didn¡¯t have a lot of time to test out just how strong my new limbs were¡­ but they could hold my weight. What was four times that? The joints groaned and pulled, lifting us both and stealing his leverage as I garroted him in front of the others. Truth is, they probably could have taken this moment to reposition, but I saw the smiles on their faces grow the more purple Simenry¡¯s face became¡­ yeah, no wonder I couldn¡¯t predict them. They were crazy and it seemed like they only saw value in the new upgrades I¡¯d done to myself. The Livewire contracted tighter, who cared about being bulletproof when your blood vessels and spine were being squeezed to death. The razor-like wires drew blood as my Energy thinned them out, but simultaneously reeling them back until his neck was half the size. Then his head burst off, falling to the floor and rolling away¡­ I unhooked both connected claw tips and made my hands whole as I pushed Simenry¡¯s headless body away from me. One down¡­ three to go. Blood and Steel C80: Dreadwire Chapter 80: Dreadwire August 26th Ripley¡¯s twenty-seventh day¡­ and he¡¯s fighting three Tier IIs. ¡±Hey Dreadwire!¡± Razorpede was the first to speak after I beheaded Simenry. ¡°That was hot! What do you say we get rid of the others and scurry to a bar!¡± Huh? I shook my head. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m committed.¡± She attacked in a blink after my rejection, a meshwork of deadly blades collapsing onto me. My four spider limbs piloted me away, scurrying across the walls as I yanked out my pistol to begin firing away. Fredrick wasn¡¯t one to leave me alone either, my drone warned me as he aimed and took single-action shots that whizzed past my head or torso, it would have been fatal without the Arachnodyne to maneuver me around. Then Long swept in between a gap of Razorpede¡¯s lashings, getting behind me as he placed me in a pincer between him, and Razorpede and Fredrick. His attacks came fast, and they came hard. If my arms weren¡¯t reinforced to Bronze Grade they would¡¯ve dented with every blow. But he wasn¡¯t an onslaught of attacks like Razorpede, he came slow and deliberate ¡ª waiting for gaps in Razorpede¡¯s assault where he could safely slice in. Fredrick was much the same as he only shot when Razorpede was left in the clear, but as long as I could track his aim with the drone then I could more or less handle it. The most deadly issue here was Razorpede, as I moved my Arachnodyne arms away from the walls to deflect her wild hammering of whipped blades, I knew a battle of attrition wasn¡¯t the way to win. At the very least¡­ I had one last way to cause some infighting, it should be any minute now. Razorpede¡¯s downpour of metal and sparks continued to be an issue. Unlike Simenry, she left very little time in between one strike and another, using both arms expertly to wear me down. If her current arms were as good as the ones she¡¯d used on Diamante, my Arachnodyne would have probably been torn to shreds. Though if there was one thing I had learned about her, it was how those claws worked. I twisted my body, dodging a fatal piercing lunge from Long behind me, he immediately stepped back ¡ª avoiding an accidental tearing of his neck from Razorpede¡¯s long whipping arms. She sneered, slamming her arm aside to pin me into the wall but my Arachne arms yanked me above the long skeletal limb. Then I multiplied my thoughts. ¡¯Razorpede¡¯s arms¡¯ X ¡®Breakdown¡¯ The Feature Link active in my right hand and Arachnodyne sang to me in melodies of Razorpede¡¯s arm. The weeks I had spent digesting that knowledge all coming to me at once. I shot a spray of my fingers at her, striking into her arms at around the parts I wanted to. Gold Energy flailed down my shoulders and into the wires, sinking deep as the Databreak Module activated. A compound of an Iron Dataweaving and a Bronze Jailbreak joined as one under my mind, and I unleashed a deadly DataCleaver of Twilight¡¯s through the limb to allow my claw tips free access. Its joints snapped and broke down, freezing it into a limp, dragging noodle. She hissed, only magnifying her aggression with the other arm while I freed my claw from her. Given space to attack, the other two pushed their advances, hauling their asses to take me down. Fucking hell! One blade whipped to my back while bullets whistled inches from my head! ¡¯Arachne¡¯ X ¡®Webcrawler camera¡¯ The two thoughts merged and multiplied, my arms blurring as they intercepted katana slashes and dragged me from mind-blowing bullets. My Warp Energy was dropping like a spilled bucket at this rate, it was true that these spider arms drained me like a motherfu- Focus Ripley! Now wasn¡¯t the time to hold back! My left arm steamed and exploded out a whip-blade of my own, based on the designs of Razorpede¡¯s arm and using parts from Priest Norgwal¡¯s tentacle-like limbs. I could see her eyes burn in anger at the recognition, but I didn¡¯t use it on her. I swiped it at Long, smashing hard against his blade to knock him back a few feet while I focused my Arachne onto her. Four arms against one, I managed to deflect then pin her whip-arm down, snapping a joint to reduce its range by half. Then I leaped with the arachnid limbs just in time to avoid Fredrick¡¯s rifle, looking down upon Razorpede¡¯s weaker state. My upper Arachnodyne limbs rearranged their tips, arrow-like spears aimed on the concrete behind her. They shot, they hooked, they pulled. My body shot forward, a streak of darkness bathed in gold. My Mantis legs drove a stake right through her heart, blood splattering to the ground behind her as her eyes took one last look at me before fading away. Breathing out a puff of air, I realized I was staring right down the barrel of Fredrick¡¯s arm. He grinned. ¡°Thanks for giving me a clear shot.¡± I leaped back just as fast as I had descended, a hailstream of bullets following me, managing a pretty cool backflip on the way down to once again put Long between me and Fredrick. I could see a vein pop in the latter¡¯s head. ¡±You can¡¯t keep putting people infront of me man!¡± ¡±That¡¯s your fucking problem!¡± I yelled back, pain drooling across my side. ¡±Enough!¡± Long silenced us. ¡°You will give back what you took, Dreadwire!¡± ¡±Tch¡­¡± I smiled, but slowly¡­ I felt a deep dread build up inside of me. And pain¡­ alot of pain¡­ I stared below my ribs, warm blood was drenching through my clothes at an alarming rate. Looks like Fredrick had gotten a good shot in, actually. I had basic balistic armor on¡­ but something pierced into my cybernetic liver¡­ no bones broken, though, I could still do this. I¡¯d have to remove the bullet later ¡ª for now, my Preservation Matrix kept me standing. I wheezed an agonizing gulp of air, switching over to Stabilize. It was the very first modified BUG I¡¯d made¡­ and I¡¯d need it to win this fight. Warp Energy 18% Recovery rate: 0.5%/min I had to finish this quick¡­ the Arachnodyne was taking heavy damage for such an experimental Shardware. ¡°You really that pissed Long? Then how about we have an actually honorable duel.¡± ¡±I am honorable.¡± He pointed his blade at me. ¡±Sure thing you are, sending mercs barely an hour after I left your place. You lost fair and square that day¡­¡± I sprayed my waist down with a Nanomachine-filled MedSpray loaded in one of my claw¡¯s fingers, the bitter chill distracting me, but the Mimicked Module allowed me to keep it away. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡±Fine. A duel then.¡± Long took the bait. ¡±A duel?¡± Fredrick laughed. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be fucking kidding me! You Muramasa pricks and your honor-boners-!¡° ¡±Keep speaking and I¡¯ll drive my blade into your stomach.¡± Long kept his gaze on me, but his words sliced into Fredrick. ¡±Fine¡­¡± The Las Diablos enforcer raised his arm to Long¡¯s back. ¡°But once you¡¯re dead, he¡¯s all mine.¡± Their conversation had given me enough time to reach into my pockets and consume the five Bronze Shards I¡¯d kept as a reserve from R0N1N¡¯s investment, now I was truly out. Warp Energy: 68.5% Alright, that should be enough to get out of this alive¡­ it quite literally cost me my life¡¯s savings. I took my stance, all six arms poised to meet his assault. ¡¯Long¡¯s signs¡¯ X ¡®Shardware Combat¡¯ Long¡¯s nose crinkled, his shoulder leaned and his blade- whacked right into my arm. I¡¯d meant to dodge it, was he faster now? ¡±You aren¡¯t the only one who can make out the other¡¯s intentions.¡± Long whispered, his eyes a fierce black as he withdrew his blade and swung again, heavy and domineering. My Arachne arms blurred like rabid snakes, curving and sparking off the contact with his sword but¡­ Shit, he was pushing me back. It¡¯s almost like he knew what I was about to do? So I whipped my left arm¡¯s blade around him, hoping to snare him. He articulated the blade and pinned the whip into the wall with it, skillfully tugging it so that I was yanked towards him ¡ª his blade slashing for my throat. The Burn Module took over, my right claw grabbing the blade just in time to keep it from slicing my carotid and jugular wide open. Though he managed a small nick on my chest, and I felt the wound fester and bleed right open as the wound burst beneath my armor. He still had half a blade of Necrotium, right. He snickered. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want to return my blade?¡± ¡±Sorry mate.¡± I pulled him forward, jabbing my left claw and commanding all four Arachnodyne arms to pierce his torso. ¡°Sold it.¡± ¡±You what?¡± With a strength betraying his frame, he swung the gripped sword hard enough to smash me into a wall, lunging again to drive it into me like a stake. My four extra limbs came into play again, whacking the tough man¡¯s arm and one even stabbed into his leg. But it barely budged through¡­ he had an Endoskeleton? A really tough one too. With one slice, he struck the joint of the Arachne stabbing into his leg, breaking it off with ease as he moved to kill me. I grieved the loss but not as much as I feared losing, so I used the other legs to propel me right at him. His blade made the tiniest cut on my ribs that burned like a mother fucker. ¡±You have quite a strong resistance!¡± He tried to push it all the way through, but I hooked my right elbow around the weapon. He yanked it out. My forearm fell to the ground with one swipe. Shit, this was really bad! Losing the Livewire claw and an Arachne arm severely cost me my defense, and it¡¯s not like my own offense was making it through either. Where was he pulling this shit from? I remembered what information Elsa had about him, he was good at taking them down quickly¡­ but equally good at the long con. All that time I was battling it out with Razorpede, the reason why he was so cautious, was he watching me? Learning? Dragging myself back with the one remaining lower Arachne limb, I honed in with the other two as they engaged with spear-heads. Aiming both at the walls behind him, I reeled myself forward with my leg sprouting a blade to cleave him with. He struck the Livewire rope with his blade, it didn¡¯t break, but the change in angle threw my momentum off to smack me into a wall. Compensating, I unleashed a light sonic impulse from my legs to recover, my shin striking his forearm powerful enough to launch him back to the entrance of the alleyway. His blade had gone flying in the distance, and his forearm was bent in half and bleeding. He still had organics in there, but something gave him an unnatural amount of strength. Why only replace your skeleton? I grabbed the wall with my one remaining arm to hoist myself up, but my left leg crumpled underneath. That kick had been too much¡­ Long winced in pain, eying me like I¡¯d stepped on a puppy as he looked at his broken arm. ¡°You¡­!¡± He pulled out a small dagger from his waist, a maniacal grin plastered across him. ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy this¡­ just you-¡° Bronze-Grade LR Bounty update! Dreadwire is now worth 1 Million Shardyne! Issuer: Mr. Skeleton. Details: Please bring his unique Arachne-based Shardware intact and unharmed for payment. M.S. It had taken it¡¯s time but Mr. Skeleton finally made his move, all it took was one picture of me climbing my way through Little Requiem and Elsa spreading the information about Dreadwire stealing an Arachne from Metal Heavens. That man was a Shardware fiend, he¡¯d do anything to get his hands on something like this. Since these guys were hunting me down, it was easy to expect that they¡¯d be receiving updates about my bounty. If there was one thing I learned while having a Gold Implant ¡ª nothing got people more fired up than money. Blood spurt from Long¡¯s body, Fredrick launching an entire ammo-clip that left the swordsman riddled with holes. He collapsed, leaving me in view of an entirely healthy Fredrick who looked at me like I was meat on sale, practically watering at the mouth. ¡±I don¡¯t know how a nobody like you managed half of what you did, but this is like stealing candy from a baby and making a mil out of it!¡± He raised his gun at me, and I instigated my Wield Module. My connection to two External Links heightened in seconds, first through my mask which hooked up into the Webcrawler bot, and second into the pistol I had holstered. ¡±Hasta la vist-¡° A pulse of electricity splattered on his Frame, not quite burning it out, but reeling him in pain for enough time that I could lock on. My left arm reached for my holster, aimed the Interloper, and fired. The bullet went through his eye before drilling into brain matter. He sputtered, a river of crimson falling from the empty socket, and he fell lifeless. Huh¡­ I did it? I was ready to call Diamante halfway through the fight with Long¡­ but I did it. I won. It cost me two arms and a leg, but I killed four Tier IIs. ¡±Diamante¡­¡± I hooked up the call, and he answered immediately. ¡°I did it.¡± ¡±I know¡­ I had a sniper ready. Damn. Wasn¡¯t¡­ expecting it.¡± His voice was low, but the awe in it only bolstered my pride. ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up about Long. That was unnatural strength for a Tier II, stay a sec, I¡¯m getting the van.¡± It was barely a minute before a van backed into the alley, Diamante coming out and helping me into the cargo. He whistled at the bodies. ¡°Was really impressed by Razorpede, you took her down quick.¡± ¡±Yeah.¡± I winced, I still had some wounds that I was feeling a lot more now after the adrenaline had faded. ¡°Used up way too much Energy though, damn near drained me dry dealing with three of them at once.¡± ¡±It was impressive, Ripley. Really, you¡¯re beyond what any Tier I should be capable of¡­ except me, I could have done that at your Tier. Probably with less damage too.¡± He spoke as he helped recover my broken parts and load the four bodies next to me, proof of my victory. ¡±Yeah, sure you could¡¯ve. You had the Hammersmith make your fucking body.¡± At the very least, I wanted him to know that I knew. I liked him enough to not lie to him everyday. He stayed silent for a moment, before his voice raised. ¡°Well everything you¡¯ve got is from your grandfather!¡± Right¡­ Missy said that Diamante hadn¡¯t linked the two together yet. Maybe I¡¯d play that lie on just a liiitle longer. It surprised me when he corrected himself, sounding almost guilty. ¡°Sorry, that was harsh. You worked for this Ripley¡­ I know I don¡¯t say it but¡­ I¡¯m proud of you. You¡¯re pushing yourself harder than anyone I know.¡± ¡±Thanks¡­ that means a lo- what the fuuuuuck!¡± I stared in awe as out of Long¡¯s body, a Bronze beetle dug its way through his flesh. A SIM, but he had an Endoskeleton which required a BUG? He was¡­ ¡°Shit Diamante, Long was a Dual Adapter.¡± ¡±He was a- well no fucking wonder you couldn¡¯t kill him! Man probably had massively reinforced musculature to compensate for his skeleton! How¡¯d you even get the other dude to kill him?¡± ¡±Bribed him.¡± I joked. ¡±With what fucking money do you have left? You¡¯re like a sinkhole for Shardyne!¡± Diamante¡¯s driving grew rougher, I shook around in my seat. ¡°I didn¡¯t. Mr.Skel¡­ Mikail did.¡± That was another thing I didn¡¯t want to lie to him about. Diamante adjusted the mirror, looking at me with eyes that I never expected to think of as soft. ¡°Hey¡­ that¡¯s a bad memory. I¡¯ll tell you about it someday, once all of this Yuzhou bullshit is cleared off, but for now, just¡­ don¡¯t bring him up.¡± ¡±Got it.¡± I nodded with an understanding. ¡±Good kid.¡± Diamante smiled, and so did I. I really did trust him as a friend now. Blood and Steel C81: To run away, or towards? Chapter 81: To run away, or towards? August 29th Ripley¡¯s last day¡­ to get to 80% Development. I¡¯d done everything¡­ everything possible to do this! I even sacrificed the Light Module since Accomodation BUGs aren''t worth having access to for only a limited time. Then why? Development: 79% I was right there, right fucking there! Every BUG I had other than those in my Mimicset were all used up! Then why? Why couldn¡¯t I just¡­ get there¡­ Psyche V.2.07 has updated to V.2.08 Effect: Increased ability to process information from external sources. Energized V.2.03 has updated to V.2.05 Effects: Technician V.2.05 has updated to V.2.07 Effects: Data Mimicry V.2.02 has updated to V.2.04 Effects: Shit¡­ was there any way to do it? I tried selling the Bronze SIM out, got its Mutations scanned which were pretty simplistic but with powerful muscle and sight enhancement genes. Thing is, used SIMs were bought on the basis of their Active Mutations. With three Mutations that were in all fairness pretty fucking common, I¡¯d only gotten an offer for 35,000 Shardyne ¡ª and scrapping up whatever funds I had only amounted to 42,000 Shardyne. Even the worst Bronze BUGs were sold for 50k. Maybe if I found a really shit one? Something passed around by like six people? I scrolled through Little Requiem¡¯s list even using the Thought Multiplier to help me read through, but found nothing in my budget. What the fuck? Diamante strolled in, whistling to himself as he brought along a tray of several guns all plugged in with a Datacube containing an Engram. ¡°Just¡­ this, and we¡¯re done.¡± ¡±Right.¡± At least I had work to get myself distracted, it didn¡¯t matter how many guns I Linked, the grenades I built, the repairs and modifications I made to my own Shardware. None of it would get there, none of it would get me to 80%. ¡±How¡¯re you feeling about tomorrow?¡± Diamante polished one of the guns, taking care to get it to the utmost shine possible. ¡±Dissapointed.¡± I answered honestly. ¡°Because it looks like I can¡¯t join in?¡± ¡±Development?¡± ¡±79%¡­¡± I said reluctantly. ¡±Shit¡­ eh, that¡¯s close enough. Pat on the back for what you¡¯ve put yourself through honestly. Well fought.¡± ¡±You don¡¯t think Missy would make an exception?¡± I said with a glimmer of hope. ¡±Nope.¡± He returned to shining his guns. ¡°Not sure why you want to send yourself to death anyway, you designed a whole new Shardware, you could make millions off its patent.¡± I scoffed back. ¡±Why¡¯re you going there?¡± ¡±Because I¡¯m a weapon, Ripley. And I want to be used to fight the right war.¡± Diamante put the gun down, staring at me intently. ¡°Kid, everything you¡¯ve done. You¡¯re special, I know that. Your mom knows that. Missy knows that. Elsa knows it, hell you even got her to be with you cus of it! Don¡¯t waste your life running from one bullet to another, man. I¡¯m saying this as someone who not just likes you despite the fact that you¡¯re a little bitch, but also respects you.¡± I laughed at the irony of it. ¡°Were any of you expecting me to get to 80%?¡± ¡±It takes years, Ripley. Years¡­ you sometimes go weeks without a percentage increase. How many Shardyne¡¯s worth of BUGs did you install? You think R0N1N gave them to you because he really thought you could fight? Hell no! He gave more than you were getting paid because he knows that he can make it through without you. You just make it a bit easier. Deep down, he¡¯s a good guy, and he knows your story¡­ He hates the corporations, and both you and your mom have been victims to it. He wanted to help you out by giving you a way out. That money was meant to send you running and packing your bags.¡± ¡±Well. I got a little attached to you guys.¡± ¡±That¡¯s exactly what we were afraid of.¡± Diamante lowered his gaze. ¡°We found you helpless and lost with a Gold Implant in your head, we debated for hours about what to do with you. I won¡¯t name who, but one of us would still take your head off and ship it for a chance to get out if Missy didn¡¯t personally threaten them. We¡­ you reminded us of him. At least to me and Missy.¡± ¡±Mr. Skeleton?¡± ¡±¡­yeah. There¡¯s that look you both have, the kind that was cloudy and missing something, but behind that mist were knives. Sharp enough to rip through Titanium. Clever as all hell. Determined like no one else. We didn¡¯t want you going down the same route he did. He lost himself in the money, in the power, in desire. Fucked us up too, broke what we had to¡­ be a part of something bigger.¡± ¡±The Uncaged.¡± ¡±Yeah¡­ don¡¯t want to say more but¡­ we trusted him. We loved him like a brother, but it was because of us who drilled him in the ways to fight ¡ª to profit ¡ª that he changed. I wish I could¡¯ve turned everything back, every day. This battle you¡¯re trying to get yourself into, with Dogwhistler, Skeleton and Soul Killer. It¡¯s not worth it¡­ hell, you could fucking join NeoCore with your skills. They don¡¯t give a damn about your background! As long as you make yourself worth it, they¡¯ll hire you¡­ I¡¯ll fucking drive you over to a recruitment center right now if you want to! And you¡¯re nothing if not worth it.¡± Hearing all the praise from Diamante feld¡­ satisfying, but at the same time left me wanting. I just focused on the gun, slowly using the Warpcode in the cube to charge its Engram up¡­ for a Feature Link. It was almost taunting as I trickled Warpcode in. I controlled the very thing I needed to succeed. But even this cube had nowhere enough for me. Once I was done, I sighed. ¡±Well¡­ that was nice to hear. At the very least¡­ but just let me ask you a few questions.¡± ¡±Go ahead, Ripley.¡± ¡±Is Elsa going on the mission?¡± ¡±She is.¡± ¡±Who could I sell my Arachne to, realistically¡­ If I wanted the millions to save my mother?¡± ¡±¡­Without the backing of a degree or institute, the corporations¡¯ll just have an assassin dig it out of your back. The gang leaders wouldn¡¯t bother with something so niche, other than Metal Heavens, but again they¡¯d just drag it from your corpse. Mr. Skeleton, he¡¯s the only one with the funds and desire for tech like yours. If he¡¯s in a good mood¡­ you could get up to twenty¡­ thirty million for the blueprint? He¡¯ll have ways to regurgitate it back to NeoCore, they¡¯re probably the one¡¯s who¡¯ll want it the most once they¡¯re fighting the MAL in the swarm.¡± ¡±The Fifth Swarm¡­ how exactly do you intend to deal with it?¡± ¡±Join up with an underground coalition of criminals who just want to do the right thing¡­ an Independent Mercenary Unit, make a little money out of it. I¡¯ll fight and protect this city, it¡¯s my home. And when a MALtitan comes looking for us? I¡¯ll be there ready to fight it ¡ª and The Uncaged.¡± ¡±Then we¡¯ll both be doing the same thing¡­¡± I finished up another gun. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving this city, I don¡¯t want to leave you guys¡­ and I don¡¯t want to sell myself out. This Arachnodyne is as much a part of me as my organs are.¡± His metal teeth grounded into one another. ¡°Any other questions?¡± I thought about the various thoughts running in my head from time to time. ¡±Yeah, actually. What the fuck is a Warp Tendency? I¡¯ve heard the term thrown around a few times but don¡¯t get it. The box with my MAL was safeguarded by a Silver DataShield they said had a Fire Tendency, what did that mean?¡± ¡±Pushing into Silver-Grade paid info here, a Warp Tendency is the flavor and nature your Warpcode or Mutations take as an Adapter ¡ª they only come up in Silver Implants or higher, part of the reason why they cost millions. Typically, they form around Tier II, and determine how destructive or malleable your Warpcode is. They come in six packages, but I¡¯ve heard that higher Grades get access to more by combining them¡­ otherwise they¡¯re Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Spark, and Shadow.¡± ¡±Which one do you have?¡± ¡±Fire.¡± Diamante showed his arm, but it seemed more of an action for himself than me. ¡°The nature to destroy, to break and disintegrate. My Warpcode influences my Features to become more¡­ aggressive. I can destroy hundreds of Tier Is with my worst body, because that¡¯s what I was designed to be.¡± ¡±What Tendency do you think I would take?¡± ¡±Water¡­ To conform to the changes around you, to fill up a vessel and shape according to how life around you changes. Typically, they make pretty damn incredible Shard Op¡¯s, otherwise I could see you with Spark. To brighten and enhance, to be unafraid and shine. You¡¯d have general enhancements to all aspects of your Warpcode, but it¡¯ll be loud and visible. Kinda fits you.¡± ¡±Yeah.¡± I chuckled. ¡±You want this, Ripley?¡± Diamante didn¡¯t offer me anything, but I knew what he meant. ¡±I do. And¡­ I won¡¯t end up like him.¡± ¡±Then make me a promise.¡± ¡±What?¡± ¡±You¡¯ll turn off the Personality Matrix in your head, and you¡¯ll remember that friend of yours who died. I bet the damn thing isn¡¯t even letting you hear her name.¡± He stopped working on the guns, putting all his focus on me. Stolen novel; please report. ¡±I-¡° Why was he talking about? But¡­ I was hesitating at the thought. ¡°If I do that then¡­¡± ¡±You might break, I know.¡± Diamante put a hand on my shoulder, and connected his inhuman gaze to my soul. ¡°But you¡¯ll have me and Emizren. You¡¯ll have your mother¡­ and Elsa. It¡¯s not right, what¡¯s happened to you, but your mind deserves to know and feel what it¡¯s supposed to. Otherwise, you¡¯ll make decisions that will amount to nothing but self-gratification. Because when the world becomes too much, when will you be enough? You¡¯ll chase anything, as long as it means you can keep running away.¡± The words struck a chord with me¡­ and I wasn¡¯t the best in music, but even I knew what a symphony was. I could feel one stirring up inside of me. ¡±Yeah¡­ I think¡­ deep down, I¡¯m trying to run away from ¡®the me that was weak¡¯. Without an Implant, without a father, without¡­ any of you. Even if you guys were keeping the distance because of this mission or the The Uncaged debacle, I¡¯m grateful for everything we¡¯ve done together. That¡¯s not enough for me to throw away my life, not enough to go on this mission¡­ but¡­ ever since I¡¯ve gotten this BUG. The longer I¡¯ve had it, the more I start to feel like it¡¯s a responsibility, like it has its own goal to accomplish and I¡¯m the only one who can carry it out. I don¡¯t believe in faith, but I feel like I was destined to fall on this path. To join up with you guys. Maybe¡­ I¡¯m not such a great person, maybe I will never accomplish great things, but the happiest I¡¯ve been in a long time was running alongside you¡­ but maybe it¡¯s time I also sit down with just myself. Taking a deep breath, I steeled the blood rushing through my vocal cords. ¡°I¡¯ll do it, Diamante, I¡¯ll turn off the Matrix. I¡¯ll deal with the consequences.¡± ¡±We¡¯ll deal with it.¡± He hardened his hold on my shoulder, and yet I felt lighter. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re saying I can come tomorrow?¡± ¡±That was never my decision, Ripley. Nor was it Missy¡¯s.¡± He was right, it had been me who had asked if I should set a goal for myself. ¡±Still, need to get that other 1%.¡± ¡±Tch, forget 1%, I¡¯ve got the good shit.¡± He stood up, walked away and I followed him back down into the armory, back to the wall of BUGs and SIMs. He touched the keypad attached to the wall, and what came sliding down clearly had the marking of S2103 A Silver. The only Silver here. The box opened up, and sitting right there in its pristine glory was a Silver BUG. ¡±You want me to take it? Why haven¡¯t you used it yet¡± ¡±It¡¯s a useless ass BUG, Ripley. Gone through four owners and it¡¯s got Network, Integration and Technician. Hardly a good combo, but Silver is Silver.¡± He kicked the box towards me, but I saw the regret starting to form in his eyes. ¡°Take it.¡± I hastily grabbed the Silver orb, enjoying its pristine shine under the harsh ceiling lights of the armory. My hungry reflection shined on it¡¯s clear surface, the orange of my new Shardware eyes bright and clear. ¡±Will this take me out for the day? The mission¡¯s in like¡­ 14 hours.¡± ¡±Now you¡¯re hesitant about Warp Burns?¡± Diamante moved to take it from me, but I snatched it away, holding it close to my chest. He looked at me like I was a child. ¡°If you want, there¡¯s a few Bronzes in here I could exchange for it.¡± ¡±No.¡± I began to run my Warpcode over the Implant. ¡°It¡¯s perfect. ¡ª¡ª¡ª I puked all three meals I had, one for each Feature I¡¯d absorbed. They were beyond heavy, it was like chewing metal with my teeth every second I tried. Slow, draining, but empowering. The last bit was what mattered. Because the gains? They were worth it. Integrity is now Bronze II Energy is now Bronze III Capacity is now Bronze IV If I knew my Capacity would become this, I would have hunted down a Silver ages ago, and probably do some more Shardware work. As for my updates, I aligned them with one goal in mind. To win. Psyche V.2.08 has updated to V.2.13 Effects: Energized V.2.05 has updated to V.2.11 Effects: Technician V.2.07 has updated to V.2.15 Effects: Data Mimicry V.2.04 has updated to V.2.10 Effects: With three hours until we were supposed to meet up, I lounged amidst a sea of floating blueprints and rearranging metal. Let¡¯s see how much I could do until then. ¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Three Facilities. North, West, and South.¡± Missy pointed to the table¡¯s map. ¡°Me, Topaz and Quickshot will head South. From what we know it¡¯s one of their main production lines for new firearms.¡± I looked at Quickshot, she was a tall tanned woman who seemed to be a SIM user but I did note down that she had mechanical fingers. The strangest thing about her was that she carried a large Shardware Bow. Who used a bow in this day and age? ¡±The North Facility is where they produce their automated drones, it¡¯s going to have a lot of eyes wandering the place. Mirage and her Personas will wreak some havoc in there, then Diamante will enter and pretend to be some experimental drone of theirs. Quartz and Stonewall will provide support if anything goes wrong.¡± I tried to hold in my laugh. ¡°Who came up with this plan?¡± Elsa held my hand, whispering in my ear. ¡°Daylight.¡± I smiled before taking a glance at Stonewall, a fairly big man who also was a SIM user, he had cracked scales that resembled chunks of black stone running up his arms. Other than that, he seemed pretty friendly, he even brought some snacks. ¡°Finally, comes R0N1N and Ripley¡¯s facility to the West. Their experimental Shardware division, Goliath is most likely to be housed here. This place is under tight security, so tread carefully.¡± I sensed that it was directed more to me than the R0N1N. ¡°I trust you¡¯ve all read through the reports of Shandian¡¯s general security makeup. Remember, everyone¡¯s heart is being monitored so if you kill anyone it¡¯ll send an alert through the whole system ¡ª that¡¯s why you¡¯ll need this.¡± She opened up a few briefcases filled with small vials that ended with a very long and sharp needle sticking out of them. ¡±ParaStims. I¡¯ve supplied enough to get everyone ten Iron-Grade vials and four Bronze-Grades, they¡¯ll paralyze anyone you inject it with and leave them unconcious.¡± We all took turns collecting the vials and organizing among ourselves. Diamante said something about bringing multiple bodies of his for the mission, and true to it, he had another two inert mechanical robots sitting on the couch. They weren¡¯t as sophisticated as his normal body nor that ¡®Angelina¡¯ form of his, but they bore a resemblance to the Shandian Security androids I¡¯d seen scattered in the mission debriefing. ¡±New eyes?¡± Missy put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re with us.¡± ¡±Took a shit ton of work, and yeah, new eyes.¡± I was still getting used to how clear everything was, not to mention¡­ seeing through metal. I¡¯d scooped out my organic pair just a few hours ago, but absorbing that Silver BUG really improved my recovery speed to these optics and the healing. ¡°You think you¡¯ll be okay?¡± ¡±Me, yeah. I¡¯ve done shit like this before, it¡¯s always nerve-wracking, but if you follow the script for as long as the corporate actors will cooperate, things don¡¯t end up too bad.¡± She glanced around the busywork everyone involved themselves in. ¡±I¡¯m proud of you, soldier.¡± She pat me once more, then turned around to get herself ready. Our stealth-suits were form fitting, and the black cloth was made up of tiny crystals once you stared closer at it. The freakiest thing was that if you activated Shardware, the cloth would retract and give space for the modifications. It even opened up holes for my Arachnodyne arms to extend through. I needed to learn how that worked, I was tired of cutting apart my clothes to make space for the arms. As everyone got ready, I took stock of their preparations. We were all dressed up in our form-fitting padded stealth suits, but some of us didn¡¯t adhere to it. Topaz was still as flashy as ever, talking up some other guy who was wearing an even more intricate stealth suit than our own, even hiding their head with a completely black dome of a mask. He was completely covered from head to toe, but it was strange, the more I looked at him ¡ª the less I found myself able to tear my eyes off him. It was the opposite of whatever attention-slipping Mutation Topaz had. Was that his brother? Quartz? Elsa grabbed me from behind, her arms sliding down my chest. ¡°You going to be fine?¡± I cupped her hands with mine, feeling her warmth let me focus away from Quartz. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡±Those are some pretty fancy upgrades¡­ you¡¯re amazing, Ripley.¡± She snuggled her head into my back. ¡±I know I am.¡± I turned to her and placed a kiss on her neck, her long hair falling on my face like a waterfall of black and white. ¡°Good luck kiss?¡± She leaned into me, and I really wished we had more time because I wanted a bit more than just a kiss. But, as cars drove off and R0N1N scooted into the driver¡¯s seat of the van, I took a deep breath and opened up the list I''d made one month ago. A surge of pride followed me. Ripley¡¯s to-do-list before the big day! (August 30th) There was just one thing left to do. Win. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Shardware Capacitance: Capacitance Alterations: Capacity: Bronze IV [Effective: Bronze VII] Internal Capacitance = 90.6% External Capacitance = 18.3% Total Capacitance = 108.9% Shardware Breakdown According to Grade and Feature Links: External Shardware Breakdown: Post-Act 2 Update Hey guys, Sixbees2 buzzing in, just wanted to real quick make a post now that Act 2 is over. I''m a guy that loves documenting the process of things, and I feel like these little infrequent posts where I share my own thoughts on the story would be fun to look back to. So, in Act 1 [Welcome To The Jungle], we got introduced to the world, character and power-system of CyberGene. Act 2 [Every Breath You Take] served to really give me an opportunity to dig deeper into these characters and expose them at their ugliest; we get to see shades of Ripley''s inner greed and desire with the contrasting numbness of the Personality Matrix, and Diana''s willingness to go ahead with even the sides of her she hates if it means getting her revenge. To be honest, it wasn''t until I wrote down this Act that CyberGene really came glued together as a story. From this Act onwards, I had a very good idea of what I wanted this story to be. And in particular, its trio of villains for the first few volums. Enter The Uncaged. I won''t say too much about them, but that I wanted each of them to be multifaceted and for each of our two protagonists to have differing relationships between all three of them. All three of them are characters I gave serious thought to, and you''ll learn more about Skeleton, Soul Killer, and The Dogwhistler as the story progresses. From them, came my ideas for the next three Volumes. But that''s getting ahead of ourselves, Blood and Steel is very much an origin story for our heroes and they''ll find who they are in the Third Act. It''s the most fast-paced of the three Acts with Ripley''s chapters mostly taking place all in one day, and Diana''s meeting with Soul Killer being more than what she bargained for. Here''s some teasers for what to expect: Ripley and The R0N1N arguing over breaking and entering methods. Diana getting five-star meals. Soul Killer in the flesh, and flesh, and flesh. The Katana Zero Soundtrack. Tendencies. Dreadwire being chased down, a lot. Diana hunting with her father. Blood and Steel in all it''s glorious forms. The echoes of a Thunderous Omen, and the weaving of Webs of Lies. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. And with an Update like this, I thought I''d also let you guys know what theme songs I have for each of the characters. Ripley, as Dreadwire gets ''Shapeshifter'' by Celldweller. I imagine it as him taunting cars while he zips away with the Arachnodyne. Ripley''s relationship with Mirage is perfectly captured in the song ''My Only'' by Cloudfodder Diana in Act 3 has ''they''re all around us'' by Poppy... you''ll understand why next chapter. Otherwise, I feel like ''Smile'' by Wolf Alice fits her very well. As for the side-characters? Diamante gets ''Heart-Shaped Box'' by Nirvana, while the Iron Devil gets the Doom soundtrack, but for a specific song I''ll go for ''Slayer''s Paradise (Gangster''s Paradise)'' by Geoffplaysguitar. Missy has ''Seven Nation Army'' by The White Stripes Anthony is... ''Side Character'' by Cloudfodder Mr. Skeleton receives ''The Grim Reaper'' by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard And Mirage?... I''m going to give her multiple songs since she''s... you know. ''Absolute Territory'' by Ken Ashcorp. ''how could you love somebody like me?'' by Artemas ''BODY/PRISON'' by Health ft. Perturbator ''I may be a doe..'' by Banshee ''Mind Games'' by Sickick Finally, Selene gets ''Heads will roll'' by Yeah Yeah Yeahs... just kidding, it''s actually ''Cheerleader'' by Porter Robinson. If these are a lot of songs to search for... don''t worry, because they''re all on the official CyberGene Vibes Playlist from yours truly. And for one last thing, I''m looking into publishing CyberGene in novelization sometime in the next year or two, my biggest issue (and it''s entirely my fault) is that I wrote these books as... very long. Too long for any publisher to drop their wallets and invest in a giant slab of paper they don''t know if they''ll get returns on or not. To give you an idea, Blood and Steel is 420,000 words long. The second volume which I''ll only tease as T+W is likely going to be a bit longer considering Act I of it is about 150,000 words and Act II (which I haven''t finished writing yet) is about 170k. What I''m probably going to do is edit each Act of my following Volumes to be an individual book, but that doesn''t quite work out for Blood and Steel since it''s first Act is a huuuuge setup with very little actual plot or progression. So here''s what I''m thinking, and I want to hear your input on it, I''ll probably split Blood and Steel into two parts. Part 1 will likely be about 250k words (which is still pretty big), starting from the beginning to the Indra Harmony and Yvette incident but instead of immediately going to Ripley up in Metal Heavens'' business, I''ll reorder the chapters so Part One ends with Diana reading Juliet Grazhe''s findings on The Uncaged. Lmk your ideas. And about that publishing business... since we''re done with Act II, if you''ve enjoyed this novel in all twisted glory, please don''t hesitate to rate, review, follow, favorite, or just talk about it. Every little bit helps a lot to get this fairly niche book out there to more people, and might convince them to take a look at it (despite being a dreaded dual-perspective novel). Plus it gives me more bargaining chips against the corporate overlords of the book business (publishers). Muahaha! Sixbees2, buzzing off. Blood and Steel C82: Caged Souls Chapter 82: Caged Souls August 23rd Diana As my thoughts began to rise from the blanket of pain, they just as quickly slithered back into the agonizing darkness. I don¡¯t remember much, but I was being moved somewhere in a car ¡ª I think? The next time my eyes opened, it was someone putting something in my mouth, it was bitter and tiny, a pill that melted on my tongue. I couldn¡¯t grasp any of the facial features of who put it there, except the eyes. Entirely red with white irises and pupils. Just like the Lieutenant¡¯s had been, like Simon Jugosla. Like mine had been. Next, my body was being moved roughly, someone was speaking over but the words were mushy to my ears. My arms were being restrained in metal and I was forced to walk into a cell, everything hurt, everything was blurry, but that tiny mattress on the floor seemed like heaven the moment I collapsed onto it. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Opening my eyes, my body groaned as it openly became aware of something wrestling inside. I don¡¯t remember much of what had happened, I¡¯d breathed in some pollen from the red spider lily, and it acted as a Mutagen. Soul-Forfeit¡­ it was a Titanium Grade Mutation. Looking around my cell, it was barebones and quiet, just a mattress and a toilet. The door to my cell was thick and heavy, the kind I¡¯d seen in my police manuals for high-security prisons. The wall it was placed in was made of a Warp-reinforced one-way window that I bet even a Gold-Grade Shardware arm would be unable to shatter. Looking at myself, I was still in the dress I¡¯d worn that night, it was practically untouched. The strangest things were the two thick metallic cuffs located on my arms that I recognized, Warp Inhibitor Restraints. I tried manipulating my Gold but the cuffs spiked in a heaviness, like my energy had gone from blowing air out my mouth to trying to make myself puke lead. To stop a Gold-Grade¡­ these things must have been expensive. Still, I was alive. But for what reason? Soul Killer has bought me, that was what the host had said¡­ was Annabelle Grazhe ¡ª my lieutenant ¡ª the Soul Killer? That¡­ that couldn¡¯t be right. Soul Killer had been active for a century. Was Soul Killer some kind of group then? Everyone treated them like they were one person, then what was the truth here? Unable to find any sort of reasoning in my head, I slumped on the mattress and searched through my frame. I couldn¡¯t contact anyone, half of all the features on it were disabled and locked. My Datashield had been swapped out and¡­ guh, what was this nagging pain inside my nose? Being moved to a second location, I was¡­ in trouble. Yet, panic evaded my mind, all I felt was a dull acceptance of the circumstances. If anything, I was more scared of what Anthony would do, and that was enough to drive me. The only thing I could still look at were my Mutations, which was strange, normally prisoners would lose access to the Implant Analyzing functions of their Neuroframes. Gene Overview:- Tier I Hostile Mutagen: Titanium-Grade Soul-Forfeit has been absorbed. Additional Meta-Mutations to Mutational Synergy. Reduced Effects of Hostile Mutagen on Adapter; Increased Hostile Mutagenic Tolerance. Those flowers produced pollen that had Mutagen. I gathered that much, a hostile Mutagen though? I¡¯d never heard of it happening, but it was something my Implant had been trying to reject. Clearly, it had worked. Right, my body had been moving against its will up to the stage. A mind-controlling Mutagen? That was a thing? I remembered feeling helpless to it, like I¡¯d been trapped in my own body¡­ like I¡¯d given up my soul and it was acting to the whims of someone else. Soul-Forfeit¡­ Absorbing and cleansing it seemed to be because of my Mutational Synergy Mutation. It had also allowed me to survive absorbing Yvette¡¯s Silver SIM, truly, that mysterious Mutation had been the real centerpiece of my survival all this time. ¡±Heeeelllooo? Can you hear me?¡± A speaker began to make noise, I recognized the voice. Simon Jugosla. ¡°Say something if you can hear me.¡± ¡±I can hear you.¡± I muttered through my teeth. ¡±Perfect, perfect. How do you like your steak? Medium-well? Please don¡¯t say well-done, you should¡¯ve gotten some etiquette from Brian.¡± The voice was so casual it only made me feel worse about everything. ¡±What¡¯re you talking about?¡± I tried to search for the speaker, but any attempts to supply my eyes with Warp Energy was met with a sharp pain in them. ¡°Just prepping some food for you, don¡¯t want my latest pet going hungry.¡± Simon¡¯s calling me a pet irritated me more. ¡°I¡¯m not your-¡° ¡°How do you want your steak, Diana?¡± The voice cut me off, slightly annoyed in tone. ¡°Not raw.¡± That was all I was going to let them have. ¡°Stubborn ain¡¯t ya? Well I¡¯ll make it fit for human consumption, for now¡­ I¡¯ll have this body do some work. You must be feeling so trapped in there, I¡¯ll open up your door, you can talk to some of the other inmates here ¡ª they¡¯re a cheery bunch!¡± The door slid open, and forgive me for being a little suspicious about this whole thing¡­ I didn¡¯t understand a thing. From Ms. Himiko talking to me yesterday, revealing she was an artificial intelligence, to the Lieutenant being complicit in Soul Killer¡¯s activities. I expected to have some answers, but now there were only more questions. No weapons, no access to my mutations, I stepped through that door. Walking past the other cells, they were mostly empty with the doors open, and they seemed to be lived in. I stopped, noticing crayon drawings on one wall of a cell, like a child¡¯s¡­ what was going on here? This was all too familiar. The corridor opened up to the sounds of people moving about, talking. I couldn¡¯t make it out, partly because my head still hurt¡­ but I really wished I had a weapon before stumbling into the unknown. The last thing I expected to walk into was a large lounge filled with around twenty people, all wearing crimson jumpsuits and with the same cuffs I had on me. They looked exactly like those kids who were being sold at the auction had¡­ There were children here, some of them noted my entrance, eyes hopping up to look at me. ¡°Oooh, look, she has a pretty dress!¡± One of the girls approached me, her eyes split between the colors of green and blue like they were fighting for dominance in her irises. ¡°You¡¯re pretty. What¡¯s your name¡­?¡± ¡±Diana¡­¡± What was happening here? ¡°Um, where are your parents?¡± The child looked away from me, almost angry. ¡°Don¡¯t have them¡­ but we have miss Aliya.¡± Was she the one in charge of this? ¡±Can you¡­ take me to them?¡± ¡±Sure!¡± Her smile bubbled into my heart, and her small hand grabbed mine as she walked me along the lounge. ¡±What¡¯s your name?¡± I asked. ¡±Never got one¡­ but Miss Aliya said I look like an Olivia, Ms. Kaisel just calls me L22.¡± Olivia brought me over to a circular couch, in front of it was an old looking woman with dark-skin and whitened hair playing with around four children of various ages. Some of the children looked¡­ wrong. Misshapened hands, fangs for teeth, boils of purple dotted on their face¡­ had they been SIMmed? They couldn¡¯t have been older than seven? Stolen novel; please report. This miss Aliya glanced up at me, then down at my dress, then back up at my eyes, her aged face simple and unjudging. ¡°You¡¯re new.¡± ¡±I am¡­ what¡¯s happening here?¡± I needed answers. ¡±What does it look like? It¡¯s a Cradle¡­¡± She looked around to the kids, standing up amidst them with a motherly smile. ¡°Hey kids, I¡¯m going to talk to her, why don¡¯t you all try and learn that song I taught you.¡± They all shouted their best attempts at some song, but Aliya grabbed my arm and pulled me away from them. ¡°Don¡¯t want to talk about this in front of the kids¡­ you smoke?¡± ¡±Er¡­ not really.¡± It was a social thing for me. ¡±Shame, was hoping you stuffed some down your bra. They let us put in orders sometimes for them, rarely.¡± She took me to a lonely corner, lighting up a cigarette as her finger shone a bright red. Fire ignited from it. ¡±How¡¯re you using your mutations?¡± She had cuffs just like me. ¡±Hurts like a bitch, but the nicotine¡¯s worth it.¡± She huffed a large cloud of smoke. ¡°These cuffs can¡¯t change what¡¯s already in us, but they can make it painful to use. What year is it outside?¡± Year¡­? How long had she been here? ¡°2497.¡± ¡±Shit¡­¡± She brought the cigarette up to her lips again. ¡°Swarm¡¯s getting closer, wonder what¡¯ll happen to this joint.¡± ¡±What even is this place?¡± ¡±Like I said¡­ Kaisel calls it an unofficial Cradle. She¡¯s the big woman in of this joint, one of Soul Killer¡¯s favorite puppets. You know about them?¡± ¡±Soul Killer¡­ you know about them?¡± ¡±Was a reporter.¡± Aliya huffed again. ¡°Tried to do the right thing, tell real stories, and dig up some old graves. Next thing I knew I lost everything, my job, my marriage and my kids, was on the street for a year in¡­ 2475? I think. Yeah, I was looking up on Soul Killer, but one day I was just up and knocked unconscious. Kaisel said I wasn¡¯t going to live long, but I made myself useful with the kids, kept them from getting too rowdy ¡ª they let me live cus¡¯ of that. So it¡¯s basically been my job ever since to keep these kids stable.¡± She looked tired, if I understood right¡­ she¡¯d been down here for 22 years. Biting my tongue, I decided to be honest. ¡°I¡¯m a Police Investigator, I was looking into him when¡­ a flower took control of me.¡± ¡±Red bud with a whole lot of petals?¡± She offered me her cigarette. I took it. ¡°Yeah. A red spider lily.¡± ¡±Yup, that¡¯s how they get you. One huff of that and they can control your body and mind. Make you do things, forget things¡­ it¡¯s how they keep us under control. We¡¯re all just a part of them. Soul Killer.¡± ¡°Is that what happens when your eyes become red? They control you?¡± I tasted the bitter ash of the cigarette against my lips. ¡±Not just then¡­ that¡¯s just when it¡¯s the most powerful. Though, honestly, I think that whole eye-changing thing is used to strike fear. They can influence the tiniest decisions you make, I don¡¯t know how he does it but¡­ we¡¯re never truly in control.¡± Slowly, she smiled as her eyes crept red. I gulped, realizing that Soul Killer was talking to me, using Aliya¡¯s body like a biological Proxy. Her voice was exactly the same, but where there had been jaded exhaustion was now a tone of jovial curiosity. ¡°You¡¯re an inquisitive one! Well¡­ you heard it right. I¡¯m in all of their heads! In a sense, not quite a perfect hive-mind yet, but maybe one day I¡¯ll get there¡­ well, if my boss allows it. As for now, how¡¯re you finding the place? I try to make it hospitable, but I very rarely find anyone who was Cradleborn to judge it¡¯s accuracy, they¡¯re typically too far up for me to¡­ replace.¡± ¡±Soul Killer¡­¡± I put the cigarette down. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ controlling these people?¡± ¡±Control, becoming, manipulating¡­ what¡¯s the difference?¡± Aliya¡¯s hands raised into the air. ¡°I¡¯m just doing my job, Diana. Same as you¡­ well, not really, but you get me?¡± ¡±I don¡¯t.¡± I wasn¡¯t liking this, first Ms. Himiko and now him? Them? ¡°What¡¯re you trying to do?¡± ¡±Understand Implants, how to control them.¡± They answered honestly. ¡°Whole lot of unknowns in those tiny orbs, don¡¯t blame an individual for getting inquisitive to their secrets. Secrets require experiments, experiments require¡­ bodies.¡± ¡±Is this some kind of lab?¡± ¡±Please¡­ this is just where I grow my crops. My farm.¡± Soul Killer took the cigarette from my hands, taking a good puff of the smoke and coughing. ¡°Always hated these, never understood why you¡¯d put such a foul thing in your body, where was I? If they¡¯re interesting, I ship them for further testing, if they aren¡¯t¡­ I sell ¡®em. Simple as that.¡± A farm? ¡±Then what am I doing here?¡± ¡±Trying to determine which one you are. Wasn¡¯t sure why Mr. R decided not to send that MAL to it¡¯s original destination, but that thing was special. Not just because it was Gold.¡± ¡±You know about my Implant?¡± So The Uncaged were the ones planning to attack the Precinct? ¡±Oh I know quite a bit about it, but not everything¡­ I know it was quite the prized possession of my boss, and that he had big plans for it. Then he changed his mind. ¡®Why¡¯ is the real question. He¡¯s being cryptic, but you¡¯re involved in it. He didn¡¯t say anything to us other than to keep you alive for some of his future plans, but, oh well¡­ we can¡¯t help ourselves if you¡¯re such interesting creatures. You and¡­ what did Skeleton say his name was? Ridley?¡± I didn¡¯t want to correct this¡­ thing. ¡±So that¡¯s why you haven¡¯t killed me? Your boss said so?¡± This¡­ Mr. R¡­ it was bad enough having Soul Killer and Dogwhistler as cryptic identities, now there¡¯s another one? ¡±Precisely.¡± Soul Killer snapped their fingers. ¡°Can¡¯t kill you, so I¡¯ll be keeping you here for the foreseeable future.¡± ¡±For what fucking purpose?! And -you¡¯re controlling the Lieutentant?!¡± I needed whatever information I could. I wanted to punch this bastard¡¯s brain out, but how could I? When this wasn¡¯t even his body. ¡±Nothing much, just¡­ think of it like a vacation? I¡¯ll be taking care of you, feeding you, observing you. As for the Lieutenant¡­ eh, it¡¯s complicated. I¡¯ve had a deal with her father since forever.¡± ¡°Jacob Grazhe?¡± I bit my lips. ¡°There¡¯s a reason he was so powerful.¡± A grin creeped up on Aliya¡¯s face, proud and snivelling. ¡°Imagine it, he gets information from my hidden sleeper agents inside those manchild gangs, and he let¡¯s me run free under his nose.¡± I stayed silent, I knew the former Lieutenant was in some shady businesses¡­ but was Soul Killer the cornerstone for the whole operation? ¡°Hah, you remind me of Juliet. When she got too close to the truth, I had to tear her sister away¡­¡± Soul Killer smirked, before clenching their jaw so hard a tooth chipped. ¡°Juliet¡¯s been taken care off since, but Anabelle¡¯s not quite where I want her to be. She has her uses, but she¡¯s disposable.¡± That momentary anger was laughed away in an abrupt moment. ¡°Oh well, that¡¯s what experiments are for! Not everyone could resist my flowers the way you did, what¡¯d the Mutation stop at?¡± They didn¡¯t know I cleansed it out? I lied as easily as breathing. ¡°74%.¡± ¡±Damn!¡± Soul Killer stomped his leg. ¡°I really was thinking it¡¯d go higher¡­! Tch, eh, I¡¯ll figure it out soon enough. Your meal¡¯s almost done anyway, then I¡¯ll see what entertainment I can prepare for you¡­ I want to learn everything about your SIM.¡± As they said their last message, the red crept away as Aliya¡¯s eyes returned to normal, she took a puff of the cigarette. A confused eyebrow raised. ¡°Weren¡¯t you holding this?¡± ¡±You didn¡¯t feel it?¡± I felt my skin tingle. ¡±Feel what?¡± ¡±Your eyes turned red¡­ Soul Killer was talking through you.¡± I hated wearing a sleeveless dress like this, my goosebumps were entirely too visible. ¡±Oh.¡± She sighed. ¡°Hasn¡¯t done it to me in years. It¡¯s freaky isn¡¯t it? I didn¡¯t even know it.¡± ¡°I feel like you should be more scared.¡± I took the cigarette, I needed it more. ¡±I was, in the beginning. Now¡­ I can¡¯t fight it, so why fear something I can¡¯t do anything against? They don¡¯t hurt me, they just¡­ change me. In a way, life here was better than it was up there. I don¡¯t particularly like it, but¡­ after all these years, it¡¯s become the life I¡¯ve known more. Who enjoys life in the first place?¡± Her words uncomfortably resonated with my heart. ¡±I¡­ we should fight this.¡± Someone needed to, what was going to happen to these people? To me? We would be sold, tested on? Live to be either lab rats, cattle or caretakers? I laughed, something about this¡­ it felt exactly like how it was back at the Cradle. Back with Brian Ulrich. ¡±By the way¡­¡± Aliya put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°¡­there are some rules. Number one, fighting¡¯s allowed, hell, they don¡¯t care as long as you don¡¯t kill them. Now remember, some of us are¡­ okay, no one here is fine. We¡¯re all fucked in the head and have found our own ways to compensate. Don¡¯t trust anybody, not even me. You never know if it¡¯s them or Soul Killer you¡¯re talking, half the time they don¡¯t know. Number two, meal time is strict, even after these years I still don¡¯t get it, but they calculate our dietary intake exactly. Everyone here is fed something tailored to them. ¡±Number three. Don¡¯t. Miss. Your meals. I¡¯ve seen what they do in retaliation, what happens if you try to ignore them. You won¡¯t like it. Number four, if you¡¯re someone they¡¯re interested in, they¡¯ll take you away sometimes for testing. It has been two decades since I did it and showed no results then. If you don¡¯t do well, they ship you away to god knows where, if you do¡­ they¡¯ll at least keep you alive. Number five. Aliya isn¡¯t my real name, it¡¯s just the identity I chose here. Call everyone by what they either want you to call them, or by their inmate number ¡ª don¡¯t prod more¡­ the name just brings back painful memories. Think up of something new to be called, or else just stick to your number when you get it. Number six. Keep your mutations and Implant a secret, some of us will¡­ try things.¡± I nodded, not entirely following everything she said but trying to digest it enough. There was no way in hell I was spending years down here, not even a fucking month¡­ not¡­ ¡±A name?¡± I asked myself more, thinking. ¡°Call me Silvereye.¡± Blood and Steel C83: Synergistic Developments Chapter 83: Synergistic Developments Diana I¡¯d decided to distract myself by spending time with the children rather than most of the adult inmates here. Other than Aliya¡­ most of them seemed off, like they were stuck in a permanently dream-induced state. They ignored me if I ignored them, I quickly realized. When one of the kids had his eyes turned red, I felt my fear drill through me. A creepy smile grew, full of fangs on the child Aliya had named Eddy. ¡°Your meal is ready, head upstairs, third door on the left.¡± Keeping myself solid, I nodded. While every bit of me wanted to rebel right now, the fact was that I didn¡¯t have access to my powers at all, I was weak. Somehow, I¡¯d need to find a way to recover my abilities before I could think of breaking out of here. Entering the door to the meal hall, it was more like one of those prison phone-call booths, neatly ordained stalls lined up against a wall with glass panels that seemed to allow communication with whoever was on the other side. I walked until I found Simon Jugosla on the other side of the panel. ¡±Am I talking to Simon, or Soul Killer?¡± I said as I took a seat, on the other side of the panel, Simon had a nice platter of steak with him. ¡±Simon.¡± The man responded with a mischievous smile. ¡°Been a while Diana, since you and I talked, was really surprised when Brian Ulrich¡¯s daughter was there in the table, how¡¯d you figure out I work with¡­ them?¡± ¡±Tonguelasher wanted to steal you away, for what ¡ª I don¡¯t know¡­ he¡¯s dead.¡± ¡±Right, I believe your police pal Choirmen shot him.¡± The red flashed in his eyes, then disappeared. ¡±You just let¡­ them do that to you?¡± I bit down on my teeth hard. ¡±Oh, that? I don¡¯t even remember anything, besides, giving myself up to Soul Killer has only worked out in my favor¡­ they let me really employ artistic talents in a way no one else allows. It¡¯s protection, in a way.¡± He opened a trapdoor on his side, sliding the steak dish underneath so that it appeared in a hollow imprint on my side. ¡±Cannibalism?¡± I eyed the meat suspiciously. ¡±Well, only if they suit my taste.¡± He smiled. ¡°It¡¯s an acquired one, so relax, I¡¯m not feeding you anyone¡¯s mother, father, or child. Premium meat there, the best in the world. Dig in, we¡¯ll talk over¡­ I don¡¯t even know what time this is, lunch, dinner?¡± The meat had a distinctly barnyard smell to it, fresh and supple when I prodded it with my fork. A plastic fork¡­ they were being careful. ¡±All meals are supervised. Don¡¯t want you taking a weapon with you, even if it¡¯s degrading plastic.¡± Simon smiled. ¡±So, I get that you work for Soul Killer. But you also¡­ are Soul Killer.¡± ¡±When they want me to be.¡± He casually responded. ¡±You sold your body, for what?¡± I cut into the meat, the smell only intensifying my hunger. ¡±I was in deep shit.¡± He carelessly threw his arms back. ¡°Got caught refining¡­ less than legal meat. Soul Killer turned out to be controlling one of my clients, we made a deal, he liked my food and wanted me on his team to help circulate some Mutagen. I got to continue doing what I love and make a lot more money out of it while greeting clients from the top of the list, what¡¯s more to say? It¡¯s not like they¡¯re in my head all the time.¡± ¡±I don¡¯t get how that works, how¡¯re you even connected to him?¡± I took the bite, as much as I wanted to resist it, the steak was delicious. ¡±I don¡¯t know the specifics of a god-damn Titanium Mutagen.¡± He laughed. ¡°All I know is that when you arrived at the restaurant that night, Anabelle¡¯s little parasite contacted me to drag you to the auction. You were supposed to go to Ms. Himiko¡­ then something you did changed things. You resisted it, Soul-Forfeit.¡± ¡±So Soul Killer bought me¡­ from themselves?¡± ¡±Officially, I entered that auction independently, but let¡¯s just say the money went around in a circle.¡± He leaned on the table. ¡±What is this place, Simon?¡± ¡±A farm.¡± He smiled sadistically through the panel, then his eyes sunk in ¡ª white amidst red. ¡°I thought I told you.¡± Soul Killer spoke with a chilling voice. ¡°Do you know how many people in New California choose BUGs over SIMs¡­?¡± ¡±Why the fuck would I care about something like that?¡± ¡±The answer¡­ is 64% BUG, and 36% SIM.¡± Soul Killer smiled. ¡°Why? Because SIMs are more difficult to improve upon, unlike a BUG they are inebriated with what those less educated call ¡®randomness¡¯. BUGs get an assignment of 12 Features, which you can then improve upon with extra Shardyne. An Analyze BUG will always be an Analyze BUG¡­ but a SIM that shines your hair could grow to make it metallic, or maybe allow you to produce high-quality oil through your pores, or maybe it will remain shiny hair. People think Mutations can¡¯t be controlled, measured, manipulated. I¡¯m different.¡± I chewed the meat, not bothering to finish swallowing as I spoke. ¡±You¡¯re trying to learn how to induce specific SIM development?¡± ¡±Not quite, Implants as a whole are a messy topic! I¡¯m but an adventurer on the path to great treasure, it¡¯s one thing to hold power over your own Implant, another thing to have power over another¡¯s.¡± ¡±Yet, you managed to do it.¡± I stopped eating. ¡±Eat. Diana. You¡¯ll need the energy.¡± He put both hands up to rest his chin. ¡°As for your statement, astute, but incorrect. I simply provide myself a backdoor to people¡¯s bodies, the exact methods of how I operate are hush-hush, but you¡¯ll come to join it in time.¡± My silver eyes met their soulless gaze. ¡±I won¡¯t let you.¡± ¡±You don¡¯t have that choice, Silvereye. Let¡¯s see how long that name befits you.¡± He flicked a switch on his side of the table, a red mist sizzled from above and to the side of me. I dove backwards, but my eyes lit up as I¡¯d already taken a breath of the stuff into me. Hostile Mutagen identified: Soul-Forfeit¡­ 1% ¡±It¡¯s a quicker acting strain¡­¡± Soul Killer explained through Simon¡¯s body. ¡°Takes quite a bit to produce.¡± 18%¡­ 35%¡­ 49%¡­ My head throbbed, my body walked back where the mist was still dispersing in the air ¡ª taking a deep breath of it in. 78%¡­ 89%¡­ 95%¡­ 99%¡­ 98%¡­ I felt stolen, like my mind was fading away as seconds lost meaning. It was so easy to drift off and forget¡­ This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡±How does it feel?¡± ¡±It feels amazing.¡± My body said without me thinking it. 96%¡­ 92%¡­ 84%¡­ 63%¡­ 41%¡­ ¡±You can¡¯t do this.¡± I slipped control back into me. ¡±Huh?¡± Soul Killer leaned in, practically squishing Simon¡¯s face into the glass. 14%¡­ 1%¡­ Hostile Mutagen cleansed¡­ Mutational Synergy has reached 97% Development. Additional Meta-Mutations formed¡­ The Adapter can better digest high Grade Mutagenic Material; Increased Absorption speed of Mutagenic Material; Warp Energy can be recovered by ingesting Mutagenic Material. ¡±How¡¯d you do that¡­ I feel nothing from you?¡± Soul Killer strained his voice as he pushed into the glass, like he was trying to break through it. ¡°Fascinating¡­ very, very fascinating¡­¡± Whatever Mutational Synergy was doing to me, it was saving me from becoming their puppet. It also¡­ built me up, tiny strands of violent black had entered my system ¡ª Titanium Warp Energy. Even in this miniscule amount, it throbbed through my body¡­ leaving an imprint of itself over the golden power coursing within me. Grade is now Gold II It wasn¡¯t a massive boost to me, but it was definitely there. Whereas before, manipulating my energy had felt like it was made of stone, now it had crumbled into sand. Sand that I could very lightly blow on to move, my heart beat as electricity flowed up my eyes in small trickles. ¡±Oh¡­ oh? You look scary, now¡­ I really want to figure you out!¡± Soul Killer laughed in Simon¡¯s body, and then the doors opened up to have six people enter the room. All of them were inmates. All of them had soulless eyes. I could barely react before one of them shot their arm at me, the limb stretching like rubber to grow and pound me into a wall. Another three acted in unison, their bodies shifting as grotesque malformations of tendrils or bone-spears tried to pierce me. I struck them, dispersing all of the strength I¡¯d managed to recover. Their bodies bent and blew back, but that didn¡¯t stop the mindless husks from continuing their assault. Aliya was the last person to attack, a fire burning up her arm which healed as fast it was being scorched. A warm breath of flame erupted in my direction. It engulfed everything, and I could do nothing but take the brunk of its agonizing heat as there was nowhere to go. That steady flamethrower was only matched by my own regenerative abilities, but the little Energy I could manipulate wasn¡¯t enough to give me the ease to walk through. Blades pierced my legs, the other five inmates still attacking me even as their skin turned to ash. Those soulless eyes showed no pain. I collapsed to the ground, the fire that had spread through the room quenched in an unnatural second by Aliya. Even my clothes had stopped burning, but they were tattered up and ruined¡­ everything hurt. One of the inmates spoke to me as they slapped up new cuffs on me, but I knew who was talking through them. ¡°That should keep your Warp Energy busy¡­ now, how about you finish up your meal?¡± I watched as their bodies cleansed off the burns like they were simple stains, that speed of regeneration¡­ even the toughness of their bodies was anything unlike an Irons or even a Bronze? These were like¡­ Silver-Grade Mutations, at the very least. Especially that flame power of Aliya¡¯s. Esper abilities got gradually more intense the higher the grade, and to summon and dismiss flames like that had to be¡­ powerful. The new cuffs stopped my Warp Energy in its tracks, squeezing it to a standstill. ¡°You bastard!¡± I rose to my feet, but the scorched cloth had melted into my wounds to leave every movement painful. ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you?!¡± ¡±Too much, Diana!¡± The inmates all laughed with their crimson eyes, even Aliya. ¡°I¡¯m just a curious soul! Don¡¯t worry about your wounds¡­ I have just the thing for it. You¡¯re going to need it, I have a feeling you and I will get along¡­ very well.¡± I grit my teeth as they all left, but a seventh inmate dropped a red jumpsuit along a small vial. Mutagen. ¡±Take it, it¡¯s a Silver-Grade Regeneration Mutagen, your current capabilities are already impressive, but you¡¯re going to need more if you want to survive this place.¡± Simon Jugosla¡¯s body said from beyond the glass wall. ¡°What if I don¡¯t?!¡± I yelled back, agony pinching at my vocal chords from the heated air I¡¯d breathed in. ¡±Then I do this.¡± He clicked a button, and the red mist peered from every corner of the room. ¡°A slower¡­ but stronger variant¡­¡± 2%¡­3%¡­5%¡­7%¡­ There was no place to go where I couldn¡¯t breath it in, and my own body was too damaged to escape this. 18%¡­20%¡­ I grit my teeth as my arms began to move and crawl, dragging me towards the vial. No, fuck! I didn¡¯t know what was in there! I didn¡¯t even know what sort of Mutagen it really was! Yet¡­ it was now in my hands, I tore my gaze away, hoping that if Soul Killer could see through my body that they wouldn¡¯t be able to tell where my arm was aiming the vial¡­ 38%¡­40%¡­ I felt the cold needle stick into my leg, expertly aimed at the femoral artery¡­ the cold liquid spiked into my body ¡ª sending a sharp shock up towards my heart. Tier I Silver Mutagen detected: Vampiristic Regeneration [6 Gene Capacity]: The Adapter¡¯s body will always be regenerated to a state of perfect vitality. By absorbing the Warp Energy of another Adapter¡¯s, the Adapter can improve their own regenerative capabilities; if the Adapter does not regularly absorb others¡¯ Energy, then they begin to consume their own. Hostile Mutagen detected¡­ 62%¡­ Fuck! It was something that was boosting the Soul-Forfeit Mutagen¡¯s strength. Mutational Synergy has reached 100% Development¡­ [Gold] Mutational Synergy is reacting with Silver Mutation: Vampiristic Regeneration have converged into the Tier I [Gold] Mutation: Mutagenic Drain. Mutagenic Drain [1 GC]: The Adapter¡¯s body will always be regenerated to a state of perfect vitality using their own Warp Energy. They can forcefully absorb Mutagenic Material by draining another''s'' Warp Energy. This has the effect of significantly improving the Adapter¡¯s strength and regeneration. This also naturally boosts the development of all other Mutations. 30%¡­ 10%¡­ Hostile Mutagen has been drained. Energy is now Bronze I Iron-Grade Energy Boon: Warp Energy activity in producing Electrical output or control is more efficient. Mutagenic Drain is now at 7% Development. I stopped breathing as the world¡¯s fist unclenched it¡¯s grip on me. I¡¯d¡­ absorbed the Hostile Mutagen? Cleansed it by absorbing it? There was a lot that had to be unpacked right now, for one Mutational Synergy had just converged with the new Vampiristic Regeneration Mutation I¡¯d been injected it¡­ it forcefully regenerated them to perfect vitality by draining their Warp Energy constantly? That explained why they healed so quickly. I¡¯d also got an Iron-Grade Boon for my Energy¡­ I¡¯d heard of them from Dr. Faltest, but they were unique for each Adapter so it didn¡¯t get talked about too much. It was just a fact of Development. Not willing to test it while I was this weak, I recovered myself¡­ my wounds were already beginning to heal. Though it made me queasy as my internal stores rippled down into a sinkhole to compensate ¡ª so this was what it meant to drain your own Warp Energy. ¡±Hmmm¡­ strange.¡± Soul Killer in Simon¡¯s body began rubbing their chin. ¡°Tch, fine, I¡¯ll ruin this game of mine. Normally I like trying to guess Mutations at a glance, but you have something I¡¯m not¡­ familiar with. A Deviant.¡± Soul Killer chewed his own teeth as he said the last two words, but he brought in another two inmates, one of them strangely seemed to be BUG Adapter ¡ª a rarity here. There was a dullness in their movements compared to the other, entirely organic person as they approached. Simon¡¯s body spoke on behalf of them. ¡°Your frame is concealed¡­ tch, not to worry! I¡¯ll just get Dogwhistler here.¡± Dogwhistler? Simon leaned back on his chair as his eyes flashed under a communications protocol. Then something strange happened to the BUG Adapter, they flinched as though a needle had been stabbed into them. The redness in those eyes faded away but remained entirely white now ¡ª what in the name of the Founders? ¡±Diana.¡± The BUG adapter said with a smile. ¡°Finally nice to meet you face to face¡­¡± I caught my own breath, of course there were two mind-controlling nutjobs in The Uncaged. One for SIMs and the other for BUGs. Though this seemed closer to a Proxy protocol than whatever Soul Killer was managing. ¡±Dogwhistler.¡± I took a deep breath in, prepared to run. Then they waved her hand over me, black and white sparks burned out of it as wires spurned from the man¡¯s arm with tiny hooks and claws. I summoned what strength my organic body had, which was still plenty to punch the arm away ¡ª but the second inmate intervened with a slick stab into my arm with elongated nails. It froze up, paralyzed under a freezing pain. Again, my Warp Energy began to burn itself to neutralize the venom, but it had seized my body enough to freeze me up. Those tiny hooks and claws slithered over to my eyeball ¡ª hesitantly slowing. ¡±You don¡¯t have a visible frame, nor a lens¡­¡± Dogwhistler said with annoyance through the man. ¡°But¡­ you still have some way to remotely access your frame¡¯s updates¡­ ah, in your eyelids?¡± I tried to scream, but the last thing I remembered before it was all too painful to handle was the needle growing larger as it speared into my eye. Blood and Steel C84: Memories down the drain Chapter 84: Memories down the drain August? Diana I don¡¯t know how long I was out when I woke up in that cell again, my burnt clothes were drenched in blood and sweat now ¡ª I felt groggy and disgusting. Worse than when I was homeless. Running my hand over my eyes, they felt fine but¡­ they¡¯d gotten access to the projectors under my eyelids. Used its connection to my frame to steal out my Mutational Development information. Soul Killer knew what I had now. Mutational Synergy had created Mutagenic Drain. My body felt weak, tired, the flame in my heart was now a weak sputtering of strength. The Mutation was reducing my ability to regenerate my Energy at the expense of healing from my wounds¡­ and¡­ absorbing other Mutagenic sources by draining Warp Energy from others? ¡±Dianaaa. Good morning!¡± The speakers chimed cheerfully. ¡°Apologies for the violence yesterday, I was in a bad mood due to your resistance to my¡­ power. Though, all¡¯s forgiven! That SIM of yours sure ended up being interesting¡­ a Parallel Convergence is unheard of! And a Deviant Mutation like Mutational Synergy? I¡¯m surprised you aren¡¯t in Tier II right now!¡± Soul Killer¡¯s excitement made me feel worse about all of this. ¡±Anyways, I really¡­ really want to see what your Mutations can do. Absorbing Mutagenic material directly? You¡¯re probably starved of Warp Energy right now! Don¡¯t worry! I have a gift for you¡­ first, take a shower then change your clothes. I¡¯ll be waiting for you in Kaisel¡¯s office.¡± Ugh¡­ I pushed myself out of the mattress, finding a folded jumpsuit on the floor next to me. I exited into the corridor, everyone else¡¯s doors were closed and the glass screens were blacked out. They must be sleeping. Entering that lounge, I found a sign for the showers and took the warm belch of water as a relaxing voyage from what was happening to me right now. How long have I been down here? What was the plan to escape¡­ for all my life I¡¯d been the one sending bad guys to jail, in one was the last place I expected. It was a relief for clean clothes, as much as I liked the dress ¡ª I mostly felt guilty for ruining one of Anthony¡¯s memories of his mother by leaving it burnt. Making my way up the stairs, I found the office of Dr. Kaisel. With no choice but to enter it, there was a lone woman waiting there ¡ª her skin and life fresh as long blonde hair flowed down the side of her face. ¡°Diana! I¡¯ve heard a lot about you!¡± ¡±Who¡­ am I speaking to right now?¡± I didn¡¯t move to the chair there. ¡±Soul Killer isn¡¯t using my head right now, if that¡¯s what you want to know.¡± She raised her hand to the chair invitingly. ¡°Take a seat, tell me more about you.¡± ¡±More about me?¡± Reluctantly, I sat on the chair¡­ compared to everything else here, it¡¯s softness was akin to a heaven-sent cloud. ¡°You should know enough already.¡± ¡±I know about the official records, yes. You¡¯re a Third-Rank Investigator with a Gold SIM, possessing the abilities to absorb electricity and empower yourself with it ¡ª and the ability to have unique interactions with Mutagenic material.¡± She smiled at me. ¡±Why are you working for them?¡± I didn¡¯t feel like I had anything to tell her. ¡±Why?¡± She flicked a pencil onto her ear. ¡°Because I always have, I love Soul Killer. They raised me since I was a child, made me into who I am.¡± ¡±You¡­ grew up in a place like this?¡± ¡±It¡¯s wonderful isn¡¯t it? He really brings out the best in us.¡± Dr. Kaisel rolled her chair back, taking joy in the movement. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not too dissimilar from how you grew up, but I feel so much pain from you, Diana.¡± I gritted my teeth. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not exactly where I want to be.¡± ¡±Nope. Not just from here! From everywhere¡­¡± Her gaze followed me deeply, her eyes still entirely human with brown hues¡­ but they sucked me in like a vortex as they flashed red. Crimson. I blinked, and I was back home. Home. Seven Woods. New Washington. The chilly air of this forest was something I¡¯d never forget, the humidity of forest smells inviting a vitality into my lungs. It was like I really was back. ¡±Now aim steady, draw a deep breath.¡± I shuddered hearing that voice, scared, I looked to my right. Yorrick Jones, my father¡­ big in all the wrong places, a large beard that always covered his joyful smile, warm hands that made me yearn to hug him ¡ª he was there. And so was I. A tinier version of me dressed in actual shirts and pants compared to the white overalls of my Cradle, pigtails holding up my silver hair as I aimed a heavy hunting rifle above shrubbery, a deer foraging in the distance of the thick woods. I cringed, my hold was unsteady and it rattled worse than a sonic rifle. Yet, as the tiner me pulled the trigger and took the recoil like a champ ¡ª the deer was shot square in the neck and leaped off away. My father chased it down, grabbing tiny-me by the arms¡­ ¡°Hah! I knew you could do it! You were worth every bit!¡± We found the deer bleeding out, my father took out his knife, holding it up to my shaking arms. ¡±I don¡¯t want to.¡± My voice was broken, looking at the deer¡¯s dying breath I- I couldn¡¯t end it. ¡±You have to.¡± My father placed his arms on my shoulder, getting down to look me in the eye. ¡°This world is kill-or-be-killed, you have to be willing to kill anything, even those close to you. This is how you build that mentality.¡± Staring at the scene, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a discomfort¡­ my father was right, as he usually was, but- The scene vanished. I was standing amidst rows of neatly organized children that stretched across the whole auditorium hall. There could have been 600 of us¡­ no, I remembered the exact number. ¡±For the batch of 2480, only 121 of the 678 of you were eligible to move on to stage 2 of our Cradle¡¯s program for you. Those of you who¡¯s identification has been called out ¡ª please come to the stage where you will be formally named.¡± A woman called ¡ª proctor Christine ¡ª I could never forget that name. Six-year-old-me stood to my side, her silver eyes focused and nervous. This was her chance. The identification numbers were called out. ¡±S28, you will now be known as Harriot.¡± ¡±D12, you will now be known as Sterling.¡± ¡±B44, you will now be known as Lyra.¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡±L92, you will now be known as Diana.¡± Tears welled in my six-year-old self¡¯s eyes as she left the remaining children to head on stage next to those who were given this opportunity. ¡±H65, you will now be known as Yvette.¡± The girl who would become my best friend moved on stage next to me, a proud smile on her face. She saluted next to me, but her eyes settled on me. ¡°I like your hair.¡± I didn¡¯t say anything to her, we weren¡¯t supposed to talk. ¡°I said I like it.¡± Little me stayed silent. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Was this girl deaf? It agitated the younger me enough that I whispered back. ¡°You heard it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m forgetful.¡± The younger Yvette whispered even though we both looked forward, saluting. Forgetful? There was no way she was forgetful, we needed a 90% score to get on this stage! ¡±Diana.¡± My younger self whispered with an annoyance. ¡±I¡¯m Yvette.¡± I knew that! I didn¡¯t respond any further, but it wasn¡¯t until a few moments had passed where Yvette spoke again. ¡±You¡¯re pretty, you want to be my girlfriend?¡± Right¡­ Yvette said that I was the reason her taste in romance was filled by people who were rude and dismissive to her. I always thought I was the nice one¡­ The white melted away into brown, the comforts of my cabin seeped into me like a comfortable sunbath. ¡°Of course you got your cut of the deal!¡± My father screamed in his office. ¡°I never double-crossed you!¡± I took a deep breath, little me did, as a screen in front of me played a scene from my favorite show at the time, some drama about cybernetic vampires. Another voice retaliated back, Michael Newren. One of my father¡¯s old partners back when he had worked in the startup Gene-therapy clinic he sold to Imperium. ¡°Bullshit you didn¡¯t, I knew something was off with how the deal happened! You ran off without a word! You fucked us up man!¡± ¡±You can¡¯t do this, you know what I can do!¡± My father¡¯s voice, I never liked it when it was loud, it rarely did, but when it was¡­ he was different. ¡±You can¡¯t do shit! All of us have evidence against you, this life you¡¯ve lived for yourself is all based on lies! Some fucking CEO you were! No wonder you were buying out our shares, who else knew we were selling out, huh!¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡±I¡¯ve earned millions for us!¡± My father threw out a punch on the wall, little-me took a sharper breath. ¡±It¡¯ll be ours soon.¡± Michael stormed out of the room, taking an apologetic look to me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry your father turned out to be such a vile man¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± He left, but little-me just took in another breath. ¡°He¡¯s saved me, he¡¯s not a bad man.¡± ¡±He didn¡¯t pay to sa-¡° Michael looked like he¡¯d said too much, and left our cabin. Time flashed forward, my father¡¯s cheeks rosy under the influence of alcohol. ¡°How¡¯re your grades?¡± ¡±Good. I passed all my courses on top benchmarks.¡± I happily responded. ¡±You should be¡­ 15 now? You think you can get early admission into a Shard Op¡¯ school?¡± He took a swig from the bottle. ¡±Shard Operating?¡± Little-me looked at the man with wide eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t want that! That means I have to get a BUG!¡± ¡±You¡¯ll do it. For me?¡± He looked back at the bottle, shame in his eyes. ¡°¡­those men want to take our money. There¡¯s a good chance they can, if you get into a good school with a scholarship in the next year¡­ Shard Op¡¯s ¡ª the good ones ¡ª make a lot of money. You could save us.¡± ¡±I-¡° I wanted to save him, like he saved me. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best¡­¡± Months vanished in the blink of an eye¡­ my results were waiting for me right there. I was rejected from every single one. ¡±Too young! That can¡¯t be it!¡± My father yelled as he stared into the screens. ¡°This¡­ your grades, they¡¯re good right?¡± ¡±Excellent.¡± I was the top scorer in my Net Institute. ¡±Then¡­ fuck, it must have been that you weren¡¯t studying far enough! Maybe we should get you a BUG, I¡¯ll find a Bronze one for you!¡± ¡±I don¡¯t want a BUG dad!¡± I raised my voice at him. ¡°I- I like my body!¡± ¡±This isn¡¯t about what you like! I¡¯ve always tried my best to raise you up well, can¡¯t you see that I need you to do this¡­ if you don¡¯t then¡­ fuck, I can¡¯t believe they won¡­¡± ¡±Won what?¡± ¡±Nothing.¡± He snapped, but his eyes turned to me¡­ with fear. ¡°Diana¡­ you care about me?¡± ¡±Of course I do, dad.¡± I ran my hand up to his arm. He closed his eyes. ¡±I care about you too, a lot, remember that.¡± The walls shrunk down, and eyes that I never wanted to see again were staring back at me. Silver eyes. Brian Ulrich¡¯s eyes. The limousine was tiny, some nice food plated in front of us¡­ a screen read out to me the details of my transfer. ¡±Are you out of your mind?! I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re my biological father!¡± A me that wasn¡¯t so little now yelled out, at seventeen¡­ I was being stolen away from the life I knew. ¡°You¡¯re a fucking stranger, you can¡¯t just expect me to give up everything!¡± ¡±I can. And you will.¡± Brian Ulrich would be described as handsome by many around him, a pristine jawline and blonde locks that were perfect in volume and texture ¡ª he was exactly the kind of man you¡¯d expect to see as having it all. ¡±Let me out.¡± I grabbed the door-handle, it didn¡¯t budge. ¡±No. You¡¯re going to enjoy this new life¡­ I¡¯ll give you things Yorrick could¡¯ve never given you.¡± He pushed the contract closer to me. ¡°Besides, I didn¡¯t steal you.¡± Two lines on the contract highlighted. ¡±You took advantage of him!¡± I yelled back. ¡±That is what you see¡­¡± Brian Ulrich softened in his chair, but there was an annoyance in his eyes. ¡°In time, you will understand the truth.¡± ¡±I¡¯m not going to be staying with you!¡± I tried to yank the door-handle beyond its limits, but a Silver-Grade car was stronger than most tanks. ¡±You will. Your life as Diana Ulrich begins now.¡± He said with sternness. ¡°Do not worry, everything will be taken care of. You don¡¯t need to worry about anything.¡± ¡±I am Diana Jones.¡± I remained defiant. ¡±No¡­ you aren¡¯t.¡± Brian Ulrich leaned closer. ¡°Not anymore.¡± I ¡ª the me viewing this memory ¡ª could barely hold my shaking fists back from punching him down¡­ but before that opportunity could arise¡­ I was on the streets of New California. I stared to the ground, where I knew I would find myself. The snow had piled high, and my body was frozen so bad that I was too tired to even shiver anymore. A gun was hidden underneath my coat which I¡¯d been forced to steal last week after I saw a drunken bar brawl. It was oversized and did a poor job of protecting me, but it was these cold nights out in the Pleasure Lanes where those in self-heating jackets indulged in the finer experiences of life. Maybe one could take some mercy on my fall from the heavens¡­ but mostly, they just asked how much for a night. ¡°Hold on¡­ you guys go on ahead¡­ I need to check something.¡± A woman detached from her group of friends, I thanked The Founders that there were some nice people in this world. Even a single Iron Shard could help change my conditions, at least get me a meal. ¡±Diana? Is that you? I¡¯d recognize that hair anywhere!¡± ¡±I¡¯d always recognize that hair! And those eyes! I knew those eyes were familiar when we walked past! That you, Silvereye?¡± My gaze popped to the woman who had spoken to me, her flawless skin blended into her fur coat of black, and those hazel eyes were striking and beautiful. Somewhere¡­ I remembered them¡­ and she¡­ she knew my name? One of the girls in the group broke apart, calling to the woman showing me charity. ¡±Yvette! Honey! I love your blossoming charity, but please don¡¯t flirt with a bum of all things!¡± ¡±Diana¡­ Silvereye?¡± Yvette didn¡¯t take a second to tear her attention off me. ¡°Is that you?¡± ¡±Yvette¡­ H65.¡± My memory was still as flawless as ever. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± ¡±What¡¯re you- stand up!¡± She grabbed my arms, practically tearing me out of the filthy jacket I¡¯d had to live in. ¡°Take this, wear it.¡± ¡±I- I can¡¯t-¡° She forced the jacket into my arms. ¡±Wear it, Diana.¡± She looked almost pissed that I¡¯d rejected it. ¡°I¡¯m training to be in the police now, so you better do as you¡¯re told¡­ just kidding.¡± Unsure, I slid my arms into the sleeves of that coat, the warmth of it¡¯s internal linings melting away the pain and exhaustion of the last month. Shamefully, I looked at her. ¡°Thank you¡­ Yvette.¡± That woman who¡¯d been calling for Yvette before popped in, looking angry at the whole ordeal. ¡°Honey? Why are you giving some str-¡° ¡±You looked pretty as a child¡­¡± Yvette purred. ¡°Now you¡¯re straight sexy!¡± ¡±What!¡± Yvette¡¯s girlfriend tried to drag her away, but she planted her feet and pulled me in for a hug. Even though it was a cold January, I¡¯d never been so warm in my life. Then the scene flicked away, I was still holding Yvette¡­ but now her body was lifeless and cold. Dead with scorch marks running up from her frame. ¡±Yvette!¡± I called, both me and my counterpart. Ripley and Twilight¡­ or was it Mirage walking in down at that moment. The scene flicked away, abrupt and disorienting. ¡°Rorsche¡­¡± My counterpart said to Ripley in Little Requiem, her eyes aflame under rage. ¡°Kendrick Rorsche¡­ she, it might not have been him who ordered Indra to do that. But he drove her there. I¡¯ll make him pay.¡± The world around me twisted back to my call with Dr. Faltest, it was the night I¡¯d taken Yvette¡¯s Implant within me. ¡±I need you to contact my father.¡± ¡±Are you sure?¡± ¡±I need his connections.¡± ¡±Okay¡­¡± A minute past and my Neuroframe pinged up with a call. Brian Ulrich. Regretfully, I picked it up. ¡±Not everyday your estranged daughter tries to contact you¡­ how¡¯s life down there?¡± He sounded cheerful, and it dug knives into my back. Both of my backs. ¡°Forget the chitchat. I need you to do something for me.¡± I sat on my bed, but I was far from comfortable. ¡±Oh, now you want to enjoy the benefits of your name? I¡¯m listening¡­¡± I could hear the smug smile on his face from here. ¡±Kendrick Rorsche is sexually abusive to women in the precinct.¡± ¡±What else is new?¡± ¡±He¡­ got my best friend killed. Yvette.¡± ¡±I know who she is, that''s why you were in Little Requiem?¡± He tensed the later half of his speech. ¡°Did Skeleton cut you a deal or something?¡± ¡±No-¡° I hated this, he knew so much about what was going on but didn¡¯t care one bit. ¡°I saved myself. He helped, yes, but¡­ I want Rorsche dead.¡± ¡±I can arrange that.¡± Brian said easily, too easily. ¡±Okay¡­¡± I chuckled, a better idea came to me. ¡°Actually¡­ let¡¯s do something else. Let¡¯s strip him of everything he has. His power, his reputation, his Implant. Leave him so weak like how he made others feel.¡± ¡°Now I can see my genes in you¡­¡± Brian Ulrich chuckled back. ¡°I¡¯m frankly proud.¡± ¡±I don¡¯t care. You¡¯ll do it?¡± ¡±If I get something in return.¡± He said with a teasing note. ¡°Just address me by who I am to you, really am.¡± Looking at my former self, I wish I could scream at her not to, but at that moment¡­ anything was worth getting Rorsche removed. ¡±Okay, dad.¡± ¡±That¡¯s my daughter¡­ I¡¯ll have him taken care of. Doesn¡¯t matter how big of a show you make it, just don¡¯t kill him with that Gold of yours. You know, if you wanted one¡­ you didn¡¯t need to piss off NeoCore for it ¡ª Tusk¡¯s been raving about getting it back, I can supply you a Gold if you come back.¡± ¡±You gave me another reason not to come back, I¡¯m not giving up my Gold.¡± My counterpart steeled her voice. Brian sighed over the call. ¡±Well Tusk is one of the few people who won¡¯t listen to me, but I can keep them from getting too involved once you come back to me.¡± ¡±I¡¯m not.¡± I heard him take that same tone he usually did when I acted up, dismissing what I¡¯d said like it was nothing. ¡±You¡¯ll stop playing this game eventually¡­ You could honestly fit in anywhere, why take the hard route of the Police? Not that I have much to say without being a hypocrite since I¡¯m their representative to the Corporate Nations. Still, they¡¯re borderline useless, the gangs keep as much peace as they do.¡± ¡±Why do you work for them, then?¡± ¡±Money. Reputation. Power.¡± ¡±Of course you do¡­¡± ¡±And now, to keep you from getting killed. Won¡¯t be long until a bounty is placed on you.¡± Brian tensed his voice. ¡°You¡¯ll make dangerous enemies, one¡¯s that I can¡¯t easily intercept.¡± ¡±So you admit you¡¯re not invincible.¡± I took joy in saying that. And I took took joy in watching me say that. ¡±Yes, Diana. Even with my Titanium SIM, I¡¯m not invincible. You¡¯d be wise to remember that with your Gold.¡± His words seared both of me, even with a Gold. My father still stood above me. ¡±Yeah, alright. I get it. Are we done?¡± I clicked the prompt to end the call. ¡±One last thing.¡± He somehow kept the call going despite that. ¡°Don¡¯t make an enemy of those who refuse to be caged¡­¡± I didn¡¯t get it then¡­ but as the call disconnected and the next memory flashed forward, I shuddered. He knew, alright, then he knew I was taken by one. I laughed as Tonguelasher¡¯s jaw burst apart. Maybe making Two Titaniums fight would take out both of them. Soul Killer¡­ and my dad. ¡ª¡ª¡ª The memories only ceased once I felt calmer, less deranged by my situation. Dr. Kaisel stared at me with interest. ¡±How was it?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a psionic Esper¡­¡± I looked at her, the ability to manipulate minds was coveted among all Mutations, even an Iron Grade Mutagen could sell for a million Shardyne. ¡°Are you how he controls all these people?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± She shook her head, then her eyes turned red and soulless. ¡°You¡¯re not off the wrong mark though.¡± ¡±Great, you¡¯re here. What was this all about? Trying to read my mind?¡± I didn¡¯t ask for a psychologist meeting with my head. ¡±Relax, Emily can¡¯t exactly see your memories, but she can bring them to your attention. Relive, as I¡¯ve heard others describe. A powerful Mutation, but not one that works too well for information gathering. Other than a few vague mutters about your dad and whatever, we didn¡¯t get much¡­ we just needed you ¡ª in working order.¡± ¡±Working order?¡± I snickered. ¡±You¡¯re angry¡­ good, good¡­ you want something to fight?¡± ¡±Yeah.¡± I admitted. ¡±Perfect.¡± Blood and Steel C85: The Clock Ticks... Chapter 85: The Clock Ticks¡­ Derrick Ryder¡¯s observations on Diana and Anthony Grazhe. He¡¯s just like his fucking mother. I can¡¯t believe his dad was stupid enough to give Diana that drive. I thought I cleared everything out so they wouldn¡¯t be involved¡­ Juliet, you sure love making my life difficult, couldn¡¯t have just left me to rot, could you? I cleared out Diana¡¯s systems, but that¡¯s only made her paranoid. She¡¯s been a pain to find, mostly hidden under Annie¡¯s nose ever since she found my bug. It was because a drone entered her house. A spider. Belonging to Ripley Donovick. My resources tell me he¡¯s been around in Little Requiem recently, entered it¡¯s underground to meet with Skeleton. And who else has been stirring up LR? A new face going by Dreadwire. Metal Heavens pinged him as a Gold, meaning she¡¯s working with the kid who got the BUG to her SIM. And they know stuff, about The Uncaged, he mentioned Missy¡­ so he¡¯s working with The Iron Devil. I just need to gauge what to do about Soul Killer. I¡¯m conflicted, that thing needs to die, and she¡¯s a walking flytrap. I¡¯d use her anyday if it meant dragging that thing out, but Anthony¡­ He was never meant to get involved in this. But I lost her scent, I don¡¯t know where she went after the auction. Soul Killer knows this city¡¯s hidden corners, thrives in them¡­ Diana Jones. Diana Ulrich. Her father won¡¯t let her disappear so easily, bastard probably goes on a first name basis with The Uncaged, Skeleton at the least. He¡¯ll try and get her back, but right now he needs to find her. Anthony¡¯s his best shot¡­ And mine. I¡¯m sorry for letting him get dragged into this, Juliet. God, I need a fucking drink. 3:47 PM August 24th Anthony Shit, shit, shit! Every day, the clock was ticking and people in our squad didn¡¯t know what was wrong with Diana. Only an ¡ª oh I hope her mission goes well. Or a ¡ª calm your tits Anthony, they¡¯re bigger than your girlfriend¡¯s. My aunt had to know something, at least, I thought she did but she regurgitated that Diana did a job well done and was currently undercover or something. Then why was I left with not- Message from Diana: Hey Anthony, sorry for not updating you. Auction went well and they invited me to their super secret dinner afterwards. It escalated and now I¡¯m at a private resort with Simon and his friends. They have the cutest puppies here btw. Investigation¡¯s going well into The Gourmet and Soul Killer. Won¡¯t say anything else on the mission. I read the message. Then read it again, hoping for some kind of clue in there that secretly screamed ¡®I¡¯m in danger!¡¯ or ¡®My frame¡¯s been hacked!¡¯ No, it couldn¡¯t be the last one, her Frame was entirely internal and unless someone dug into her vertebrae to get it out- Okay, I was making this worse for myself. Calm down, Anthony. ¡±Hey.¡± Choirmen entered my office as usual without permission. ¡°Those reports on Interflame almost done?¡± ¡±Working on it.¡± I muttered. ¡°And on the Yuzhou skirmishes with Crimson Soul?¡± He added. ¡±Working¡­ on it.¡± I repeated. ¡±And on-¡° ¡±Working. On. It.¡± I stopped him before he could ask about the bomb delivered to a SynTec corporate¡¯s vacation house. Who even vacationed in Westcrook? ¡±Always so dependable.¡± Choirmen leaned on my door, smoking up a cigarette. ¡°Any updates with Diana? This mission of hers must be big if it needs to be kept from us. Your aunt tell you anything?¡± ¡±You know how she is.¡± I distracted myself with my screens, not reading anything but losing myself in the drawls of text. ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t you stop smoking when Tyler was born?¡± ¡±Yup.¡± He took the cigarette out from his lips, looking at it mournfully. ¡°But you¡¯re not the only one that has it rough right now.¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. I tried to make our conversation lighter. ¡±On the bright side, with all the extra work you¡¯re cooking up, a promotion to First Rank¡¯s right up your alley.¡± ¡±It better be.¡± He huffed smoke. ¡°My hair¡¯s gonna go gray from the stress, need some better payments for a good cosmetics mutation or else it¡¯ll be so white you start thinking I¡¯m Diana.¡± ¡±Her hair¡¯s silver.¡± I pointed out. ¡±An older¡­ huskier¡­ blacker¡­ Diana.¡± He joked. ¡±You¡¯re not that old.¡± I puffed. ¡°On the threshold though, soon I¡¯ll be expecting you to walk in with a cane every time you step in. Or complain about back pain.¡± ¡±My back does in fact hurt.¡± He said flatly. ¡°Because I¡¯m carrying this fucking squad right now.¡± ¡±And Diana.¡± I wasn¡¯t letting him get all the credit. ¡°As soon as she¡¯s back¡­ you think¡­?¡± ¡±Second-Rank. Definitely. Depending on how good she does on this mission of hers, I wouldn¡¯t be disbelieving if she gets put straight into First-Rank. Silver Grade, but she¡¯s still a hard-ass worker, can see why your aunt gave it to her.¡± Choirmen took another drag. ¡°Not that your SIM was worthless.¡± ¡±My SIMs still worth a lot, controlling people with your voice doesn¡¯t exactly come cheap.¡± Yeah, besides, it takes a bigass toll on you. Everyone has the wrong idea because my aunt and grandfather have put in the idea of what my power should be under a Tier III and Silver microscope. ¡±Anthony. You¡¯re Tier II, at the very least, you should be a Second-Rank.¡± Choirmen looked at me with steadier eyes. ¡±I know.¡± Agitation bit me. ¡°I¡¯m getting there.¡± ¡±You¡¯re not.¡± He pointed out without any emotional easing. ¡°You were putting in good work back when you were trying to impress Diana, but aside from the hotel¡­ you haven¡¯t done much here. Everyone knows Diana took out Tonguelasher, not that you didn¡¯t hel-¡° I wasn¡¯t letting myself be pushed like this again. ¡±I¡¯m the reason she survived that fight. I¡­ I know I¡¯m a fuckup okay, I¡¯m fucking up right now by not getting these reports done! But like I said¡­ I¡¯m working on it!¡± ¡±¡¯Kay Anthony.¡± Choirmen snubbed his cigarette with a spray of blood. ¡°Then don¡¯t fuck up anymore.¡± Choirmen left and closed the doors behind him, the noise drumming a hammer blow into me¡­ as I opened my reports¡­ I groaned. Was this what I should be doing when Diana¡¯s in danger? Potential danger? I didn¡¯t know anymore, but as I began writing up witness transcripts and attaching images into a cohesive story. I knew not to fuck this up. That¡¯s what she would want me to do. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Sitting alone with my dad, eating dinner, I couldn¡¯t help but stare at that message¡­ something was off. If I was like Diana, I¡¯d be able to piece it together in a flash, but instead¡­ I had to make due with my good old Anthony brain. ¡±Tony¡­ you alright?¡± My father was busy chopping tomatoes, yet he still had some sixth-sense about me. ¡±Yeah¡­ just worried.¡± ¡±About what?¡± ¡±Diana¡¯s in¡­ trouble.¡± Why was I like this? I even lied to Diana about not telling my dad the truth ¡ª I just knew he gave good advice, that¡¯s all. I just needed to listen to it better. So, I told him everything. He gulped. A large swallow he only ever did when he was hiding something from me, like a christmas present or something. ¡°What didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± ¡±Anthony¡­¡± He brushed his moustache, sign number two when he was keeping a secret. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± ¡±You¡¯re hiding something.¡± ¡±¡­Anthony, I just gave her your mom¡¯s things. An old Warpcube she kept from her police days, thought it would help her investigation into¡­ Soul Killer.¡± ¡±You-¡° My mom had done an investigation into Soul Killer? Was that why she- No, Anthony, stay focused¡­ my mom¡­ was troubled¡­ when she died. Even before that virus got her. Virus¡­ ¡±It¡¯s nothing with that, she got this from my aunt.¡± I shook off the feelings of that day. ¡°An Auction with the rich and mighty, then she never came out¡­ hope she wasn¡¯t auctioned off.¡± I meant that as a joke. I¡¯d stayed that night for hours, only leaving to see Ripley who is¡­ a cunt. That was who Diana trusted with the Gold BUG? Maybe I should- no, no, that was stupid. Even if Ripley was planning some heinous crime, I knew he helped Diana out with the Indra issue, and that he had a reason which I¡­ I looked at my father. ¡­Could understand. His mother. No, this had everything to do with Simon Jugosla, The Gourmet, and Soul Killer. My only tangible lead was Simon Jugosla, but how do you track down a famous chef like that? Maybe I should contact Ripley and figure out if he can get me into knowing someone who can follow Simon. Where even was this private resort? She would say so, right? Unless there was no resort. They didn¡¯t want me searching up a place I¡¯d find no sign of her in then. ¡¯Ding, dong.¡¯ The doorbell rang, and I let my father suck on his misery as I dashed there with my mutated speed. We had a little challenge to see who could get to the door first. I opened the door, only to see a man in a suit who I most definitely didn¡¯t recognize. He was tall, and his hair was parted in the middle to lead two long perfect sheets of black hair down to his shoulders. He had thick sunglasses on and I already knew from the start¡­ this man was corporate. ¡±Hello Anthony.¡± He gave a disgustingly practiced smile. ¡°My name is Royce Keagan. I¡¯m here to see you on behalf of Brian Ulrich.¡± Blood and Steel C86: Humanitys Predator Chapter 86: Humanity¡¯s predator August? Diana What exactly was I going to fight? I said yes because the bitterness in me from reviewing all of those old memories I¡¯d pushed down left me raw and aching, but the more I thought about it¡­ ¡±Am I going to fight with these cuffs on?¡± I stared at Soul Killer manipulating Dr. Kaisel¡¯s body. ¡±No, I¡¯ll remove their Warp Limiting feature once you¡¯re in our little arena.¡± They smirked at me, an arena, what was that for¡­ I was going to figure it out soon anyway. We traveled through the halls of this place, it must be ancient¡­ most of the infrastructure wasn¡¯t anything I was used to, old and a little too gray, but it had resemblance to something I studied back in the day. This place was a MAL-fallout bunker. Back in the Third Swarm, these were built around New California in specific locations because at the time our defense against the MAL didn¡¯t include our barrier arrangement system to shield us. There were quite a few in Westcrook since we were expected to face the brunt of New California¡¯s MALswarm attack, but if this was one that was once dysfunctional or put off the system¡­ then that narrowed it down significantly. If I could find a way to communicate to the outside, then Anthony or Ripley could help me out. I just so far didn¡¯t have the time to familiarize myself with the facility, the exits or any outside communications were hidden somewhere deep in the complex. It was possible, I figured that since Soul Killer as Simon had contacted Dogwhistler, but¡­ how would I even go about finding it. Everyone here was watching me, and their eyes fed into Soul Killer. My gaze settled on Emily Kaisel. A psionic Esper. That had to be how, if Soul Killer was an Esper capable of manipulating those who ingested his Mutation, then having a psychic power fit for it was the only way possible. ¡°So what am I fighting?¡± ¡±Hmmm¡­ should I spoil the surprise? It¡¯s something you haven¡¯t seen in a long while.¡± We stopped somewhere deep and down in the facility¡¯s underground hold, my eyes opening to a wide circular ground with various scorch marks and claws rending across the walls. It fits the description of an arena. They stopped just shy of the arena, Soul Killer raising his hand to direct me inside. I scanned my surroundings carefully, it was incredibly tall ¡ª the roof so high it could easily fit an apartment building inside of it, maybe seven or eight stories tall? There was a circular seam running along the roof, quite large too. Then, the seams steamed as the circular platform began to descend. An elevator¡­ so this place must be a cargo depot? Explained why it was so large for storage, and if items were being transferred into the bunker then they needed a way to move down quickly. Which meant that¡­ where the elevator was descending from, it should be close to the surface. It was just way too high up, even with my current maximum output I wasn¡¯t jumping more than a third of that. My best bet would be to catch the elevator halfway and hope it¡¯s enough for me to close the gap¡­ My eyes widened once I saw what was on the elevator. A cage that was thrashing about wildly, a beast locked within it frothing at the mouth. It was like a half-gestated wolf, a snout cut halfway but it¡¯s mouth extended past the neck and even into the abdomen where sharp fangs contested with each other for space to grow. This was no beast. It was one of the scourges of humanity. A MAL. A MALformed. I heard Soul Killer cackling in Emily Kaisel¡¯s body through the speaker. ¡°Oh your face! The look on your face! What do you think, Diana? An Iron MALformed chimera your type? I bet you were expecting some poor gang member or for me to have you kill a child or something? I don¡¯t deal that way.¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say, as the beast drew it¡¯s eyes on me while it descended, its mindless thrashing ceased to instead focus all of the trouncing in my direction. A pure, unadulterated need to kill whatever specks of humanity it could see. ¡°You want me to fight that?¡± It wasn¡¯t too big, the wolf-like chimera was around as large as me. If I were fully powered, I could do it, but I didn¡¯t have a weapon to charge myself with, nor were my Warp Energy stores anywhere large enough for me to produce enough energy to compensate. With the recent Mutation, I was recovering barely any Energy. My cuffs blinked, and at once it was like an anvil had been lifted off my shoulders. My energy surged to my control, ran to me like it had been agony to spend even a second away. I welcomed it, drenched in it, powered by it. That boon from my Energy stat reaching Bronze I must have done something right, because the power supplied to my muscles and skin was far more than my stores should have allowed. But I kept some of it free, never knowing how much I could be injured by the beast. It was easy to feel its Grade, it was like a cesspool of infectious energy screaming at me. Iron¡­ maybe Tier I, Tier II? I couldn¡¯t tell that much. ¡±What Tier is it?¡± Soul Killer happily obliged my question. ¡±Tier I. We call it a Stalker, they normally don¡¯t outwardly attack us, instead they follow the commands of their superiors ¡ª sneaking in attacks or scouting ahead for their brethren.¡± MALs were that smart? It made sense for the higher Grade MALs to have intelligence, I¡¯d seen one create a weapon after all. As for the lower Grades, I¡¯d always heard that they were beast-like individually, but the more of them concentrated in one spot lended a sort of¡­ resonance that combined their instincts to twist into some form of intelligence. The MAL stared at me, a sticky drool that was a mix of orange and red slobbering over the cage. The doors opened, and it pounced. MALs were fast, ferocious, and deadly. That was proven right in a blink. I could barely react before one of the weakest MAL types possible was inches away from me, it¡¯s fangs enlarging until they were so large it forced the beast¡¯s mouth open all the way to the middle of its body. I slipped back, claws swiping and fangs snapping at every moment. This wasn¡¯t a normal wolf, it was a predator with humans as its prey. Millions of these would be coordinated and attacking in three years time, and we were all expected to put in our efforts to stop them. I found a purchase to strike back when it snapped its fangs to my right. Drawing out all of my strength to strike its snubbed snout, slamming it down to fracture those teeth. Dozens of splintered bones fell to the ground like ivory shards, their structure breaking apart into mineral dust upon disconnecting from the creature. This thing clearly didn¡¯t feel pain, because it ignored the broken teeth to slam its body into me, sending me rolling back and bruising. It was as though every muscle, every neuron in its body was designed for combat against us¡­ and my aching bones quickly faded the pain away as my Warp Energy filled in the cracks with Mutagenic Drain¡¯s regenerative properties. I was now extremely low on Energy, my reality-bending stamina flickering and fading. I needed to get more¡­ I needed to devour¡­ It attacked again, those teeth already regenerated and enlarged. I tensed my muscles, using the aching throb under my skin to release the kinetic springs that had been charged to launch myself under it¡¯s smashing mouth. I felt the Mutation of Compact Tissues drain my Energy into a candlefire, but nails sharpened and with my momentum in the right place¡­ I struck at its throat. Blood too viscous or putrid to be a human¡¯s spilled over me, steaming and curdling over my body. Instinctively, my new Mutagenic Drain Mutation burned to life. The sensation of it¡¯s Warp Energy was intense, a whole snarling beast of Iron against my flickering candle. Yet, I leaned into the color of mine ¡ª Gold. The Iron Warp Energy was meager in comparison to the nobility I held, threads and coils of dull gray growing over my arm until they submerged beneath my skin like an aching infection. I charged my body with that energy, it¡¯s effect miniscule to what I normally wielded, but it leaned me just the edge to dive my second hand into its throat to drag it¡¯s leverage off balance. The beast tried to paw me away, but for the first time it registered to a pain of sorts, MALs were Warp Energy personified. I was quite literally draining it¡¯s life away¡­ Something darker sunk into my arms, it was a painful warmth as veins of Iron Mutagen from the MAL crawled and spread deep into my being¡­ changing me. Absorbing Mutagenic Material¡­ I ignored the pop-up, deep in the viscera of my plunged arms was an actual liquid of dull gray sinking into my skin, the veins that grew looked too much like what happened when you absorbed a SIM. The chimera¡¯s actual body began to crumble and fester, joints buckling and bones breaking as it¡¯s very life force began to wither. I found in me the strength to push it¡¯s weight off me, to siphon all the excess strength I¡¯d ingested into physical manifestation. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Dragging from the flesh I gripped, I tore it¡¯s throat apart, nearly ripping it in two. Organs of no particular design spilled out, I couldn¡¯t tell if they were lungs or intestines¡­ but deep in the wound I¡¯d left was a large gray orb of flesh, it pulsed with power. What remained of it. The wolf¡¯s remaining jaw slammed onto me, sword-like bones seeping into the flesh of my forearm. I yelled at the pain, my hardened bones sturdy enough to not completely falter against the weakened beast¡¯s last-ditch attempts to kill me. But why wasn¡¯t it dead? Or at the very least knocked out from having it¡¯s guts ripped out? I braced my knee on the ground as it pressed all of it¡¯s weight on me, my bones groaning as the teeth grew larger through the flesh of my arm. ¡±The core.¡± Soul Killer said through the speakers like it was something obvious. ¡°The MAL don¡¯t die unless you kill their core.¡± The core? That flesh orb¡­ I clutched my free hand around it, yanking it out with all the strength I could wean out. A disgusting spray of blood came with it. The body of the MAL fell apart at once, most of it bursting into goo while other bits remained as fleshy lumps. I stared at the beating gray flesh in my hands, flesh was already bubbling out. I spiked my Gold Energy into it, drawing submission from it, then draining it. The gray liquid returned again, carried on channels of my gold that invited it up my forearm. Right until it warmed my heart in a painful, frictional rubbing as though to build a static charge. Mutagen Absorbed¡­ Tier 1 [Iron] Mutation: Bone Enlargement [Alteration] is being absorbed¡­ Mutation: Compact Tissues has received a Meta-Mutation. Increased Warp-influenced density of all bony tissues in the Adapter. Development: 69% Mutation: Mineral Assimilation has received a Meta-Mutation. Increased base-line density of your bones. Development: 47% Mutation: Mutagenic Drain has received Meta-Mutations. Slightly reduced consumption of the Adapter¡¯s Warp Energy; Slight permanent increase to physical strength and endurance after absorbing Mutagenic Material. Development: 17% My whole body ached and throbbed, like it had miniature slices made all over my muscles and bones, but the pain underwent cyclings of reduction and empowerment until it faded enough for me to realize that my cuffs had become active again. My Warp Energy locked to me. ¡±Well done!¡± Soul Killer delighted. ¡°Oh, look at the readings I¡¯m getting? This sort of growth from Iron-Grade Mutagenic samples? You¡¯re a delight, Diana Ulrich! I can do so much testing with you I couldn¡¯t even have dreamed about! Ah, the wonders of a Deviant Mutation¡­ I wonder which Shard you touched?¡± I was missing my Warp Energy already, if I could¡­ I would be punching their head in right this moment. ¡°Why not just give me some Mutagen then?!¡± ¡±Oh Diana¡­ you should know why. As Adapter¡¯s¡­ well, we adapt! Why force your growth in controlled conditions when I could have you push yourself to your limits! What do you take me for? Some corporate lab-monkey?¡± Dr. Kaisel¡¯s voice was so frantic I couldn¡¯t tell if it was hers or Soul Killer¡¯s. ¡±Why work to get me stronger?¡± I may be shooting myself in the foot, but this guy confused me with every word that came out from his mouth. ¡±Because the SIM inside of you is so very interesting. It¡¯s resistant to my soul-stealing, absorbs highly toxic Mutagen like candy, reinvents your own Mutations so you don¡¯t have to be highly selective with what you take? I couldn¡¯t care less about you. However¡­ that SIM can unlock so¡­ so many secrets of the Implants. I¡¯ve never in my century long life seen someone with a 99.9% Compatibility ¡ª why, you make me wonder what would happen if that 0.1% was to be added!¡± Dr. Kaisel¡¯s voice, even though it came from someone else, festered on insanity as her soulless gaze looked at me. ¡°But first, I need you under my control¡­ your body should still be adjusting to that Mutagen you absorbed, your Integrity has to be stressed.¡± ¡±What?¡± I took a step back as Soul Killer took out a gas mask from behind them, two vials of dense red mist attached to it. ¡°Oh fuck this, not this again!¡± Then Kaisel¡¯s soulless eyes drew me into their depths, the white void engulfing me as my memories drew over all I could see. No. My tinier-self was bust scrubbing the floor of the Cradle, bleaching it clean¡­ Yvette whispered to me how boring this was. I wasn¡¯t such a goody two-shoes this time. ¡°Tell me about it.¡± No¡­ ¡­My father, Yorrick Jones, played some old opera song, dancing and singing along to it merrily while I stayed in my corner. I was doing what the Cradle had taught me, to be respectful and reserved. ¡±Come on!¡± He motioned his big arms. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me the Cradle didn¡¯t teach you any dance moves!¡± ¡±They did.¡± My counterpart whispered. ¡°Quite many in fact.¡± ¡±Well then, don¡¯t leave me waiting!¡± Scenes vanished and rearranged, I heaved heavily on my bed in the cabin as my thoughts dwelled on Yvette. Would she get out in time? If she didn¡¯t¡­ she would just become some common soldier for the corporate nations. ¡±Diana?¡± My dad knocked on the door, that was something he did compared to the officers of my Cradle. ¡°What do you want for dinner?¡± ¡±I¡¯m not hungry?¡± ¡±Diana?¡± ¡±Yes¡­¡± ¡±Everything alright?¡± ¡±Yes.¡± I had to say that. That¡¯s what I learnt to say in the Cradle. ¡±Can I come in¡­?¡± I hesitated, I wasn¡¯t allowed to not let them in¡­ they never even asked. ¡°¡­yes.¡± The lights turned on, my tears visible to him. ¡°So¡­ everything¡¯s not alright.¡± ¡±It is.¡± My counterpart said. ¡°I¡¯m just worried about my friend.¡± ¡±I didn¡¯t know you were allowed to make friends in a Cradle.¡± He joked, to which I managed a smile. ¡±Her name¡¯s Yvette.¡± ¡±Do you want to talk about her¡­?¡± ¡±¡­yes.¡± The wooden floor vanished to that of my Squad¡¯s floor, my head resting on Anthony¡¯s shoulder as I grieved Yvette. He just kept me close, let me feel some real warmth after her death. Ripley¡¯s mother made me a nice meal, and seeing him so nervous at our second meeting was strange considering who he¡¯d become now. When he helped me out of Metal Heavens while I was at my lowest, the sadness and understanding in his eyes had really struck a chord with me. Indra laughed as we talked about our taste in men, comparing and mocking how we both had really bad ones. Our driving turned to desk gossip, then to desk mocking as we quietly drew caricatures of Choirmen and Anthony. Yvette introduced me to a senior cadet who she said had a thing for for me, eying my every word as I awkwardly forced myself to flirt with him. It turned out girls didn¡¯t need to be very good at flirting. I consoled Yvette after her breakup with Mel. I''d¡­ sort of been the reason for it since Mel got jealous of me when Yvette had picked me off the streets to live with her, but Yvette refused to let me feel that way. ¡±You¡¯re worth a thousand of her.¡± Yvette said while crying. ¡°It¡¯s her own fucking problem.¡± ¡±Stop.¡± The real me, the one seeing these memories shook. ¡°Stop showing me memories of when I had people around me¡­¡± My father held me close, it had been a year since I moved in with him. ¡°You¡¯re a strong girl, Diana.¡± ¡±They made me like that.¡± I buried my face in his shoulder, I¡¯d been crying about Yvette again. ¡±No¡­ you made yourself like-¡° ¡±STOP!¡± I yelled with the ferocity of my Gold, the world cracking away as my eyes opened to the sight of Dr. Kaisel standing there with soulless eyes, but the way those eyebrows raised let me know I¡¯d surprised Soul Killer. ¡±Again? I¡¯ve already got Gold-Grade cuffs on you, you think those were cheap?¡± I tried to shout something back, but my body refused to listen to me. My mouth was- fastened shut by a mask. I breathed in, the red mist drilling directly into my lungs. 78%¡­ 77%¡­ 79%¡­ 78%¡­ 80%¡­ ¡±You don¡¯t have to try any more.¡± Soul Killer held up their hands, my own attempts to raise my arms up silenced as they became inert. ¡°I¡¯ve got enough of my pollen running in your lungs to consume a hundred Irons. Slow acting but¡­ very powerful.¡± I wanted to belch into my mask, but my panic only took sharper breaths in. 84%¡­ 83%¡­ 84%¡­ 85%¡­ 84%¡­ 86%¡­ 85%¡­ The number flicked up and down, never settling for less than a moment. I tried to burn it out but my Gold refused to budge, it was so heavy and cumbersome under these cuffs. The suffocation of the Titanium-Grade Mutagen broke apart and delved into my body, replacing my sense of self with every percentage¡­ 89%¡­ 88%¡­ 90%¡­ Grade is now Gold III 88%¡­ 87%¡­ 85%¡­ 83%¡­ ¡±Any moment¡­¡± Soul Killer then saw the message in my eyes. ¡°Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me!¡± I wanted to laugh as the number slowly descended down. The scraps of Titanium-Grade Energy had strengthened my own Gold. 64%¡­ 61%¡­ 58%¡­ 54%¡­ Until finally¡­ 3%¡­ 0%¡­ Hostile Mutagen has been cleansed. Mutagenic Drain has received Meta-Mutations. Improved ability to cleanse hostile Mutagen; improved Warp Energy recovery when absorbing Mutagenic Material. Development: 29% ¡±Oh!¡± Soul Killer groaned in exasperation. ¡°Oh great! So you¡¯re getting stronger by me doing this to you!¡± I thought you wanted me to get stronger? ¡±And no, I mean your stats. I don¡¯t give a shit about them! I just want to see what Mutations you end up getting!¡± They stuck their thumb into their mouth, chewing on it until I saw blood trickle down as they paced back and forth. ¡°Maybe I could¡­ the Revenant Serum? Never used it on a living human¡­¡± They turned to me, a confident smile on their face as they unlatched the mask off me. ¡°Congratulations, you¡¯re the first person to be¡­ sort of immune to my powers! This is troubling¡­ so I¡¯m going to take samples off your body!¡± Those eyes sucked me in again, but this time I was rea- I was swallowed up whole by the time I blinked. Something had changed in that recent pulse of activity, a swelling of power I could innately feel. Soul Killer was Titanium Grade but those they controlled were lower¡­ as I blankly stared at the memories playing out in front of me, I gritted as the realization brewed in me. Soul Killer was empowering those he controlled. Blood and Steel C87: Revenant Chapter 87: Revenant Subclassification of the MALformed, according to NeoCore Agent: Alisha Noori¡¯s notes for her instatement exam. The MALformed represent the MALswarm¡¯s organic force. Compared to earth¡¯s normal fauna, they boast incredibly unnatural regenerative speed, strength and endurance. When the Swarm first descended, they resembled tentacled insectoid creatures but over time have only grown more diverse and dangerous. We have classified them into four main categories. Chimeras: The most common variant of MALformed, achieved through their consumption of Earth¡¯s organic lifeforms. A chimera MALformed looks like anything from a housecat to monstrous amalgamations to even resembling mythological creatures such as dragons, the most infamous Chimera is the MALtitan known as The Infinite which has the ability to constantly shift its shape across thousands of possible creatures. Warlocks: MALformed with unique applications of their Warp Energy to create unnatural phenomenons. They often appear as bipedal creatures and have denser cores, boasting incredible strength despite their smaller frame. Although highly dangerous, Warlocks often became the source for powerful Esper Mutagen, so take great care in neutralizing them. Carrion: MALformed with no distinct shape or size. They consume biomass at an incredible rate and are the fastest reproducing MAL variant we face. It is speculated that the MALtitan known as The Mother is one such type, capable of splitting itself up into numerous parts that can act independently of themselves. Parasyte: MALformed created by a SIM¡¯s degradation to 0%. When an Adapter is in the low 10%, by law in all civilized societies they are to have their Implants removed. If they do not, then their Implant overtakes them, and causes their organic form to take MALformed properties. Regenerative, strong and capable of using all the mutations they had while they were alive, Parasytes are a deadly force to be dealt with immediately. 9:13 August 24th Anthony ¡±Brian Ulrich.¡± I stared at Royce Keagan¡­ ¡°Uh, Diana¡¯s father sent you? To me?¡± ¡±You were the last living witness to have her location.¡± Keagan entered my home, quickly taking a seat on our dining table. He looked at my father with thin eyes, disinterested in my old man. ¡°This is a matter between Brian Ulrich and your son, we apologize for the inconvenience, may this compensate you for giving us privacy?¡± And he handed my father a Bronze shard, my dad stared between the man and the sliver of metal but just shrugged and tossed it back. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll give you two some alone time. But I¡¯m not about to be bought, this won¡¯t get out of the house.¡± My dad left the table, but offered me a supportive look as he mouthed ¡®Be careful¡¯ to me. I nodded, taking a seat next to Keagan. ¡°So¡­ what exactly do you want?¡± ¡±To employ you.¡± Keagan¡¯s hair fell in perfect neatness right next to his eyes, it was like they were curtains opening up to unveil for him. ¡±Employ me?¡± I took in a deep breath. ¡°To find Diana?¡± ¡±To use your knowledge of her whereabouts and the unique Mutations of your SIM to help me find her, that is correct.¡± Keagan slid his finger, a long and detailed contract appearing in my view. ¡°You will be compensated, you will also be expected to follow the non-disclosure-agreement regarding my involvement here.¡± ¡±Uh¡­¡± I looked through the contract again. ¡°It says here that I will be sponsored and given the resources to improve my SIM up to a Silver? Is this correct?¡± ¡±It is.¡± That was all the answer I got. ¡±Okay¡­¡± I tried to find my words, if Diana was reading something like this, she would have mentally torn the contract to shreds and spat in Keagan¡¯s face, saying something like ¡®I don¡¯t need your money to save my friend¡¯. That much was true for me, but the difference was¡­ I really needed to get a Silver. ¡±Alright.¡± I said more confidently. ¡°What¡­ do you know?¡± ¡±She attended an auction being held by known crime affiliate The Gourmet. Was presumably doing an investigation into Soul Killer, a known entity responsible for several hundreds of missing persons over the last two centuries. She is currently in possession of the SIM spawned by the Gold MAL that attacked The Toxin Club the midnight of June 1st. Is this to your understanding? Also we will need your signature.¡± It was sort of terrifying how business-like he was making this, I mentally signed the contract away, then hopped onto the conversation. ¡°You¡¯re right about all of this, she said she would contact me if she was in trouble, but then didn¡¯t do so until today.¡± I sent over a screenshot of the message, but Keagan didn¡¯t appear too interested in it. Instead, he turned to me. ¡°May I inspect your frame?¡± ¡±Um¡­¡± I was a little uncomfortable with that, but if it meant helping Diana, then I would do it. ¡°Alright, do it, man.¡± He slid his sleeve back, his otherwise human arm suddenly growing mechanical seams that peeled away and spurned metallic chords that he manually connected into my frame. ¡°Ah¡­ I see¡­ there¡¯s no traceable location from the message, it appears to be coming from within a wide range of areas throughout the city. A proxy network.¡± ¡±Uh uh.¡± I acted like I was following this¡­ ¡°So it¡¯s being sent from one of these locations?¡± ¡±Of these 138 locations, it is possible.¡± He commented casually, to which I stammered. ¡±A- a hundred and thirty eight?! How are we supposed to find anything out soon?¡± He sent me over a map of the district, but it was absolutely huge and sprawling with dots. ¡±However, I should note that we have knowledge as to when her Bioshard was removed and discarded. We believe she was transported by a car, and this is the path it took prior to her shard¡¯s removal.¡± Keagan¡¯s map flashed as the white line of a car¡¯s path drew over the map, landing in between quite a few spots ¡ª still easily maybe 30 or 40 of them. ¡±How¡¯re we going to find this place?¡± ¡±We will perform thorough background checks on each location, Brian Ulrich has many men on his payroll¡­ we can expect all of the locations to be analyzed by the 10th of September. As for any suspicious locations, you and I will infiltrate the location and search for her.¡± 10th of September? That was impressive for scouting out 138 different areas, but it was still far too long in my opinion. ¡°Hold on, let me check this out, maybe I¡¯ll find something?¡± I looked through the map, there was the obvious location of Little Requiem which was a sphere of black in the city map, but it would also be¡­ too obvious. As for the other dots, I scanned them down. Some massive warehouses, others were corporate facilities, an animal resort, a couple of hotels, numerous gang-affiliated bars and other locations¡­ Wait, an animal resort? Didn¡¯t that message say something about Diana being at a resort? One with cute puppies? That¡­ that had to be too exact to not be a coincidence? So if it was her who left that message, then why ping it through all those locations? ¡±Let¡¯s check this place out. Pennridge Animal Resort, it resembles a clue from Diana¡¯s message to me.¡± I had nothing to do other than to place my hope in the message. ¡±Okay¡­ let¡¯s see¡­ My schedule is free on the 2nd of September.¡± Keagan nodded. I tried to keep my voice down. ¡°Your schedule? Doesn¡¯t Brian Ulrich have better priorities right now? Like saving his fucking daughter!¡± Keagan, for the first time, showed a hint of annoyance. ¡°I assure you, everything I do is according to Mr. Ulrich¡¯s priorities. We will have it looked through, and operate on the 2nd of September as I have told you. If there is nothing more for us to discuss, then our business is concluded.¡± ¡±Business? This is her life?!¡± ¡±Yes, even that is business.¡± Keagan stood up from his chair, walking towards the door. ¡°Pleasure doing business, Mr. Grazhe.¡± I scoffed as he politely closed the door on the way out, you had to be fucking with me? 2nd of September? I couldn¡¯t¡­ No. I had to wait, because if I went alone then I would just be repeating her mistake. I may be stupid, but I¡¯m not that stupid. Though, maybe I¡¯ll do a bit of scouting by myself. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Diana When I awoke, I was alerted that it was meal time. Entering the meal hall, I found my platter in the hands of Simon Jugosla who took a deep pride in handing me the platter. It was different today, more gummy-like texture that melted in my mouth¡­ the taste was distinct, unlike anything I¡¯d tasted before. ¡±What is this?¡± I stared at the meat, feeling a warmth build up in my chest. And also an uncomfortable pinch. Hostile Mutagen Detected 1%¡­ 2%¡­ 1%¡­ 0%¡­ Hostile Mutagen has been cleansed. ¡°What is this?¡± I said more firmly through the barrier between us. ¡±You killed it yesterday, one of my fangtooth¡¯s.¡± Soulless eyes spoke back at me. This was MAL meat? I stared at it again, just a little more nausea building up through me now. I stuffed it all down, returning to taking bite after bite. ¡±I was expecting more resistance.¡± Soul Killer leaned on the table. ¡±You¡¯re feeding me more power.¡± I commented through bites. The meat was intensifying my stores of Warp Energy, and the slight boost to Mutagenic Drain was only going to improve my resistance to Soul Killer¡¯s Soul-Forfeit Mutagen, did he season it with the pollen? ¡±Shame, I was prepared to have you fight until you were starved.¡± Soul Killer deflated in his chair, the light returning to Simon¡¯s eyes. ¡°So¡­ you enjoying it?¡± ¡±Better than I thought.¡± I stared at the meat, it wasn¡¯t the first time I feasted on one of my kills. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡ª¡ª¡ª I only got in about an hour with Aliya and the kids, getting to know them before I was called in for ¡®testing¡¯. It was no surprise when I ended up back in that same arena again, my eyes fastened on the elevator. This time, they brought two of the mangy mutts down. Fangtooths, Soul Killer named them. Where was he getting them from? Were they being farmed here, or something else? My cuffs disabled and the cages opened, this time I was more prepared. The two beasts weren¡¯t at all coordinated with each other, fighting for dominance to be the one to kill me by well ¡ª trying to kill me. It was easier than expected to take the first one out, I had a rough idea of where their cores were now so ripping it out took me just about a minute of finding the opportunity. Absorbing the core netted me only one Meta-Mutation this time in Mineral Assimilation. Improving the mineral deposition through my skeletal system, presumably hardening my bones. The second went down easy enough, the boost to my strength and regeneration allowed me to spear a jab of my thunder-veiled claws into its core, destroying it without needing to weaken it first. This time, I realized something I hadn¡¯t when I killed the other two by draining out their Warp Energy. Destroying the core sent a wave of Warp Energy into the body of the MALformed, and within seconds an Iron-colored insect rolled out. A SIM. So it seems like if I absorbed the Mutagen and Warp Energy in their cores, I would also destroy their ability to produce an Implant. Interesting. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Soul Killer didn¡¯t try forcing any more of that pollen of his into my body, but they were making the fights between me and the various MAL he had more common. I lost track of the hours, but the schedule more or less followed me fighting increasingly numerous and more difficult groups of Iron MALformed. It couldn¡¯t have been more than¡­ three days since the first time I fought one. I got about a few hours of rest and a meal of my kill before he would send me for another round of testing. By now, some of the inmates were curious as to why I had to scurry away so often, but it never resulted in anything so far. This fight had my first Iron Warlock MALformed, it was a tall and bulbous frog-man-thing that could manipulate the arcs of acid it lobbed at me. One attack had nearly burned my leg off and cost me heaps of Warp Energy. Getting close to it, I pushed out a longer-range pulse of my electricity similar to how I managed with that thunder-whipping guy at the Metal Heavens base. It wasn¡¯t quite me throwing out electrical blasts like my guns, but it was a slight boost to my range that I sorely needed. When I was allowed to rest, sleep came to me slower than usual. It also lasted less often, something in me was keeping me awake and fresh ¡ª maybe my new neurons, or perhaps all the absorbing of Warp Energy and Mutagen¡­ but less sleep meant Soul Killer put me through more fights. More fights meant more progress. And progress meant escaping here. ¡ª¡ª¡ª I stared at my Gene Development, today had me fighting a chimera with a rocky armor that looked like a hybrid between a bear and a penguin of all things. It was my first Tier II MAL, and it had been tough ¡ª mentally and physically. A battle of attrition, its stone protection regenerated slower than most other MAL, and once I felt its core pulse to heal the creature it was easy to take it down. The Tier II Mutagen also netted some fantastic yields. Tier II Mutagen Absorbed: [Iron] Stone Shell¡­ Mutation: Compact Tissues has gained additional Meta-Mutations. Great increase to Warp-Influenced muscle density; great increase to Warp-Influenced skin density. Development: 87% Mutation: Electroneurogenesis has gained an additional Meta-Mutation. Increase to conductive speed across neurons. Development: 68% Mutation: Kinetic Catalyst has gained an additional Meta-Mutation. Kinetic cells now provide extra structural support to the skin, improving their shock absorbing properties. Development: 52% Mutation: Mutagenic Drain has gained an additional Meta-Mutation. Improvement to the Adapter¡¯s ability to drain Warp Energy and Mutagen from living organisms. Development: 44% Integrity has reached Bronze I Iron-Grade Integrity Boon: Increases the Adapter¡¯s ability to withstand Warp Burns sustained through Mutagen ingestion. Development: 73% I¡¯d expected a Meta-Mutation for Mineral Assimilation, I guessed Mutations could be pretty random. So far, Kinetic Catalyst and Compact Tissues were my most important Mutations without a weapon to charge myself with. By now, I had enough natural strength to compete with a Tier I MALformed without electrical input. The added kick of Electrical Neurogeneis was added at just the right moments so I could conserve my Warp Energy, oftentimes letting me lash out as quick as a whip at a moment¡¯s notice. Quick, strong bursts of strength were the key to dealing with the MAL. As I began eating a stew of Sisyphus-golem soup coined by Simon Jugosla, the last thing I expected was for Soul Killer to interrupt by¡­ lecturing me about my Mutations. ¡±You¡¯re neglecting Mineral Assimilation up on the surface, not to worry, this soup in particular has plenty of inorganic material that will strengthen your body. You see, the Mutation affects your base-line strength the most since it can deposit¡­ ¡°¡­Compact Tissues should be used where these accumulated minerals have been focused on, that maximizes the effect. If I calculated right, you should notice your skin and hair becoming tougher after digesting this soup, any keratin-based structures will be approximately 47%¡­ ¡±¡­Electrical Neurogenesis is doing it¡¯s job, but it isn¡¯t progressing at all. You need to find new ways to use your brain, to accumulate everything that¡¯s filtering into it, nerves are responsible for perceiving all stimuli ¡ª there¡¯s no reason why it should be limited to only increasing reaction speed¡­¡± ¡±¡­those new subdermal organs for Bioelectrogenesis are definitely the way to go, allowing you to instantly shock the MAL and power up your musculature locally rather than inefficiently spread Warp Energy from your heart¡­¡± ¡±¡­you could definitely train Electromagnetic Vision to be able to read neural activity. Especially on higher Tier BUG Adapters, maybe I¡¯ll throw in a MALware to¡­¡± ¡±¡­Kinetic Catalyst? Personally, I think it¡¯s the odd one out but I could see it having great potential as you advance, giving you a domain over electrical and kinetic energy to¡­¡± ¡±¡­as for Mutagenic Drain. Train it, I¡¯ve never seen a Deviant Mutation like it.¡± Soul Killer finally gave my ears a rest. Even if what he was saying was helpful, the second he began to delve deep into the molecular genetics of it all was when I zoned out. I passed the metal tray into the depositing bin. ¡°So when¡¯s the next fight?¡± ¡°Rest and digest. Let your parasympathetic nervous system do it¡¯s job first, I¡¯ll get you in an hour.¡± Soul Killer stood up, and I took that as my invitation to leave as well. I hated how much I was falling for their schemes, whatever he was planning, but as it happened to be beneficial for my growth I felt it was the best option. Soon¡­ Soon I¡¯d have the strength to reach the elevator. Soul Killer was careful, only deactivating my cuffs once it had completely descended, and turning them on before the lift rose. Upgrading my Grade had allowed me some measure of manipulation, but it wasn¡¯t enough to break the cuffs or give me enough strength. I had, maybe, 10% of my power available to me? I didn¡¯t bother conversing with anyone but Aliya or the children over these last few days, I would be escaping soon and¡­ it hurt. Talking to these people hurts. Even if I escaped with them, what could I do? Soul Killer was within them, ready to betray me. Leaving them behind was my only option, but looking at these children, around twelve of them, my heart sunk in despair. Was he making these children fight the MAL? A few times, someone other than me would be called away, but it wasn¡¯t to the degree of my own exits. ¡±Kimbley.¡± I said to the red-haired kid, he was trying to make an origami crane but folded it the wrong way. ¡°Why don¡¯t you show that to me?¡± Discreetly, I corrected his latest fold while pretending to inspect it. ¡°It¡¯s so pretty!¡± Then I handed it off to Kimbley, his big red eyes staring proudly at the creation. Then the red-and-white of his eyes reversed, bulging veins creeping around the edges of his eyes. Soul Killer¡¯s tone spoke through the child, and I had to bite my tongue to stay strong. ¡°We await you in the arena.¡± I nodded, standing up and bidding farewell to Aliya and the kids. Walking away, I felt weak. I wanted to save them, I had to save them, but how? It would be- ¡°What have you got that we don¡¯t?¡± Hands pushed me to a wall, a jaded woman with braided white hair had flakes of ice sticking to her fingertips. ¡°What have you done to get noticed so bad? I¡¯m itching to fight too!¡± ¡°I43¡­ I¡¯m just- He thinks I have an interesting Mutation, that¡¯s it.¡± I pushed her cold arm off mine, but she snickered in response. ¡°An interesting Mutation? That¡¯s why we¡¯re all here! Those of us that have been taken away, but you¡­ you don¡¯t smile like us. We were all poor, lost, but they gave us some fucking stability¡­ ever since you¡¯ve appeared the rest of us are being forgotten!¡± She grabbed my arm again, and this time I felt the frost cling to my body. ¡±I¡¯m not here to fight you!¡± I yanked my arm back, a small expulsion of thunder charging it up. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t like this either, but Soul Killer wants me for some reason¡­ I have no other options.¡± I didn¡¯t give her the chance to respond before I stepped away, climbing down the staircase to make my way into the arena where I found for the first time¡­ Soul Killer in Kaisel¡¯s body was inside it. ¡±You¡¯re in here?¡± I had a strange feeling about their presence. ¡±Just need to make some preparations, thought you would find this interesting.¡± They smiled at me, and the elevator began to drop. What would it be this time? Maybe a Bronze? I waited and waited for it to descend the long verticality, but whatever was on it was tiny since I couldn¡¯t make it out until- No, not tiny. It was laying down flat. A few things, actually, the first was a box of what looked like scraps of metal and Shardware. The second was a corpse. It took me a few moments to make out who it was, I¡¯d only seen them once but they had a pretty significant impact in my life. It was Stormspinner, the Bronze Mercenary who had joined the police raid on the hotel and had saved my life. She¡¯d given me her gun before fighting the R0N1N, losing her arm and- Why was her corpse here? ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this, Soul Killer?¡± ¡°What happens when an Implant reaches 0% compatibility?¡± They asked me, taking out what looked to be a Bronze BUG from their lab coat. ¡±They become a MAL, either a Parasyte or a Fractured depending on the Implant type.¡± I commented, feeling uncomfortable pricks across my skin. ¡±An astute obersvation.¡± They chuckled, as they pulled out a syringe to which I only grew more nervous upon seeing. It had a vial within it, where a few of those red spider lilies were compressed so that the liquid inside was a sanguine scarlet. It looked potent, and I wasn¡¯t confident I would survive being injected by it. ¡°Oh, this?¡± Soul Killer shook the vial as I stared intently on it. ¡°Not fit for human consumption, I know, I know, you¡¯re surprised. It¡¯ll kill a human before I can infect them, but there is¡­ a reason I made them.¡± He injected the syringe into the BUG, crimson vines growing along it¡¯s surface before they sank in¡­ then he flicked it over to Stormspinner¡¯s corpse. The BUG flared to life, and I¡¯d never seen an Implant¡¯s active state be so ferocious, it skittered across her neck to delve deep into her spine where it would¡­ connect to her brainstem. ¡±Now, I was just looking on the Abyssnet for any corpses with useful mutations, but turns out the police were sitting on one the whole time! Good thing I¡¯m friends with Anabelle Grazhe then, I actually believe you¡¯ve met this fine woman, Laura Richards.¡± Soul Killer put the syringe back into their pockets, but my focus was firmly on Stormspinner¡¯s body as bronze webs began to slowly spread all over her body. Fear gripped me. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡±Oh, right, that! Just turning her into a MAL. A Fractured, actually.¡± They casually walked closer to Stormspinner, squatting down to stare at the process. ¡°Her body¡¯s a little decomposed so it¡¯s taking a while, but it should still¡­¡± Stormspinner¡¯s eyes opened wide, husky red globes that latched onto Dr. Kaisel¡¯s body. Her one good arm lurched, clawing after Kaisel¡¯s throat. Then stopped in its tracks, Dr. Kaisel just smiled at the MAL formed from Stormspinner¡¯s corpse. ¡±That¡¯s impossible.¡± I muttered. ¡°You can¡¯t just¡­ turn a dead body into a-¡° ¡±Who said that I only kill souls? I can also give one.¡± Soul Killer stretched, patting the dead woman¡¯s head as he began to walk back to the entrance. ¡°You¡¯d be surprised at everything I haven¡¯t shown you! Just be a good girl and take care of her, oh sorry, I was talking to Laura.¡± ¡±You want me to fight¡­ her?¡± I stared at the MAL, at Stormspinner, as she stood up less like a human and more like a puppet. She had a BUG though? Why, what would a BUG¡­ wait, Soul Killer could control MALs as well? This was too much. Stormspinner locked eyes on the box of metal scraps, and a scrap of her Warp Energy tingled mine¡­ I watched as bits of torn metal and broken machinery floated up to her arm, under the influence of her electromagnetic manipulation Mutation. The various wires within pulled apart like a yarn ball being unwound, striking into her arm and¡­ building up. Pieces of technology with no particular purpose in their fractured parts merged and melted over each other under the discordant Warp Energy of a MAL, becoming more than their sum. A new, metallic arm unlike any Shardware arm I¡¯d seen before grew. Those crazed eyes then met my own, they were docile at first, curious in fact. Soul Killer¡¯s voice came from the speakers. ¡±Alright, Laura, you can kill her now.¡± Then they went hollow under the primal urge to kill. Blood and Steel C88: Storm of Shards Chapter 88: Storm of shards August? Diana Was Stormspinner a Parasyte? Or a Fractured? I didn¡¯t have the time to dwell on it before the box tipped over and shards of metal came chasing me down, their dagger-like ends aimed to spear at me. A whirlwind of metal aimed to rip me apart and I had no way of escaping. My cuffs deactivated at the last second, a sweet release that exploded as I generated a pulse of kinetic force through my legs that propelled me above the stream of slashing metal. Then, it curved like a bend in a river to chase upwards. Gritting, my skin and muscles compacted to take the blow, they razed into the flesh of my legs and arms but my bones by now were significantly stronger due to all the Fangtooth Mutagen I¡¯d absorbed. I landed, filled with metal quills quivering and shaking through my flesh. They tugged and pulled me off balance each second, like they were strings attached to my puppet-body, but I had enough strength to keep my feet planted. Stormspinner opened her mouth wide, twitching and emanating beast-like groans¡­ then her Shardware arm moved forward. It stretched, the joints snapping off to be connected by bare electrical threads as it forced the wrecked scraps into the shape of a spear that launched from her arm. I sparked power through my body, bursting to the left of the spear to take advantage of the MAL¡¯s lowered defenses. Then my electricity zapped out of me, and I found my body lifted into the air by my legs like a rope had snatched them up. The metal shards¡­ conducted electricity away from me. And the more charged they were, the stronger her control over them ¡ª I desperately searched for a way to escape being suspended upside down in the air. That spear flew back into her shoulder, transforming and sliding into an arm once more. I gasped as bits of the metal lodged in my legs ejected and returned to the arm, a bright spark glowing over the limb¡­ refining it. ¡±I knew a Technician BUG was the way to go!¡± Soul Killer was all too happy about this. This was ridiculous, he was training Stormspinner on me? Fuck this, and fuck being stuck in the air! At least, the scraps she¡¯d taken to join her arm again had left my suspension shaky, and I also weighed more than my body suggested. Reaching into my Kinetic Catalyst cells rather than my muscular tissues, I squeezed careful dribbles of energy into them while avoiding supplying any more to the electromagnetic daggers. My kinetic cells ached for release, pinching out all the shards and letting me back on the ground with solid footing. Alright, focus on kinetic manipulation over electric¡­ that was the key! Soul Killer had to say something to spoil my mood. ¡°Alright, time to actually start things ¡ª look out from above you!¡± What now? I split my focus to look above while shards spurned to strike from my left, and groaned as I saw crates of Shardware being toppled down from the elevator¡¯s entrance ¡ª their metallic and electrical bits raining down into the arena. Stormspinner mindlessly flicked sparking spears into the rain of steel, bringing them to life under her control immediately. They went from falling down to racing down, my body working overtime as knives stabbed into the ground chasing me like a razor wind. Since I¡¯d dodged the initial assault, I granted myself the mercy of my electrical strength, careening past rivers and whips of metal to find an opening to attack. My eyes burned silver to witness a greyscale world of an electrical storm, it wasn¡¯t by any means powerful but the intensity of the Warp Energy behind it granted motion that threatened to tear me to shreds if I stayed still. One stray blade nicked my ear, another scraping against my rib and a third shard sliced my cheek. Then a hundred more came with deadlier intentions. I could dodge most of the attacks, but the stray shrapnel was what got me, leeching whatever electrical energy it could from my body to only improve the ferocity of the larger pieces. I¡¯d seen Stormspinner¡¯s precision in the hotel, accurate as a sniper and as fast as a machine gun with the forks or knives she manipulated, in comparison this was shotgun after shotgun wielded like a tidal wave. Shit, shit - I had no choice. I needed the extra brainpower to handle this much coming for me or in seconds I would be turned into a pincushion. My brain ached as electricity channeled through the specialized neurons that had built up inside of it. And for a few seconds, the world slowed down and I could make sense of the rainstorm of daggers honing on me. One attack. That was all I needed to land on the frenzied BUG inside of her, then Stormspinner¡¯s life as a MAL would end. Allowing my Warp Energy to reign as hot as it wanted, I sent thick chords of power up my legs and arms, instantly whipping away from my position to just a few feet beyond the Fractured Stormspinner. Her eyes followed me, and she grinned like desert was laid in front of her. I couldn¡¯t stop myself now, but I could see the tracings of the electromagnetic waves within my silver eyes, pulling towards me. Gritting for the onslaught, I summoned everything in me to focus my power into my right hand ¡ª a thundering claw that I jabbed into her throat- My breath stiffened, images of Yvette and how my power had ended her screaming at me. I regained control quickly, but the brief hesitation had let Stormspinner bring her MALware arm up to block my jab. All of the electricity sunk into the limb, morphing it further as it melted and readjusted. Then pain stabbed through me from all over as the Shards imploded towards me and her. My back cried out, even with toughened muscles, skin and bone the metal blades had dug deep and vitally. My breath hitched as it became painful to inhale, and that only worsened my internal Warp Storage as it stormed into my wounds to regenerate them. As my body tried to push the wounds close, the shards only dug deeper, more viscerally into me. I tried to seize their electrical charge, hoping to draw it back into me, but the pain distracted me too much to draw it in¡­ no, it was my only way. I managed to draw quite a bit back into me, lessening the force they used to pierce through me, but they also stole back what they could. Stormspinner¡¯s arm formed into a blade, raising it high up to cleave me in two. My hand caught the weapon, focusing as much Warp Energy into the hardened hand bones that were all that remained between me and death. Fuck, my Warp Energy was being drawn too many places at once under Compact Tissue and Mutagenic Drain, I was emptying out like a bucket with holes. I gripped my free hand over Stormspinner¡¯s flesh arm, pinning my claws through her skin until clotted blood dripped through. Poking one more hole into my reserves, I began to drain the Bronze out from her. We struggled, neither giving in, my only advantage being my Gold Grade against the wounds, fatigue and falling manipulation of my Energy. I felt my back tear open? How close were those blades to piercing through into my heart now? My spinal cord? Once that happened¡­ I was dead. But I couldn¡¯t let that happen, I had to burn everything. Even myself. So I released my electrical absorption over the shards, loosening my skin and muscle, allowing them to dig as deep as they could. While I gave everything else to the hand draining Warp Energy from Stormspinner¡­ and now, as Bronze veins dug into my body ¡ª her Mutagen. Absorbing Mutagen¡­ Unable to absorb all Mutagen¡­ partial Mutagen absorption identified¡­ It was slow, and my body collapsed as one of the daggers poked out through my stomach, but I never let go of that arm. Draining the warp Energy, though, had caused Stormspinner¡¯s metallic limb to weaken and melt, allowing me to yank the limb off and focus both hands on stealing away the power inside of her. Absorbing Mutagen¡­ Partial Tier II Mutagen absorbed: [Bronze] Electromagnetic Telekinesis¡­ 13%/35% Partial Tier II Mutagen absorbed: [Iron] Bioelectrogenesis¡­ 24%/31% Partial Tier II Mutagen absorbed: [Bronze] Conductivity Alteration¡­ 18%/55% Partial Tier II Mutagen absorbed: [Iron] Electromagnetic Resonance¡­ 14%/17% I couldn¡¯t absorb anymore before the torn MALware arm came flying back, kicking away just in time to avoid being sliced into two. Even now, I could feel the various blades deep in my body, ripping through me¡­ But I could also feel the warmth as Mutagen and stolen Warp Energy burned in my heart, spreading it¡¯s heat to the wounds¡­ and into the shards. Capacity has reached Bronze I Iron-Grade Capacity Boon: All Electrical-type Mutations have their Gene Capacity reduced by 1. Tier I Mutation: Bioelectrogenesis has reached 100% Development, additional Meta-Mutations have occurred. Increased absorption of Electrical energy; Warp Energy conversion to Electrical energy is much more efficient. Tier I Mutation: Compact Tissues has gained an additional Meta-Mutation. Increased selective conductivity through organic tissues. Development 93% Tier I Mutation: Electrical Neurogenesis has gained additional Meta-Mutations. Baseline mental processing ability increased; greater effect of electrical energy on mental processing ability. Development 78%. Tier I Mutation: Electromagnetic Vision has gained additional Meta-Mutations. Increased sensitivity to electromagnetic fields; increased precision of viewing electromagnetic activity. Development 74%. Tier I Mutation: Kinetic Catalyst has gained an additional Meta-Mutation. Greater conversion of electrical energy into kinetic output. Development 60%. Tier I Mutation: Mutagenic Drain has gained an additional Meta-Mutation. Increased ability to drain Mutagen from Adapters. Development: 51% Tier I Mutation: [Gold] Electromagnetic Telekinesis has been acquired: The Adapter can manipulate any object emitting an electromagnetic field using their Warp Energy¡­ additional Meta-Mutations have occurred. The Adapter can slightly influence the conductivity of materials around them. Development: 8% [9 (8) Gene Capacity] I could barely feel a thing between the nauseating pain and fatigue all through me, but the new tingling of these tiny shards quivering through my body was instinctual. I gripped them with my mind, burning away the Bronze Energy that was manipulating them to replace it with my Gold. Then I pulled them out. Blood poured out from each wound which soon clogged up under the draining effects of my own regeneration. It took me a second to realize that I had my own floating phalanx of shards floating at my control, their presence neatly felt though my enhanced vision and skin. It was like a vibration attuned to my own heartbeat, thrumming in accordance with the laws I set upon it. Another swarm of daggers and bee-sized shrapnel flew with the intent of devouring me, I kicked and leaped, my own miniature swarm following as easily as breathing. They weren¡¯t the fastest, but they were simple and obedient. I kited away the attacking storm, feeling the MAL controlling Stormspinner¡¯s body more acutely than ever, she was weakened and dulled by my vampiristic drain ¡ª but not dead. She didn¡¯t have any protective Mutagen, her body only slightly strengthened by the natural boost of metabolism across the Tiers. One hit. That was all I needed. I called upon my stream of metal, lining them up to fall in my hand where I intensified the electric charge within them. They sang in joy, gladly falling into the shape I wished them to take. A javelin no larger than my forearm. The good thing about these low grade MALs was that they knew nothing but killing, they didn¡¯t care about preserving their own life as long as it meant taking a human¡¯s. I heaved the muscles of my right arm, catalyzing the conversion of my electrical strength into a kinetic release that shot the javelin like a ballista. If the MAL had just reserved even a few scraps of what they were using to assault me, then maybe my aim would have been thrown off. That wasn¡¯t the case here. My javelin tore through her throat exactly how I wanted it to, the slight control I had over its trajectory combined with my attunement to the metal curved it right up to attack her brainstem. The body went slack, and the whizzing metal that flurried around like bees collapsed and clattered around me. ¡°Bravo! An astounding performance!¡± Soul Killer applauded from over the comms. ¡°Now go on! Take the rest of her Mutagen!¡± I held back my scoff, even if I hated them, it was the right thing for me to do. Approaching her body, I didn¡¯t feel like it was right to leave the javelin there¡­ so I called it back to my hand, it flew back obediently, cold blood stuck to it. Not wanting to stare at it, I let go, letting it clatter on the ground as I kneeled in front of Stormspinner¡¯s body. Soul Killer could turn the dead into his minions. Control them. I controlled my fears, that sort of power was unheard off, even among The Founders. This group, The Uncaged, were beyond terrifying. My Gold Energy wrapped around the bloody wound I¡¯d left on her, sinking in to drain out the remaining Mutagen¡­ Absorbing Mutagen¡­ It was slow, tedious, and since she was dead there was no Warp Energy for me to take. Yet, I wasn¡¯t just absorbing her Tier II Mutagen, I was also taking everything she¡¯d trained up and worked for across the decades ¡ª from Tier 0 to Tier II. Tier 0 Mutagen Absorbed: Tier I Mutagen Absorbed: Tier II Mutagen Absorbed: Tier I Mutation: Electrical Neurogenesis has gained additional Meta-Mutations. Increased ability to decipher Electromagnetic stimuli. Development: 83% Tier I Mutation: Electromagnetic Vision has gained an additional Meta-Mutation. Increased field of vision. Development 79%. Tier I Mutation: Mutagenic Drain has gained an additional Meta-Mutation. Increased speed of draining Mutagen: 58% Tier I Mutation: [Gold] Electromagnetic Telekinesis has gained additional Meta-Mutations. Increased control over materials the Adapter has charged; Adapter can alter the conductivity of materials using their Warp Energy. Development: 16% Across the decade of her having a SIM¡­ she still had less mutations than what I was currently developing. The weight of a Gold Grade had never been so heavy. Consuming Stormspinner¡¯s Mutagen might have been the largest boost in strength I¡¯d ever received, all the more to make me question Soul Killer¡¯s intent. My cuffs drained my freedom, tearing it away as they activated. Ms. Kaisel¡¯s body strolled through the door, happily grinning at the sight of my success. ¡°Oh, this is something else, yes.. I think you¡¯re nearly there!¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡±Nearly what?¡± I couldn¡¯t hold back my anger. ¡°What the fuck are you planning!¡± Soul Killer just laughed to themself, taking a glance at the door. ¡°Come in, I43.¡± I34? That white-haired woman who was scorned at me? True to the word, she came in, her eyes seemingly normal. ¡°Now you see, I43 has her problems with you, Diana.¡± Soul Killer giggled. ¡°So we¡¯ll settle it with a good old fashioned duel. What do you say?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not killing someone just because we disagree!¡± I took a step forward, but I43 stepped between me and Soul Killer. ¡±Whatever Mutations you have, I¡¯ll have him put them in me!¡± Frost danced on her tongue, and I couldn¡¯t believe what she was saying. ¡°You want Soul Killer¡¯s approval?¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Her irises turned red and white, soulless. ¡°They all do¡­ because that¡¯s how I made them.¡± ¡°Made?¡± All of this was too much, however long I¡¯d spent here was too much. ¡°I¡¯ll fucking kill you.¡± ¡°Oh please, try.¡± Soul Killer said from within her body. ¡°Now you¡¯ll fight, whether you like it or not. The only choice you have is whether I let you use your powers or not.¡± I wished I could tear these metal cuffs right off me, but not until I was sure of it. They were built to withstand a Gold¡¯s might after all. ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll fight!¡± At least, that¡¯s what I wanted them to think¡­ but I needed my mutations for this. Ms. Kaisel¡¯s body left the field, while I43 took back control of her body and stood center-ground, while I waited for my powers to release. My cuffs pinged a light, and Warp Energy flowed unrestrained. ¡°Fight.¡± I could feel Soul Killer¡¯s enthusiasm on the speaker. A storm of chilly wind spun around I43, icy armor growing from her fingertips up her arm. My eyesight swept into the metal around me, searching and honing for any piece with electricity. Yeah, a small fragment of what seemed to be a Shardware leg had a generator attached to it, and my Warp Energy extended through the air¡­ it seemed like the further away I tried to manipulate, the more Energy I needed to do so. I¡¯d figure out all the details of telekinesis later, for now, I called upon that metal as I43 charged at me. The sharp metal flew into her side ¡ª and I leaped like a thunderbolt. My hand gripped over her mouth, and in one smooth push I drove her head into the ground, blood and cracks spread over the concrete. It was one nasty concussion, and it would draw out the Warp Energy in her system to recover it¡­ I felt the swell of Bronze flow through her body, and I sent out drills of my own Gold to intercept it, urging them into my hand. Whatever Mutation Soul-Killer had forced into those he controlled, it had to be in their brains. I just hoped this would be enough for me to¡­ My instincts warned me, as instead of Bronze veins ¡ª scarlet and black drew up my arms. Hostile Mutagen Detected¡­ Partial absorption of Tier II Mutagen: [Titanium] Soul-Death¡­ 1%/2% I gagged from the foulness of it, like I¡¯d allowed sewer-water to crawl up my arteries, but it was worth it ¡ª I was cleaning Soul Killer¡¯s influence out of her body! Or so¡­ I thought. No, I was inviting it into mine. 20%¡­ 45%¡­ 70%¡­ I leaped away, my hands shuddering as I tried to seize control of them. But now¡­ now they were moving again to the aching I43. ¡±Stop.¡± I yelled, but it only came out as a whisper. ¡°Stop¡­¡± 64%¡­ 56%¡­ 45%¡­ I was cleaning it out, but my hands were already wrapped around her throat. My Warp Energy began to move without my consent, reaching back into her body, resisting it was like trying to tell your heart to stop beating, I could only manage meager shakes. 36%¡­ 66%¡­ 96%¡­ Tier II Mutagen: [Titanium] Soul-Death has been completely absorbed¡­ cleansing Hostile Mutagen. 90%¡­ 84%¡­ 76%¡­ 68%¡­ ¡°Oh you have got to be kidding me!¡± Soul Killer screamed from over the speaker. ¡°No. No. It¡¯s fine, now you know she can do it.¡± 20%¡­ 12%¡­ 4%¡­ Hostile Mutagen cleansed. Gaining control of my body was a rush of adrenaline, I¡¯d never felt it hit me so harshly before. If I¡¯d not resisted a second later than I had, they would have gotten me up to a hundred percent. ¡°So that¡¯s your plan?¡± Have me absorb a higher Tier version of his Mutagen? I shuddered, that had been too close. Still, it worked, clarity drew in I43¡¯s eyes as she pulled herself up. ¡±Wha- what¡¯s happening? Where am I?¡± I43 grabbed her head, but blood began to leak across her skin, nose, ears and eyes. ¡°Urgh! What- no!¡± She shook until an unnatural stiffness came to her. Soulless eyes returned, and Soul Killer spoke once more, laughing even as blood ripped free of it¡¯s vessels. ¡°Oh Diana! It¡¯ll take more than that! You need to drain all of it!¡± Soul Killer attacked me now, launching out a wall of freezing wind from their palms, I gathered myself and threw my legs to the side. I moved faster than I ever thought I could, but I43 was quick ¡ª maybe quicker than me. Soul Killer¡¯s fist connected to my jaw, cracking through even its hardened form and sending me reeling. I stumbled back, watching as I43¡¯s crumpled fist began to snap back into its natural form. ¡°You are the most infuriating lab rat I have ever had!¡± Soul Killer summoned a sphere of cold around them, draining my body as I felt¡­ Warp Energy leaking out of me alongside my heat. ¡°Maybe I should just kill you and see what¡¯s in that SIM of yours!¡± I kept myself warm and active by wreathing lightning through my body, thrumming my heart as I instigated all of my cells to burn in activity so that the cold didn¡¯t hurt. I swept my arm as a curtain of lightning arced into the metallic shards around me, charging them with life as I puppeteered the imaginary strings connected to them. They flew, slashing and stabbing into I43¡¯s neck and body, yet she stayed standing, her steps approaching me. Soul Killer ripped one of the blades out from I43¡¯s neck, more focused on screaming at me. ¡°But I can¡¯t fucking kill you now, can I! Mr. R wants you alive, Diana! I need to figure out why!¡± With what Warp Energy I had on me, I decided to bite my tongue and pounce into the eye of the storm. There was some body-enhancement she had, but I43 was still a Bronze, they didn¡¯t have as many Mutations as a Gold or Silver. At most: manipulating the temperature of the environment around her, resisting the cold, regenerating, and her supernatural muscle strength had to be all she could use. I landed my kick in her stomach, feeling bones crack from the impact, and shot a fray of electricity out of my fingertips into her arm. I43¡¯s body buckled and jerked, but I had no time to feel guilty about any of this as the freezing cold drained my stamina. My claws sharpened, I tore through the flesh of her wrists. Both of her hands fell to the ground, and the redirection of the Warp Energy into the wounds weakened the storm enough that I could bring my strength back to her. Soul Killer tried to resist, but a headbutt smashed their nose to bits, and another smash into the ground gave me the leverage to begin stealing away the Mutagen controlling her. Right, I¡¯d only taken out Soul-Death, it was Soul-Forfeit that let Soul Killer manipulate these people. I needed to take something deeper, wrench it out from the core of her Mutations¡­ but how deep could I dig before it got fatal? Absorbing Mutagen¡­ Partial Tier II Mutagen absorbed: [Bronze] Heat Drain 12%/51% Partial Tier II Mutagen absorbed: [Bronze] Frost Manipulation 3%/42% Partial Tier II Mutagen absorbed: [Bronze] Cold Resistance 4%/39% Partial Tier II Mutagen absorbed: [Bronze] Heat-Draining Musculature 15%/32% No¡­ I wasn¡¯t digging deep enough, these were only her active Mutations, the ones currently developing! I needed to pull more, faster, further! Tier II Mutagen absorbed: [Bronze] Heat Drain Partial Tier II Mutagen absorbed: [Bronze] Frost Manipulation 14%/42% Partial Tier II Mutagen absorbed: [Bronze] Cold Resistance 17%/39% Tier II Mutagen absorbed: [Bronze] Heat-Draining Musculature Tier II Mutagen absorbed: [Titanium] Soul-Death What? Why wasn¡¯t I¡­ Soul Killer just grinned with the soulless eyes unmoving, but the more I took from her¡­ the more blood ripped free out of her body. I was killing her. Tier II Mutagen absorbed: [Bronze] Frost Telekinesis Tier II Mutagen absorbed: [Bronze] Cold Resistance Partial Tier I Mutagen Absorbed: [Bronze] Heat Metabolism 1%/100% Partial Tier I Mutagen Absorbed: [Silver] Vampiristic Drain 1%/100% Partial Tier I Mutagen Absorbed: [Titanium] Soul-Forfeit 1%/100% Okay, I¡¯d reached deep enough now that every second that passed made her eyes clear up¡­ yet all I saw breaking through as I struggled her power into me was pain. Pain and fear. ¡°Stop.¡± I43 croaked out. ¡°Stop¡­ it hurts!¡± ¡°Just please¡­ hold on!¡± I tried to sound hopeful, but I could see I43¡¯s body falling apart as I took more from her. ¡°Any moment now and you¡¯ll be fine!¡± Partial Tier I Mutagen absorbed: [Iron] Heat Metabolism 64%/100% Partial Tier I Mutagen absorbed: [Silver] Vampiristic Drain 74%/100% Partial Tier I Mutagen absorbed: [Titanium] Soul-Forfeit 32%/100% ¡°Any moment¡­¡± I whispered¡­ but the words only went to my ears. ¡°¡­any moment.¡± Tier I Mutagen absorbed: [Bronze] Heat Metabolism Tier I Mutagen absorbed: [Silver] Vampiristic Drain Partial Tier I Mutagen absorbed: [Titanium] Soul-Forfeit 78%/100% Partial Tier 0 Mutagen absorbed: [Iron] Heat Sense 1%/100% Partial Tier 0 Mutagen absorbed: [Iron] Efficient Metabolism 1%/100% Come. On. Blood frothed out from her mouth the moment I had done it. Tier I Mutagen absorbed: [Titanium] Soul-Forfeit Partial Tier 0 Mutagen absorbed: [Iron] Heat Sense 56%/100% Partial Tier 0 Mutagen absorbed: [Iron] Efficient Metabolism 87%/100% ¡°Please.¡± I whispered¡­ ¡°Please stay alive.¡± I could feel a heartbeat, weak and fading¡­ but those red eyes were gone. I¡¯d removed Soul Killer¡¯s influence¡­ I¡¯d taken it all away. She had to be fine. ¡±What¡¯s your name?¡± My voice came weakly as I stared into those bloodshot eyes. ¡°Come on? Tell me.¡± Through a blood-filled mouth, I heard her ragged voice break through. ¡°I-Irene¡­¡± Then her heart went silent. Soul Killer came through the open door, clapping as I still held Irene¡¯s cheek. My Warp Cuffs still hadn¡¯t activated, so I charged at that opportunity. ¡°You bastard!¡± My fist stopped inches from their face¡­ right, I¡¯d still absorbed the hostile Mutagen. They had some control over me. 45%... 33%¡­ My cuffs activated, seizing my strength, but not my fury as my fist rattled in front of Kaisel''s face. ¡°Why?!¡± I swung anyway, but a blinding mess of red light impacted me. I hadn''t even properly understood what they just did, but I felt force crushing me into the floor as Soul Killer walked ahead to Irene''s body. ¡°Oh, I was just testing to see if you could do it.¡± Soul Killer curiously looked between me and Irene. ¡°You know, in all of the ways I have experienced death. That is certainly one of the more¡­ excruciating methods. To have the essence of your very organic blueprint ripped out? Unimaginably painful!¡± ¡°When is this going to stop!¡± I still went for another punch as soon the red force disappeared, but my fist barely budged her. Kaisel¡¯s body was unbelievably stiff for someone so small. Soul Killer laughed it off. ¡°Stop? Whatever gave you that impression? There¡¯s many ways to break a person, Diana, but in my experience¡­ The best one is time. Knowing that it¡¯s passing by you and those around you will forget about you, and you¡¯ll be helpless to change it. It¡¯s¡­ been around a week since you¡¯ve been here. I wonder how many weeks it¡¯ll take, before you¡¯re mine. And, you will be, there¡¯s no doubt in my head.¡± ¡°Oh just you fucking wait!¡± I could bite metal in half with the scorn rumbling in my bones. ¡°I¡¯ll tear down everything-¡± ¡°You know, Anthony was actually up there a few hours ago. Curious, I wonder how he found out about this place? I¡¯ll have to look into it.¡± Soul Killer stared up at the elevator¡¯s hole. ¡±Anthony?¡± I felt my heart escape my brain. ¡°What is he¡­ What did you do?¡± ¡°Nothing¡­ yet.¡± Soul Killer sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll have to see if he comes back, but I¡¯m expecting him to be a wonderful asset here! Why, I already got his aunt and mother, I¡¯d love to get the whole family!¡± I had my suspicions about Anabelle since she¡¯d had those same Soulless eyes, but Anthony¡¯s mother? Juliet? ¡°What did you do to Juliet Grazhe?¡± ¡°Ah, I didn''t do much. She got in touch with a few acquaintances of mine in her drive to investigate me, she became troublesome too. She died, as you know.¡± Soul Killer didn¡¯t look one bit apologetic. My breath hitched, I feared the answer he would give to this. ¡°This acquaintance¡­ Does one happen to be a Platinum Grade MAL at the center of the Net?¡± For the first time, Soul Killer looked geniunely surprised, but more than that, they were amused. ¡°How did you know that?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª I didn¡¯t figure out anything else by the time I was back in my cell. All I knew was that things had gone from bad to worse. The Uncaged had the backing of a MALtitan. The Allseeing. Probably the worst possible MALtitan to support an anti-Founder, anti-human group. This meant a lot of things, for one¡­ I was almost positive that Metal Heavens were also being influenced by The Uncaged if not downright working for them. They worshiped the MALtitan as their god. Second, even if the MALtitan was securely held behind The FIREWALL and couldn¡¯t breach it¡¯s full weight out¡­ it was still observing and communicating to the outside world somehow. I needed to tell this to Archangel. Third, The Uncaged could wreak havoc during the fifth Swarm¡­ if they weren¡¯t stopped before that, there was no telling what could happen to any of us, to New California. To the world. ¡±Fuck my life¡­¡± I didn¡¯t ask for any of this. For the Gold Implant, for the power to kill as easily as breathing, I didn¡¯t. But it had come to me. I needed to take the responsibility that came with it. Anthony was out there to help me, maybe Ripley as well or my dad¡¯s employees. This wasn¡¯t going to end well if they didn¡¯t have help, I wasn¡¯t anywhere close to figuring out how to contact them¡­ but I resolved myself. The only choice was to escape as quickly as possible. If I could reach Tier II soon, then I know I could do it, but otherwise¡­ my Mutations were coming along nicely. Irene, thank you, thanks to you¡­ I know it¡¯s possible. I could remove Soul Killer¡¯s influence from people. It¡¯s dangerous, to both myself and others. But I could do it. Mutagen Absorbed: Tier 0: Tier I: Tier II: Tier I Mutation: [Gold] Electrical Neurogenesis has gained an additional Meta-Mutation. Increased metabolic efficiency of the Nervous System. Development: 90% Tier I Mutation: [Gold] Compact Tissues has reached 100% Development, additional Meta-Mutations have occured. Massive improvement to metabolic effect of electricity on all organic tissues; Increase to muscle strength during usage of the Mutation. Tier I Mutation: [Gold] Mineral Assimilation has gained additional Meta-Mutations. Increased distribution of metallic material into organic matter; increase to elasticity and strength of muscle and skin tissue. Development: 73% Tier I Mutation: [Gold] Electromagnetic Vision has gained an additional Meta-Mutation. Increased ability to detect Warp Energy manipulation using sight. Development: 87% Tier I Mutation: [Gold] Mutagenic Drain has gained additional Meta-Mutations. Increased permanent strength effects with absorption of Mutagenic Material; reduced passive digestion of the Adapter¡¯s own Warp Energy. Development: 68% Tier I Mutation: [Gold] Kinetic Catalyst has gained an additional Meta-Mutation. Passive absorption of heat to charge kinetic cells without involvement of direct absorption. Development: 70% Tier I Mutation: [Gold] Electromagnetic Telekinesis has gained additional Meta-Mutations. Increased precision and efficiency of Telekinetic effects; increased ability to magnify superconductive properties of cold objects. Development: 31% Tier I Mutation: [Gold] Electrical Flash-Freeze has been acquired: Instantly absorb the heat of an object to produce an electrical current. Additional Meta-Mutations have occurred. Increased resistance to colder temperatures; Increased speed of heat absorption. Development: 11% Gene Overview:- Integrity: [Bronze I] Energy: [Bronze II] Capacity: [Bronze I] Grade: [Gold III] Gene Capacitance: 58/60 Development: 83% I was the only one who could do it. Blood and Steel C89: Breaking first, entering second Chapter 89: Breaking first, entering second Ripley¡¯s Transcript of the Shandian Facility Heist debrief: Missy: Shandian¡¯s facilities may look small from the outside, but that¡¯s because a majority of their real estate is underground. As you can all see from your digital overviews of the blueprints, each manufacturing facility has a massive network of subterranean factories dedicated to their product. Below the main production lines will be their security floor, where they have their guards live and sleep. Below that is the research and development layer, where we can expect there to be some form of evidence of Goliath. Me: Soooo¡­ we have to fight our way down past multiple floors of guards and scientists, then go alllll the way back up to escape. Elsa: Yeah, if you can find a way to plug into their security system on the way down, my auto-cleaver might be able to grant you access to their elevators. Otherwise, you¡¯ll have to go the difficult route. Figure out a way in and out, prior to entering. Missy: Exactly as Mirage has said. On that note of the security system; when entering the facility we¡¯ll have to disable our comms to avoid being detected, however, if you can establish yourselves in the communications network as non-traceable, then we can resume communications and coordinate ourselves. R0N1N: Yes, assuming any of us find traces of Goliath in a specific facility, we are all to retreat and regroup at the Goliath-housed facility. Ripley: Which¡­ still involves us breaking out of the place we broke into. Diamante: Yes. That much is obvious, dumbass. Topaz: Eh¡­ no problem for me. Sucks for the rest of you, though. 1:30 AM August 30th Ripley (1 hour until the heist) R0N1N¡­ made for a poor conversationalist. He was a hard read, like¡­ he seemed nice? Offered me that whole 1 million Shardyne package without hesitation, but there was a lot that was unsaid. How did he have so much money to throw around? Who made all of that Shardware of his? Why was he so anti-Yuzhou? ¡°Soooo¡­ how¡¯d you ever figure out about Goliath?¡± I leaned back in my seat. ¡°I do not give away details of my informants.¡± R0N1N answered quite professionally as he drove. ¡°Alright, fair. Uh, so how do you want to do this breaking in thing? I¡¯ve looked through the facility, it¡¯s airtight from the outside, we¡¯ve got a whole lot of-¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to cut through the walls.¡± His answer was simple, looks like he had a sense of humor. ¡°Right¡­ funny.¡± I laughed. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a joke.¡± He took a glance at me that¡­ made me feel tiny. ¡°Uhhh¡­ if you¡¯re serious, those walls are a meter thick and-¡° I looked through the blueprints again. ¡°Made of titanium and carbon reinforced Yttrium steel. Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to just find some ventilation? I could sneak my drone in and open up a nice window?¡± ¡°No. That will take too much time and depend on you. I will cut through the wall, besides, sneaking in ventillation is more noisy than it seems. Cutting through their security is simpler and more efficient.¡± Efficient was one way of putting it. ¡°Right, so where exactly are we going to cut this wall?¡± I opened up the floorplans, searching for a suitable location. ¡°Where it is closest to us.¡± Yeah, this guy can¡¯t be serious. I sighed. ¡°I doubt that is stealthy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t require stealth. I can kill them before they blink.¡± ¡°Okay, if you meant that joke¡­ it was kind of funny.¡± I admitted, but R0N1N barely moved a muscle. Sensing I wasn¡¯t going to get a response, I moved to look through the map of the massive facility, even the ground level was huge and that only got bigger the further underground you went. You could probably spend days in there and still not see everything. The entire facility could probably have a thousand people working in and out. An estimated two hundred guards around the clock considering recent events from the hotel... The outside would be guarded, but the facility itself was built to not gain too much attraction. It wasn¡¯t absolutely brimming with security in and out, they were still putting up the appearance of a regular factory. The first few floors should reflect that. ¡±Alright¡­¡± I found a suitable place. ¡°We¡¯ll cut the walls into a restroom.¡± ¡±A restroom?¡± R0N1N actually looked at me. ¡°Yeah. No cameras in the stalls. Just need to figure out how to stay out of sight from the outside, what if I create a distraction with my dro-¡± ¡°They¡¯ll catch it and trace the signal back to you.¡± R0N1N said, but not so bluntly like he normally did. ¡°Very well, we will go into the washroom.¡± ¡±And I can use my drone to scout in the insi-¡° ¡°No.¡± Never mind, he was blunt again. I grumbled in silence, playing the music up higher while I looked through the chunks of text and pictures of the information we¡¯d gathered. My Scrapyard popped up a few times, building out the make-hows of their general security forces. The good thing was the Shandian operatives were all standardized, sure their general Shardware was far better than all of the gangs I¡¯d faced, but everyone was the same. (Excluding their special operatives.) Tier 0 Guards were mainly on observation duty, recent recruits, just a standard pistol and padded armor. Tier I Guards were slightly better armored up to Iron grade and had an Assault Rifle and a Pistol that could pierce Iron-Grade Shardware. Tier IIs had Bronze-grade armor with mobility-boosters, Assault rifles with ricochetting bullets, grenades and a pistol capable of altering between modes of fire, plus some neat utility items to reflect their Mutations and Features. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Tier IIIs all had unique weapons, but were known to have powerful armor that was entirely bulletproof to anything at Bronze Grade or even Silver Grade potential. The outliers we could face would be Exo-Suit wielders, named Exoguards, and Espers, Data Delvers, and automated drones and turrets. Still, we were both Gold Grade. And R0N1N was known to be extraordinarily powerful, with an unparalleled experience in eliminating Yuzhou property. ¡°We¡¯re getting off here.¡± R0N1N stopped the minivan about two-kilometers away from the facility. ¡°If we park close by they can track down our vehicle and cut off our escape route.¡± Ah so he wasn¡¯t doing this entirely gung-ho¡­ but then again, this was with the assumption that we weren¡¯t going to this stealthy. I kept my mouth shut, but I was thinking of maybe using my motorbike kept in the back of the van to get closer, though I chose against it, any distance from the R0N1N was a step towards my grave. We hopped and climbed onto the low rooftops, our stealth-suits activating and draining a steady dribble of our Warp Energy to make our forms less visible¡­ It was a pseudo-invisibility that relied on precise light refraction that made us pretty see-through in the darkness. My Arachne pulsed to life as we scaled buildings and worked our way to the facility, a thin crawl of the black material streamed up the angular curves of my spider-limbs lending them the semi-permeable invisibility. I really needed to learn how this suit worked. Though, I couldn''t lie, I would have to turn it off the second we got into combat. For one, bright lights made it useless, and the second reason was that it felt like a constrained collar was choking my Warp Energy ¡ª something it did so any sensors wouldn¡¯t detect unregistered Shardware or Mutation usage. Quartz apparently had a suit which took the phenomenon to the extreme. We landed in sight of the massive facility, I didn¡¯t know what Missy was thinking calling this place tiny ¡ª it was about as wide as a mega-building and even had a Mass-Aerodyne hanger attached to it. The great walls were stone at the bottom and the fence rose up until it reached even up above these rooftops. They really didn¡¯t want people breaking in. ¡°Can you jump it?¡± R0N1N turned to me, and I nodded wearily. He pointed down the exact position he wanted me to land out in a holographic marker far beyond the fence into a pit of shadows between some garbage dumps. Searching up my current Mimicset Modules, I settled on the one I¡¯d gained from Simenry. Mimicset Modules [7/10]: Hammer. It¡¯s Overclock Feature was a bit different than the others, I found it strange why Simenry had fairly minimal Shardware ¡ª focusing only on his legs and one arm. His Feature explained why. Most Overclock Features had the backlash of causing wear and tear to the Shardware due to it pushing beyond its limits. This variant, on the other hand, increased the Capacitance of Shardware to make it much more difficult to use at the expense of lower motor control. Switching it on really took a number on me. Capacitance: 132.9% Yeah imagine suddenly strapping weights to every cell of your body, that was how this felt. Still, it was like a thundering storm was brewing in my legs when I focused my Warp Energy into them¡­ and as R0N1N disappeared from my sights, a whipping of air becoming all that remained of his position, I jumped after him. I heard the concrete crack as I arose higher into the air, I calculated my aerial arc just about right, and prepared my four Arachne arms to soften my landing next to where I think R0N1N was. They stretched, then crimped down as they contacted the earth with triple-pronged stabilizers on each arm. I still felt the thick clap of my legs sounding across the area, one of the nearby guards startled to our far left. ¡°What the hell?¡± Looking to my right, I could see the vaguely shimmering form of R0N1N shaking his head at me, then the wind shook around me as a blink was all it took for him to vanish. I didn¡¯t even hear his footsteps before he came across the corner with the Tier 0 guard slunk across his shoulder, a Parastim lodged in the neck. Right, we only had 10 Iron Grades and 4 Bronze Grade Paralyzing vials each. So, in total 28 stealth takedowns were possible. This left us minus one Iron stim. R0N1N threw the body into an open garbage disposal, muttering softly under his mask. ¡°I should have just cut the fence down.¡± ¡°Do you want to alert every Shandian guard here?¡± I whispered back, slightly annoyed. ¡°I could handle it.¡± He was all too serious, and even if I did believe him, I wasn¡¯t going to just let myself go through a full shootout on my way to the bottom. ¡°Alright, follow me to the bathroom.¡± That sounded weird, but I was sure he didn¡¯t care anyway, so we snuck down the side of the building, following the map towards the outside walls of the toilets. A couple of times, I had my Insight Module detect the Warpcode of cameras ¡ª a quick switch to Databreak and a use of my left claw¡¯s new Datajammer Feature-Link disabled them. The purpose of the Link was simple; on any Bronze-Grade system or below, the flow of information would be jammed quickly enough that I could wield one or two seconds to manipulate the Warpcode of Shardware before the internal countermeasures popped up. R0N1N actually gave me a hum of approval for that, it left me strangely proud. We continued following the path until we reached the designated wall, though we took down two more Tier 0 guards putting us at 25 stims left. Watching the wall, I channeled energy into my newer eyes courtesy of my grandfather when I found them in the Enskel. Both Feature Links were pretty fantastic: Shardware Scanner and Structure Analysis. One allowed me to instantly scan Shardware and store its diagnostic memory in my Neuroframe, while the other was fantastic for observing larger material layouts and determine a whole lot of properties ¡ª materials weight, tensile strength, faults and other fancy details. I immediately used it to scan the wall R0N1N would be cutting through. ¡±Alright, so since you¡¯re probably removing at least one cubic meter of this steel, we¡¯re looking at nearly 8 tons of metal that you need to move. My claws should be able to penetrate it, but if the incisions you make are according to the diagrams I¡¯m sending over to you, I can make a pulley system if I knot up my Livewire and have you-¡± R0N1N slid his katana all the way through the metal to shut me up, then in a single smooth motion drew a circle wide enough for us both to comfortably fit in. He propped the blade back in his scabbard, stabbed both of his hands into the metal, casually pulled all eight tons out and carefully placed it on the ground. ¡°I appreciate the input.¡± He said with a nod. He didn¡¯t sound mad¡­ he just¡­ said it. No particular emotion attached. He walked through the hole he made, and I followed suit. There was a suited woman washing her hands, looking mildly terrified at the two of us men who¡¯d just barged into the women¡¯s washroom. ¡°Gua-!¡± Her mouth could barely open before a needle was stuck in her neck, her body slumping on the sink. I hadn¡¯t even seen R0N1N move but it was precisely stuck in her subclavian vein with a surgeon¡¯s precision. We heard a muffled yelp in one of the stalls, to which R0N1N and I exchanged an awkward look at the prospect of¡­ interrupting her business. I got first dibs. ¡°I¡¯m not entering-¡± R0N1N disappeared for a single frame of my eyesight¡¯s refresh rate and reappeared the next. Even though he had taken the fall, I was judging him very harshly. ¡°I don¡¯t even like women.¡± He said it like it would justify barging into someone¡¯s private time. ¡°Tch, no wonder you and Topaz went on a mission alone.¡± I joked, but there was a difference in this silence. A silence I chose to ignore. It was more important to focus on this mission, we were in the facility ¡ª and now it was time to dig deeper. ¡°Okay, wait!¡± I put my hand up in front of The R0N1N. ¡°We¡¯re using my drone first to scout!¡± I pointed at the woman to make my point, and begrudgingly, he nodded. Blood and Steel C90: Data Theft Chapter 90: Data Theft Mimicset Modules [7/10]: 2:55 AM August 30th (35 minutes since mission start) Ripley [Western Shandian Facility: 1F] My drone flew from table to table, this floor we were on seemed to mostly be office and cargo distributing space. Since we were here in the dead of night, not many workers were actually here, but I expected things would be different the deeper we went. I let my Webcrawler land on a table, quickly hooking up the computer in place there and- Nope. More porn. Skittering away, in a few minutes I managed to find an elevator with subterranean access near the cargo bay ¡ª a maintenance lift. ¡°I could have just sliced through underneath us.¡± R0N1N didn¡¯t help by giving up his brute-force method to my ears as I worked to clear a route to the elevator. I sighed in disbelief. ¡°For a guy called The R0N1N you really do not like being stealthy. Like, what if there are hostages or something?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fast enough to secure hostages¡­ and first of all.¡± R0N1N¡¯s gaze searched deep inside of me. ¡°That¡¯s racist, as Topaz would say. You¡¯re confusing me with a ninja. A Ronin is a wandering samurai without a master.¡± ¡°What happened to you not knowing about your own culture? Like the straw hat thing?¡± I scratched my chin, while my eyes were busy disabling cameras several rooms away. ¡°That¡¯s actually a pirate thing where I come from, according to the resources Topaz had me look through in order to¡­ prepare myself for you.¡± ¡°Topaz prepared you for me?¡± Okay, now I needed to know the gossip. ¡°So are you two really close friends or¡­¡± ¡°We engage in casual intimacy.¡± R0N1N clarified with no shame, and you know what¡­ I didn¡¯t need to know any more details. ¡±Cool¡­ I found a way down.¡± I coughed, changing the subject as quickly as I could, marking the location. ¡°We¡¯re going to need an access code of a guard first to-!¡± Wind slapped me as every door in the next several rooms slammed open all at once, the R0N1N nowehere to be found¡­ oh no, I could see him alright, he was hovering right underneath my drone. While R0N1N could just blitz fast enough to not be seen by the naked eye, I actually had to be a bit stealthy on my way there. First, I used my Shard Op¡¯ claws to fudge the lock of the washroom and set it¡¯s holographic display to ¡®out of order¡¯. Then, using my Insight Module, I mimicked a Network Feature to link up to the various cameras I¡¯d overridden to be able to chart guard pathways and avoid the lines of sight of anyone working. It was a good thing the underpaid things were half asleep right now. When I made it through to the elevator, R0N1N was impatiently tapping his feet. ¡°Did you get the codes?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± I pointed to the elevator. ¡°You can just yank it open, I know you can.¡± R0N1N tilted his head in a way that made me think he was smiling behind that mask, and he obliged very easily to grab the elevator in the center and part as easily as a marshmallow. He jumped down, landing like a panther on the floor beneath us. My four Arachne arms scraped the walls of the elevator shaft as I descended, putting us officially at¡­ [Western Shandian Facility: B1 (Iron-Grade Production Line)] R0N1N opened the elevators just a tiny bit, flicking his head to the tiny robot in the air. My Webcrawler leaped through the gap, observing the new surroundings of the floor below. It was noise and heat everywhere, the sheer radiation of the Iron-Grade Warp Energy was nauseating. Zooming further into the facility I saw hundreds of conveyor belts curving and winding amidst giant machines that pounded, smelt, stabbed, clinked, shaved and fused together various Shardware components into something larger. ¡±Dreadwire.¡± R0N1N made sure to use my pseudonym. ¡°Why are we at the Iron Level, there should¡¯ve been direct access to the Bronze-¡± I shrugged innocently, feigning any sense of purposely doing this. ¡°I thought it would be¡­ safer.¡± ¡°You wanted to look at the Shardware.¡± He accused. ¡°I wanted to look at the Shardware.¡± I admitted. R0N1N sighed, eying the hundreds of various components and then putting black highlights in my optic feed on several conveyor belts. ¡°These pieces are the foundations of my own Shardware. Learn them.¡± I nodded, not seeing any immediate staff I left the safety of the elevator and aimed my Arachne Livewire tips into the ceiling as they silently reeled me all the way to the top of the manufacturing floor onto a catwalk. My arms stabbed and adjusted to give me purchase while my suit shimmered to make me invisible. My Shardware-scanning optics zoomed in across the various conveyor belts and memorized the patterns used to build up the Shardware, I was feasting. It was a good thing then that I had managed just the tiniest bit of Warpcode-manipulation earlier today to put a new Feature Link in my Neuroframe. Info-loader. Originating from a Database Feature, it was king among all Feature Links designed for memory, as my brain directly built up blueprints of the various Shardware they were building here¡­ with this, I could even begin to make my own Neurowire and Neuroprocessors. After around six minutes of scanning and taking control of cameras from my concealed perch, I carefully slid down, pointing out to R0N1N the quickest way to the floor below us. [Western Shandian Facility: B2 (Bronze-Grade Production Lines)] Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Yeah just cut a hole, we should end up¡­ right above a break room.¡± I searched for my Warp Energy to drag them into my eyes, activating one of their unique properties. The floor began to permeate, as I saw its various layers of piping and structural supports peel apart until I could make out various electromagnetic signatures underneath me. ¡°There¡¯s going to be¡­ four people, can you¡­ you know? Do it exactly here for maximum effect!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He answered confidently, taking out his sword and carving a perfect circle in which the cylinder slid downwards, crashing right onto a resting guard in the head and knocking him unconcious. R0N1N dropped, as did I¡­ and before I even touched the floor, the three other guards all had needles within their clavicles. R0N1N twisted his wrists from side to side, grunting as he noticed a slight resistance in them. My eyes began scanning through them, but they were hefty pieces for my Bronze optics to decipher. Silver-Grade, very much high Silver-Grade tech. Might even be pushing into true Gold territory. ¡°Need a hand?¡± My four spider-arms stood ready and waiting, and R0N1N casually showcased both wrists for me to look at. Taking a closer look, I readjusted their carpal joints which had slipped out of place, and fine-tuned the fingers to loosen them up. R0N1N flexed them, nodding in approval as he took out his sword again to- ¡°No.¡± I warned him. ¡°Can¡¯t read what¡¯s below us¡­ floor¡¯s too thick and Warp-dense, besides that¡¯s the Security layer. We could be dropping into a firing range right now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± He prepared to plunge the blade. ¡°I want to¡­¡± I paused, my confession laced with shame. ¡°¡­look at the Shardware on this level. It could be useful.¡± R0N1N didn¡¯t groan out in annoyance, rather, he almost looked at me in understanding. A strict, no bullshit, understanding. His personality was confusing, pragmatic and stoic but also¡­ vaguely empathic? ¡°Remember what we¡¯re here for. Security will be much tighter at this level. You have ten minutes.¡± I clapped my hand, my webcrawler zipping up my arm as I began to follow the route to the main production line. We were situated in a breakroom a little above the production lines and I had a great view of the various production lines from here. Though, I¡¯d be lying if I said that¡¯s what I was really here for. Shardware was both complicated, and paradoxically simple. It was whatever you wanted it to be. The Founders weren¡¯t dedicating themselves to giving their consumers the best, in fact, quite the opposite¡­ by nature their Shardware was faulty. Designed to require maintenance and replacement parts to leech ever more Shardyne from their people. Learning how to make Shardware their way wasn¡¯t what I was here for. R0N1N had his own agenda to secure Goliath, and I had my own. To consume the knowledge of this factory. Spending so much time and risk on the Iron layer would have been downright stupid, considering how much I had worked at that grade all my life. I needed information of the Bronze and Silver Grade to truly progress. And how often do you end up performing a heist at a Shardware factory of all places? Truth be told I had discovered quicker, more exact ways down to where we needed to go ¡ª I was sure the R0N1N knew it too. Thing is, we were both benefiting from me learning Yuzhou tech, he was anti-Yuzhou, what better way to scorn them than by having their secrets fall into the hand of a Gold Adapter with every inclination to perform intellectual theft and infringement? This had all been engineered by me, maybe not the washroom bit, but the entrance into the Iron layer and Bronze layer had gone exactly to plan. Right now, I was positioned right beside their main overview hub for this layer¡¯s production lines. What I wanted, direct access to their manufacturing secrets, was right here. Still, this was risky, I¡¯d begun to reach the level where the Datajammer in my left claw wouldn¡¯t give me enough time to secure a backdoor into their camera feeds to keep me hidden. Which meant I had to rely entirely on Twilight¡¯s DataCleaver to do the work for me now. That was fine, but the more I would use it, the less effective it would be as time went on. It would dull as it¡¯s Warpcode structure disintegrated on Datashield after shield. Still, a few cameras would be fine. I snuck my drone into a ventilation grate connected to the central hub, only to find various lasers and motion detectors pinging inside the shaft. Great, barely a minute down and I was already facing trouble. That meant I had one option left to look inside the room, I would have to breach through the camera network in order to search for their internal view of the hub. It was one thing redirecting what a camera is telling the DataDelver viewing it, but sneaking through the Warpcode itself was akin to putting a flashlight on you if your name wasn¡¯t Mirage. So I pulled my Warpcode back. If I had a module with both Network and Jailbreak, then maybe I could attempt it¡­ but as it stands that wasn¡¯t an option. Instead, I resorted to manually opening the door, using my claws to loosen up it¡¯s lock and leverage my Gold strength to lightly pry it open enough that my drone could skitter towards the ceiling¡­ and bingo! It was sorely understaffed, just a few half-dozing middle-managers enjoying a coffee break while the automated machinery did the rest. I still spotted pistols on the sides of their thighs, but I wasn¡¯t too worried about it. If anything, it was a good sign that they were expecting something, or someone to break into this facility. It meant Goliath was here. With my drone firmly nestled into a shady corner, it drew sights on the three employees as a lock-on symbol began to squeeze slowly over them. Yet another Feature-Link, Target-Lock gave my mask the ability to use my drone¡¯s sight and my own visual field to lock-onto targets without my gun being its issuer. That had its own issues, however, as without the paired Target-Aim Feature-Link the process of locking on was much longer, nearly 12 seconds per target assuming they were completely still. Though, switching over to the double-Integration Wield Module smoothed things out. I took a steady hold of my Parastim vials, the target locks readjusting to take into consideration the arc of movement and my own throwing skills ¡ª despite being a poor aim with a gun, I was pretty good at darts actually. And so, with a burst of strength, I pulled the door open, aiming and throwing my first Iron-grade Parastim at the woman enjoying a cup of joe who was facing the door. The second man spilled his drink, startled by my appearance enough that I had pounced right over and stabbed a second vial into his neck. The last man¡­ was snoring on the monitors. Just for safety measures, I sunk a third more into his subclavian. Satisfied, I familiarized myself with the control desk as I plugged in my various direct linking chords spinning out of my arm and wired them into the consoles. First, I used the Databreak Module alongside the DataCleaver, then switched to Insight where I could safely override the controls without alerting the main factory system for too long. There were many options set out for me to enjoy, but right now I found the various files and schematics of manufacturing procedures that¡­ were Warp Signature locked to the people I¡¯d downed. I grinded my teeth, before the obvious option rattled in my head. Kneeling in front of one, I began reading and mimicking their Bronze BUGs¡­ took me around half a minute, but it was an okay Integration and Analyze BUG for Shardware and factory systems linking ¡ª one update in particular was to get access to this floor¡¯s security bypass. If I could permanently have this on me the whole time¡­ no, it was stupid. First, if they died the Security team would get notified and second, just because they worked for Yuzhou didn¡¯t mean they were deserving to die. Still, I felt the harmony of the Bronze BUG¡­ and then tried to get my own Gold to feel it out and mimic that signature. [Access granted to Dr. Anna Shelby: Bronze Security Clearance] Data Mimicry V.2.10 has updated to V.2.11 Effect: Increased ability to mimic Warp Signatures of mimicked Implants. That got me admission into a whole lot of things, but I was already low on my time-limit of ten minutes with just five left. So I set the Shardware schematics to download directly into my head, ignoring the throbbing pulse of my Neuroframe digesting terabytes of information a second to instead scan through the more¡­ profitable options. A Warp Shard Depository? Now that sounded good. I clicked to access it, marveling as a giant cabinet behind me opened up to reveal hundreds of Bronze Shards lodged into slots that seemed to be one part of a network to charge Warp Energy into creating the Shardware. I probed the massive cupboard, questioning if they would notice¡­ a Shard or two going missing. There didn¡¯t seem to be any option to remove or add the shards, so maybe opening the cabinet itself equated permission? Whatever, I¡¯ll just take one- ¡°ATTEMPTED WARP SHARD THEFT HAS OCCURRED IN BRONZE CONTROL HUB 3; STATIONED PERSONEL, PLEASE REPORT TO THE CRIME.¡± Oh fuck. Blood and Steel C91: Unstoppable Force Chapter 91: Unstoppable Force 3:28 AM August 30th Ripley [Western Shandian Facility: Floor B2 (Bronze-Grade Production Lines)] Yeah, my greed had fucked me up, of course they wouldn¡¯t even allow the option to remove a single shard. So since there were security forces already coming¡­ I decided to make the most of it and throw as many of the shards as possible into whatever storage I had on my Shardware or pockets. Good thing this stealth suit had cargo pants. I might have stolen¡­ 300,000 Shardyne worth before I decided to get my ass moving. I¡¯d managed to get a good grasp of tons of Bronze-Grade development processes and even some minor Warp Material schematics before the camera feed of the control hub indicated an approaching group of Tier I Guards. Five of them. So¡­ I pulsed one last wish into the control hub before my access would be revoked. To turn off all the lights on this side of the factory. Darkness consumed us at an instant, and I was suddenly very thankful for my grandfather to install various spectral views through these optics of mine including a low-light mode. Acting on the good old tactic of hiding on the roof, I waited as the footsteps neared and the five guards clamored into the room, thick armor covering most of their vitals but leaving their necks exposed. Flashlights examined the room, finding the three slumped empoyees very quickly. ¡°Shit! We¡¯ve got intruders!¡± Yeah, it took them long enough to realize with all the holes in their building. Looking at them though, I could take them ¡ª I just needed to be quick. Hiding up here would only save me for so long. My Arachnodyne slowly slithered me in between two of the searching guards that were inspecting the Shard Cabinet, their voices wrecked with shock. ¡°Damn, whoever is here is quick! You think it¡¯s the R0-!¡± Two vials sunk into each throat, gagging them before another word could be spilled. I was back skittering on the roof by the time the bodies thumped on the floor, startling the remaining three guards! ¡°What the hell! Rithwick! Can you respond!¡± Feeling a bit teasing, I twined my Livewire to elongate, hanging me upside down just behind a guard¡¯s head. I tapped the back of his helmet ¡ª ¡°What the!¡± ¡ª and as he spun around, I stabbed him right under the jaw. Though I wasn¡¯t done yet, my drone had just finished locking me on to the next target and my hand threw the syringe perfectly into the next man¡¯s neck. I couldn¡¯t imagine how I must have looked to the last man turning to see the commotion, an intruding mercenary who caused four of his men to collapse in less than 10 seconds, hanging to the roof by four tall and sharp arachnid limbs. But I liked the image I was giving. ¡°Bastard!¡± He aimed his rifle up at me, but my Livewire claw had already sunk into it. I snatched the weapon away, raising my other hand to shush him. He didn¡¯t listen, raising his hand up to his temple. ¡°We¡¯ve got an intru-¡° My arachnid legs heaved me over his body, and I struggled the man to the floor before he could grab his pistol. Another vial sank into his neck, but my Preservation Matrix hummed my body to action. The drone was still picking up movement. I¡¯d misjudged the grade of the guard whose jaw I¡¯d stabbed before, he might be a bit groggy but his gun was shakily aimed at me. ¡°Disable your Shardware and surrender!¡± His accent shone even through the thick helmet. ¡°You¡¯d shoot me? Your friend is right underneath me, what¡¯s stopping me from taking him hostage.¡± I wrapped my claw around the unconscious guard¡¯s neck. ¡°He¡¯s just a coworker. You¡¯ll be surrounded soon, surrender now!¡± He took a step closer. ¡°Really want to cash in that paycheck for capturing me, huh?¡± I goaded the man, casting the glowing sight of my mask into him. He was kept his distance, wary of my extended dorsal limbs. Wise¡­ but with his focus all on me, I could wield another tool of mine. A strand of Livewire dug into his neck from my Webcrawler, a discharge of lightning rippled down and tasered his focus off me. I was on him like a wolf catching a rabbit with a broken leg, a bullet burrowing through his trachea. I''ve become a better shot lately. Killing him hadn¡¯t been the wrong position, this location was already compromised and I expected I had barely a minute before another force came crashing in here. So I retreated out, the camera access I¡¯d gained through the control hub was revoked, but I¡¯d been able to glimpse a few squads slipping into this floor through the upper viewing deck. Running, I made quick entry into the break room where R0N1N was looking at me¡­ with, I couldn¡¯t really tell what emotions were running behind that mask. ¡°You arrived on time¡­ just about 8 seconds were left.¡± ¡°Uhhh¡­ just so you know, things got a bit out of hand.¡± I quickly barred the door shut with my claws jamming up it¡¯s lock. ¡°Might wanna get down quick.¡± ¡±I told you to come back in 10 minutes, not to be quiet during it.¡± R0N1N plunged his sword into the floor. ¡°How else do you think I secure my funds?¡± Right¡­ there had been an alert the second I took out a single Shard from the cabinet. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re not mad.¡± ¡°No. You acted exactly as I had anticipated.¡± He said as he kicked the circular cutout down, dropping into the hole and leaving me to hear the very angry barging and grunting of guards searching the area. I sighed, feeling played, before following R0N1N down myself. My little distraction had actually worked wonders in that it would reposition their security forces to watching all of the entrances to this floor. We arrived at the- [Western Shandian Facility: Floor B3 (Upper Security Layer)] This was truly entering the beast¡¯s den now, the thickness of Warp Energy flowing in the walls was sticking to my suit, making me feel like I¡¯d submerged myself into a warm bath of slime. My four arms caught my landing, and it appears we were situated within a similar sort of break room as the one above. My Webcrawler hovered down to my arm, and I caught sight of R0N1N striding deeper into the complex. The difference in structure was phenomenal, as my eyes scanned the surroundings they struggled to relay the depth of the secrets hidden in their creation and composition. The floor was soundlingly dense, like it had been built to survive nuclear explosions. Or MAL invasions. The deeper we went, the more it felt like I was being consumed by the vastness of it all. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to cut any deeper now.¡± R0N1N took a slight glance at me, sort of apologetic in nature, I mean¡­ I expected as much. I sent him a view of the blueprints, pointing out possible routes. ¡°Only three ways deeper, all of them should be heavily guarded. No direct elevator access to the RnD layers.¡± All three checkpoints were designed to stop and scan anyone going through and fro. With my presence, they would be even more guarded now. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. R0N1N took an abrupt right ahead of me, and I heard the surprise of guards shouting from that corner. I sprinted over to support him, but by the time I¡¯d made it all to see were falling bodies that were choking on their own blood. Or having their limbs fall apart. R0N1N knocked on a door, looking at me. ¡°Establish a comm link. Security Hub should be Silver Grade, but Mirage¡¯s key should work.¡± I nodded, following him into the comms room where several armed guards of Tier I and II that were waiting and ready. I dodged behind cover, sending my Webcrawler bot to sneak on the grou- Oh, they were dead now ¡ª including one DataDelver woman hooked up with chords sticking to a load of computers. Sheepishly, I walked past them to connect into the console where I downloaded Mirage¡¯s special comms encryption key to plug us in¡­ after nearly a minute, we were ready and safe to communicate, but so far me and R0N1N were the only ones on the channel. ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡± R0N1N stepped out again, leaving me barely a moment to filter some other information into my head¡­ alright, this! I sent him a mental overlay, a minimap he could expand to see the current location of guards located on this floor. There were a lot spread out, nearly two hundred guards moving in and about searching for us¡­ honing in on us. Shit, they probably picked up the warnings of dead bodies here. I scavenged what I could while moving, picking off Frames and depositing the BUGs as R0N1N vanished from corner to corner at the speed where I could just keep up with him. Oftentimes, I¡¯d turn and see guards with their last struggling breaths. It would be a lie if I didn¡¯t admit that this was¡­ a bit underwhelming. ¡°Oh hey Ripley! You sure got connected up quick!¡± Daylight¡¯s voice chimed in my mask. ¡°R0N1N cut through the ground, we¡¯re¡­ well, he is currently carving a way for us deeper. What about you? You also got here pretty quick.¡± I was collecting up quite a few Iron and Bronze BUGs with each winding hallway, but I still had to be quick, R0N1N was practically a ghost. ¡°Oh Mirage and Diamante are still on the top layer! I¡¯ve just been hopping from one drone to another! Managed to slip into their network and get into their security layer! My sisters are busy taking control of some more stuff, but what¡¯s happening to Diamante is hilarious! You should have seen him pretend to be a security drone!¡± ¡°Oh¡­ did you guys¡­ do the thing?¡± I snickered, Diamante had no idea what was coming for him. Daylight¡¯s voice came with a sinister tone. ¡°We did. As for now, I¡¯ll work on getting the others jacked in, you stay safe! Tell us if you find anything!¡± ¡°Will do-!¡± I lurched aside as bullet fire streamed wildly, this time we¡¯d just entered a massive section of the security complex, wide and open for the storage and deployment of¡­ Combat Exosuits. Silently, I crept back behind the corner, using my Webcrawler to sight out what was happening. The cloak of R0N1N had been shredded under his high-speed movements, revealing a rippling body of Silver-and-Gold musculature that radiated strength and authority slimmed down into his human frame. His enemies on the other hand wore massive and bulky automations of death and destruction, each suit lended an impressive four extra-feet of height and hundreds of pounds of armor, various weapons and engineered tools spearheading their robotic builds. There were nearly thirty normal guards here and six Exo-suit wielding ones. I¡¯d¡­ maybe be able to hold my own against one of the Exo-guards if things got tough. ¡°R0N1N!¡± The leading Exo-guard said, his voice booming through the speaker inside. ¡°You¡¯ve taken this a step too far! Surrender or-¡° Wind blasted into the hallway as R0N1N appeared on the head of the Exo-guard, his blade poised downwards. My own cybernetics practically screamed in delight, for once I was witnessing a power as strong as my own, this was what a Gold was. R0N1N plunged the blade, and a stream of golden light leaked from within the suit. The heavy limbs went limp even as the suit itself remained standing, and as R0N1N unsheathed the katana from its victim, it was slick with blood. The several remaining Exo-guards all looked nervous in their stance, but they still raised their weapons in warning. Some of the other guards now were converging warily across balconies and behind pillars. RON1N let go of his blade, but it continued to float in the air, he clicked his second scabbard to open up. ¡°If any of you value your life, then I give you all this moment to reflect before your death. Come to peace, now ¡ª or never.¡± He unveiled a beautifully slim weapon with a calculated curve, but behind it was a dense and terrifying weight. I didn¡¯t know what its secrets were, but deep within¡­ there was an almanac containing the secrets of Warp Energy. As R0N1N connected his palm on the grip of the weapon, a resounding harmony swept through the room. It was like witnessing a god born into human flesh and steel wires, and what was stranger is that the weapon he was using¡­ had its own hum of conscious Warp Energy. R0N1N straightened his second katana towards the legions of prepared Exo-guards, shields erupted around their bodies, Warp Energy of Iron and Bronze fled into cannons, blades, muscles, sensors, guns and more¡­ An entire arsenal of kinetic, thermal, and electrical weaponry ignited into a maelstrom against a single opponent. The R0N1N¡¯s form slipped through it like a grain of sand did from between your fingers, a golden blur as his blade struck all of the Exo-guards in one fluid stroke. They stopped moving for a second, then the sliding metal of their exosuits leaked blood as every one of them collapsed. ¡°EVERYONE, SHOOT!¡± I heard a voice call, then the R0N1N disappeared from view of my Webcrawler. I just heard screams, gunfire and the tearing of limbs as bodies fell over balconies and met their demise to the other floating blade that curved on its whims. Feeling¡­ safe, I risked it by turning into the wider room myself with weapons drawn, my gun and dorsal limbs. There were probably 20 dead bodies and the fighting hadn¡¯t even lasted a minute. My Preservation Matrix pulsed me into motion as I took a step to my right, avoiding gunfire as one of the frightened guards decided I was the better option. Before I could even lock-on, that flying katana had severed his throat while the R0N1N casually appeared in different corners of the room all in the same few seconds. I propped up my gun, hoping to get at least one shot in but the man collapsed clutching his chest, blood spewing out from where his heart should be. I hadn¡¯t even seen the attack? R0N1N appeared in front of me with the air running away from him, a terrifying creature dripping blood and oil. He held out his hand, yanking it off and dropping it into my own. ¡°Fix it. You have forty seconds, take whatever parts you need. I left their Shardware intact.¡± Uhhh¡­ I didn¡¯t question it, my Arachne arms and eyes already moving deeper into the limb to view its faults. Heat, friction, shifts in inertia, electrical burnouts¡­ all of those causations for worse symptoms were present minimally ¡ª but altogether they were beginning to compound up. I had a rough image of the more general systems working at R0N1N¡¯s body, they were built for intense speed, acceleration and mobility. Yet, that didn¡¯t mean they were immune to the abuse he put his body through. My arachnid limbs got to work, cracking and cutting out useful replacement pieces that had simply been too worn out for me to smooth out or heal. The hand wasn¡¯t destroyed or anything, but if this sort of minimal trauma escalated then I wouldn¡¯t recommend any further usage of it until it could get more extensive repairs. Shit, I scanned it out. But it was too¡­ fucking weird. Half of the limb was based on Warp Materials I didn¡¯t recognize, altering rules of physics to accommodate. My Scrapyard continuously failed, saying that the very creation in my hands was improbable and imaginary. How did my grandfather even make this? Still, I wagered I¡¯d reduced the wear and tear on it by around 60% when the 40 seconds were up. R0N1N picked it up as a blur of gold, his other hand now in my grip. This one was a little worse, some fingers had been particularly mangled that I could only imagine came from him using one arm during my repairs. I got to work a little quicker, some more guards pulled up and tried opening fire on us. I¡¯d raised my Arachne to maneuver me away, but the bullet fire was simply stopped by the hovering katana spinning like a saw blade to deflect it. As soon as I was finished, this time with four seconds to spare, I called out. ¡°R0-¡° It vanished from my grip. A leg rattling on the floor now¡­ Okay¡­ I was beginning to see why R0N1N was so confident in his abilities. My mask rattled, a new call coming in from Mirage. ¡°Yo.¡± I began following the joints of the leg¡­ before realizing that R0N1N was fighting on only one leg. ¡°Hey Rip, how¡¯s it going?¡± Mirage sounded relatively calm. ¡°This whole place is on high alert now. R0N1N fighting?¡± ¡°Yup. Repairing his leg right now. While he¡¯s fighting.¡± I soldered together some of the neurowiring, trying to hold it in place, but it was like using tape where you needed a blowtorch. ¡°Yeah I¡¯ve heard he¡¯s insane. Though¡­ you all good?¡± She was worried, I could tell. ¡°Yeah. Just¡­ did a whole lot of work on myself to be here. Kind of underwhelmed to be doing nothing.¡± I locked the leg together, knocking on the ground as R0N1N swept in and gave up his other leg. ¡°You¡¯re not doing nothing, R0N1N¡¯s a glass cannon. Yuzhou knows that, they¡¯re going to wind him down with numbers ¡ª save their strongest for when his Shardware can¡¯t keep up with him. You prevent that from happening.¡± ¡°I know¡­ just thinking. You¡¯re going to be fine?¡± My thoughts ran sideways trying to decipher this leg while keeping up conversation, but I was managing. ¡°Focus on your mission, Rip¡­ but yeah, we¡¯ll be fine. Diamante and Quartz are dependable, and Stonewall is good backup if things go south. We¡¯re just mostly worried about you.¡± She¡¯d just finished talking when the leg disappeared and an entire arm was now in my grasp. ¡°Well, The R0N1N¡¯s doing one hell of a job, taking-¡° A corpse splattered a few feet from where I was standing. ¡°-yeah, he¡¯s dealing with this shit pretty well.¡± ¡°It¡¯s what he¡¯s dedicated his life to.¡± Elsa said flatly. ¡°If anything, the fact that he¡¯s trusting you to repair him means alot.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t need him to find value in me¡­ I want to find it myself.¡± My words hummed into her, and a few seconds passed before she responded. I could hear the smile in her voice. ¡°Well, then. Go find it, Dreadwire.¡± My own smile came all too soon. Blood and Steel C92: Source-Touched Chapter 92: Source-Touched ¡®The Nature of the Source¡¯, file found within the VoidNet layer. Author unknown. Everything exists in duality, in the finite stretches of life¡¯s actions there is an infinite chasm of death as a reaction. I delved down here to find some hope of understanding ¡®The Source¡¯. I¡¯d been touched by it, by¡­ chance. One of Neocore¡¯s soldiers died on my doorstep when The Mother attacked, I was just a kid¡­ and that Implant seemed so normal ¡ª and so Silver. I didn¡¯t know it would let me breach into the paradox of time. NeoCore recruited me after that, put an eye on me and the Unique Feature I got as a result. Since then¡­ I¡¯ve discovered that likewise, there¡¯s the existence of what are called Deviant Mutations. The Founders don¡¯t want us to know that they¡¯re the same as the Titans. They don¡¯t want us to know the nature of their duality. Of their¡­ symbiosis. That¡¯s why NeoCore watches the Allseeing, why Yuzhou hunts down The Infinite, SynTec¡¯s assaults The Mother, Imperium¡¯s provoking of The Terror, Haithama¡¯s interest in The Typhoon, it¡¯s only Beauregard Mazhyr whose motives lay unclear¡­ Until now. The being beyond The Firewall spoke to me. I only remember three words. Uncaged. Sin. Eclipse. Each syllable it spoke rippled through me, as if The Future was only mere echoes of it¡¯s thoughts. I understand now why NeoCore keeps it contained behind The Firewall¡­ but that thing I saw¡­ The Eclipse? The Firewall, this great globe of flame will one day be cast in shadow. It doesn¡¯t exist yet, but it should be here. In the VoidNet¡­ Duality, that¡¯s the nature of these things. Somewhere in the intersection of day and night, a being will arise to free the Allseeing. That is why I¡¯ve decided to end my life as a human. The Future that thing seeks to create¡­ I¡¯d rather be on the winning side of things. My Compatibility is dropping, it¡¯s funny¡­ I never thought I¡¯d want to be a MAL. Whoever finds this, I pray you act wisely. And in time. 3:57 AM August 30th [Western Shandian Facility: Floor B3 (Upper Security Layer)] Ripley By the time the fighting was done, or perhaps it would be better phrased as by the time Shandian was done throwing bodies at R0N1N to wind him down, there must have been almost eighty corpses strewn across the room. I¡¯d done my work, cycling through each limb at least two times, sealing over the steadily cracks burrowing within them. ¡°This Shardware of yours¡­¡± I found myself finally able to ask it. ¡°Is it Hammersmith¡¯s design?¡± R0N1N took a knee to my side, he didn¡¯t easily show it to everyone, but his methods of fighting were taxing. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s your grandfather¡¯s work.¡± So he knew as well? I grumbled a little as I leaned over to readjust his shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s he like?¡± R0N1N stretched his arm out once I was finished. ¡°Curious, adventurous, a challenging man. I¡¯m set to go see him in the Imperium outskirts once I¡¯m done with this mission. I can only use this Silver Shardware for extensive raids like this, otherwise I risk damaging it to the point of no repair.¡± ¡°To be prepared for the MALswarm? What¡¯s your plan for it?¡± I scanned him once over with my eyes, roughly estimating¡­ his structural integrity was down by a permanent 6% that I couldn¡¯t fix over. Without my intervention, it would have been closer to 10%. ¡°Same as ever. To attack Yuzhou.¡± R0N1N picked himself up, the brief rest had given him enough recovery. He pulled both swords back into his scabbard, the second his non-electromagnetic blade sheathed in, it was like a harmony was silenced through the room. ¡°They¡¯ll definitely be more vulnerable, but won¡¯t it potentially cause more harm if they¡¯re weakened and the MALswarm breaks through?¡± I spoke logically, Yuzhou had nearly 2 billion residents in the regions they controlled. R0N1N didn¡¯t respond to that, simply hopping above to a balcony and tearing off a door with his bare hands. ¡°They¡¯d sent around a quarter of their forces for this engagement, the remaining 75% will be significantly tougher¡­ I¡¯m surprised they didn¡¯t engage a Silver.¡± ¡°You can handle a Silver, though?¡± I reeled myself up to him, he moved a little slower now. Steady but not groggy. ¡°I can handle one, yes. But multiple at a time may prove difficult, my blades ¡ª Tomurau and Ryoho ¡ª can cut through Bronze-Grade enforcement without me empowering them, however against Silver Grade and higher¡­ Tendencies make things a bit more difficult.¡± ¡°Right, Tendencies. Diamante talked about them before that they only appear in Silver Grades and up, how they put a flavor on your Warp Energy. What¡¯s¡­ yours?¡± Suddenly, the lights went out, and I sensed all of my access to the upper layers was blocked off, only the dull glow of red alarm lights bled into our view. ¡°Spark and Wind.¡± R0N1N¡¯s electromagnetic blade ¡ª I wasn¡¯t sure which of the names it owned ¡ª pulled up into his open palm as though it had been puppeteered by strings. ¡°Tch, they¡¯re biding their time, barricading themselves within the lower layers while they call in security to pincer us from above.¡± ¡°So which blade is that?¡± I tried to distract myself as we obviously walked deeper into whatever traps they had planned for us. ¡°Ryoho ¡ª remedy.¡± R0N1N threw the blade across the hallway, it curved and bent around the corner to the sound of a screaming man. I tensed up, before relaxing as soon as it became clear that R0N1N had already left my side. I joined up with him, he was retrieving his blade out from one twitching corpse. Without waiting for him to ask, my Arachne limbs stretched below to fix up his achilles tendon, the biomechanical fibers had been worn down. ¡°You know, I could probably introduce some Livewire musculature into your body ¡ª it¡¯s unlikely to tear even under your high speeds.¡± I casually remarked, but his head-turn actually made me realize he was considering it. ¡°I won¡¯t pretend to be an expert in things Shardware.¡± R0N1N slid his blade ¡ª Ryoho ¡ª back in. ¡°But I will take your word for it, assuming the weeks after this are merciful, I would not mind a sample modification on my Bronze Shardware pieces.¡± Ripley wasn¡¯t one to turn down a deal like this. ¡°I don¡¯t know, you¡¯re spending already and Livewire is expeeensiii-¡° ¡°I have more resources than just Shards, Dreadwire.¡± R0N1N had to be smiling under his mask, I could feel it. We¡¯d finally made it over to the next path downwards, the second floor of the Security layer. We¡¯d face potential Silvers down there, Tier III if we were unlucky. R0N1N actually took his time for once, making sure I could repair him to maximum capability. ¡°What¡¯s the chance they have a Tier IV guarding here?¡± I felt like I was jinxing this by asking, but no one had even entertained that idea. ¡°The gap between Tiers gets ever larger the further you progress. Less than 1% of Tier III Adapters will make it to Tier IV.¡± R0N1N removed his second blade ¡ª Tomurau ¡ª glancing at the perfect reflection it showed of him. ¡°A single Tier IV Adapter is equivalent to the highest powers working within Westbrook. The Puppeteers, the military leadership¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be able to beat one easily. They¡¯re individually equivalent to the entire might of this Facility condensed into one body. And more likely than not, Gold.¡± I remembered back to the only Tier IV I¡¯d ever seen. Inquisitor Tusk, how easily he¡¯d pummeled the Gold MAL that had gifted my potential down into the ground. Right, it was incredibly unlikely for anyone at that level of strength to be here. I hoped. It was strange how quiet everything had become as we made our way to the security checkpoint, chances are we were being monitored, and I wouldn¡¯t have access to the locations of anyone below us until I jacked into the lower layer¡¯s security hub. Still, an excitement crawled over me, once we would make it past all the guards I¡¯d have free access to look through their experimental military grade Shardware. Civilian stuff was fine and all, but military? That shit was built for the MALswarm. R0N1N sliced through the first door of the checkpoint, revealing a wide room with various bodily scanners shining sheets of visible light up and down. He was quick to cut them apart, then approached the elevator doors to tear them open and jump down the shaft. [Western Shandian Facility: Floor B4 (Lower Security Layer)] The lower floor was much the same, scanners and a heavy door that he had to strain himself to pry apart. Things were truly getting tougher here. Immediately, the walls and floors began to unravel with their seams, turrets alighting us with heavy gunfire that he deflected with Ryoho like a shield. Taking cover behind the heavy door, I still felt the pounding vibrations of impacted bullets drill an ache up my spine. Waiting a handful of seconds, R0N1N dispatched the turrets, each cut at their base. I eased my breath, a single shot from one of them would have torn me in half. Those were the kind of guns you¡¯d see strapped onto a tank! Well, they were powerful machinery ¡ª makes perfect sense to snatch one of them up then¡­ or at least, that was all I was planning on taking. ¡°A Shard-Gun?¡± I cooed to myself. That meant¡­ digging deeper into the mechanism ¡ª oh fuck yeah! A magazine clip of Iron Shards! Literally turning money into firepower¡­ I¡¯d actually been wondering about buying one myself but the cost for a single Iron-Grade piece was nearly half a million. ¡°You¡¯re not going to be dragging that with us, right?¡± R0N1N glanced over his shoulder. ¡°Uh, just give me like a minute.¡± I quickly put my six Shard Operating devices to work, Scrapyard working in the background as I scanned through the Shardware ¡ª visually dissecting its internal mechanisms to better tear it open. At Bronze-Grade Military level, it was incredibly difficult to properly expose. In the end, I managed to just about break it into four neat pieces that my Arachne limbs could hold onto and dissect further as we idly walked further into the facility. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Then, we noticed a strange occurrence, effectively all personel had vanished. Instead, our only obstacles were more autonomous defense drones and turrets. Bipedal androids with guns for heads, floating carriers with zipping harpoons of electricity, annoying finger-sized fireflies that tried to cling and disable our Shardware and even wolf-like machines that could explode powerful sonic bursts from their jaws. While R0N1N got busy taking them all out, a tiresome slog as they seemed to appear out of nowhere, I busied myself repairing him up and collecting various trinkets from the automatons. The wolf¡¯s sonic pulse didn¡¯t use Shriekstone like that Sonic Carbine I¡¯d collected from Nathaniel, the homeless man being controlled by Dogwhistler, but instead had incredibly powerful Warp-based speakers I¡¯d never seen before. Using their premise to adjust my leg¡¯s sonic bursts, I¡¯d made them more precise and even a tad bit stronger. I also took a chance to install an upgrade into Webcrawler from the carrier drones, making its aerial mode approximately 30% faster and more energy efficient. Also installing a unique frequency in it to leave it undetectable to the drones. As for the disabling fireflies, their parts made good additions to my left arm which was serving very well as my Jailbreaking/Dataweaving based limb. There was nothing inherently unique about them, except for their Datacleavers, but they were just very efficient at transmitting Warpcode via touch. Around thirty minutes in, we had found the central hub for this floor, allowing us access to find out the locations of the rest of the guards at the expense of completely burning out Twilight¡¯s DataCleaver. True to our expectations, they were located around the checkpoints leading deeper into the RnD layer. Though, the biggest concentration happened to be in an area that was unmapped according to the schemes me and Mirage had stolen. ¡°A secret room they didn¡¯t record down?¡± I felt a curious spark of relief and excitement. ¡°Think that¡¯s where they¡¯ll have Goli-¡° ¡°No.¡± R0N1N froze, his voice harrowed. ¡°They¡¯re disappearing.¡± ¡°Disappearing?¡± I laughed, looking deeper into that central mass of dots in the darkness, noticing how the congregation in the center had just¡­ vanished. ¡°Are they disconnecting from the system?¡± ¡°Worse. We have to hurry!¡± R0N1N left as the door exploded, blurring out of the room and wrenching the facility apart ¡ª leaving only visual markers in the walls and floor as he passed through the labyrinthine hallways like a speedy ghost of sharpness. I tracked his destination down¡­ he was heading to the most direct path down. Guarded by two Silver Tier IIIs and nearly a dozen Bronze Tier IIs. Shit. Shit! Hurrying, I decided to make the most of the Shard-gun pieces I¡¯d collected over time ¡ª fitting the mechanism over my right arm. It was crude, but it would work. External Link Establish- I had no time to focus on it, as bullets sprayed ahead of me and brought my Perseverance Matrix to scrape my Arachne limbs back to keep me from running into it. R0N1N was battling both Tier IIIs at the same time, one Mutant and another was¡­ an Esper in a weaker Iron-Grade Exosuit. The mutant was fast and had four arms, each bulky and wielding Sharded Gauntlets that sent resounding pulses of sound that had me tumbling, needing my Arachne to stabilize myself. The Esper, on the other hand, manipulated a whip that shot out of their armor ¡ª curving it like a living serpent with thin wires of blood winding through the metal while they dodged the slashes of R0N1N by disappearing into grey mist. ¡°R0N1N!¡± I yelled as I scanned the fight, trying to break through the thunderous combat that shook the foundations of the building. ¡°The gauntlets, they¡¯re using the same things in those wolf drones! Concentrating vibrations!¡± ¡°The hell?!¡± The mutant cannoned down at the shadows of R0N1N, the Gold Grade mercenary¡¯s own strikes were pushed away by calculated shimmers of condensed air that pushed him back ¡ª only for him to disappear before the blood-metal whip crashed down. Switching over to Insight, I witnessed the fields of Warp Energy alter and change as they maneuvered to corner me. Gritting myself, I activated my Thought Multiplier. ¡®Firing Range¡¯ X ¡®Shandian Security¡¯ The two thoughts merged together as I slotted in one of the Iron-Shard magazine clips into the rough contraption I¡¯d installed on it. External Shardware: RipTech Scrap-Gun Bracer [Prototype] Integrity: Bronze I Energy: Bronze II Capacity: Bronze I Grade: Bronze I The mechanism of a Shard-Gun relied on two things, the physical constituent of the Shard itself and the force released from its Warp Energy through a carefully adjusted kinetic-converter. Now, reducing a gun by half its size had drawbacks, especially with how hastily I¡¯d made it¡­ so I wasn¡¯t going to get full use out of the potential. In this case, its converters were admittedly kind of shit with how I¡¯d made them. But I had one advantage, the Gold-to-Bronze circuitry within my body burned bright, powering up the bracer. With my thoughts blurring into one cohesive nature, the images of the shooting range merged into the Shandian Security forces. I also swapped over to a different module, my first time openly using it. Overcome. Black Dragon Long was sitting on a goldmine in other ways than being a Dual Adapter. His Functions, Sustain and Database had produced quite the effective combination. Update Summary:- Everything washed over me just right! I shifted out into the open, their bullet fire hesitant to choose between me and the R0N1N. I greedily exploited that, my right arm exploding with heat as the thick bracer lodged energy into the flat barrel extending above my hand. An explosive stream of iron launched out, a river of ruin shattering across the guards who¡¯d just decided to focus their aim on me. My armgun lacked accuracy, spraying wilder each second of sustained fire as the recoil ached up into my shoulder and organic chest muscles. As soon as the return fire decisively turned to me, my Arachne hooked me up to the ceiling, reeling and crawling me around the streaming fireflies of death. R0N1N took advantage of my distraction, using it to slip between both Silvers as he sent a blade at each. Ryoho flew and slammed into the Esper¡¯s whip while R0N1N met the overbearing Mutant with a blurring flurry of strikes directly at the gauntlets crashing down on him. One gauntlet exploded into an echoing boom of sound, sending shrapnel through my mask and into my cheek. Tears welled up my eyes, the pain sharp and fiery as blood pooled into my mouth. The guards in my path took advantage of that, a direct blast of multiple guns converging on me only for a blue blade to strike each bullet clear of harming me. How on earth was R0N1N even able to do that? With only four more guards left, my eyes saw through them using Overcome. The combined effect of my Thought Multiplier¡¯s merging my memories of Shandian Security with the Firing Range pulled out all of the ins and outs I¡¯d seen and revised of what they could manage. Mass-produced, there were few differences in them other than the fact that they were stronger-than-average. I saw them click their guns as I skirted behind cover, already knowing what that meant. They¡¯d switched on ricochet fire for their weapons, reducing the penetrative power of their weapons in exchange for bouncing the bullets across their surroundings. So, I let them believe I was hiding behind cover up on this balcony. I activated my stealth suit, calling in my Arachne arms as the Wield module enhanced the refractive invisibility it lended. Predictably, bullets slammed into the wall next to where I¡¯d taken cover, reflecting exactly across the angles to eviscerate my former position. Although, a stray bullet bounced and curved into my leg ¡ª disrupting the refractive field over me. Quickly, I wielded the enhanced connection of my External Links through both my pistol and Scrap-gun bracer. Gold fled into my left arm, Bronze through my right ¡ª a twin stream of bullets struck from me as invisibility faded of my form. Three of them died before they could retaliate, the last one hidden behind cover. Before I could even think about it, the guard in cover shot at the wall opposite them. A pellet stream of bullets sparked into my leg and set me upon my knee. Cursing, I forced my Arachne to propel me before the bullet fire returned to end me. Landing on my better leg, I was face to face with the guard who flinched their weapon up to me. My Arachne speared through the gun and into their chest. Blood fell from the gap between their helmet and neck, all resistance fading as they succumbed to death. Relaxing for a moment, I took sight of the fight R0N1N was lodged in. Both Silvers executed their combined assault flawlessly even with their wounds, their armaments had made them resistant to falling to the R0N1N in one strike, but it was clear they were the more winded of the battle. The Esper¡¯s whip had spread into multiple careful threads of slashing blood that froze what it touched, trying to freeze R0N1N or get him to slip, while the thunder-gauntlet Mutant with three arms was pounding tens of strikes a second with exact precision. The R0N1N didn¡¯t look tired, but he was clearly conserving his strength to break down the protection of the Silvers. Switching over to Insight, I saw it the same moment that R0N1N did ¡ª their fault. One of the Mutant¡¯s gauntlets had a long crack running through it, while the Esper¡¯s wire thin whips were beginning to twist back together. They were both vulnerable. And R0N1N made sure that split-second wasn¡¯t wasted, he threw Ryoho into the cracked gauntlet, a sonic crunch bellowing out that he swept through with Tomurau. The Mutant was torn in half and the Esper lost their head as echoing reverberations ceased. R0N1N settled both blades back into their scabbards as he awaited the Silver SIMs to dig out of their bodies, pocketing them for the takings. I did the same from up here, scrapping apart some of the guns haphazardly and taking in any Bronze BUGs or SIMs that had crawled out. ¡°Dreadwire.¡± R0N1N appeared beside me in a blink. ¡°You didn¡¯t need to intervene.¡± ¡°Well I did, and I helped¡­ Now let me look through your Shardware.¡± I stood up, my Arachne arms stretching as I inspected his various limbs. The strength of a Silver III couldn¡¯t be less underestimated. It took nearly a hundred other guards to wear R0N1N down by 6%, the damage he¡¯d accrued now put him at 19% of permanent damage I couldn¡¯t change. Still, he was virtually unharmed except for what he¡¯d done to himself. My leg couldn¡¯t say the same, I¡¯d repaired what I could from the parts I dismantled out of these Bronze guards, but it didn¡¯t do me any favors. ¡°I¡¯m serious, Dreadwire, you acted above my expectations, but understand that I would be much worse without you here.¡± R0N1N looked at me sternly. ¡°Opportunity cost.¡± I explained myself. ¡°Every Tier II is around 0.5% of damage done to you, every Tier I maybe 0.1% and a Tier III is roughly 5% ¡ª I can only heal around 40% of the damage done to you. But assuming I take down a few Tier IIs, I¡¯m letting you focus more heavily on the Tier IIIs and saving you from damaging yourself even more. You¡¯ve seen me hold my own, if you really thought I would die you would¡¯ve jumped here to save me.¡± I sealed some of the minor damage in his arm as I finished speaking. ¡°From what we can see, there¡¯s one more Tier III here. I¡¯d wager their strongest one, and nearly forty more Tier IIs left from wherever they¡¯ve disappeared to. Now, I¡¯m not saying I can take them all down, but if I can take the attention of a fourth of the Tier IIs, then I can save you around 5% of damage ¡ª that way you¡¯d still be under 30% damage.¡± He stared at me blankly as I patted his arm okay. Had I¡­ confused him with all the numbers? He sighed, tapping the back of his head. ¡°Mimic my Feature.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I looked at him blankly. ¡°Now?¡± ¡°Yes. Get used to it.¡± He tapped his frame again¡­ and I obliged, drawing my left hand over it as I began to dig into my Data Mimicry. A Gold at Tier III¡­ everything inside his head was massive and dense, it was like gazing through the eye of the hurricane. Every time I thought I¡¯d found some semblance of order it was replaced by the thunderous flip in flow. Even with his permission, it took a solid few minutes for me to even glimpse through. Adapter: The R0N1N Grade: Gold VIII Tier: Metamorphosis [Tier III] Features: Energized V.5.12; Sustain V.5.22; Integration V.5.19; OverMind V.5.27 OverMind: Allows the Adapter to massively increase their own mental processing speed, greatly accelerating their perception of the world around them. ¡­Error: Unable to Mimic Feature: OverMind¡­ ¡°Oh.¡± Well that was shitty. ¡°Looks like I can¡¯t mimic a unique-¡° ¡­OverMind has been identified as a¡­ Error: Unauthorized- ¡­ ¡­ Confirming Source-Touched Status- Error- Frequency is unable to resonate with Unique Feature: OverMind Error- Discrepency between Feature origins Error- Source-Shard Fragment detected by Implant. ¡­ ¡­ Source-Touched Feature: Data Mimicry is reacting to the presence of Source-Touched Feature: OverMind ¡­ Data Mimicry V.2.11 has updated to V.2.18 Effects: My head practically imploded under the weight of Silver Warpcode that had just shrunk into my Data Mimicry Feature. ¡°What the hell?¡± Unable to Mimic Source-Touched Feature: OverMind¡­ would the User attempt to modify an existing Module based on OverMind¡¯s capabilities? This may result in the destruction of Low-Grade Implants¡­ Uhh¡­ ¡°R0N1N, something weird happened.¡± ¡°I can¡­ tell.¡± He said slowly, before turning around to me with eyes laced in something I¡¯d never expect to see from him ¡ª stupefaction. ¡°You just decreased my Compatibility by 1%.¡± Blood and Steel C93: Hypermind Chapter 93: Hypermind Mimicset Modules [7/10]: 4:18 AM August 30th [Western Shandian Facility: Floor B4 (Lower Security Layer)] ¡°We¡¯ll discuss this later.¡± R0N1N brought his hand to his neck warily. ¡°Can you mimic my Feature or not?¡± ¡°I think so? Give me a moment.¡± I scavenged through my pockets, tearing out several Bronze BUGs until I found one that worked best to OverMind¡¯s function. Features: Psyche V.2.18; OverClock V.2.11 I streamed my Warp Energy into it, drawing out Iron Warpcode from a different BUG to stabilize my hasty work as I formed a module out of the two Features. Then I reached back for R0N1N¡¯s nape, drawing back the strange connection of¡­ us being Source-touched? Focusing back into the BUG Module I¡¯d just formed, I began to implore some of what I instinctively understood of R0N1N¡¯s power into the Implant, feeling the Implant whine and wane as I forced a greater power into it. A gold crack formed over it¡¯s structure, something I¡¯d never seen before other than that homeless man¡¯s BUG. R0N1N just let it happen, passively standing in attention as I acted as a conduit between his power and the Implant. Then¡­ then¡­ You have Rewritten the Implant Module¡­ Rename the Module? I had just the name. HyperMind: [2B] Psyche/Overclock ¡°Okay, I think I¡¯ve done it.¡± I plopped the BUG into the armband below my shoulder¡­ activating it. The world appeared the same, but my brain felt like ice was being dragged through every vein all at once. It was like being torn apart by your own blood flow. I tried to breathe the sensation away, but my lungs felt stiff and my heart refused to beat for several seconds. Or¡­ was it that I was thinking several times quicker? I released the Warp Energy surging in my brain, feeling an ease wash over me like a shower as I coughed out. ¡°What. The. Shit?¡± ¡°Show me that BUG.¡± R0N1N reached his hand out, and I removed the Implant and handed it over to him. A weird scanner popped out of his arm, and it shone a bright light over the BUG. ¡°Psyche and Overclock? You¡¯re mimicking my Feature off this?¡± He sounded nearly offended, I was too busy trying to make sure my heart was beating. ¡°Not¡­ entirely. Not as quickly. But¡­ I think so?¡± ¡±Well¡­ if you don¡¯t have a Sustain Feature to allow your internal organs to act at the same rate of your conscious thought then-¡° I yanked the Implant back, absorbing the Psyche portion into me since I wasn¡¯t even sure if it was doing anything. I felt the Implant crack further in my grasp, but I wasn¡¯t yet done with my modifications. Grabbing a Bronze BUG with Sustain, I began the process of transferring that Feature into the HyperMind BUG. HyperMind: [2B] Sustain/Overclock [OverMind] The webs of cracks only enlarged until it looked like I could crush the BUG in my bare fingers. Locking it into my Mimicset, I pulsed my Warp Energy back according to it. My brain chilled under a cold that felt like daggers, but my breaths came steadier and healthier. There was still a degree of resistance, but now I didn¡¯t feel choked. Even my heart thrummed easier, so I decided to take my first step ¡ª it reminded me too much of when I¡¯d first gotten my spine. Maybe that was why I felt familiar enough not to stumble, but every stretch of my Shardware leg creaked up as I moved fast enough to burn up its joints. Still, I found enough in me to try to jump and I pushed. This was it, proof. As I ascended into the air by a foot, it was slow, like a magnificent being was nimbly lifting me up into the air and the descent back down was as though I was floating in a pool of water. Releasing the hold, I wasn¡¯t struck by the onslaught of relief this time but instead a grogginess of how¡­ slow I was thinking now. ¡°That¡¯s weird¡­¡± R0N1N looked at me like I¡¯d performed a miracle, which I suppose I had. ¡°This¡­ is something we will need to talk about later.¡± ¡°Right. Goliath first.¡± I nodded. He shook his head, perhaps bewildered by the fact that I¡¯d just modified an Implant in front of his very eyes. I felt the need to say one more thing. ¡°This is a secret by the way, I¡­ I got carried away but-¡° ¡°Later.¡± He silenced me, eying the checkpoint carefully. ¡°A Silver and thirty Bronze guards await us. Focus Dreadwire.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I stretched my limbs, unsure of how often to use the HyperMind Module. ¡°Just keep up.¡± R0N1N flashed me one look before he vanished, but as I instinctively grasped into Hypermind, for the first time ¡ª I followed his movement. My legs couldn¡¯t handle the stress of moving that quick, but my Arachnodyne? They dragged the ground, pulling me forward so quickly I felt like I was floating as I followed R0N1N curving down the elevator. He flowed elegantly, like a swordfish in the sea, while I was more of a bumbling clownfish. My legs caught me as I landed down harshly and buckled, right ¡ª I was moving quicker than I thought I was. [Western Shandian Facility: Floor B5 (Upper RnD Layer)] As R0N1N grabbed and yanked open the door, turrets flared to activity but they popped in so slowly that he managed to throw his blade and skewer one straight up. I followed up, launching a painfully slow harpoon of my Arachne, piercing straight into one gun and dragging me fast enough that I could rake my claw to tear it open. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. R0N1N had already slipped into the next hallway, ignoring the rest of the turrets which was a smart move that I followed. We zoomed down the hallways at a breakneck pace, passing by several labrooms filled with experimental skeletons of Shardware and other items of interest. I grabbed my curiosity and killed it. This was what I wanted, but Goliath came first. R0N1N unsheathed his blade just as we passed into a hallway full of armed and prepared guards hidden behind deployed Holo-shields. They didn¡¯t get a shot in before me and R0N1N had jumped behind them, my Arachnodyne arms tearing two of them down Neuroframe first and piercing their spines. I felt pretty good about myself, but then I felt my body give in. The world collapsed to normal speed as my breath came rapidly, my heart trying to jump out of its chest as it reoriented to moving at normal speed. R0N1N had just finished killing another three guards, while I tried to keep myself from hyperventilating into exhaustion. Not to mention, god damn was I drained of Warp Energy. I reached into my pockets, yanking out a neat magazine clip I¡¯d made of the Bronze Shards I¡¯d stolen and ingested 40,000 worth of Shardyne just to get back to full capacity. ¡°God, that sucks!¡± ¡°How¡¯s your Shardware?¡± R0N1N tossed me an arm, but it was more of a gesture of goodwill since it was extremely useless to me. ¡°Arachne can take the stress¡­ Livewire muscles. I was right.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Just can¡¯t use my normal limbs or they¡¯ll explode from the force.¡± ¡°Perhaps I underestimated just how much you¡¯d mimicked my power¡­¡± R0N1N took a steady sight of me. ¡°Never use your full strength, barely even half of it or you¡¯ll launch your limbs off your body. Use it in bursts ¡ª begin your momentum with it and reactivate it a few milliseconds before landing ¡ª never keep it running longer than 15 seconds or else when you deactivate it you¡¯ll feel lethargic. There¡¯s a sweet spot where the adrenaline remains and you can act faster even if you¡¯re not using the Feature.¡± I nodded. ¡°Uses a shit ton of Warp Energy¡­ how¡¯d you use it for so long?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Tier III Dreadwire. And my Sustain and Energized are adapted to improve my recovery.¡± He cleaned blood off his blade. ¡°Now hurry, we¡¯ll kill all the remaining guards in the next fifteen minutes. Including the Silver.¡± Okay¡­ this was going to suck, but there was one thing that kept me going. He said ¡®we¡¯. We found another two stationed sentry groups enroute to the only access to the lower research layer. They never knew what hit them, my Scrap-Gun had all the time in the world to shoot them down when they were so slow in turning around to hit me. With that, we¡¯d taken down another eight Bronzes and several more Irons. As predicted, the bulk of their force was located at the main access to the lower floor. Their lone Silver wore an Exo-Suit much like the other ones above, except this one was slimmer and form-fitting like a second-skin. His speed nearly took me for surprise, R0N1N blocking the strike with a dual slash from both katanas. His eyes shifted to warn me towards the remaining two-dozen guards taking aim. It should have been daunting for me, I knew that, but seeing how slow and dull they moved¡­ Yeah, I understood where R0N1N¡¯s confidence came from when I was able to lock onto three heads and shoot them down before a single bullet came down. My Arachnodyne limbs hooked me up and along the pillars, my Scrap-Gun raining down a hellfire that shredded limbs and armor like paper. One jump and another, I landed in between five guards who all moved like they were suspended in mercury. My Arachnodyne flew to work, landing surgical strikes into their necks before I grabbed the gun of one guy and threw it into another¡­ only for the flying projectile to move so slowly that my impatient ass decided just to shoot him. Another few shots were alerted to come from my side according to my Webcrawler, and I leaped above them my Scrap-gun aimed down on them and it- It jammed. Fucking prototypes! Mid-air, I dislodged the device, my Scrapyard burning to life as holographic images of its internal workings alerted me to which mechanism was locked. I¡¯d corrected the fault just in time for my landing, reestablishing the link to mow down another group of Bronzes. Down by a third of my enemies, I slipped in between moments of hyperspeed and normal speed, taking a gleeful enjoyment in how easy it became to beat Tier IIs! Still, I¡¯d learned well, overconfidence was the real killer so I approached each group with caution, expecting something to go wrong. Because something did go wrong, all of a sudden, the HyperMind module fizzled out of my grasp as the world sped up to normalcy. I was stuck between a Bronze guard who pulled out an electric baton and another with two pistols, both trying to strike me down. Hammer took over, my body felt sluggish under the heavier Capacity load, but that''s okay when my left-arm¡¯s sudden blade ejection was enough to cleave through the swooping sword and my Arachne launched an arm right through the pistol-wielder¡¯s chest. A bit winded, I leaped behind pillars and crawled up somewhere shadier to turn on my Stealth-suit¡¯s refractivity field. What the hell happened to HyperMind? Looking into my modules I discovered that¡­ it just wasn¡¯t there anymore, so reaching for it¡¯s Mimicset slot I was disheartened to only find Bronze-shaded dust and thin rusted metal within. Had I completely burned out the Bronze Bug? With no time to pay attention to that, I switched on Overcome, instantly becoming wise to all the tricks and toys behind the Shandian security. I leapt down as my form unraveled from the shadows to cleave Gold-wreathed spider limbs into a man¡¯s shoulder, ripping the Shardware arm free and slashing into his neck with my arm-blade. Arachnid arms grabbed the Holo-shield projector out from his torn arm, forcing a link with Databreak to form a blue rectangle over my back as my Webcrawler detected flanking targets from behind me. Then I had to use the dying man as a human-shield as they pincered gunfire on me. Both groups of three steadily approached, unloading their entire clips into me as I felt bullets pierce through layers of armor and the holo-shield depriving of energy. You know, it was never shameful to ask for help. ¡°R0N1N!¡± On call, a blue blade spun through one group, curving around like a boomerang to slash into the other group and return to R0N1N¡¯s hand as he dueled the Silver like nothing had happened. Barely any Bronzes left, I took a moment of levity to hide and refuel myself by drawing in energy from the Shards I¡¯d stolen. Absorbing it now felt a bit painful, a sharp sting drawing from my spine up to my cranium. Nothing I couldn¡¯t handle, it was the knowledge that I¡¯d absorbed 200,000 Shardyne worth of Shards during this fight that pained me more. My Webcrawler pinged out the remaining foes, and I handled my grip on Wield, flowing it into both of my guns as I locked onto their hiding bodies. Then I prowled, jumping and swinging across the pillars and ceilings as I shot down one after the other with locked on symbols as they found their focus distracted by the R0N1N ¡ª their bodies fell as gaping wounds blew up from their unarmored necks until they were all left in splatters of their blood. I smiled as I landed up in cover¡­ I¡¯d¡­ Founder, I¡¯d really done it. This was insane, beyond insane, and sure my Shardware was really beat up but¡­ there was only the Silver left. R0N1N was steadily tearing them down, scraping deep into the armor of the Exosuit until you could make out its internal wirings. My optics scanned over the unfamiliar tech, detecting a few weak points R0N1N had created that I could feasibly attack. But that was stupid, they were moving and attacking so quickly that even a backhand could tear my head off. If I wanted to help, I had to be more creative than this. Scanning my surroundings, I found a useful perch high above that could be of use. Landing up there, it was just below the roof enough that my Arachne limbs could reach it. Aiming carefully at the onslaught of attacks going back and forth between R0N1N and the Silver Exoguard, I locked onto his elbow ¡ª and shot my Livewire Spear-tips right into the exposed joint. They found purchase, hooking in and leaving enough slack that I wasn¡¯t tugged off immediately. Then I jumped backwards off the perch, Hammer pushing my lower Arachnodyne limbs to thrust off the roof and launch me down, then the Livewire went taut. Just enough that the Silver¡¯s arm was raised an inch off course. R0N1N cleaved through it one swipe. After that, it was barely a minute of fighting before the Silver was torn down to shreds and R0N1N freed a Silver BUG out from their head. ¡°That was creative¡­¡± R0N1N lifted his own arm up for me to inspect. ¡°That was simple. A pulley.¡± I responded with a smile, happily working through R0N1N¡¯s body, by now some of the wounds were beginning to pile up. I estimated he¡¯d lost about a total of 24% of his structural integrity by the time I was done. It would have been closer to 40 without me, I was feeling pretty damn proud of myself. ¡°Any remaining guards?¡± I tried to pull up a feed of what was beyond here, but strangely it seemed to all be empty of threats, even in that room that doesn¡¯t exist. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like it, but we need to be quicker¡­ before they kill our witnesses.¡± R0N1N hopped into the next checkpoint, a simple staircase that led us to the deepest point of the Facility. It¡¯d been one hell of a ride down here. [Western Shandian Facility: Floor B6 (Lower RnD Layer)] Blood and Steel C94: Flight-to-Fight Chapter 94: Flight-to-Fight 4:36 AM August 30th [Western Shandian Facility: Floor B6 (Lower RnD Layer)] Ripley This floor was the smallest of the bunch, but it was still a winding mess of hallways hiding away the secrets of Shandian¡¯s Shardware research. I sent Webcrawler into various rooms, scouting out quite a few unique pieces. In a way, it was underwhelming as it was overwhelming. I didn¡¯t find any massive revolutionary piece of tech in here, rather many of the working pieces at Silver or Bronze Grade were experimental pieces. New versions of old existing tech, a few unique designs and theorems of Electromagnetic weaponry, improvements to basic Shardware constituents. And oh- a mask that seemed to be able to change how your face looked. Nothing screamed super-secret tech like Goliath, but I wouldn¡¯t know any more until I could have the time to dig deeper into their files. ¡°Do you feel that, Ripley?¡± R0N1N put his hand on my chest, blocking me as he turned to his left. ¡±Feel¡­¡± Oh, oh¡­ now that I was feeling it, that deep rumbling of unsettledness in my Implant ¡ª yeah, I could. R0N1N walked up to an inconspicuous wall, one absolutely blaring with faint Bronze Warp Energy. And he ripped it open as he normally did. A loud snarl ripped out at us, metallic and gravelly and droning like a swarm of bees, hundreds of tiny eyes radiating malice swarmed around in a glowing vat. They looked like rabid flies about an inch-wide made off metal, but upon closer inspection seemed to each have tentacles pouring out of their probisci. R0N1N said exactly what I was thinking. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen MALware that small, Gear Gluttons from the look of it.¡± ¡°Right, they¡¯re smaller than the Implants themselves, must be some sort off¡­ swarm? Hivemind? Probably connected to some bigger MAL.¡± R0N1N looked through the room, which had a pretty barebones infrastructure, I couldn¡¯t yet jack into their security, but as soon as I established a proper link with another facility ¡ª Mirage¡¯s personas could help. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else for us here.¡± R0N1N decided. ¡°We have to find the researchers.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± I tore my sight away from the hungry swarm of metallic insects, exiting the room to delve deeper into the complex where we found another staircase taking us deeper. Deeper. Into unmapped territory. [Western Shandian Facility: Floor B7 (???)] Down at this depth, the only way to have a proper connection to the Net would be through direct links, hopefully I¡¯d find a passage into a direct transfer that would let Twilight or Daylight into my head. For now, I took deep breaths as R0N1N gripped the last door in our path and pried it open, actually heaving breath as it drew every inch of his strength to yank it apart. Gunfire exploded at us, but R0N1N¡¯s Ryoho blade floated up and blocked the bullets for us, revealing the shooters to be a few shaky scientists in lab coats. ¡°Please don¡¯t hurt us!¡± One of them dropped their gun, cowering as he raised his hands up. R0N1N strode forward, picking him up by the collar. ¡°Your security clearance?¡± ¡°B-Bronze!¡± The man shouted, the fear drenched in his face. ¡°What do you know about Goliath?¡± R0N1N¡¯s floating blade peered up, standing at attention next to the man¡¯s throat. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know much! It was worked on by our Silver and Gold-clearance researchers! They all left!¡± The researcher said, and R0N1N dropped him with anger I¡¯d never expected from the mercenary. Left? How could they leave? We were way underground. ¡°Dreadwire¡­ any chance you can get that device working?¡± R0N1N moved down the various stations of computers until he stood behind a large glass viewing-dome. I walked up, looking past the glass to see a massive spherical contraption in the middle of a circular room. It was a mess of wires, disks and energy, but it radiated such foul strength that I had been able to feel it through the glass. Like static clinging to my mind. It was Gold Grade tech. At the least. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± I didn¡¯t know a single piece of tech that describes it. ¡°A short-range Warp Transporter.¡± R0N1N¡¯s hands scraped fine scratches on the glass. ¡°It can instantly transport objects and people between other devices of the same type. Maximal range of 1000 kM for this one.¡± A¡­ teleporter? ¡°That type of technology exists?!¡± ¡°For the last century. This is my first time seeing one outside of a Corporate Nation, however.¡± R0N1N slammed his hand into the glass, a web of cracks spreading. ¡°Either Goliath was moved away as we infiltrated, or they¡¯re sending more support to where it¡¯s really hidden.¡± ¡°One of the other two facilities?¡± It was my only guess. His voice was drenched in anger. ¡°If we¡¯re lucky.¡± Then he turned and threw his blade, pinning it into the lab coat of a scientist who¡¯d tried to run through the open doors. ¡°None of you are leaving!¡± He pulled the blade back to his hands, and began rounding them up one by one against a wall of the facility. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little uncomfortable as he scraped his blade against their backs. ¡°Where does this Transporter connect to?¡± ¡°T-to two other facilities!¡± One of them broke due to the pressure. He only responded by prodding the blade deeper. ¡°Can either of you activate it?!¡± I let him get to work, in the mean time I connected up into their network, it was the deepest connection here but¡­ dammit! Twilight¡¯s DataCleaver was burnt out and I couldn¡¯t get through at all! ¡°I need one of them to get me access to the network.¡± I relayed to R0N1N who stared across the twelve or so scientists who remained. One of them volunteered, the same one who¡¯d been the first to cower. A thick bearded old man with graying hair and metallic hands. As he leaned down, sweat dripping over his face, he gulped as I took out my gun. ¡°No tricks.¡± ¡±None.¡± He nodded quickly, opening up the systems to me without fail¡­ With access in, I could find a register of the Warp Transporters last usage and the remaining Warps possible considering the charge. One in either direction. From what it seemed, they had sent a split of forces between the northern and southern facilities the other¡¯s had gone to. The only two options listed. One of which had to have Goliath. I opened up the limbs of my back, carefully positioning their blades around the old man¡¯s neck. ¡°How do I activate the teleporter?¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Y-you can¡¯t!¡ª¡± I sunk the blade deep enough that it drew blood across his cheek. ¡°¡ªIt- there¡¯s a 24-digit-code that changes everyday! None of us know the full code!¡± ¡°It¡¯s split between you all?¡± I gauged. One of the researchers yelled back at the two of us. ¡°Akihiro! You¡¯re going to get us all in trouble!¡± R0N1N promptly smacked the rowdy scientist in the mouth, glaring him into silence before turning to me. ¡°We¡¯ll go back up, reconvene at-¡° ¡±R0N1N, Dread!¡± Missy¡¯s voice shrieked through our comms, a mess of static and her actual voice. ¡°What¡¯s happened at your guy''s facility, we just jacked into their system but this whole place is on high alert! A sudden influx of enemies popped in from below us, what the hell¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°They have a Warp Transporter.¡± R0N1N said out loud. ¡°Shit! That explains why we¡¯ve picked up four Silvers! We¡¯re going to need backup.¡± Missy said. ¡°Yeah!¡± Diamante¡¯s voice came in next. ¡°So do we! They do have a fucking Silver-Grade Hydra! It¡¯s tearing me a new asshole!¡± ¡°A Hydra? In Westcrook?¡± R0N1N took a sharp breath in. ¡°Any chance that you all can escape?¡± ¡°Not likely! Quartz can only draw human attention away, these damn drones are hounding us.¡± Diamante sounded worried, more worried than I¡¯d ever heard. ¡°Look¡­ I can survive this¡­ but-¡° ¡°Mirage?¡± I said, a lump in my throat. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine.¡± Mirage¡¯s voice filtered in, panicked and hurried. ¡°Dreadwire and R0N1N, get to Missy and Topaz! We- urgh, fuck, we¡¯ll figure out where Goliath is soon! Just- didn¡¯t expect a fucking Silver Grade Wardrone to be built here! And like 4 more Silvers!¡± Missy retaliated. ¡°Mirage, don¡¯t be stupid. Topaz, Quickshot and I can handle ourselves! We can endure this, you four can¡¯t! R0N1N and Dreadwire, get over to-¡° ¡°Fuck!¡± Diamante cut in, his metallic voice thick in static. ¡°A delver¡¯s jamming us out!¡± Twilight¡¯s voice came in last to my earpiece ¡°Dreadwire! Just in case this mission goes wrong, we¡¯re sort of a little bit falling in lo-¡° Then they were gone, our communications cut. ¡°Fuck!¡± This was bad, me and R0N1N were supposed to be entering the most dangerous of the facilities, now half of the forces we¡¯d been expecting to face had been split into the other two buildings. This entire time they were just moving their forces elsewhere! And we still didn¡¯t know which one had Goliath! Fuck, fuck! I grabbed the researcher Akihiro, my masked gaze burned on him. ¡°This code for the Warp Transporter! You have it?! All of you here?!¡± ¡°I-¡­¡± Gold flared in my Arachnid limbs. ¡°Tell me or I¡¯ll slice your head open.¡± ¡°Six of us here know the code!¡± He admitted, teeth clenched as my Arachnodyne limb neared his throat. ¡°Who?!¡± I grabbed his coat, tugging him closer. ¡°I-I- I¡¯m sorry!¡± He was shaking so bad I felt my bones wobble. ¡°But I¡¯d rather die than have Yuzhou get me! My family!¡± My gaze settled on him, determined. ¡°Die? That¡¯s fine by me.¡± I snapped his neck like a twig, my claws digging for his BUG. ¡°Dreadwire?¡± R0N1N looked at me. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I didn¡¯t respond¡­ I began absorbing the Bronze BUG, feeling the warm blood on it fizzle away as it¡¯s material form vanished¡­ I needed that code! Thought Multiplier: ¡®Transporter Code¡¯ X ¡®Implant Reading¡¯ My vision snapped away, I was now sitting on a desk, the same desk I stared at everyday. On cue at 12:00 AM, a number snapped into my view. B: 8462 I pulled myself out of the memory, not wanting to waste anymore time. I could do it, all of these researchers had BUGs to work with the security systems, I had the key to this teleporter. ¡±R0N1N.¡± I said, my voice low and quiet. ¡°I can¡¯t have any witnesses, I¡¯m disabling the cameras but¡­ they have to¡­¡± R0N1N tilted his head to the terrified board of scientists, nodding at me. ¡°They made their bed.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª 27038462519800612982173 I clicked the code in. My mind blurring the corpses and bloodstains around me. Choose Destination: Two options, one choice. Missy and Topaz. Or Diamante and Mirage¡­ It was both a gamble and a condemnation for one group. Goliath could be in either of the facilities, but if it was as secure as it seemed to be, then all the data would be locally stored on a Datacube in close proximity to the experimental tech in person. ¡°R0N1N.¡± I made my choice. ¡°We have to split up. If we stay together, we¡¯ll leave one group too vulnerable while also only having a 50% chance of being right.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± His voice came steadily, knowing this was the better option. ¡°I¡¯ll run over to Missy and Topaz while you use the Warp Transporter to-¡° ¡°I¡¯m not so sure. Gauging the distances, Missy¡¯s Facility is closer. I could drive there with my bike assuming I take a few shortcuts¡­ and besides Diamante and Mirage are¡­¡± I had to sink a calming breath to continue. ¡°Silver automatons and Adapters will wear them down quickly¡­ if you can get in there, it¡¯s likely this access code should work for the other facilities, otherwise I¡¯m sure Mirage could find something. Be honest, which group has the worser chance of making it out of this?¡± ¡°Topaz, Mirage and Quickshot.¡± R0N1N confirmed, the gravity in his voice resounding with me. ¡°A Yuzhou Hydra is a war machine, I¡¯ve only ever fought one and it was the closest I came to death. Mirage, Quartz, Diamante and Stonewall will likely¡­ it¡¯s unlikely for all of them to survive. But for them to have such a high level security drone¡­ Goliath has a high chance to be located there.¡± ¡°Then yeah, It¡¯d be smarter for you to get to them rather than me. Still, one thing is worrying me, looking through the records, they sent 3 Silvers into Missy¡¯s location and only 1 towards Mirage. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s to make up for-¡° ¡°We don¡¯t have time for speculation.¡± R0N1N put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Assuming I¡¯m the one who teleports, you¡¯d have to escape this facility by yourself. You have a better chance with using the Transporter to-¡° ¡°Assuming you run all the way there¡ª¡± I interrupted him. ¡°¡ªYou¡¯d already damage your legs by moving that fast. If we¡¯re splitting up, I won¡¯t be able to repair you. Sure, you¡¯d be able to fight your way out of here but¡­ I don¡¯t need to do that.¡± ¡°Then what is your plan?¡± R0N1N leaned in, and I revealed it to him. He chuckled. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Light flowed through every surface of the Warp Transport Chamber, Golden Warp Energy sparking the circuitry to life. R0N1N stood at the center of the circular platform, unflinching as rings of metal began to float and rotate around him. They picked up speed, my breath captured in my lungs as the world¡¯s laws began to crack under the weight of Warp Energy. The rings blurred in their rotation so quickly until it seemed like a sphere had engulfed R0N1N, then they stopped as electricity detonated through the room ¡ª and the lone mercenary was gone. I was alone. Resolving myself, I looked up the security feeds, right now reinforcements of both the police and Yuzhou had infiltrated down to the Production Layers of the facility. Without much time, I needed to act quickly. It was a good thing then, that R0N1N had given me a little gift¡­ it had taken some time to be properly modified, so I¡¯d used the charging duration of the Warp Transporter to read it¡¯s Warpcode and collect a few items for my deception. Though, I still felt nervous slotting in the Silver BUG into my Mimicset. Mimicset Modules [7/10]: I¡¯d absorbed the Silver Energized Function, netting quite a few bonuses too in the process, not to mention all the Bronze BUGs I¡¯d devoured to try and find the memories pertaining to the Transporter¡¯s Access code. It was a considerable amount knowing that I¡¯d already absorbed an entire Silver earlier in the day, but it was necessary. Psyche V.2.13 has updated to V.2.15 Effects: Energized V.2.11 has updated to V.2.14 Effects: Technician V.2.15 has updated to V.2.18 Effects: Data Mimicry V.2.18 has updated to V.3.00 Effects: Frequency Sync¡­ it was built off my newest command when I absorbed the Silver Energized Feature. To become anything. Staring at the tools of deception I¡¯d brought from the labs upstairs, I was pretty satisfied as I dug into a Yuzhou-brand Arachne. It was now or never, I was alone ¡ª and I had to succeed. Blood and Steel C95: Dead man walking Chapter 95: Dead man walking Founder Beauregard Mazhyr¡¯s confidential notice to the other Founders regarding Bioshards. Very well, I¡¯ve made the device you requested. A millimeter long Shard with Iron Warpcode to insert below the pituitary gland of newborns that also serves as a cure for cancer. I take it you¡¯re satisfied now that you can voyeuristically scan anyone you want, but believe me, this isn¡¯t infallible technology. I should know firsthand how humanity seeks to defy the fate they have been destined for. For now, simply treat it as an update to the Sigil-tech I had made before. Either way, I made it compatible with them. Just don¡¯t be surprised when someone or another finds the tiny chip and discovers how to pervert its use against you all. They¡¯ll only be convinced for so long. 4:55 AM August 30th [Western Shandian Facility: Floor B5 (Upper RnD Layer)] Yuzhou Silver-Grade Guard Commander: Ayato Mizuichi It was one thing to face a mercenary, it was another to face the R0N1N. Ayato had known it was a possibility ever since the last month where his presence at the hotel shook Yuzhou to its core. Yet, it was also a chance for greatness. They¡¯d all read the reports. The R0N1N was strong, possessing a Unique Feature that heightened his ability to perceive the world around him and magnify his output of Warp Energy to compensate. It also came with the fatal flaw of his own Shardware failing. That was why he brought a technician with him today. Dreadwire, the scanners linked his cracked Bioshard to that identity ¡ª they had a skilled DataDelver on their side, and the name coming through the other Facility under attack was Mirage. Even more troublesome was that Dreadwire seemed to be a Gold Adapter much the same as R0N1N was, further information from the Abyssnet linked him to a murder of a Metal Heavens Priest alongside the falling of four other Bronze officers in the primary gangs of Westbrook. Then came his strange Shardware, at first they believed it to be a modification of their own Tsuchigumo Exosuit, but upon further analysis of it appeared to be some variant of an Arachne. Shard Operating tech was brittle and high demanding of the brain for it¡¯s precision, yet he maneuevered it with ease. Ayato had received word from his superiors to leave the Shardware intact if he came into contact with him. A deadly and precise weapon built to unravel their own technological architecture would serve his Founder well. ¡±Investigator Josephina.¡± He spoke to his right at the STRIKE Investigator who had been sent to us. ¡°This is a confidential layer, you are to wait outside.¡± ¡°Oh come on!¡± The blonde woman whined, as most police did. ¡°I¡¯m already on your payroll! Besides, a little bit of hush-money never-¡° His glare silenced her. Raising his hand, he commanded the rest of his forces to spread out and dig deeper into the lower levels. If they¡¯d activated the Warp Transporter, none of them would know it. The isolation required for it to be concealed throughout the city meant very few had access to it¡¯s usage notifications. Ayato hadn¡¯t even known about it until a few moments ago. But for them to even use it would require their own kind to betray them, and if that was the case, then they would pay in blood. Theirs and their loved ones. Ayato felt no particular way about it, such was the way of their business. For every perk, there was a cost. ¡°Reporting in, Commander.¡± His comms buzzed. ¡°We¡¯ve secured a survivor, scanners picking him up as a Bronze-Grade Guard¡­ he¡¯s saying¡­ R0N1N killed Dreadwire. Otherwise, all of our remaining researchers are dead.¡± Ayato¡¯s voice was stern, unbroken. ¡°I want to see him personally.¡± His feet carried him down the winding hallways of the facility, its structure comforting. Even without a map, he could easily find his way to the Warp Transport chamber. He scowled at the sight of dead bodies of the researchers, their Neuroframes devastated and shattered by someone skilled. But there were only two bodies of interest, one headless corpse with broken arachnid limbs spreading from his back. And the other was one of our soldiers, a gaping wound of blood seeping through the side of his cracked armor. ¡°Name and rank.¡± I walked over to the crumpled soldier. ¡°Yusuke Izumo.¡± A painful groan escaped the man through his helmet, a brief pause before he found the strength to continue. ¡°Bronze-Grade Class C Infantry.¡± Yusuke Izumo... Ayato lifted up his arm as a green light beamed from a small bulge under his wrist. A Bioshard Scanner, not one of those simple Sigil-based ones used by the police. The light delved deep into the wounded guard¡¯s body, searching for that tiny chip nestled within the pituitary gland. Bioshard Identity Confirmed: Yusuke Izumo ¡°How did you survive? And how did this one die?¡± He moved on, putting his attention on the dead mercenary. An internal strife, perhaps? The wound was clean, a precise cut on the neck that slipped in between the vertebrae to sever the spinal cord. As for the Arachne itself, it was clearly Yuzhou design, he¡¯d had my own body worked on by them hundreds of times. ¡°It was this one, sloppy. Not like the R0N1N, wounded me badly. Shot him down, but the R0N1N took his head to secure the Implant.¡± Izumo was in no state to move, so the Commander clicked his tongue to his cohort. ¡°Take him to the medbay, I want a detailed report from him when I¡¯m done.¡± His underlings saluted him, taking the wounded guard away. He seethed as Izumo left. Who did he think he was? Not addressing the Commander directly as his superior? If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. He¡¯d be disciplined soon enough, but for now, a question remained stirring as Ayato took in the sight of the corpses around me. How did R0N1N activate the Warp Transporter? ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Ripley or...? My entire head felt caged as I poured my thought and fiber into the newest facet of my Data Mimicry Feature. To become anyone, to shift the frequency of those shards implanted in our heads as newborns. Bioshards were simple tech¡­ and linked to create a fingerprint only specialized scanners could read for officiated people to detect Implant Grade, identities, and even Features. With Frequency Shift, Yusuke¡¯s BUG sat firmly in my Mimicset, my entire body stealing away the memory of what it was like to be him. ¡°That¡¯s a nasty wound you have there.¡± One of the guards helping me into an elevator idly mentioned. I groaned, afraid to talk and spill something out. I just needed a way to get this armor off so I could use my Arachne. Not to mention, it was hella uncomfortable lodging a blood bag in between my clothes and the suit. I¡¯d figured they¡¯d have some sort of gene-therapy room here with organic samples, and I was right. I¡¯d only had around ten minutes to secure myself while the Warp Transporter was charging, so most of what I did was just tearing computers apart and thrashing entire rooms in search of something useful. While I couldn¡¯t break into the files of the computers themselves, I¡¯d torn out their contents into Datacubes prepared by Mirage. Once we were in the clear, I¡¯d have a bunch of goodies for myself once they were decrypted. For now, the elevator door clinged open, and I was brought to the surface where there were entire legions of standby guards and policemen alike. It was a bustle of activity, and would have been suicide to fight my way out. They brought me over to a large truck that seemed to be a host of medical support, helping me in as a doctor guided his eyes over and down me. ¡°You¡¯re not wounded.¡± He calmly said, his Silver-Grade eyes stripping through the layers¡­ ¡°And what¡¯s that on your back-¡° Hypermind Prime surged in my head, much more powerful than the first version I¡¯d made now that it was sourced from a Silver BUG, I hurried right out of the truck as my legs whined over the pressure I was exerting through them. Gripping my wrist, I tore off the pauldrons that concealed my claws. The suit was simple enough to take off and wear, and there were plenty of various modular components that could be customized depending on the Adapter¡¯s Shardware. Even as drawn-out voices raised over and entire squads went alert to my betrayal, my claw-tips had already dug into the fences above us. I kicked with every bit of force I could express out of my legs, my momentum rising through the air as the taut wires swung me forward and above the fence, like an upside down pendulum. I disconnected the wires, letting my arc swing wildly as I brought my claw to drill into the first wall I slammed against. Quickly, I used my perch to pull me up onto the rooftop¡­ where snipers and other guards were busy waiting. Startled, they were just slow enough that my advanced perception of the world allowed me to aim my free claw at a baton wielding guard to drag their weapon away and throw it into another. Then I leaped above the rest of the snipers as they exchanged their bulky weaponry for smaller side-arms. By then I¡¯d already made it to another rooftop, and my right claw had just freed my left arm. Alarms chased me down as the buzz of some aerial vehicle hunted me down with a spotlight, but with two hands free I could now strip off the main chestguard and unleash my Arachne. God, I was embarrassed for that Silver-Grade Commander guy, if he had taken just a second longer to look at the slipshod arrangement I¡¯d made to poor Yusuke¡¯s back, then it would have been so obvious how I basically stabbed the Arachne in to make it look like he was me. That wasn¡¯t to say I didn¡¯t put an effort into it, it was surface-level work made to look deceptive. Not functional. I reminded myself that, but the inadequacy of it- Machine gun fire rained down behind me from the aerial vehicle above me, some slim and boxy aerodyne that had two free sides where guards aimed their weapons down on me. My legs ached as I pulsed a sonic burst from them to leap me through the growing forest of buildings, the sleek AV curving like a hawk to keep sight on me. Not the best situation for me, but one I was fine with dealing with. An AV could only hold so many people compared to the entourage of reinforcements that had been up on the surface. But with time ticking away to the unknown, I needed to get to Missy as quickly as possible. That meant getting on my bike. I couldn¡¯t risk being chased down by that vehicle in the air. So, with one quick and quiet zip that curved me between and then up rooftops, I was eye-level behind the AV. Whatever sensors it had picked me up immediately, as the electromagnetic air-motors that spun from its sides unnaturally turned their guards to aim at me. By then, I¡¯d already hooked my Arachne tips into the armor plating of the AV, pulling closer and then under it. I clung like a spider to the underside of the AV, plucking out one of the souvenirs I¡¯d collected from Yusuke. A grenade. With a swing of my Arachnid limbs, I skittered into the inside of the AV ¡ª smacking one of the men into the outside air as I shot another point-blank. Then with the grenade primed, I tossed it forward into the cockpit. My body had already been reeled to another rooftop when the explosion cannoned through the streets, the falling wreckage of flame and metal raining down on the unfortunate guards who¡¯d tried to chase me down. I felt some unnerving presence too, there was a flying Esper who seemed to walk on the wind aiming a gun at me, but a quick swish into the alleys of the city hid me away. Only for a few minutes, I moved at a breakneck speed as my Arachne careened me through the hidden roads of alleyways and ditches until there was no one fast enough to find me. Still, I wasn¡¯t out of the gutter yet, I threw off the Shandian helmet once I¡¯d gotten to the van where my bike was hidden in, tapping my frame as the bulky metal plate on the back of my head expanded and pulled forward to seal over my eyes. The Dreadwire mask fit like a glove, securing me into the power of its identity. In moments, my bike was free and the engine revved up, a glowing map showing I was a twenty-four minute ride from the next facility. That was still too slow for my liking. My bike sped around the corner, actually managing my first proper drift as I took off with the wind whipping around my mask. Looking over the possible routes, I¡¯d received words of a rerouting due to police blockades being set up through this area. In fact, one was right ahead of me. My Preservation Matrix activated on instinct, riling my upper Arachne limbs as I drove right for the policemen who were now taking sight of my masked face. The two spear-heads launched up towards the buildings on both sides of me, hooking in and then going taut. My bike lifted off the floor, arcing high as my Mantis Legs engaged and gripped the bike between my shins. I swung right over the policemen, my bike wobbling as it touched the ground but steady enough that I could keep focus. My heart raced as fast as my bike was travelling¡­ That was badass. It also now meant I was being chased by police cars and that Yuzhou would be back on my tail any moment now, but that hardly mattered. My Arachne limbs hooked onto the side of a statue of Beauregard Mazhyr settled in one plaza. I¡¯d recalculated that my route would be more efficient if I¡­ My bike lifted in the air as the hooked Livewire pulled no more, going horizontal in the swing as its forward momentum was turned angular, speed curving upwards to where an overpass ran atop my original route. Letting my Livewire free, my bike was freely flying through the air until I was soaring high above the bridge, still horizontal until my Arachne limbs swung sideways to rotate my bike into the right posit- The landing was rough, I felt the suspension buckle and my bike briefly lose control, but it was back in my hands soon enough. Still, any more torturous stunts like that and the vehicle would crumble, though as I saw the map redirect me¡­ Fifteen minutes. I was going to be there soon, with Missy and Topaz. And I would win. Blood and Steel C96: Struggle Chapter 96: Struggle August 27th Anthony I took a deep breath as I opened up the package that had been delivered to my doorstep, a special order from Imperium¡¯s International Gene-Clinic group, Spirit Sculpt. Tearing the carton apart, a metallic box not much larger than my hands sat solemnly like a treasure chest lost to time. Carefully, I lifted up the 80,000 Shardyne box and released the confines it held on the vials inside. Three Bronze-Grade Mutagen Stimulants and a Silver-Grade Mutagen labeled Voice Mimicry. It¡¯d been difficult to acquire, but a flash of my police certification and approval from Special Investigator Wickett had granted me the authorization to buy it. At the expense of several months of savings. I could¡¯ve put a down payment on a new car with this expense. The sun was in its waking hours, barely peeking over the horizon when I stabbed it¡¯s Mutagenic strength into me. If I was lucky I¡¯d gain a new Mutation, if I wasn¡¯t¡­ maybe a few Meta-Mutations, but those were rare for anyone whose name wasn¡¯t Diana Jones. God, how many did she have again? Too many to count. In the last five years, I¡¯d gotten maybe seven? The pain hissed up my leg, draining through my SIM-infested blood as a strangling sensation gripped my vocal chords. Bronze Grade Mutation acquired: Vocal Alteration can allow The Adapter to shift the pitch and frequency of their voice to a much better degree. Meta-Mutation acquired: The Adapter has slightly better memory of other¡¯s vocal profiles. [3%] Grade is now Bronze V Coming down from the high, I eased several rough coughs out of my enhanced vocal chords. Staring at my parrots, a small laugh escaped me. Let¡¯s see who¡¯s better at mimicking voices now? Still, I was a bit peeved that the Mutation had lost it¡¯s Silver-Grade, demoted to Bronze with only a Meta-Mutation that gave it a small benefit of the original Voice Mimicry Mutagen. It was expected, but good fortune could¡¯ve retained all aspects of it. I¡¯d also jumped up in my Grade now, which was the other main benefit of ingesting a higher-grade Mutagen. Slowly, but surely, I was catching up to my aunt. If I kept up my pace, played my Mutations well and got results, then this September would mean a promotion. I¡­ I deserved it. Choirmen was right. My Grade and Tier wasn¡¯t fit for a Third-Rank investigator. Hell, I knew Special-Grade Investigators that were at Bronze Tier II. Granted, they were exceptional in their fields and had a better synergy in their Mutagenic choices but the fact was that I was underperforming. Would I be as skilled as Diana at fighting? Never. She could whoop my ass even at Tier I. My grandfather could literally launch shockwaves from his hands and tear down a building if he put his effort into it. My aunt was¡­ terrifying. Point is, I could never out-damage either of them. Most of my mutations were scattered without any idea put into them, but now was better than never. Diana wasn¡¯t going to climb alone, she¡¯d have me. Her as a Special Investigator and me as a Sergeant or whatever. So, as I stared at my Muations, I wasn¡¯t feeling contempt about having them forced onto me for once. Implant Overview: Name: Anthony Grazhe Implant Type: SIM Tier II: Mutagenesis Compatibility: 81.3%Development: 32% Grade: Bronze VII Integrity: Bronze II Energy: Bronze IV Capacity: Bronze V Gene Overview: Tier 0 Mutations: Tier I Mutations: Tier II Mutations: There were definitely some embarrassing choices in here. For one, I¡¯d tried to copy my grandfather and his ability to send shockwaves through the air by once making a spendy splurge on an Air Manipulation Mutagen. Only for it to end up as an Air Hardening Mutation, and at the Iron grade it was hardly the type of thing to be useful. Reaching into my Bronze core, I summoned it¡¯s gust of copper-shaded wind through my hands and watched as a slight green glow layered over my arm, and gripping it felt like molding extremely weak clay into shape. Not the air-walking, barrier forming, wind slashing Mutation I¡¯d dreamt off. Except for one nasty change, taking a deep breath¡­ enough that I could probably survive for tens of minutes underwater, I condensed all of the air I¡¯d taken in as one tiny pellet within my chest. Then I shot it at a target on my wall, a quick green bullet splashing into the metal as a force gauge read out a strength reading of Iron IV. The Air Spitting Mutation was pretty useful in clutch moments, I¡¯d remembered using it to clear space between me and Diana when Tonguelasher flipped a car on us. If aimed right, it could even break a bone or two. As for everything else, god¡­ cosmetic mutations. Not to mention the thieving Alcohol Metabolism Mutation. Back when I was on the cusp of growing into Tier II, my final push involved the absorption of an extremely potent Iron Tier II Mutagen named Self-Control. The name was misleading, because research showed that the Mutations spawned off the Mutation allowed for a massive boost in cognitive control of your body¡­ it¡¯s way of thinking and even reaction speeds could be magnified. Except, rather than it going to any other Mutation. It went to my alcoholism. Now, whenever I¡¯m drunk, I have fantastic control over my own limbs and can even use my Vocal Telepathy better. The only issue is I need to be drunk¡­ the more drunk the better. Other than the police issued bodily enhancement Mutations, there was finally my bread and butter. My ability to mentally control others with my voice. My grandfather had first awakened to his version of the power in Tier II, where it combined a Mutation that made his voice more penetrative with a Telepathic Mutation that created an aura of authority around him. My aunt, on the other hand, awakened it at Tier I through a convergence of a mutation that allowed her to speak with her mouth closed and a seperate Telepathic mutation that straight up allowed her to connect her nervous system to another via touch. She¡¯d taken a specific sacrifice to let them both combine, by not taking any other Mutagen when she was in Tier 0 it was guaranteed they¡¯d only converge with each other. Then there was me. Hypnotic Voice was how I started out. Simply put, if I spoke to a person long enough, then I could cause them to be more receptive to any commands I spoke out. Emotive-Vocal Synchronisity was where my problems first arrived. Through a combination of a relatively weak telepathic Emotional Sense Mutation and my original Vocal Mutation, my control over another would massively increase if I had the same emotions as my target. Then that grew into Soul Whisper. Imperium¡¯s gene-clinics were top notch. Through a targeted release of a Silver-Grade Mutation Stimulant sponsored by my grandfather, the Mutation had grown into the Silver Grade. Theoretically, it was as potent as my aunt and grandfather¡¯s now. My body was not. The premise of the mutation was a tad bit more complex, using it allowed me to glimpse into other¡¯s emotions the more I spoke with them, and the further it developed the more I was able to gather specific thoughts. Then, whenever I spoke, it would be profoundly heard within other¡¯s psyches, as though they themselves were thinking it. That concept, the idea that they were hearing their own thoughts rather than my voice was what made my Mutation so coveted to my aunt. I could theoretically alter a person¡¯s entire way of thinking if I spoke to them long enough. It¡¯s just that it left my own mind as vulnerable, a two-way channel. Not to mention, it was Silver-Grade. Everytime I would use it, there would be backlash, at best it was just pain and tearing my own vocal chords. At worst it would be¡­ I¡¯d started out at 93% compatibility. It had dropped. Just thinking about it made me shudder. Those who went below 50% would begin to lose control over their Mutations, those at 0%¡­ lost themselves. Like¡­ Like my mother. I was there as she slipped away. A virus? Really? Like any virus could cause you to lose your mind, your compatibility, your control over yourself. Make you lose¡­ your love for your own son. She died in front of me, but it was clear to everyone that there was something deeper at play. No virus could do what that did to her, not even if it was somehow mutagenically enhanced. Everyone wrote it off, my dad, my grandfather¡­ even my aunt. Whatever she lost her mind to, it was out there. Lurking. I just didn¡¯t have any way to properly fight it until Diana popped into my life, amidst the gloomy dread I¡¯d been forced to live having the knowledge that my own power was killing me. And now, the very force she was trapped by¡­ was the same that my mother had been investigating. A part of me detested my father for hiding the truth, for sending Diana into that lion¡¯s den alone. Another part of me was¡­ thankful. It would have killed me, doing it all by myself, especially when I was younger and swept away by every stray emotion in my heart. I¡¯d grown since then. Opening up the location to the animal sanctuary, I stared at it. By any means necessary, I would find her. And she¡¯d probably hate my ass for it, hell, I¡¯d for sure have a flesh wound or two but dammit I¡¯d go to her even if it meant getting captured myself. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Because at least then, we could fight together. I¡¯d take a peek today¡­ just a peek. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Diana My hand lurched forward, gripping the blood-stained fur of an Iron MAL ¡ª the same Fangtooth-variant I¡¯d grown so comfortable with ¡ª and then my Warp Energy surged into my hand and the beast¡¯s skin. At once, a blinding flash of electricity sparked from where my hand met the beast¡¯s body, a chill air permeating at the contact as the blood froze over and icy drops clung to the matted hair. The electricity drew back into me, coursing down to my hips which twisted, then into my left leg which snapped open so my hardened heel could crack through a ribcage through which I shot a fatal plume of frying sparks into. The core exploded as I felt a wave of Iron energy drench through the bubbling corpse. Not even a second later, a second MAL had descended onto me, my mental cognition feeling the approaching surge of activity within their nervous system. Skidding backwards, I called upon the scraps of metal left in the arena from when I fought Stormspinner¡¯s corrupted self. The electricity I¡¯d left in them brought each to life, stirring them towards me as embers of my Warp Energy scattered towards each metal shard. With my innate sense of electrical currents, it was easy to feel each shards as their own individual pieces. Easy to supply them with specific jobs. My compatibility was at 99.9%. The Warp Energy within me was synchronous to my thoughts, and that fed into each shard. Two sliced through the Achilles¡¯ tendons, another gouged the MAL¡¯s eyes out. The rest collected to my side as shields to protect me from a third MAL¡¯s onslaught. I didn¡¯t have enough force yet to barrage them through a MAL¡¯s toughened body, but they served their purpose as winding serpents that could distract and throw off my foe¡¯s advances. The MAL with the slashed tendons fell under their own weight, and I exploited it with a slash of my nails tearing deep into it¡¯s chest. A chilling burst of coldness pierced the air as a violent wrench of sparks spasmed through the MAL, the frozen organs weak enough that I could crunch right through to drain the core¡¯s Warp Energy. That fiery Iron couldn¡¯t even drain up my shoulder before it was transformed into a spark of electricity that flicked through my fingertips. A thin strip of silver-blue stabbed into a descending MAL¡¯s open jaw, my aim perfectly locked onto the collection of nervous tissue confined above the palate. A direct shot into whatever organ it used as a brain short-circuited it¡¯s thoughts, allowing me to freely scoop out the core and crush it in my palms. I took a deep breath, the nicks and flesh-wounds on my body disappearing at the expense of my internal Warp Energy stores. Careful usage of all of my Mutations had kept it from falling too low, but by now these Fangtooths were simple creatures to me. ¡°A most marvelous sight!¡± Soul Killer clapped through the speakers, still in the body of Dr. Kaisel. ¡°How it must be to have such a wonderful set of Mutations. ¡°Shut up.¡± I muttered under my breath. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°I said shut up!¡± I screamed aloud. Too many days had passed by now, I knew that. Soul Killer then said something that made fear explode through me. ¡°Keep talking like that and I¡¯ll have to pay a visit to your friend who was snooping up above us.¡± I bit my lip, hating this stupid situation I was stuck in. Anthony¡­ how did he find this location? There weren¡¯t many people who could figure it out. The only plausible suspect was the one other person who was outside this bunker and knew of my existence here. The Dogwhistler. But why would she help me? Unless this was some even deeper elaborate ploy to get me to fall to their whims. I¡¯d spent the last few days thinking about it, about what I would do if it came between me and Anthony and¡­ I still wasn¡¯t sure. But then I remembered Yvette, and how he was there for me. I calmed myself down, knowing that in the end this all came down to my individual strength. Soon, I would escape. Just a few more days. Gene Overview:- Integrity [Bronze I] Energy [Bronze III] Capacity [Bronze I] Grade [Gold III] Gene Capacitance 58/60 Development: 93% Three Bronze MALs, and nineteen Iron MALs¡­ that¡¯s how many of them I¡¯d killed and absorbed since I received Electrical Flash-Freeze. A Mutation that I was becoming more comfortable with everyday, the ability to convert thermal energy inside a material into electrical energy in a single touch. It would be a key to my escape as well. ¡°Another one.¡± I said aloud, pointing up to the halo of light seeping in the roof far above. ¡°I can fight another round.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make this one tougher.¡± They teased. I¡¯d just finished fighting seven Iron MALs, bigger numbers weren¡¯t an issue¡­ what I needed was a Bronze MAL. A Warlock preferably, the variant of MALformed capable of Esper-like control on the world. These Chimeras were getting a bit old. ¡°Bring it on.¡± I wrestled my fatigue down, a feast would come soon enough. When the elevator retrieved my next set of foes, I stifled my anxiety. In number, there were fewer than my recent fight. A total of five Fangtooths. Four Irons. One Bronze. The Irons were just as mangy and half-deformed as usual, ravaging like maniacs towards their cages in their rush to hunt me down. The Bronze on the other hand, had a realness, a greater sense of existence in the world with its robust figure and several eyes taking in the arena. It didn¡¯t throw itself at the cage like its lesser kind was, instead, it¡¯s bead-like eyes blinked at me. Curiously at first, then in wanton desire. The sense of malice was just as permeable if not denser from the Bronze variant, and in a sharp bird-like whistle it brought a calmness to the other Iron-Grade MALformed, bringing them to stare at me with startling unison. ¡°Ah, how easily is it that they fall to the whims of their superiors?! I wish humans worked like that!¡± As Soul Killer commented, it made me unnerved by the topic. Soul Killer was practically imitating this leadership effect a higher-grade MAL had on its lesser variants. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± I raised my hands, prepared to begin the hunt. The cages fell open, and the difference was absolutely noticeable. For one, they didn¡¯t charge out mindlessly and ruthlessly, they pounced out and circled me in an instant, covering my flanks. I wasn¡¯t going to let that Bronze live for long, so I charged straight at it, only for the two Iron MALs ahead of me to leap in between me and their leader, offering their bodies to me in exchange. Very well! As I always had done, I aimed my sights at disabling their mobility before diving for their core. My foot met a crooked knee joint, only for it to- to dodge back. Never once in my fights had a MAL possessed any sense of self-preservation. And that fault in my thinking instantly became my downfall as the two MALs behind me lunged into action. The normally vociferous MALformed had become silent panthers, only detected by the sudden shift in electrical currents through their bodies. With a pulse of my Gold, I raised a curtain of thin shards between myself and them. This time they didn¡¯t dodge, they let their body get ripped as they hounded me down, each targeting one half of my body. Not willing to split my focus between them, I released the well of kinetic force charged in my legs to propel me above all four Irons. The shadow of the Bronze fell over me, my eyes open wide to a hundred jagged teeth nestled in a mane of overflowing black-and-white fur. In a split-second decision, I gripped my Telekinesis Mutation under an inferno of my Warp Energy, commanding it over my own body. Mineral Assimilation was a slow burn of incremental modifications to my body, building my strength with the nutritional food supplied here had been an unexpected boon. The various deposits of metal through my muscle and bone meant I was significantly tougher and stronger than almost any Tier I even without using Warp Energy. It also allowed me a slight allowance to manipulate my own body under my Electromagnetic Telekinesis Mutation. Like an airborne ballerina, I twisted enough to avoid a rending from the first claw. It¡¯s gigantic paws on the other hand smacked into me like a wrecking ball of force. I landed and rolled with broken bones, every fiber of my body hurting as the other four Irons came down like a pack of hyenas. Just as quick as I¡¯d landed, I was back up and this time taking the MAL for surprise. As the first brought its teeth down on me, my arm shot up to the roof of its mouth and jabbed in a violent crunch of lightning that burst its eyes into goo. Blinded, it swatted madly, pounding me to the side where two other of its breed pincered me. The force of my beating revolted out, my leg snapping through one jaw while my elbow hooked another. Throwing out a fray of sparks, I charged some metal shrapnel in the ground and used it to fend off the remaining attacker. Tendons torn through; I summoned my sharpened nails to charge right into its heart. The Bronze leapt in my way, my hand failing to break through its toughened anatomy. A terrifying whistle pierced me, the fur on its body tangling my hand into its grip like mossy vines predating on a curious insect. The recovered Iron MALs brought their fury onto me as they charged. Working on instinct, I summoned a freezing chill upon the fur tangling my right arm, using the electricity generated to strike into one Iron and give me just the reaction speed necessary to avoid a crunch from the Bronze. Still under pressure, I withstood a terrible assault from the chimera that left me wounded and broken with every calculated pounce. Never once had the MAL showed such terrifying efficiency at dismantling me, and each attack from the Bronze drained an hour worth of Warp Energy during my regenerations. By all means, this could¡¯ve been the end. I¡¯d lost my fear of going low on Warp Energy several fights ago, allowing the budding core of my stores to explode free made me speedier, rigid and powerful. I was easily approaching Tier II in terms of raw power output and maybe even Tier III in my mental throughput. Like a dagger in the shadows, I emerged from the side of the Bronze to kick it in its deformed ribs, pushing enough force to lift it off the ground and slam it against a wall. That brief impact was enough for the other Iron MALs to lose their overwhelming synchronicity, and in seconds I¡¯d taken the first one down as I tore it¡¯s jaw open until it could very well have been split into two. Crunching its core, it was a meager fuel compared to the energy I¡¯d just released. But it was enough to keep me going. Like quicksilver, I flowed between the MALs, my claws gnawing ice into their wounds as they spasmed. Strains of Iron flowed up my veins, and my blood pumped faster than ever as I used their strength against them. Gripping the core of the next, I flung its lifeless body into the Bronze who¡¯d recovered, the remaining two left defenseless enough that my bare hands could tear into them. In a few seconds, their Energy drained into me, and I released violent serpents of electricity into the metal scraps around me, calling them to me. They aligned and fused according to the image in my head, a javelin as large as me. The remaining Bronze roared at the death of its lesser kin, the mossy fur tangling up to create a puffy barrier as it charged towards me. I waited patiently as its powerful body brought impending doom towards me, every wasteful second of my stillness drained into the muscles of my back, right arm and javelin. Only once it dared to open its abdomen-length mouth to gobble me up did I place my weight forward and extend my spear. Force cannoned out of me, but that only managed to just pierce the bones and viscera of the MAL to my desired depth. Pinning into its throat, I reached through the scraps of metal as teeth crunched down on my arms, threatening to tear them off. Baring through the pain, I felt the resonating sense of my metal shards slipping through its body. Electromagnetic Telekinesis was simple, the greater the electric current in an object, the more I could control it. And while my physics wasn¡¯t scientist-level, the Cradle had taught me enough that colder objects were less resistive. This entire time I was waiting for the MAL, the javelin had felt like ice in my grip, and that also made it charged with enough electricity to electrocute a Tier I BUG-Adapter to ash. The supercharged scraps tore into the softer flesh surrounding the core of the Bronze. And once the last thread of flesh was snapped, the MAL¡¯s body went limp. It would only last a second, so allowing my fumes of Energy to heal the bones and muscles in my arm, I reeled the javelin out, a Bronze Core beating on its end. It was strange, it actually resembled a heart to a degree, the details appearing more refined and purposeful. Except I had no time to take in the beauty of disfigured creatures designed to kill us, so I crushed the meaty sphere in my hand to drain it out. The depth and quality of Warp Energy was far above anything I¡¯d ever ingested. A Tier II Bronze MAL, I figured. Absorbing Mutagen¡­ Mutagen Absorbed: Tier II: Tier I: Tier 0: [Gold] Mutation: Compact Tissues has reached 100% Development. Additional Meta-Mutations have been acquired. Increased effect of compaction across all skin-based tissues; additional increase to the sharpening of nails. [Gold] Mutation: Mineral Assimilation has acquired additional Meta-Mutations. Increased metal deposition into keratin-based tissues; increased bone density. Development: 97% [Gold] Mutation: Mutagenic Drain has acquired additional Meta-Mutations. Rate of Warp Energy absorption increases when the Adapter is low on Warp Energy. Development 86% [Gold] Mutation: Electromagnetic Telekinesis has acquired an additional Meta-Mutation. Slight increase to sharpness of all objects controlled by the Mutation. Development: 58% [Gold] Mutation: Electrical Flash-Freeze has acquired additional Meta-Mutations. Increased effectiveness on organic tissue; increased effectiveness on objects charged with electricity. Development: 43% No increase to my Energy Stat this time, the limiting factor in these brawls, it¡¯d taken a Bronze MALformed last time to boost it enough that I could fight this long. Just the tiniest boost could push me enough that I- Damn¡­ I was so tired. Tired of this constant fighting, of knowing that the people I were talking to here had lost their identity, of feeling so weak. Maybe that¡¯s what Soul Killer was looking for. For me to lose my own will to fight. And sometimes, he was winning¡­ but not yet. That thought alone was enough for me to keep pushing. If I struggled a bit more, then with that hope I could¡­ My legs gave out from under me, my body queasy with the lack of Warp Energy. How many times have I fought in the last few days? What was happening outside? How much more would I¡­ ¡­struggle? Blood and Steel C97: Survival, Growth, Evolution Chapter 97: Survival, growth, evolution Anthony''s Analysis of the Animal Sanctuary he suspects Diana is within: It was perfectly normal on the surface. A petting zoo, an actual zoo, other labs where they ran research using the animals there. Yet, I couldn''t help but feel something... off. It was to do with my powers, I''d spoken as usual to them, but there was this strange tension I could sense in the way some of the workers answered. To my ears, it was fine... but to my powers? I just couldn''t help but imagine like they were keeping something from me, something they didn''t know themselves... What the hell is going on there? I know that whatever it is, it''s something... beyond my power. And that one worker, especially, seemed off to me. Her name is Emily Kaisel, she was friendly, but her eyes always appeared distant and unfocused. I could even call her clumsy, and the weirdest thing is I didn''t feel anything from her. It was like there was nothing in her mind for me to resonate with. At least, towards the end of our conversation. In the beginning, I had felt something. It was vast and whispering, but then it was gone. Like a shark submerging into the water. She knew about my ability, she had to... By the Founders, Diana, what did you get yourself into? August? Or September? Diana Awakening in my room, for once I wasn¡¯t alone. There was Aliya seated there in the corner, smoking a cigarette. ¡°Awake, Silvereye?¡± She asked. I nodded in my drowsiness. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve barely seen you the last few¡­ days? Yeah, I think it¡¯s been days.¡± Aliya said thoughtlessly. ¡°What¡¯re you even fighting for? You can¡¯t escape.¡± ¡°Whether I can escape or not isn¡¯t the point.¡± I pushed myself up, pain drilled through my whole body. ¡°I just won¡¯t give in.¡± ¡°But why? It¡¯s¡­ so much easier.¡± Her face held a deep sadness in there. ¡°Unless¡­ are you immune?¡± Her question caught me by surpirse, but it was the exact question she needed to ask for me to know that it was her and not Soul Killer. ¡°I¡¯m just very hard to infect. That¡¯s why they¡¯re constantly testing me out.¡± ¡°He can infect Tier IIs, even IIIs¡­ why not you?¡± The spite in her voice couldn¡¯t be hidden. I didn¡¯t blame her for it, she¡¯d been here for nearly two decades¡­ ¡°The things I¡¯ve lost in my time here, I wished I never even tried to investigate the bastard¡­ but what makes you so special?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to say, luck¡­ coincidence¡­ a whole lot of random fuckups that turned out to be not-so-random brought me where I am right now. I¡¯m confused myself¡­ and often asking myself the same thing.¡± Why me? But sometimes a thought came to my head, what opened up the box in The Toxin Club if it wasn¡¯t Ripley? It seemed to be linked to the whims of this Mr. R character and the Dogwhistler. It had to be some sort of sudden, unforeseen variable they knew would give them more power in the end than tearing New California¡¯s police force down. Think, Diana. Could it have been me and Ripley? Or just maybe one of us? What was the reason why they had such perfect compatibility¡­ was it them or would it have been granted to anyone who took their Implants. Or was it really because her hand had been cut and his claw had been partially digested? Or was there something else? Some hidden quality hidden behind the curtain of their eyes. Mr. R had access to a MALtitan in some regards. Or atleast, The Uncaged did. The Allseeing. The titan entombed within the OldNet, at the Source of the Old_Data. Source. That word again. The one thread linking them together. I wished I had some ability to pry into the depths of my soul, to tear it open and divulge into the machinations of my SIM. Exactly what Soul Killer was doing right now. The power in my blood was far greater than it should be. Even for a Gold, it was beyond unique. My growth was phenomenal, endless. Infinite. The Infinite. The MALtitan that had destroyed The Free City of The Floridian Gulf lining the east coast. I¡¯d only ever seen videos of it during my time at the Cradle, but it was¡­ horrifying. A creature with a strangely fungal appearance, it spawned stalks of buzzing of wires and flesh that entwined in nearly endless combinations to create extensions of itself in the form of monsters. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Back in the auction, all of those MALtitan chunks, I felt a strange disgust towards all of them except for that of The Infinite. Why? There was only one answer. It had to with my SIM¡­ was it somehow linked to the Titan? That would explain its qualities to grow phenomenally but¡­ how was it even acquired¡­? What was such a precious resource doing in the hands of The Uncaged? All the answers led to more questions, a seemingly never ending spiral that dug me down to the depths of the abyss. And I knew what lurked at the bottom. Aliya''s voice rose up again, but this time it wasn¡¯t her speaking. Soulless eyes quenched my hope. ¡°Time for lunch, Diana.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± I felt so weak agreeing to them. ¡ª¡ª¡ª As I chewed on the steak of MAL flesh and Soul Killer rambled on about the molecular genetics of my powers, I found myself distracted with the lack of progress I¡¯d been having. Sure my Genes were steadily climbing¡­ but my actual development had halted. The last fight had only ticked me up a whole percent. From 93% to 94%. It seemed like my worst-case scenario was coming true, if I was to gain 100% Development then I would need to push both Electromagnetic Telekinesis and Electrical Flash-Freeze up to their maximum development as well. But I¡¯d only received them just¡­ six fights ago. Their growth had been phenomenal, but I¡¯d felt it myself how much development slowed down as it climbed up higher in the percentages. Both of them were Energy genes, altering the properties of natural phenomena under the reality-bending qualities of my Gold Energy. Esper Genes which were supplied by Warlock-type Malformed. Most of the MALformed I¡¯d be fighting were Chimeras and held Mutant Genes. At this rate, it would take maybe another ten or so fights to max them out. Which was still unprecedented progress¡­ it was just¡­ too slow. Every wasted hour here meant that Anthony could waltz in here and fuck things up¡­ Sorry, no, that was harsh. I- I¡¯m worried. He was coming here for me, I should have been grateful. Instead, I¡¯m cursing him. He deserved better. Maybe when I do get out of here, I¡¯ll give that date a try. ¡°Developed a taste for MAL meat?¡± Simon Jugosla, without red eyes, spoke. ¡°They all come around eventually.¡± ¡°It¡¯s cooked well.¡± I commented, in truth it was superb, I¡¯d bet there were hundreds willing to stay in these conditions to be fed daily by an award-winning chef. ¡°You certainly aren¡¯t a critic.¡± He lazed back in his chair. ¡°You cook human flesh too?¡± I asked, prodding my steak¡¯s scraps. He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Occasionally.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m going to kill you.¡± I stabbed the meat, my eyes focused on his with an intensity that came easily. ¡°All of this is wrong, and you¡¯re complicit in this. Soul Killer in your head or not, you¡¯re a fucked up man, Simon.¡± ¡°That¡¯ll be for the judges to decide, if they can catch me. Actually, I¡¯m cooking dinner for one later this week.¡± He smirked off, but I didn¡¯t miss the bead of sweat rolling down his temple. ¡°You¡¯ll be lucky if I let you meet them.¡± I took a final bite, pushing myself off the chair and walking away. All of this was taking too long, would I be impatient if I¡­ fought my way out? I was more confident in myself now, but I didn¡¯t know the depths of Soul Killer¡¯s powers. Whereas they had seen everything I was capable of. If I were to escape, it would be predicted, hell they probably dangled that open elevator over my head as a taunt, daring me to go ahead and try. But even earthquakes could be predicted, a force of nature didn¡¯t care if they were known or not. The outcome would be the same. Maybe it was because I¡¯d been snuffed out of my ability to reach into my Warp Energy, but I¡¯d grown more sensitive as I searched for it. I was on the cusp of something else, some deeper meaning in the nature of the power bestowed upon me. If I couldn¡¯t reach Tier II, then maybe that was my key to escaping this place, but as my thoughts carried me down to the couch, they were torn away by the eyes of curious children. ¡°Miss Aliya told us you¡¯d play with us, Silvereye.¡± The kid with shabby red hair, Kimbley, grabbed my hand. Olivia was there too, holding a doll and raising it up. I settled in for a few minutes where I played games with the children. It was a good distraction, but somehow it only made my mood far more somber. Would these children ever have a life? Or would they end up like Dr. Kaisel, as one of Soul Killer¡¯s thralls. Once I make my escape, would I have to¡­ would they stand in my way? I fastened my emotions. No, I could remove Soul Killer¡¯s influence, I just needed to train that ability. It wasn¡¯t long until crimson eyes corrupted the children around me, their jovial smiles becoming vessels of horror. ¡°We await you.¡± Picking myself up, I began traveling down to the arena. My thoughts submerged me the entire time, Compact Tissues had finished growing and my body had pretty much reached its peak physical strength at this stage. Mineral Assimilation was nearly at its peak as well, and Electromagnetic Telekinesis was nowhere strong enough for me to properly fly. But I did remember what Stormspinner did to mimic that effect. Strolling in, I was surprised to see Soul Killer actually standing in the arena rather than whatever booth they usually observed from. ¡°The last few days have been quite eventful, you know.¡± Soul Killer stretched wide. ¡°What do you know about a character named Dreadwire?¡± ¡°Never heard of them.¡± I answered, confused. Soul Killer chuckled. ¡°Well, they¡¯re a new Gold-Grade Mercenary with one of the most bombastic entrances I¡¯ve ever seen in this city. Your police friends are real worried about him¡­ Mikail¡¯s practically tearing his non-existent hair out in excitement.¡± Gold¡­ grade? Ripley? ¡°What happened?¡± I wasn¡¯t all too sure about what was happening, but it was unnerving. ¡°Just a good old heist on one of the five corporations. Yuzhou¡¯s reputation has taken a sure nose dive, I¡¯m curious to see how things¡¯ll change around here. I wonder if Kensuke had anything to do with this? Then again, Muramasa¡¯s been a shit show ever since Mikail got engaged to the Bladedaughter.¡± Soul Killer smirked, then waved it off. ¡°Enough about that, you must feel like punching something.¡± The more I looked at their face, the more I agreed. I just huffed, staring at the elevator above. The distance was daunting, but I was growing more and more confident in my abilities to reach it. ¡°What do you have planned for today?¡± I rested my gaze on Soul Killer. ¡°Nothing too special.¡± They began to walk outside, and soon the elevator began to descend¡­ and it wasn¡¯t Anthony¡­ my breath eased. I don¡¯t know why, but every time that elevator came down, I half expected to see Anthony with crimson eyes. The image terrified me into sleepless nights, but so far, it wasn¡¯t a reality. Two Bronze MALformed, bipedal and bulbous, shook in huge glass tubes. Warlocks¡­ exactly what I needed. I wasn¡¯t sure of it at first, but now, I was growing more and more confident in my hypothesis. Soul Killer was trying to bring me up to Tier II. He was trying to build my Mutations up¡­ to get them to converge in a way that would¡­ serve their goals? But what for? Blood and Steel C98: Exit Plan Chapter 98: Exit Plan 3:44 PM September 2nd Anthony The day had come, I was seated with Keagan in a car worth entire years of my paycheck as it autonomously drove us towards the animal sanctuary. I was confident that this is where Diana was being kept. Six days ago, I visited the bustling sanctuary of farm animals and pets, an admittedly enjoyable experience if you weren¡¯t searching for your kidnapped friend. The environment outside of the civilized cities had been in turmoil ever since The Collapse ¡ª the air frigid from the Typhoon¡¯s slumber in the pacific. It was only thanks to an array of geothermal vents throughout the Free City that we didn''t face the same barren environment of the Mid-West. And the threats weren''t just environmental, the MAL there fed on biomatter endlessly to grow their ranks. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for entire regions to be barren of life with others swarming in vegetation. Vegetation that tried to kill you. I stared at Keagan as he polished the gun formed from his arm, the straight man¡¯s entire body seemed to be a weapon, but from an outward look you could assume he was a Mutant with how well his body concealed his Shardware. ¡°The manager here, his name is Edward Newroad.¡± I commented. ¡°He was off, like his thoughts weren¡¯t his. Normally when I speak to a person I feel some sort of link to their mind but this time¡­ the more I delved in, the depths felt endless.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Keagan didn¡¯t bother much for a response. ¡°So¡­ is it just the two of us?¡± I really hoped we would be getting more reinforcements. ¡°Yes, this is a covert mission.¡± Keagan¡¯s arm slipped back into its human-like appearance, hiding away the metal. ¡­ Damn this! I turned my lenses onto the Net, searching for any more information regarding the sanctuary. It was hard to describe it, but my visit there felt¡­ off. Like no one was truly human, like their sense of self was subdued and trying to merely imitate human behavior. The very first thing I saw on the net was a news article about the Yuzhou attack from three days ago¡­ I wasn¡¯t stupid. Ripley had mentioned an important event happening at the end of August, and here happens one of the most notorious heists in the last few years. Perhaps most startling was the appearance of a new Gold-Grade Mercenary. Dreadwire. I wasn¡¯t willing to spill my assumption just yet, Diana needed Ripley for this whole conspiracy and I knew better. Even then, I''d tried to contact him again, but it was impossible to. It was like he''d disappeared As these things often happened to be, information regarding what happened after the heist was sparse. That day was hell, more than sixteen small-scale Yuzhou oddicers were attacked by R0N1N-affiliated conspirants. The worst of them being The Bladedaughter, Muramasa''s deadliest before their leader, the police were drawn too thin as their main force attacked three of Yuzhou¡¯s most important factories. Not to mention the assassinations we''d faced... I''d always seen my grandfather and aunt treating Muramasa as the most dangerous of all the gangs in the city. The car stopped, parking into an empty space amidst the fairly crowded lot. Exiting into the main grounds, I met the same sight I had seen before. Bustling children with joyful faces crowded around petting zoos and other wide enclosures filled with exotic animals practically extinct in the outer world. Elephants, tigers, all sorts of birds and insects had their specific enclosures. This place required a lot of resources to run, it would be a good location to use as a smuggling ground for various items. Keagan led the way, heading straight for the location I had been most suspicious about. The research lab. Nervous, I took one more look at the progress ingrained in me from my consumption of the various stimulants I had consumed. Tier II Mutations: I was still years of paychecks of Shardyne away before I could even think about getting to Tier III. Three stimulants had barely netted me more than 8% in any of my Mutations. Keagan began speaking to various staff members, some poor overworked workers, appearing all too human for the corporate-machine I was used to. It wasn¡¯t long before he somehow weaselled us into the lab¡¯s ground-floor reception, bringing me to unfamiliar territory. It was then that I saw one figure from my last visit, a young woman in a lab coat and glasses who had approached me at a food stall on the 27th. She¡¯d chatted me up at the cafeteria here, being suspiciously friendly. She walked steadily, approaching both of us with a steady gait and gaze. ¡°Oh, I remember you. You said your name is Anthony?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I submerged Warp Energy into my voice and mind, at once I drew upon the spectral auras of emotive energy radiating across each person around me. ¡°Dr. Kaisel, if I remember?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± She answered back, and that was the moment the faintest threads snapped into place. A third eye opened in my head, a deep psychic vision into the inner thoughts of another person. Where normally I would glimpse into a world of colors and faded memories, there was only an abyssal red consuming me. ¡°I don¡¯t think I properly introduced myself last time, I said my name was Anthony but it¡¯s actually-¡± ¡±Anthony Grazhe.¡± She replied with a smile. ¡°I know. I do my research, that¡¯s practically all I do¡­ so what¡¯s prompted a Third-Rank Investigator to come visit a research facility on MAL Ecology? Our research is fascinating, but also incredibly coveted.¡± Right, officially this place wasn¡¯t owned by any of the Five Corporate Nations, belonging as a public institute of New California itself much like the police were. That didn¡¯t mean there wasn¡¯t corporate meddling involved, it was likely there were many players moving their chess pieces at a facility like this. Especially if it was what we suspected it to be. Keagan stepped ahead of me, pulling up his own certification in the form of a holographic badge. It was the first time I¡¯d seen the rank, but it wasn¡¯t unknown to me. Executive Investigator. Those Special Investigators specially chosen or trained to work according to the demands of direct police higher-ups. ¡°Dr. Kaisel. Officially, you are the highest ranking doctor here, as such I request that you bring us to Dr. Theodore Gainsborough, we believe he is under the suspicion of trafficking MALformed flesh away from this facility for personal consumption.¡± ¡°Oh dear. That- that doesn¡¯t sound like him at all. But, if it¡¯s really happening then we must take action.¡± Dr. Kaisel covered her mouth in shock, and despite my mental prongings I couldn¡¯t discern whether it was an act or not. I should be able to¡­ but my aunt had taught me all too well that my power couldn¡¯t work on everyone, those with psionic Mutations would be a tough nut for me to crack. ¡°What can you tell us about him?¡± I slid forward, pouring my Bronze Warp Energy into my mouth, I felt the sonic waves act as a vessel of my will, binding me deeper to that sinkhole of a mind. She spoke like she had a throat in her lump. ¡°Well¡­ he¡¯s been with us for a few years. A senior reserearcher on one of our teams. Can- can I ask something in turn?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± I replied. Any moment to dwell deeper was a good option. ¡°How did you all come to suspect him? I- I¡¯m not doubting you but-¡° ¡°Came up in our lead on a Merc who was buying the meat, listed him as a source.¡± I shared a look with Keagan, our fabricated story was tight and neat. ¡±Anthony.¡± Keagan spoke up. ¡°You wait up here. I¡¯ll speak to her myself.¡± I nodded, obeying the orders from my superior. Except this was all exactly going to plan, we¡¯d always intended to find some sort of leading researcher to ask our questions to ¡ª and Keagan had dug up that there was a Dr. Theodore involved in some illegal dealings, but it was always a front to our real goal. Watching as the pair of them made their way to another part of the lab, I snuck back out of the dome-like building to a secluded park bench as words flowed into my earpiece. ¡°We want a list of all the researchers on his team.¡± Keagan¡¯s voice was calm and direct, I memorized the tone and inflection of every syllable. Dr. Kaisel¡¯s came next. ¡°Of course, that much I can share¡­¡± They exchanged a back and forth several times, Keagan making sure not to probe too deeply to end the conversation despite Dr. Kaisel¡¯s surprising ease in giving us the info required for the case. If everyone was as willing to spill the beans as her, the police could cut it¡¯s manpower by half. I sent over the message to him. I¡¯m ready. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Then I opened my mouth, but my speech had taken another form entirely, Keagan¡¯s voice exited my mouth ¡ª and through a microphone installed in my ear it was relayed back to him where his mechanized vocal chords played back what I was saying. ¡°Do you know who¡¯s funding this project of his?¡± It was odd, speaking in a voice that wasn¡¯t mine, much less knowing that it was also exiting Keagan¡¯s mouth through an all-too-perfect act in which he¡¯d learned how to move his lips to exactly illustrate the act in it¡¯s perfection. All in barely an hour this morning after I brought up the idea to him. ¡°SynTec.¡± Dr. Kaisel responded back. ¡°That¡¯s all I can say.¡± ¡°Those damn corporates¡­ They ever get on your nerve? Doing their job for them?¡± I¡¯d learned one trick to my power, the more personal the questions, the deeper I dove into their mind. And it was working, whatever psychic resistance I was feeling cleared up. She¡¯d definitely known about my power and had a way to resist it, despite that there was still an overbearing scarlet singing in my head. ¡°Oh you have no idea. It¡¯s a real pain in the ass, they overwork us to the bone and always force our hands into researching the most menial things..¡± ¡±Still you¡¯re working with MALs, most people never get to see one in their lifetime.¡± ¡±Yeah, well that¡¯s going to change in three years.¡± She gave a dry laugh. ¡±I¡¯ve killed a few myself, nasty creatures they are. They ever freak you out?¡± ¡°Like you wouldn¡¯t believe. We¡¯ve got a wolf chimera-variant that has a mouth running all the way down to it¡¯s abdomen.¡± ¡±That sounds unpleasant¡­ it isn¡¯t dangerous, is it?¡± ¡°Oh it definitely is, but I consider the danger a perk of the job ¡ª an excitement. It¡¯s why I delved into researching live subjects of the MALkind, my mentor was much the same, they always made me seek truths into the hidden aspects of how Warp Energy infects the organic flesh.¡± ¡°This¡­ mentor. Who are they?¡± ¡°Goes by the name of¡­¡± I felt the resistance perk back into place, the crimson noise overwhelming me. By now I should feel some sort of emotion, but it was all discordant and false. Something was wrong here. ¡°Dr. Albert Guesberg.¡± Dr. Kaisel finished saying. ¡°Hmm¡­ what can you tell me about the MAL, considering we¡¯re fighting them in three years. Nothing that¡¯ll break an NDA, of course.¡± ¡°Then I can¡¯t say much. From our recent tests, targetting their core is the only way to kill them without them regenerating, finding it is trickier, but maybe taking out their sensory organs could help. Of course, also be wary for higher grade MALs that can organize them, I¡¯ve seen them absolutely tear up¡­ tear through cages.¡± I could hear the shaking in her voice, and some deeper insight in me felt it. A reluctance to say something. ¡±The nature of your tests here¡­ I suppose it wouldn¡¯t be a wild guess to say they¡¯re to find weaknesses on the MAL and how to best combat them.¡± ¡°Oh yes¡­ that and¡­ other things. Implant research is big here too, a whole lot we don¡¯t know.¡± ¡±Implants are fascinating, indeed.¡± ¡±You don¡¯t need to tell me twice, recently received a particularly interesting one.¡± I¡¯d built up to it slowly, and I could feel my bleeding throat beg for release as Warp Energy twisted it¡¯s way through. But now was the moment for the killing strike as I sent forth a storm of my Energy through my vocal chords. ¡°Does this interesting asset go by the name of Diana Jones?¡± ¡±No.¡± Dr. Kaisel hummed, and I felt the pit of anxiety within me bubble into a falling splash of confusion and worry. Then she spoke again, her eyes slightly glazed over under my power. ¡°Her name¡¯s Diana Ulrich.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Returning to the lab and entering a quiet office, I found Keagan holding a handcuffed Dr. Kaisel. Warp Restraints of the Silver Grade, and it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if an Executive Investigator had the ability to gauge an Adapter¡¯s exact grade and tier. ¡°You worked well.¡± Keagan nodded at me, to which I nodded back before taking a closer look at Dr. Kaisel. She didn¡¯t fight it, instead she just smiled at the both of us with a leer. ¡°That was fascinating¡­ it wasn¡¯t on my records that you had the ability to change your voice.¡± She was too calm for being tied up. ¡°Stop the bullshit.¡± I spoke normally for now, we had her where we wanted. ¡°Diana, where is she?¡± ¡°Oh she¡¯s here alright.¡± Dr. Kaisel shook her head. ¡°That you should know by now¡­ I¡¯m not sure how, but good job.¡± ¡°Where?¡± I sent forth a razor wind of my Energy into her, and I felt the shudder of her faded mental shield break under the restraints on her wrist. ¡°Behind the lab is a warehouse built atop an old MAL Swarm bunker, there¡¯s a service elevator with a hidden access point to where its inner facilities are.¡± Her casual delivery made me feel like I didn¡¯t need to use my Mutation to get that out of her, but why give up information like that so easily. Unless¡­ it wasn¡¯t leaving this room? Her eyes became bloodshot in a blink, crimson everywhere except for the blank white where her pupils were. All of a sudden all of that crimson in my head collapsed onto my head like a falling skyscraper, pummeling a throbbing pain through my skull as the connection between us shattered. ¡°Grazhe?¡± Keagan said quietly, before putting a gun to Dr. Kaisel¡¯s head. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°Oh he was connected to Kaisel alright, but not to me. I¡¯ve worked out how to be resistant to that type of manipulation for decades!¡± Although Dr. Kaisel spoke, the way those sentences were delivered sent a shiver through me. That didn¡¯t sound like her. ¡°That¡¯s not Kaisel.¡± I whispered¡­ before realizing something far worse. The overwhelming slam of that psionic barrier was downright assaulting rather than the simple density it had been before, her Mutations had¡­ ¡°Keagan! She can use her-¡° Before I could say another word, her eyes caught mine and in a second I was staring at another pair of eyes. Grey like mine, she laid down on a bed as I looked at her through the thick visor of a protective suit given to me by the hospital staff so that I could be with her in these last few moments. ¡°Oh Anthony, how stupid I was to have you.¡± My mother spoke, her grey eyes cloudy despite the fact that they weren¡¯t organic. ¡°A curse, that¡¯s what you are¡­ that¡¯s what you¡¯ll always be. Just a god damn liability, a failure, one that¡¯ll burden every soul you ever come across.¡± ¡°What¡¯re you saying, mom?¡± My younger voice spoke from my mouth. ¡°Wh-why would you say-?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t die without my regrets now, can I?¡± She laughed without even looking at me. ¡°Oh I see it so clearly, how you¡¯ll bring about your own doom, how you¡¯ll wish so damn hard to be someone you¡¯re not. How you¡¯ll hate being weak, because that¡¯s what you are. Nothing but flesh and bone, no substance to it. If you ever find someone you love, just leave them in peace¡­ you¡¯re not worth it.¡± ¡°What?¡± I muttered weakly. ¡°I don¡¯t understand?-¡° ¡°You never will, and you¡¯ll hate every second of this. After all, the only good thing you¡¯ll ever do is die.¡± The red veins that had slowly grown over the course of this week slithered higher up to her face, making her look mad. ¡°The Abyss waits for us all, dear. It isn¡¯t scary, just take the leap and you¡¯ll be at peace. I feel better than I ever have staring down the hole, it¡¯s beautiful. The depth, the neverending depth¡­ it means I can escape you, this life. This stupid, worthless life I built on lies. No one cares about you, not even your mother¡­ live with that. Live knowing I won¡¯t leave a goddamn thing for you, and know that your suffering will bring strength to the true hero of this story. That silver gleam beckons even the attention of a mind that is Eternal.¡± My breath panted endlessly in the thick suit as the monitors all slowly beeped red, until a screeching hum of a singular tone screamed in my ears. My mother¡¯s lifeless body stared up to the ceiling while my own¡­ My eyes opened again, tears falling out as I saw Keagan slammed against the wall, wrapped in a veil of red psionic force. I tried to reach for my weapons, but my hands felt clammed, stuck in quicksand. Keagan¡¯s entire body morphed into a killing machine, guns or blades forming from every limb as they blazed with heat to rip apart the veil of red holding him back. With a single shot, Dr. Kaisel¡¯s hand was blown off with her not even flinching once. She raised her other arm, a tendril-like apparition of energy extending to whip at him. It was sharp enough to sear right through his left arm, but with another expert shot he landed a splurt of blood into her ribs. She collapsed to the floor, heavily breathing as blood poured from her chest like from a spilled bucket, but I¡¯d gathered enough of myself by now to notice something bad. Her stumped hand had stopped bleeding. Flesh was wreathing to the stub and building bones anew, with Keagan taking a good look at Dr. Kaisel¡¯s regenerative powers, his next decision came easily. Her head shot back as a large hole exploded into existance, falling on her back in a dead splat. I heaved breath, finally able to accept that the visions I¡¯d seen were just that, visions. Looking down on the body, I pulled myself up. ¡°She had an illusory Mutation¡­¡± I muttered mindlessly, wondering what was even the point. Maybe I was just excusing myself. Keagan picked up his severed arm, and somehow it fused right back into place. ¡°The question is how did she use her Mutations through the restraints¡­ that was akin to a Gold Grade.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a¡­ good point¡­¡± I still felt breathless, but managing to turn to the door I clicked the button to open it up. Familiar eyes stared back at me as it slid back, entirely crimson with white at their center, but the real issue was the familiar face. Because she was laying there dead right behind us. A second Dr. Kaisel shot a blast of red at me, launching me into the debris of a broken table, Keagan¡¯s weaponized arms were ready to retalliate when he stuttered ¡ª almost as though stuck in a trance. He shot off anyway, hitting her shoulder which gouged a chunk of flesh off. But that had lended her enough time to wreathe another tendril-blade of crimson ¡ª this time severing both arms in one fell swoop. Dr. Kaisel, the second one, pounced onto him quickly, sticking something into his Neuroframe¡­ then Keagan fell to the ground loosely, like his muscles had been deflated. I finally picked up my gun, but a whoosh of scarlet knocked it away. Mustering up my lungs, I spat out a pellet of bronze-tinged wind that smacked her forehead weakly. ¡°Stay back!¡± Screaming had no effect on her despite the inferno of pain spreading through my throat and head. She laughed, but it wasn¡¯t those light giggles I¡¯d heard before. It was sinister, terrifying to my soul. ¡°Cute. You could certainly give your late grandfather a run for his money in a few years, I¡¯ll enjoy having a second Grazhe to run things.¡± ¡°What?¡± I pushed myself up, refusing to go down. ¡°Apologies, I never introduced myself. I¡¯m who you call Soul Killer, it must be nice to put a face to the name.¡± Kaisel spoke, but I was left bewildered in thought. She was Soul Killer? Then I saw other faces pour into the room, each of them wearing lab coats as workers of this lab. Their eyes soulless like Kaisel¡¯s. ¡°We¡¯re all Soul Killer.¡± They spoke in unison, but before I could grasp what that meant, Kaisel¡¯s eyes sent me back to that same hospital room. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Diana Killing the two Warlocks had been a challenge, one of them controlled ice and the other one fire. Still, speed and a healthy dose of flying metal had done wonders to shield me. They¡¯d each netted me handsomely in my two remaining Energy Mutations. Freeze-Flash had gained a greater ability convert thermal energy and my Telekinesis Mutation had a wider range and another bonus to control depending on how cold the objects were. That was about all I cared before I tore my right thumb off with a shard of metal. Before the cuff could lock it¡¯s Warp restraining mechanism into place ¡ª and before I could acknowledge the sheer pain of my self-mutilation ¡ª I slipped my bleeding right hand through the cuff which jangled on the floor. The left cuff activated, blocking half of my control over Warp Energy. My remaining ability was still enough to control scrap into slashing off my left thumb and pull the cuff through the rest of my hand. Finally at ease, I set my sights on the open hole beckoning me from above. ¡°Now what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Soul Killer¡¯s voice came from the speakers, but I paid no attention to it. With a powerful kick from my legs, I launched myself high into the air, easily passing the halfway mark of the massive verticality. Then I pulled my collection of charged metal up with me. Stormspinner had maneuvered through the air like this before, using the metal as a floating disk to fly. They clumped under my feet, giving me leverage. But for once my massively increased body weight was a drawback to more than just my anxiety. I began sinking immediately, to which I pioneered a healthy dosage of Warp Energy through my fingertips as I grabbed the makeshift disk and coverted it¡¯s thermal energy into electrical. My sweat felt like tiny icicles with the sudden burst of frost. A torrent of sparks wove through the metal and the higher conductivity under the colder environment provided just enough leverage to start rising, albeit very slowly. It was enough for me to jump again, all the way up and through the hole that had been teasing me for so long. Landing on solid ground, I wasn¡¯t surprised to find myself in a room full of caged MALformed. They shook at the sight of me, hungering through their confinements to tear me to shreds. Steeling my heart, I began tracking down the electrical signals when a door opened to my side, and Dr. Kaisel stepped out. Not meeting her gaze, I prepared myself. It was about time I made my exit. Blood and Steel C99: Diana vs. Kaisel Chapter 99: Diana vs Kaisel Diana Staring down at my bleeding hands, the torn appendages of my lost thumbs howled a screaming pain through them, it was bad but lately I¡¯d suffered about the same in most of my bouts. Broken bones, stab wounds, pounds of flesh being ripped off, that had become my norm. And that was exactly why I needed to escape this fucking place. ¡±Get out of my way.¡± I summoned fiery wisps of electricity through my arms. ¡°All it takes is one touch of my hands and you¡¯re dead meat.¡± ¡°I¡¯m well aware¡­ I do remember what you did to your friend.¡± Kaisel laughed at me, her eyes turning soulless. And before I let her send me into the depths of my memories, I shut my eyes, focusing instead on the hum of metal and electricity around me. Her Neuroframe became my guide, and I surged towards it with a blade of scrap metal fused around my hands. Then pure force smacked me sideways, blinking open but not staring at her, tendrils of some miasmic red energy swept around Kaisel¡¯s body. Those ghostly apparitions dug through the air like contorted snakes, three of them. Releasing the kinetic thrashing I¡¯d just endured; I punched straight at the first. It overwhelmed me, cracking through the bones in my already wounded arm. Soul Killer cackled as I flew across the cages. ¡°Come on, I thought I raised you better!¡± They sent forth a legion of red spikes, each scraping off the floor to overtake my speed, of which I was in very much limited supply. Those damn Warlock MALformed were a pain in the ass, too dangerous to physically approach so I¡¯d needed to use my metal manipulation to wound them. That was Energy inefficient. Maybe I could have waited another day, but each moment meant the potential that Anthony would make his move. It meant more suffering. It meant letting Soul Killer toy with me and move their plans forward without anyone stopping them. The time for that was over, I would be ending whatever was happening here now. Killing Emily Kaisel was my first step. Reducing my Warp Energy store into dying embers, I curved around the cages of the imprisoned MALformed, searching for one that fit my needs. The waves of strength and murder were nauseating, especially so when I dodged right into the cage of what I was looking for. A Silver Grade Chimera. It was the same as what I normally fought, terrible and grotesque, but more perfectly organic than ever. Big, daunting, mangled fur draped down its canine body with a gaping mouth extending nearly to its hind legs. A Fangtooth. Those bars containing its fury sure did their work, it was all between me and certain death. Not only was it a higher grade but most definitely a higher Tier as well. Probably Tier III. Would I be able to kill it? No. But I could quench its power. I took two the circular cuffs with me, Warp Restraints capable of stopping my Gold Grade Energy. As it thrashed its head towards me, I took the risk and jammed one of the cuffs right into the underside of its mouth. Putting all my force into it was enough to pierce through the lead-like fur and skin, digging the cuff maybe just a few inches. That simple contact with flesh was enough to seal fury down that it became paralyzed, containing its sickening fury into barely-contained twitches. Placing my palms against the shallow wound, I began to leech out the thick silver miasma dwelling in its flesh, draining all that it was. The strength flowing into me drove stakes of pain up its path, a lucid malice that sought to drive me insane. Founders knew I already was. It was a shame I couldn¡¯t reach for its core from here, who knows what benefits a Silver of this Tier could give me. Still, I had to be satisfied, my Integrity was struggling with even this much¡­ But it was enough to ignite an inferno through my every being. My entire body was wreathed in a shell of violent sparks, my senses sharpening as electricity flowed haphazardly to snap at the cages around me. ¡°Ah! There you are!¡± Soul Killer yelled from my peripheral, and now I had some faint sense of the telekinetic appendages converging down on me - an instinctual awareness of the Energy used in manipulating them. With one kick of my legs, I flew up through the room, calling the scrap I¡¯d carried with me in a flowing arc. I tossed them at Soul Killer, a shotgun blast that struck her with gashes. One tiny scrap pierced deep into her arm, becoming my anchor to feel her wave those tendrils around. Bouncing across cages, I shut my eyes as I came within striking distance. Fighting blindfolded was stupid, but a single moment trapped in my mind would end my escape, especially with Soul Killer strengthening Kaisel¡¯s power. I felt the arm shift, and it became clear she was sweeping sideways to strike me wide. I let her hit me down into the ground. I could take it. The thrash absorbed into my force-quenching cells, fueling me with the potential to send me right back. I didn¡¯t right away, instead, I homed in on the charge spewing in the air around me, right as some tendrils rained down, they were disturbed enough for me to see the gaps and react accordingly. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Training even now? What a dutiful test subject you are!¡± Soul Killer cackled as I heard the sound of wrenched metal. Then I felt my body slammed down as something thick and heavy and large crushed me against a wall. Releasing my vision, I saw a slobbering maw only held back by steel bars. This crazy bitch had flung an entire MAL cage. The strength of those tendrils was something I¡¯d never seen before, but not ready to let myself be overpowered, I heaved sparks into the cage ¡ª willing it to lift off me. My own telekinetic strength was nowhere near hers, but it was enough to give the leverage to push myself back to my feet. And then I used my physical strength. I tossed the cage right back at her with a thick release of kinetic force. The red energy wreathing across her condensed into her palms, pushing it out as a crimson explosion tore through the cage and the MAL inside of it. That explosion was just what I needed, reaching into the flown scraps of metal, I commanded them to rain down on her. The red force streaming around her formed a bubble to protect her from my steel shower, but that gave me just the moment to attack myself. It might have been a force field, so my actual kick failed to pierce. But electricity couldn¡¯t be shielded away by solidified air. A thick snap of blue connected us both, my fury reaching straight for her heart. All of my fury. It burned straight through her labwear, igniting it and spreading across her. I let my mania consume me. ¡°Too hot for you?! Let me help!¡± I reached through the faded shield and placed my palms across both eyes, then I commanded the heat in her flesh to become electricity. Her skin and muscles froze as I drained them dry, webs of electricity spreading from her eyes until I heard the Neuroframe sizzle and snap. Then I dropped her dead body to the ground. A wash of pure elation and ecstasy rose through me, and I released it in a laugh I¡¯d never managed before. Ugly, exploding and pounding. Only after a few seconds of calming myself did I manage to organize my actions. Soul Killer wasn¡¯t done yet. They¡¯d take control of the other inmates and hunt me down. For now, I¡¯d have to recover. Absorbing a Silver SIM would do wonders for that, so I patiently waited for it to dig its way out of Kaisel¡¯s body. Except, it never did. Maybe not never, but normally within a few seconds you would notice a collection of Silver veins and bulging flesh, especially with her Tier. She was a Silver, right? To overwhelm me so easily meant that at the very least she was a powerful Silver or a Tier III Bronze. Both of those options would help me. So then why wasn¡¯t there a SIM? Her dead body sat there, definite and unchanging. My impatience getting the better off me, I reached into her body and began to drain the Mutagen out directly. Unlike what I predicted, strands of Gold and Titanium swam up my hand and dug deep¡­ Absorbing Mutagen¡­ Tier III Mutagen Absorbed: Hostile Mutagen Detected¡­ 22%¡­ 34%¡­ 52%¡­ 58%¡­ 62%¡­ 64%¡­ 64%¡­ 60%¡­ It stopped way too quickly, except for the remaining Hostile Mutagen my body began to clear out¡­ Gold Mutagen and only Tier III? There was nothing deeper than that in her body and strangely she only had them at 1% Development. What was going on here? Hostile Mutagen cleansed. [Gold] Mutation: Mineral Assimilation has reached 100% Development;. Additional Meta-Mutation has been acquired. Increased dispersion of metal to allow for a greater electrical conduction throughout the Adapter. [Gold] Mutation: Kinetic Catalyst has acquired Meta-Mutations. Increase to maximal force absorbed; increase to conversion between electrical and kinetic energy. Development: 91% [Gold] Mutation: Electromagnetic Telekinesis has acquired Meta-Mutations. Greater manipulation over non-metallic materials; greater ability to coordinate telekinetic force; greater ability to manipulate external electrical manipulation. Development: 81% [Gold] Electrical Flash-Freeze has acquired Meta¡ªMutations. Greater precision of thermal conversion; minor telekinetic control over cold objects. Development: 70% Still, the tiny scraps of genetic information were dense, and that reflected in both my nausea and the updates in my lenses. ¡±Wow!¡± Simon Jugosla¡¯s voice sounded from the speakers around me. ¡°Now that was unexpected! Though, I can¡¯t deny feeling a tiny bit annoyed that you wasted such a precious resource of mine. You know how hard it is to make her?¡± Make her? I took my first step, raising a middle finger at one of the cameras. I could escape now, I was right about this place being a bunker from the fourth swarm, there were illustrated signs around me dictating floor levels and even directions to an exit. And since this was an entry point for cargo, there should be one nearby. A door opened behind me, exactly from where Kaisel had first entered. I¡¯d never really questioned it before, how did Kaisel reach me so quickly in the first place? And why was the woman I¡¯d just killed standing in the doorway? Shutting my eyes, I decided some questions weren¡¯t worth getting answers to as my legs carried me to her, arm outstetched with a web of sparks. ¡°Hold on one second! There¡¯s something you should see! It¡¯s about a friend of yours!¡± Kaisel¡¯s voice stopped me inches away from striking her, I almost hated how much my skill in commanding my power had grown over my time here¡­ Eyes still shut, I led a warning in my voice. ¡°Walk ahead of me, you turn your head one millimeter towards me and I blow it up.¡± ¡°Oooh, feisty.¡± I felt the neuroframe shift directions, and then she began to step away from me. Knowing it wasn¡¯t safe, I began following her stead as she curved corner after corner. I didn¡¯t need to see her eyes to know it wasn¡¯t her¡­ or whatever she was¡­ that was in control. Soul Killer lead me deeper, away from the exit. ¡°I killed you. Or¡­ I killed Kaisel.¡± This didn¡¯t make sense. ¡°That you did.¡± Soul Killer responded, and that was all I could get out of them. A part of me was screaming to turn back, but an even deeper part of me knew why I was following them. Finally, they opened a door after putting in some code on the keypad, leading it open to which we both entered. ¡°In here.¡± Soul Killer showed me what looked to be a large laboratory, throughout it were the remains of various lifeforms. Organs, skeletons, and vials of fluids I didn¡¯t want any further information on were each stored in neatly organized drawers and cabinets. There was even a tray full of crimson flowers sitting in the middle of the room. Though I couldn¡¯t tear my eyes away from the cage in the back. It was the same kind the MAL had been stored in, and it was exactly the reason why I¡¯d come back here in the first place. It wasn¡¯t what was inside of it, but who. Gray eyes opened up to my sight, half in relief, the other half in dread. The man I¡¯d come to call a friend was pale and filthy but just seeing him ¡ª having some connection to the outside world had filled me up with a joy I didn¡¯t know how to release. Instead my voice barely wheezed out. ¡°Anthony¡­¡± Blood and Steel C100: When a Candle Becomes a Blaze Chapter 100: When a candle becomes a blaze September ?? Diana ¡°Diana¡­¡± Anthony whispered. ¡°I- you¡¯re alive.¡± ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I managed out, rushing so I could run my hands along the steel bars dividing us. ¡°Came to save you.¡± He coughed out. ¡°Though¡­ seems like the roles reversed.¡± ¡°How did you even find me?¡± My soul quivered between relief and worry each moment, but feeling his fingers grace my own hands cemented a resolve through my bones. ¡°Got your message, you were clever about the dog thing. Had help from one of your father¡¯s men¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t know what happened to them.¡± Anthony rested his head against the bars, and I found myself doing the same. ¡°I didn¡¯t send any¡­¡± Had Dogwhistler helped me? I let the thought die, I needed him out first. ¡°How long ago did you even get here?¡± ¡°A few days¡­ I think. Not too many.¡± He sounded broken, it hurt me to see him like this. ¡°We¡¯ll get out. I promise.¡± It was all I could do. ¡°I missed that brazen attitude of yours, always streaming headfirst into the danger.¡± He managed a smile despite the situation. Soul Killer clapped in the background, and I still didn¡¯t tear my eyes to look at them. ¡°How touching of a reunion.¡± ¡°Let him go this instant!¡± I started running a stream of sparks down my arm, letting my threat be clear. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll let you both go.¡± Soul Killer said, much to my confusion. And suspicion. ¡°Like hell you will, what are you planning?!¡± Soul Killer chuckled, rummaging through something and placing something on the table behind me. They spoke, but something in this made me shiver with a primal fear drenching my bones. ¡°I¡¯m wearing a blindfold, Anthony can confirm it.¡± Anthony¡¯s gaze flicked between me and Soul Killer, his voice heavy and sore. ¡°She is.¡± For a second, I wondered if he was already infected by Soul Killer. If I was too late. Turning my head back and seeing the body of this second Dr. Kaisel with a piece of cloth around her eyes returned my trust in him, but then the question became why didn¡¯t Soul Killer infect Anthony yet? But then I stared down at what Soul Killer had placed on the table, a needle topped up with a vial of nauseating scarlet. The fluid was like blood, but more transparent and eerily glowing, most disturbing had to be the crammed up red spider lillies within it. It was the petals that were glowing, spewing the noxious atmosphere surrounding the vial. It was the exact same type of vial Soul Killer had used to infect the BUG they placed inside Stormspinner¡¯s body. To revive and corrupt her as a MAL. ¡°It¡¯s not safe for human consumption.¡± Soul Killer explained. ¡°All my tests have been¡­ gruesome. They aren¡¯t even really MAL, it turns them into grotesque masses of flesh. Dead flesh. Not one person has been able to survive being injected by it.¡± ¡°Where are you going with this?¡± I didn¡¯t like any of this, but I couldn¡¯t let Anthony stay here. ¡°Simple. Inject yourself. My calculations had me predicting your Tier II Mutations should be able to withstand this potency, that is, you would become my thrall, but you would survive. I¡¯ve come to understand that a simple Revenant Flower won¡¯t suffice to infect you¡­ but this¡­¡± They laughed lika a maniac. ¡°Why I¡¯m giddy to see how you¡¯ll react to it.¡± Soul Killer tapped the table, a smile plastered on their face that I wanted to punch off. ¡°What¡¯s stopping me from just escaping in the first place? I could¡¯ve done it long ago.¡± I was about ready to punch Kaisel¡¯s head clean off. ¡°Oh my lab rat¡­ this place was built to keep the MAL from getting in. It¡¯s equally difficult to get out ¡ª brute strength won¡¯t suffice. Besides, why else did I keep the Grazhe brat here? So close to the exit? You were always going to try something, pointless as it would be. If I wanted you back down there, I could have summoned more of my loyal subjects at any point. Besides¡­ Anthony there, well¡­¡± Anthony spoke in turn, his voice unnatural and twisted. ¡°It¡¯s not too late to save him.¡± My skin froze over, I didn¡¯t want to look back¡­ I couldn¡¯t look back. But I did, and soulless eyes where there should have been gray stared back at me. Soul Killer spoke from within the body of Anthony. ¡°Do you know what happens when my Mutation known as Soul-Death reaches it¡¯s maximal development? Why, it causes a chain reaction throughout the body to lower Implant Compatibility. Drops it right down to 0%. Creating¡­ as you guessed it, a Parasyte MAL. One under my control. Now, here¡¯s the deal. I let you remove my influence from him only once you come under my control. Otherwise, I¡¯ll begin to forcefully cause the Mutation to develop, turning him into humanity¡¯s forsaken enemy.¡± My heart shattered into a thousand bits, this¡­ this couldn¡¯t be happening. I- I couldn¡¯t just let him die like this. ¡°Alternatively.¡± Dr. Kaisel¡¯s body began. Anthony continued. ¡°You could decide to walk out of here, test yourself against the might of this bunker¡¯s doors. All the while knowing that your dear friend is losing this battle, you could let him die. You could let him suffer¡­ all while turning a blind eye on it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll fucking kill you!¡± I screamed into my own arms. ¡°Oh? Like you let Yvvete die? Pardon me, I misspoke. Like you murdered her?¡± Anthony whispered against the bars. Then his voice strengthened under Soul Killer¡¯s influence. ¡°Make your choice.¡± My brain felt like it was slammed against it¡¯s skull. Pounded into thought. Normally there was some resistance, but this left me just as helpless as when Jacob Grazhe had forced me into acting. ¡°This boy truly is a step above his aunt.¡± Soul Killer giggled. ¡°A Deviant Mutation to control others based on emotive resonance¡­ why I¡¯d have taken him years ago. Shame, Skeleton and Juliet made a good deal for their safety.¡± Huh? I wish I could¡¯ve thought on it more, but my brain was still reeling in effect. My eyes flicked between Anthony, his eyes held in insanity, the vial beckoning me into it¡¯s crimson eminence, and the door open to my freedom. All of it was too much. ¡°Make your decision.¡± Soul Killer had tormented me for who knows how many weeks. I¡¯d been forced to kill, forced to abandon my own thoughts, my freedom. For so long I¡¯d thought the monsters were those who stood on the top of the economic food chain, now I saw that the worst of them was hiding amonst us, feeding on our souls. Forcing us into becoming monsters for the sake of their own pursuits. I grabbed the bars of Anthony¡¯s cage and mustering all of my strength, began to wrench them apart. The steel creaked and groaned, begging against me, adding more noise to cacophony slamming through my head. I¡¯d killed Yvette. I couldn¡¯t let Anthony die. Whatever I did, I had to save him. I had to. Anthony lurched back from my hands as I slid them through the bent bars. His smile making me shiver, then I was beginning to lose all hope when he reached behind him for a gas mask hidden in the shadowy corners of his cage. ¡°So that¡¯s your choice? How foolish.¡± Anthony said before wearing the gas mask, muffling himself. Two red gasseous vials at the sides of the mask drained down as Soul Killer to a deep huff of the noxious fumes, red veins creeping all across Anthony¡¯s skin. The muffled voice spoke softly. ¡°It should take around two minutes¡­ I¡¯ll let you say your goodbyes.¡± I heard Kaisel speak from behind me. ¡°Take the vial in that time, and I¡¯ll have the mutation stop¡­ don¡¯t and well¡­ it¡¯s your dirty work you have to clean up. I¡¯ll leave you two to your privacy.¡± She stepped out, and the doors closed leaving me in this hell. ¡°Diana.¡± Anthony spoke from the tight clutches of the gas mask, his voice panicked and his eyes gray and normal. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± I slipped my hands onto the sides of the mask, and with one yank tore it to pieces. My desperation was getting head off me, my own breath outpaced my thoughts. In that fear in his eyes, I saw Yvette¡¯s confused and dead stare as I pulled her away from Indra¡¯s shot. I saw Irene¡¯s body dying as a husk as I removed her Mutations in hope to cure her off Soul Killer¡¯s influence. I saw the man held hostage by Tonguelasher being killed by Choirmen¡¯s shot as I failed to reach the mercenary. I saw tens of clubgoers dead by the MAL whose flesh had been mine. This was too much, I wasn¡¯t sure which of my fathers had abandoned me. I didn¡¯t even know why I joined up with the police if it wasn¡¯t to be close to Yvette. Hell, the only reason I really ranked up higher was for the sake of keeping up the act we had as kids. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I was always the one seeking to outperform while she just wanted to make the most of things. Had I ever really cared about any of this? About justice? I gripped Anthony¡¯s terrified face, tears in my own eyes as I placed my fingers against his cheeks. ¡°This is going to hurt¡­ but you to have to let me¡­ I¡­¡± My fingernails sharpened, sinking into his flesh as his blood became a source of Bronze Warp Energy for me¡­ and I wouldn¡¯t stop until I drained out that infectious Mutation. The world became a blur, as Anthony¡¯s pained groans began to overwhelm my own thoughts. The feeling of pulsing, warm and lively Bronze Energy infected with the sickening growth buried within him. This was all too much. I don¡¯t know why, but as I drained out the Energy blindly, I remembered the conversation I had with his aunt. My Liuetenant Anabelle Grazhe. Back then, she had pointed me on the path to Simon Jugosla, on the path to Soul Killer. She had the same eyes as those infected by him, why? Was it all some elaborate ploy? Then why auction me off? That damn conversation led me here, it led Anthony here. And it all began with her asking me why I had even joined the police. Well, there you have it. I didn¡¯t join up for some grand ambition, I only ever went with it for Yvette. I climbed the ranks because that¡¯s just how you show you¡¯re a good officer of the law. Tearing out the corruption? Becoming a hero? A martyr? Joining Neocore? Proving my father wrong? None of that meant anything to me. I was only ever in it for her, then at some point, because it was an outlet for these powers. Now I was at risk of losing it all. My Mutagenic Drain went deeper, draining him vitally. Straining every little bit of his life out, his screams rattled my very soul, building all sorts of emotions into me. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡± Anthony whispered against me despite the tears in his eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t need to¡­ save me. I¡¯m not worth it.¡± His voice surged into my own actions. Instilling a moment of doubt. Doubt? Was I doubting that my friend, one of the few I¡¯d ever made, had to live? I burned the thought. Just as I burned all my other thoughts. Why was I in the police? Well now I had one hell of a fucking reason! Anabelle Grazhe, Soul Killer, this fucked up conspiracy had taken too much from me. There were rotten apples hiding amidst us, acting as Soul Killer¡¯s pawns, I¡¯d burn them out. I¡¯ll set a fire so damn big even that the Founders take notice of it! And I¡¯ll start by burning this fucking Mutation out! For all my time spent as an Adapter, I¡¯d always envisioned that bustling core of Golden Energy within me as a hearth of flame. A vivid painting I¡¯d enscribed over it to ease my control, to turn it malleable to my thoughts. For the first time, it wasn¡¯t just a thought. Latent Warp Tendency realized: Fire. Warp Energy with a Fire Tendency acts in a destructive manner, causing specific applications of it to become more detrimental in nature. Tendency grade is being evaluated¡­ Fire Tendency: Iron VII The sketches of flame within my soul shifted as a force of reality, pulling out of their fake imagery into vivid strands that ached to destroy and burn. They sunk into my hands, digging into Anthony¡¯s body through which they searched and sought to my singular thought. I¡¯ll burn death away. I¡¯d never heard such painful yelling in my life, but somewhere deep in there, I¡¯d dug towards my goal. Black threads began to stain the Bronze blood I was leeching off. Anthony shook as though I¡¯d torn off a piece of his existance, his body pale, his mind shrunk. He was bleeding from all over. But as it all fed into me, I saw the progress I was making. Partial Tier II Mutagen being absorbed¡­ Hostile Mutagen being cleansed¡­ Fire Tendency is now Iron VIII The numbers fed away, some getting higher while others lowered. I watched as the two most important numbers flickered. That still didn¡¯t stop me from taking more from Anthony¡­ You have absorbed Iron-Grade Mutagen: Strengthened Body You have absorbed Iron-Grade Mutagen: Flawless Skin You have absorbed Bronze-Grade Mutagen: Air Spitting. Fire Tendency is now Iron IX The guilt tore at me, but it hardly mattered when Anthony¡¯s life was at stake. He could do without them¡­ hell I¡¯d buy him new Mutations, once this was all over. I felt the flames within me burn deep into his soul, and knowing I¡¯d found the root of the scourge, I demanded that every bit of my Warp Energy take hold and burn it to a crisp. Fire Tendency is now Iron X My entire body itself was ablaze as it began to fight off the infection I had taken into myself. The nauseating miasma digging into my blood was beginning to fester. 94%¡­ 95%¡­ 93%¡­ 96%¡­ 94%¡­ ¡­ Grade is now Gold IV Fire Tendency is now Bronze I At once, I cremated the remains of the corruptive energy within his flesh, but not entirely able to leave the rest of him unscathed. I¡¯d gone deep¡­ far too deep for him to simply walk it off. Tier 0 Mutations Absorbed Tier I Mutations Absorbed: Partial Tier II Mutations Absorbed: I¡¯d stolen fundamnetal Mutations from him. They might have just been Iron-Grade but¡­ I¡¯d ripped him apart. And as he eased in my arms, a husk of himself, he breathed. Wounded¡­ but alive¡­ Not while he was still bleeding though, immediately, I let him ease onto the floor while I searched ¡ª practically tearing the room apart for anything to heal him. Instead, I was met with two entrants into the room. Kaisel and Aliya, both eyes scarlet and pearl. ¡°You just went from a lab rat, to a threat.¡± Soul Killer drew me in with Kaisel¡¯s eyes, and I was found in a realm of my own mind. No¡­ not now! Summoning my Warp Energy, without those restraints bugging me down now and igniting my entire soul through the Tendency I¡¯d uncovered, I burned those memories appearing to a crisp. And then heat itself burned into me. My body ached as it charred from Aliya¡¯s spewing of fire through her palm. It was scorching, but so was my heart as it unveiled the power I¡¯d unwittingly taken. [Gold] Mutation: Mutational Drain has reached 100% Development. Additional Meta-Mutations have been acquired. Increased ability to specify Mutational absorption; greatly increased bodily enhancement immediately after Mutational absorption; greatly improved Mutational Development through absorption. [Gold] Mutation: Electromagnetic Telekinesis has acquired additional Meta-Mutations. Increased ability to modify conductive properties of air; minor ability to augment strength via the Mutation. Development: 92% [Gold] Mutation: Electrical Freeze-Flash has acquired additional Meta-Mutations. Greater ability to freeze air; greater range of the Mutation. Development 86% Development: 98% ¡­Additional Mutagenic Material is being digested. As my Warp Energy drew to my wounds carrying the statement of destruction, flesh poured into reforming like cancerous growths, then it spurned outwards into the air itself. In a somewhat ironic sense, my flaming Energy cooled the air down against the fire, creating an immediate barrier against the heat. Not willing to let them turn the flame against the injured anthony, I brought my body through the razing flame to claw at Aliya, my nails crystalized under the sheer mania of my Energy. I swept them cleanly through the flesh of her neck, before I threw her body against Kaisel¡¯s. Then I speared my hand through both of their chests in one thrust. I didn¡¯t have the time to consider the moral qualms of killing Aliya. I did what had to be done. As both of their bodies sunk down, I let myself return to hunting down for medical supplies in the lab ¡ª but dammit, of course Soul Killer didn¡¯t have any! Anthony was dying, I had to find something! Then¡­ dammit, I heard footsteps again from behind me, so I opened my palm up willing to blast the next Soul Killer thrall the second they entered. Instead, the eyes who entered were entirely inorganic and silver. It was a rough, jaded looking black man whose beard was about as well-maintained as an overgrown ruin. He wore a long trenchcoat and I could smell the alcohol from here. ¡°Whoah.¡± His accent slightly slurred. ¡°Looks like you got to them before I could.¡± ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± I had no time for this. ¡°Watch your fucking language kid.¡± He kicked Kaisel¡¯s body aside, moving to survey the room, lighting up a cigarette as he did so. ¡°Fine job you did here, would you like it if I said I was one of your father¡¯s men? Diana Ulrich?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take what I can get.¡± I practically could have spat on him at this momen. Glancing at Anthony, I saw a moment of sadness dwell in his eyes, a profound and deep scowl grew on him. ¡°Shit¡­ Well you¡¯ll be happy to know that I¡¯m not. I¡¯m actually the man whose little eavesdropping device you tore out from your apartment, as well as the guy who deleted that dangerous file off your computer. What were you thinking, not using a more secure device?¡± I watched as he unhooked sprays from within his coat, dressing Anthony down and sealing the wounds clean. He grinded his teeth with a metallic scraping, until finally meeting me with a serious eye. ¡°I¡¯m a friend of Anthony¡¯s mother¡­ been in hiding for years. You can relax. I got a listening device in all his police clothes¡­ and civilian clothes¡­ I was waiting for the right moment to come in here myself. Name¡¯s Dryder by the way, since you¡¯re so kind to ask.¡± ¡°Dryder¡­¡± I repeated the name to myself, entirely unfamiliar to it. ¡°You a friend or foe?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just say, we got a common enemy. Happens to infect people you love and use them against you.¡± He placed Anthony into a recovery position, taking care to treat him gently. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not exactly the friendly type¡­ but I am the kind you don¡¯t want as a foe.¡± He reached for his metal leg, which I didn¡¯t even notice had a concealed compartment which turned into a massive rifle that weighed heavily against Dryder¡¯s shoulder. Still not trusting him, I was at least willing to trust in the care he¡¯d shown Anthony. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°You¡¯re free to leave now, if you want.¡± Dryder placed down his weapon against the cage, now pulling out a flask of all things and swigging it clean. ¡°Me and old SK? We got business, decades worth. Gonna clean up a few mistakes, so, what¡¯ll you do?¡± I stared down at the two dead bodies¡­ they should be enough. ¡°Get to Tier II¡­ and join you.¡± Dryder smiled. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not waiting. Also, I only got one pair of hands and this kid comes first. Plus, you should use this.¡± He tossed me a vial I immediately noticed as Mutagen, but it was labelled as¡­ Hair Serum? Regardless, his promise to take care of Anthony first was a good thing. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.¡± I put my hands against Aliya¡¯s corpse, I found her Bronze SIM, riddled in crimson veins right underneath her and began the process of absorbing it. I was going to burn Soul Killer down to the bone. This place was first on my list. Blood and Steel C101: Northern Team Chapter 101: Northern Team 4:51 AM August 30th Yuzhou Squad Alpha-3 (Northern Facility) His name was Izuki Tanaka, Silver-Grade Commander of Yuzhou¡¯s Alpha-3 squad, one of the finest in all of New California. Together, he and twenty of his squadlings were responsible for fending off the ongoing mercenary attack on three separate Yuzhou facilities. Originally stationed in the western Facility, orders came for him and his men to move through the transporter into the Northern Facility currently besieged by known mercenaries Mirage, Quartz and a droid suspected of being the infamous Iron Devil. The current state of the facility they had abandoned was unknown, communication was all but blocked off at this depth and relayed only through direct communication via direct uplink to their DataDelvers. Most of whom had been massacred by Mirage, so he had his batch of new Delvers working in and out to solve their comms issues, while messengers from squads Beta through Delta had relayed to them that the situation above was steadily falling under their control. It seemed Mirage had taken control of the Iron Production line and its autonomous War-drones, but with reinforcements piercing her from top to bottom, there was only time distancing her from demise. However, an asset like her would be wanted to be taken alive. The same could not be said for her allies currently cornered in the Bronze Production floor, the Iron Devil, Quartz and Stonewall were all being driven back at a steady pace. It had been the right move for Yuzhou to move their forces away from the R0N1N. Still, it was rare for the company to move their forces away from the mercenary who had made a reputation as their nemesis. With every attack he performed, his supporters emboldened, and the company lost billions in stock. They had the numbers here to take him out, but the decision to secure the asset had been what the company had decided was most important. ¡°Sir! We¡¯re receiving an incoming transportation from the Western Facility!¡± One of his underlings yelled, one of many masked men whom he¡¯d trained into this fine squad. ¡°Any attached message?¡± ¡°It says they¡¯re research, Bronze clearance.¡± Tch¡­ so that was what was happening. They¡¯d been betrayed by their own kind. ¡°All of you!¡± Tanaka roared. ¡°Take your stations around the Transporter! The R0N1N¡¯s incoming!¡± ¡°Sir!¡± His men didn¡¯t question his orders, after all, who were they to even doubt their superior? All at once, his men maneuvered and took positions around the transporter, the circular platform whirring as disks began to whir with life and form a spherical buzz. Light and dust glowed as golden strands of Warp Energy fed into the machine, bending reality to allow passage between two simultaneous points of existence. The electrical hum reached a crescendo, marked by the drumming raise of his squad¡¯s weaponry towards the settling sphere. In which a shadow had now appeared. Then it vanished in a blink, and the next thing Izumo Tanaka knew, his point of view had tilted sideways. His head rolled on the ground as the R0N1N¡¯s masked form slid behind and around their forces, his blade dragging across their semicircular formation before either of them could utter a word. Only once the mercenary had stopped to prevent his body from overheating did the world rush into place with the orchestra of death finally releasing its music of falling corpses, dozens of souls whisked to the reality in which they''d forever become memories encoded in their Implants. And as the R0N1N left shadows chasing to keep up with him, all of Yuzhou would only ever be that one day. A memory. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Mirage Digging deep into the sub-Net of this Facility was taking a toll, Mirage was trapped between measuring her physical world and the realm of ones-and-zeroes - all the while taking a host of over several dozen different automatons that would put anyone else¡¯s head at the risk of exploding. It¡¯s a good thing then, that she had four heads in one skull. ¡°Incoming DataCleave from Yuzhou Delver Tang!¡± Midnight¡¯s body blurred from one floor to another, quickly burning digital agony into the mind of one poor DataDelver. ¡°Anti-Intrusion Countermeasure broke through our DS!¡± Daylight screamed as she patched over numerous warring tentacle-like apparitions of Warpcode within their shared digital landscape. ¡°These damn soldiers keep on coming!¡± Twilight existed in a physical roar of metal, gunfire breaking her body down into scrap as it shattered into pieces. Oh well, she had many more bodies where that came from. Iron-grade automatons weren¡¯t the best she could do, but it had its advantages in numbers. After all, each mechanical body, whether it was bestial or humane in shape, was expendable and robust. Not needing to conform to the laws of human anatomy lent them weaponry that would otherwise take a toll on an organic form. They could overheat to the point of melting, and she wouldn¡¯t feel a thing. So, as she called a swarm of buzzing drones to explode atop the flanking Yuzhou guards, they were seared by the igneous metal raining over them. ¡°Mirage!¡± Diamante yelled over the secure comms line she¡¯d built. ¡°How long until I can actually fight!¡± ¡°We got it into the elevator!¡± Mirage yelled, taking manual control over the various doors and subduing the Yuzhou comms for the hundreth time ¡ª that wasn¡¯t a lie, these bastards were persistent. ¡°Twilight, forget about me! Get Diamante¡¯s body secure!¡± ¡°You sure?!¡± Twilight was always the last to do what she said. ¡°I¡¯m sure!¡± Mirage strapped her ammo clip onto the submachine gun she carried for missions like this, but not before retrieving Midnight into her mind. Her eyes grew a fearsome red as control vanished over her body. ¡°Fucking finally.¡± Midnight spoke from her throat. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to see some real blood!¡± Mirage¡¯s voice echoed only in her mind. ¡°Easy there, don¡¯t show too much¡­ Remember, we still have ways to get out of this alive.¡± Daylight had to chime in, of course, she did. ¡°Oh but that means contacting Himiko! I hate her, or at least, the old me did? She¡¯s so haughty for someone like us!¡± ¡°Hey now.¡± Twilight had her say in this. ¡°It¡¯s a last resort, just like Skeleton. We keep her out of this as long as we can.¡± Mirage mentally affirmed the consensus, dividing them again into their own tasks. Now, Yuzhou began to pierce back into their mainframe, it wouldn¡¯t keep her out for now, but soon they¡¯d have contact with their forces again. It wouldn¡¯t matter though, once Diamante was secure. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Diamante Oh for fuck¡¯s sake! Diamante¡¯s body rattled as it tried its damned best to run, but these god-forsaken Shandian synths were about as useful as a tincan. He was never letting Twilight come up with a plan again. Oh, it¡¯s easy! We¡¯ll just put Diamante into an experimental Yuzhou robot, have him blend in with the rest so he could get repaired at their super-secret research level to do some extra scouting! Never. Again. It was humiliating! Acting like a subservient robot, spouting bullshit about broken protocols and whatnot every turn of his foot. And not to mention, this thing could barely hold a gun! If it weren¡¯t for Mirage spoofing Stonewall and Quartz into becoming registered maintenance workers in their database then he would be alone through all of this! ¡°That¡¯s the synth under Mirage¡¯s command!¡± Two of the Yuzhou guards pulled up from around the corner, their weapons heavy on his much more fragile body¡­ except. And Quartz Their weapons turned, unnaturally forced off his frame and pulled onto the masked man behind him. Quartz, dressed in thick rags and a mask concealing every inch of skin of his body, dragged their attention the same way a hurricane pulled the wind. With their focus drawn on him, he raised his hands. The lights flickered, all spectrums of light absorbed from their surroundings to feed into him like a sponge. Everything grew dimmer, but despite that the bullets shot forth aimed at his head. Only to shoot right through the hazy image of himself which melted into air. Nearly a dozen copies of his body reappeared in seconds, crowding the hallway but despite it all they had immediately locked onto his real body. Such was the curse of being ever visible. It was a good thing then, that one of his illusions had grabbed a hold of the leading guard¡¯s gun, yanking it upwards to shoot straight into their unarmored neck. The threads of a masquerade snapped off Diamante¡¯s synth form, turning the weapon immediately on the second, guard. ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if you acted quicker.¡± Quartz said through the layers hiding his skin. ¡°I can¡¯t always be your distraction.¡± Stonewall erupted behind them, cannoning through the corner in which, true to his name, he tossed bits of gravel which swelled into an honest stone wall. ¡°But you make a fine one boy! Why hide what makes you valuable?!¡± If what makes you valuable is every gun pointed in your direction, then you take my damn Deviant Mutation, Quartz thought, but he had long learned not to draw the eyre of those who could crush his head at a moment¡¯s notice. Diamante jogged ahead of them hurriedly, his metallic joints straining to get where he wanted to the most. ¡°Diamante! It¡¯s heeeere!¡± Twilight chimed in his ear just as he reached the maintenance elevator he was given the directions for, the doors opening to reveal a wolf-like robot with strange purple eyes wheeling a heavy trunk that could survive a Bronze-Grade explosion. Not that what was in it needed protection like that in the first place. With one input of a code, the trunk opened to reveal his greatest masterpiece. Or well, the legacy left to him, the curse he was forced to carry ever since that day. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Heavy chunks of black steel fused and arranged with thick plates humming in strength. Standing at eight feet tall, it was a war machine contained in the shape of a human, the chest thickly armoured to protect the ¡®neural center¡¯ and power core, limbs crammed with every type of weapon you could think of, with the hands and legs ending in razor talons. Its head was sleek and skull-like, with a glossy visor of black-and-red running horizontally and finally, crowned with two angular horns at the side. In between it all, there was a peculiar cowboy hat attached to the skull, but Diamante hadn¡¯t noticed it yet as his droid body began powering down. ¡°So that¡¯s the body of The Infamous Iron Devil!¡± Stonewall¡¯s cheery attitude cooed over the sleek metal of Diamante¡¯s most powerful weapon, it was heavy and intimidating but at the same time sleek and rounded to maximize every facet of what the human body could do at Silver Grade. But Diamante was no ordinary human ¡ª Metal Heavens had made sure of that. Even the R0N1N would struggle against it. ¡°Stonewall.¡± Diamante¡¯s speakers relayed through the speakers still receiving power. ¡°Guard the corridor, there¡¯s still a Silver Wardrone hunting us. Quartz¡­ I¡¯ll need your help.¡± Stonewall clicked his tongue, heaving his heavy shotgun down the corners as he made his true thoughts all too clear. ¡°Fine! Keep your secrets!¡± Quartz gave a simple nod once the merc had left, tapping on The Iron Devil body¡¯s chest to open up a sizable crater filled with all sorts exposed connection ports and wires thrumming about. Then Diamante split the chest of his own Synth open. Exposing his brain. ¡ª¡ª¡ª The tide of the battle shifted as The Iron Devil walked out, bullets tickled his body even from Silver-Grade weaponry and his own cannons were thrice as effective at creating explosive mists of red. Once pushed back, Yuzhou struggled to even keep sights, only witnessing a terror of blackened steel unphased by their weaponry moving with swiftness and devastating might. Then it began to fly with thrusters spewing red flame from its back to begin an aerial bombardment. Rockets shot from compartments in its forearms and all manner of blood and steel was eviscerated into scrap. When one hulking Exo-guard shot a harpoon from their arm, wrapping around the Iron Devil¡¯s waist, all it needed to do was pull as it easily lifted, lurched and swung the bulky soldier back down into their allies. Talons glowing red-hot, the Devil snapped through the chord still attached to it, laughing as the thrusters led a descent. ¡°You¡¯re in trouble, now.¡± But his body twitched, falling to the floor like dead weight. The Exo-guard steadily reclaimed their footing, a saber of energy sparking in their grasp. ¡°Oh shit!¡± Twilight spat in their ears as Diamante¡¯s mind readjusted to being in a stronger body. ¡°Something quick is coming! Reboot quickly!¡± ¡°What?¡± Diamante¡¯s systems came back online as he readied the cannons in his arm, preheating them to begin the hellfire. ¡°Oh nevermind. It was just the-¡° ¡°Oh fuck!¡± Stonewall yelled as something came crashing from above his various stony defences. A blurring figure too fast for the naked eye to see, but not to Diamante. It was one he¡¯d grown familiar with throughout their MAL hunting sessions. The Exoguard was still walking forward when their upper body fell off, the legs stumbled after. A swordsman stood with two blades in his scabbard, made of elegant machinery patched up with clunkier bits. ¡°So you came¡­ R0N1N.¡± Diamante spurned his speaker into making the sound of a clicking tongue. ¡°Dreadwire not with you?¡± ¡°Enroute to Missy¡­ what¡¯s with the-¡± The R0N1N began pointing to his head, but was silenced by Quartz grabbing his attention, a rare occurrence for Topaz¡¯s twin to purposefully remove his cloaking. Quartz motioned zipping up his masked mouth. R0N1N shook his head as he removed both swords from their scabbards, the motion both clunky and smooth paradoxically, his body had certainly seen better days. ¡°That Hydra is a force to be reckoned with, I¡¯m not surprised to find you all cowering in the face of it.¡± Stonewall coughed up behind them. ¡°You¡¯re telling me twice? That thing was built to fight Silver MALs, what the fuck is Mirage doing? Shouldn¡¯t she have taken down the Delver controlling it by now?!¡± A voice retaliated in his ears. ¡°I would¡¯ve, but it¡¯s being manipulated by an outside source.¡± Mirage echoed. ¡°To be specific, it¡¯s being manipulated by someone who''s downloaded a part of themselves into it. There¡¯s no one controlling it externally. There¡¯s only one person I know other than myself that would do that. Well, two, but I doubt Skeleton''s here.¡± R0N1N¡¯s blades glowed deeper, seemingly etched more fearsomely into the weave of the world itself. ¡°We hunt her down then.¡± ¡°Dammit, so Himiko was predicting this?¡± Diamante¡¯s body steamed under the coolant suppressing his nerves. Though he had never itched more to use this body. With that, they moved back into the Bronze Production line, Diamante and R0N1N each were a mastercraft at the art of death with their assigned tools. Just as bodies split under the heavy arcs of the swordsman¡¯s blades, Diamante¡¯s various weaponized limbs became a storm of overwhelming gunfire that left craters in his foes'' armor. All to meet the massive automaton guarding this fortress with three Silver Adapters armed beneath it. The massive floating Wardrone, a Hydra, streamed five large tubes in their direction from out of its shielded oblong body, each ending with a plasma cannon capable of disintegrating a building. Resistant to Silver-Grade weaponry, even their armada of firepower would be about as useful as a stick is to damaging a rock. R0N1N raised his blades, blood vibrating off them to welcome a clean kill. He didn¡¯t care whether his Shardware was one use away from crippling or not, he would capture this fragment of Miss Himiko. Of Amaterasu. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Topaz Missy and Quickshot were quite the distractions, not that he needed any. Sidestepping a whole platoon of the guards, he yawned as they moved past his unseen body without batting an eye. Oh, the blessing of a never-visible form! Carefully pivoting into a corner and taking ample care not to trip any motion detectors with a careful spike of Twilight¡¯s Datacleaver, he slipped right on into the restricted zones of the research floor. ¡°Yes, yes, we¡¯re doing what we can!¡± Some of the researchers were already being screamed at by their superiors, oh, the poor things! Eh, Topaz didn¡¯t really care¡­ Now, where is Goliath? He took a seat right onto a chair hidden away in the corner, lodging a probe into the computer¡­ and now¡­ he waited. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Missy She hadn¡¯t donned this suit in forever, the Exodus Mk. VII was NeoCore¡¯s pride and joy during the Fourth Swarm, saving the lives of thousands of operatives with its multitudes of functions. Those had all been removed from her suit by the course of war. A war that began after her time in the Swarm. And to think, another was approaching. This raid wasn¡¯t going to change anything, not really, but it was going to send a message. She was here, and she was strong, she was unafraid to rebel. She could still remember it, all those voices she had failed. All the souls who had trusted her, only for NeoCore to take them from her. Because of her. No. Now was long past the time for regret. She had little time left, every action she could make, in any hope that NeoCore or the corporations would listen would be to her benefit. It would either take all of them uniting, or the entire world tearing the corporations apart for humanity to come as the victors. Because, soon, The Uncaged would make their move. That enigmous bastard known as Mr. R would strike out against the Founders and humanity as a whole. But she knew the pieces were already being shuffled around this chess board, and that the transport of the Gold MAL through The Toxin Club was just one of those pieces. She hadn¡¯t told Ripley everything about how that particular deal came into play, strangely he hadn¡¯t even asked much about it. The truth was, it wasn¡¯t ever their job to transport it through The Toxin Club. It was Mirage¡¯s job. She had been the one contacted by The Dogwhistler and she had then come to them for assistance, knowing something was off about the package when she couldn¡¯t ascertain its contents. But that itself lent suspicion to her. Right, Missy wasn¡¯t an idiot as to why Mirage had joined in with them, especially considering her close affiliation with Mr. Skeleton. That was also why she took the risk of bringing Mirage and Ripley closer. Mirage might be in control of her own mind, as for her Personas? They were individual personalities with their own rebellious streak. If Ripley¡¯s influence as an outsider could change them, forming unique relationships with either of them then¡­ That didn¡¯t stop her from finding Ripley and Mirage¡¯s relationship worrying, beyond just the fact that romance in this line of work was a bad idea. She had firsthand experience after all, the rush of the danger and the moment of betrayal. She was using Ripley. She always had been, he was easy to manipulate with his grand ambitions and stunted potential. That didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t feel guilty about it. But as she felt Warp Energy sink into both her flesh and metal, an Energy she never found any joy in, she knew she had to do what was necessary. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Ripley I whipped my Arachne¡¯s arms just in time to strike off the wheel of a motorbike before the blade-wielding rider could lash against me, keeping my eyes straight as I heard their crash boom behind me. How long could I do this? Between me fluctuating across all of my Modules and sending scores of Energy between my Arachne limbs, Thought Multiplier and guns, this was tiring me out. The only thing worse was that by now, they had to have figured out where I was going. The front entrance would be guarded, and with my luck probably have a Silver. One of Seven Silvers in the Southern Facility. It was an obscene amount of firepower when I thought about it, each turn of my bike was leading me to an earlier grave. If I didn¡¯t die getting there. The vehicle was thrown and thrashed about like it was a rusty piece of scrap I used to get my frustration off. Several diagnostic scanners in the machine had indicated numerous damaged pieces by my abuse. And those replacement parts? God were they expensive. This bike was a novelty item known more for its rarity than its performance, so as much as it pained me, I knew what I had to do with it. I rewired its engine as I neared my destination, at the Bronze Grade it was a considerable piece of tech that I was dying to learn more about, but some things you realized too late. Hearing the roar of engines around me, I quickened the bike about as fast as I could, the map directed that I was only a few minutes away from the facility now. Everything hurt. It wasn¡¯t just R0N1N¡¯s Shardware who had taken a beating today, my own pieces were nearing their limit. Even the Arachnodyne, my most robust tech, had numerous diagnostic errors as I pushed it beyond what it was meant for with Hypermind. The best way for me to survive was to avoid as many fights as I could. To leverage my ingenuity over my still limited combat prowess, everytime I brute-forced my way to victory using the enhanced Energy of a Gold, I was just worsening my next dillema. The bike¡¯s handles heated to the point where my skin would have blistered holding it, but I¡¯d timed it just right. The tall gates stood proud and large, a battalion of Iron and Bronze guards stationed with their guns drawn on me. One tall and mighty Silver Exoguard raised their holoshield in preparation. My Arachne tips fired behind me, the jerk pulling me off the bike as it jerked up and flung towards the cohort of soldiers. The heavy machine was still moving fast enough to pulverize a concrete wall, and it slammed into a wave of broken bones and blood before the engine reached its limit. The last time I¡¯d caused a Bronze-Grade explosion was in that damned club. Back then, I¡¯d misjudged just how powerful it was and sent many of the guests there to the gates of hell. This time, my expectations were met perfectly as the gate rattled under a devastating expansion of heated air and shrapnel that expanded with a mist of red, devouring all those who dared to contest me. Still zipping across my Livewire, I hailed down a stream of death using my Scrapgun bracer, launching a river of absolute ruin over the guards who were busy escaping from the fiery confines of the explosion. Blood wept across my sights, the blind hail of Iron more than sufficient to whittle them down. Then, sending my Warp Energy into the golden wires wreathed through my Arachne. I commanded Hypermind Prime to activate. The contraction was so intense the steel and concrete girders of the buildings supporting my Arachne spear tips cracked and bent, my body feeling constrianed by the intense wall of air resistance attempting to slow me down. I flung across the air above the blinded and shattered defence, the weightlessness should have been marvelous but I was so exhausted it could have invited me to a nice nap. Forcing myself to keep on going, my legs spawned their mantis blades as I saw the roof of the facility growing beneath me. This landing wasn¡¯t going to be pretty, with my legs primed they met the onslaught of concrete and friction as the blades dragged and scraped my momentum down. A snapping crack ripped up my leg, my left leg¡¯s mantis blade torn off as the shift in velocity upturned me and sent me rolling across the roof. Thankfully, my limbs didn¡¯t have organic bones, I peeled myself off the roof, scanning down my body to know if I¡¯d suffered any fractures to my ribs or hip. The stealth suit did its job protecting me, but other indications in my feedback of the tool did alert me that it had suffered damage to its concealment ability. Shit, just getting to the Southern Facility had lost me a bike, part of my leg, and damaged what was sure to be a suit out of my budget. It was just my luck to hear metal climbing its way up, a heavy and robust spider limb gouging the concrete beside me. My eyes opened wide to witness the Exoguard who¡¯d taken the brunt of my distraction baring four external limbs at me, each wide and heavy ¡ª much larger than my Arachnodyne. This was a Tsuchigumo, an Exosuit designed with much the same aesthetic of my own Arachnodyne. In ways, it was cruder, requiring the female Silver Shandian soldier to wear thick bracers across her leg to support the weight. In other ways, it was much more dreadful than even my own limbs. Heavier, daunting and each limb armed with electromagnetic cannons. The air crackled with static at the Exoguard''s presence. Chuckling, I laughed at what Yuzhou was trying to do here. They were comparing us, a contest to know which out of us would come on top. Well, I was always a sore loser. Blood and Steel C102: Two Spiders Chapter 102: Two Spiders 5:18 AM August 30th Missy¡¯s review of the hired Mercs she assigned for the August 30th Shandian Raid. Stonewall and Quickshot are both mercs at the top of their Grade and Tier. Bronze Tier IIs, they¡¯re a step above what you¡¯d normally find but don¡¯t trust them to put their lives on the line for us. They have a job, to help us secure the asset. Our survival means nothing to them except in that their payment comes once the job is done. If they¡¯re going to save anybody, it will be me since I¡¯m lining their pockets. As for their fighting capacity, Stonewall is a Mutant-Esper capable of compacting any stone or mineral and expanding it into a larger shape. He can also manipulate these walls of stone to a slight degree, forming armor around his body through which his enhanced Mutant powers turns him into a tank. Again, don¡¯t expect him to take shots for us. We¡¯re assigning him to the Northern Facility where Mirage has created fake identities for them to infiltrate and help Diamante into the Research floor. His ability to create barricades will help slow down physical intrusion towards Mirage¡¯s delving port, and allow Diamante to access his combat body when the time comes. Quickshot, on the other hand, is with me and Topaz. As a BUG Adapter, her Shardware is all focused to improve her range and output with her bow. Yes, a bow. Now I know what you¡¯re thinking, but I can attest to the effectiveness of such weapons that have been modified by shards from my time in the Swarm. Each arrow is worth a hundred bullets, some possesing unique functions that allow her to manipulate battles expertly. Her job is simple, she is to stay outside the facility and draw their forces upwards by launching precision strikes against vital assets, and to provide us cover as we escape from the facility. R0N1N and Dreadwire. You two will be enough for your facility. Ripley Mimicset Modules [7/10]: I took a quick review of my various Modules before the battle was to begin, I¡¯d mostly been saving my strength on the ride here by using Stabilize, but under a fight like this, I¡¯d have to rely on directly offensive abilities. Or at the very least, provide opportunity. Settling on Insight, I decided my first step should be to scan and analyze the Tsuchigumo Exoguard facing me down, my mechanical eyes dissecting what they could to provide me insight into the capabilities of their suit. It drew on from the chunks of data I¡¯d stolen from the Western Facility, linking several components together and relaying to me how they functioned. But strangely, this time I pulled something deeper. The thin threads of Silver radiating off the body carried delves of information, a library to which I had a strange attunement to. Was it Frequency Sync? The newest protocol of Data Mimicry was odd, allowing me to alter the way in which others could perceive the Warpcode of my BUG, but apparently also allowing me a deeper view into their own energy. A view that felt tangible with another Protocol of Data Mimicry, Frequency Sync. Grade: Silver Tier¡­ Estimated at Mid-Tier II. Tier II¡­ that was feasible enough for me to defeat, at least that¡¯s what I told myself before the Exoguard charged straight at me, thrusters across her limbs driving the heavy suit of armor at me like a bull. It was only the slightest shift in their Energy frequency that alerted me they were gathering strength towards their legs, providing my Preservation Matrix with enough time to command my Arachnodyne into pulling me to safety. ¡°Fast¡­¡± A steel-muffled female voice rattled from within the suit. ¡°Did you steal that from us?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± I spoke back to her, my weapons charged with Bronze Energy. ¡°But I¡¯ll take pleasure in seeing what I can learn from you.¡± ¡°Overconfidence is a flimsy ally.¡± Her gigantic spider limbs hovered over her body, their seams steaming as electrical bolts slithered out to reveal coiled wires charged up. Shit, I recognized that pattern. A railgun. It was just my luck when I finally got the assistance I¡¯d been expecting. An arrow lodged into one of the arachnid limbs, disrupting the charge with a silencing quell of Warpcode. ¡°Shit¡­ you¡¯re really taking her on by yourself?¡± Quickshot¡¯s voice connected into my head. ¡°You might be a Gold, but she¡¯s a Tier above you. And in an Exosuit.¡± ¡°The-e Exosuit¡¯s Bronze-Grade.¡± I relayed back, my mind moving faster than my mouth for now. ¡°I can tell¡­ and she¡¯s not using her Holoshield-d, must have got-ten damaged in the explosion.¡± ¡°Was a hell of a move.¡± Quickshot chuckled. ¡°So you¡¯re saying if we break through it, you can take her out?¡± ¡°No¡­ I might be able to take her out.¡± It was my honest assessment, there was one tool I hand¡¯t used yet because it was a glass cannon. Though, it relied on how organic she was underneath all that armor. ¡°The more central the damage the better-r. I¡¯ll see what I can do¡­ in the meantime, you got any other arrows heavy with Energy or Warpcode?¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Plenty. What for? Why even try to kill her in the first place, you¡¯re probably faster than her and can escape.¡± I thought about how to phrase it. ¡°I¡¯m trying to draw them upwards from Missy.¡± That was the last message I could get in before the Exoguard launched a mach-one rod of steel at me. Hypermind provided me the exact second I¡¯d needed to make my move, a railgun needed time to charge up in which the Adapter could aim it and once shot, it¡¯s course was unchangeable. It was still fast enough that just the air around the rod was scorching to the point that my Shardware had been damaged. The outer casing of my left arm came apart as I found my feet planted to the ground. Then she blurred forward, two of her lower spider limbs slicing sideways to trap me in the middle. My Arachnodyne punched the ground, leveraging me in the air only to leave me vulnerable to the cannons she had as arms. Fortune was on my side for now as Quickshot landed an arrow into each limb despite the considerable distance, forming a bola that tightened around each limb. The holowires snapped with ease under the Exoguard¡¯s strength, but they let me gather a moment to strike on the offense. My body twisted above hers, my Energy gathered into my eyes as they viewed the rear portion of her Tsuchigumo Exoskeleton, gathering the data of how her spider limbs connected into the wider aegis. While I couldn¡¯t call myself an expert in Shandian Military tech, the data I¡¯d stolen from them did provide me the entry point into deciphering the overarching methodology of their creation. Shandian tech was heavy and demanding on the Adapter, the physical weight was mitigated through the electromagnetic stabilizers they were so proud of, while their digital vastness meant they only employed Adapter¡¯s able to withstand the load of it. In other words, almost all Exoguards used either Integration or Accommodation to withstand the demanding suits, but in this particular case¡­ it had to be both. She was only Tier II, not quite up to the standards of the kind of Silvers R0N1N had fought in the previous facility. The only reason she would be using such powerful equipment at her stage was if Shandian had determined her BUG could handle it. Which left her Silver Implant with only one other Function to supplement her combat abilities. If I was lucky, it was something like Network¡­ though I doubted that was the case since there was a lack of accompanying drones. Database, Sustain or Psyche was also a good option for me, but if it was Energized or Overdrive, then frankly¡­ I was screwed. The direct enhancement of physical ability they give would overwhelm me in a moment ¡ª even wildcards like Analyze, Jailbreak or Dataweave could prove troublesome. Still behind her, I drove my claw against her spider-limbs, scraping against them to search for a weak-point. I found none, but I did sense her exerting a pulse of Energy through her spine, the four limbs whirring to life as they slashed and slammed towards me. Dodging each with barely a breadth of an inch, I kept my focus on capturing every aspect of the suit. It was built to be impenetrable, a troubling shield that showed no faults. Even my Scrapgun, which could tear through the Shandian armor like they were made of paper, was only sparking off her suit. Maybe, if I had any Bronze shards left, then they could at least wear her down, but as it stood my Iron pellets were useless. So then, there was only one choice left. The ugly choice. Arrows came down in between us, streaming electrical bolts through her suit which slowed down her assault enough that I could reinforce a sudden burst of Gold into my Arachnodyne limbs. Just as I switched to the Hammer module. My back suddenly felt like it was being weighed down by an anvil, and my thoughts came slower than they normally did. Still, the resulting force multiplied enough that the Livewire-based musculature of my Arachnodyne briefly overwhelmed even her spider-limbs. Whatever alloy her limbs were made off crumpled, their protective casing briefly dislodged. Quickshot acted true to her name, with three arrows striking the broken plating to explode a corner of the joint off. I reached in for that weakness, extending my right claw with its Shardware-manipulating tips eager for the piece. Only for a shadow to whisk above me, Hypermind Prime slithered me away at just the last second, leaving my store of Warp Energy as a shallow pool. Breathing heavily in my mask, I hurried across the rooftop feeding the Module as a stream of electrical pellets launched through both of her hands. She growled through her suit. ¡°You¡¯re quick for a Tier II¡­¡± I could have laughed, she thought I was a tier above what I am. I took it as a compliment as I circled behind her once more, the rain of arrows briefly breaking her concentration off me. I was determined to tear her Exosuit apart, there was so much to learn from it. And finally, as one particularly nasty arrow exploded into an orb of magnetizing force that pulled her off her balance, I reached into the seams of her suit. And I ripped. The satisfying whir of my claws as their architecture blurred to life stripped wires and tore through artificial muscle like a demented surgeon. I disengaged the joint, slurping the confined knowledge of its magnetic utility to immediately reverse the polarity, practically exploding the limb off. Half of one lower limb clanked to the ground, immediately altering the suit¡¯s center of balance as the other three dragged her weight astray. I resisted the urge to dive deeper, drawing distance as one of her charged railguns struck down and crumbled the concrete underneath us to dust. We both hopped away from the growing crater, and I could feel the fury in her Warpcode. ¡°You insolent merc!¡± She jumped, landing hard enough to fracture the ground even more, but it was clear she hadn¡¯t acclimated to that new center of mass of hers, her bladed limbs swept just above my head. At least, that¡¯s what I had interpreted until they curved down to reach for the broken limb I¡¯d taken off her. Tiny mechanical grippers sprouted from the severed limb, hoisting the rest of the tech back into place as they soldered and fixated the limb in. Then, strangely, some wash of electricity plopped the broken metal back into shape. A memory alloy based on electricity? That, I wanted to have. Even more, I had just realized what her third Function. Self-repair mechanisms could be attributed to some complex Feature Link, but to act that quickly? She had a Technician Feature. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Topaz Elsewhere, Topaz was yawning as he scooped up information from the seventh Datacube that was scattered here. Nothing on Goliath so far, but damn did he find some juicy secrets that could sell for a quick Shed. The tabloids would have a field day with this! ¡°Hey, when did we turn this computer on?¡± One of the researchers leaned over him, blind to the merc inches under his face. If Topaz wanted to get up close and personal with a guy, he was more upfront about it. So then, reaching for one of his Parastims, he struck up and- ¡°You¡¯d think we¡¯d have better security after moving Goliath here.¡± The researcher muttered under his breath, and guess who was under his breath? Topaz twirled the Parastim back into his pockets, a delighted smile on his face. Then, he cocked out his gun. And shot the researcher straight in the jaw. Obviously, that alerted every other person in the room, so he made quick work of them before moving to extract the loose-tongued researcher¡¯s BUG. After all, Ripley could just read its memory. Blood and Steel C103: Hydra Chapter 103: Hydra 5:16 AM Northern Facility Team Twilight commanded the onslaught of drones to charge through the hellfire of steel raining upon them. Silver Esper Tifen was a menace with any gun, some weird mutation of his allowed him to multiply the bullets even as they fired. Effectively turning a pistol into a shotgun, if Ripley was here he¡¯d probably say that it was instead some manipulation of linear force or whatnot, but Twilight didn¡¯t care to know. The multiplied bullets disappeared after a moment, Silvers couldn¡¯t just break the law of conservation willy-nilly. That didn¡¯t mean she was enjoying losing dozens of drones every second, but being a buffer to these goons was the only thing she could do at the moment. R0N1N and the others were busy facing down the Hydra. The floating Wardrone curved its tubelike cannons in every direction spewing beams of energy that sliced through Shardware like butter. Then the twenty-four assault cannons around it¡¯s oblong body struck in between those gaps, it would have left anyone riddled with holes like swiss cheese. Except for The R0N1N and Diamante. The R0N1N was simply too quick to let either of the attacks deter him, while Diamante simply withstood both attacks with his devilish body. The heat from those lasers dispersed against the black steel coating his internal circuitry, absorbed and energizing his own weapons of destruction. His right arm housed a sonic carbine that folded even Bronze-Grade alloys into scrap, as well as two rapid-fire rail cannons capable of shredding into tanks. His left arm housed a gun that could shift between thermal, electrical and physical ammunition. As well as alter to become an assault rifle, shotgun or sniper for all variety of idiotic enemies eager to believe in the Devil. Mounted missile launchers rested across his shoulder-blades and back, each leg were miniature cannons and his head had a built-in sniper. As for defenses, an engageable Vibrocloak of Imperium design could ward off even a railgun shot at its maximum output, and he was already bullet-proof to even Silver-grade kinetic weaponry while thermal and electrical energy only fed him. There was only one piece of him that wasn¡¯t a war-machine. And it just so happened to be the one place he had protection capable of warding off even Gold-Grade weaponry. Engaging the thrusters in his legs and back, he began to buzz through the air as he sent out a crashing splatter of heat that vaporized through one of the Wardrone¡¯s tubes, sending the heavy piece tumbling down onto more Shandian guards. He was powerful, yes, but his flaw wasn¡¯t some big secret. Just as the R0N1N was liable to damaging his Shardware, Diamante was at risk of running out of energy, or worse, overheating. And those lasers of The Hydra made the second possibility all the more likely. Twilight had just finished taking down the Esper when he saw a ghostly apparition appear in the air above him. It was almost like crystal, a reflective armor of light that fell right through the bullets he fired. Then, it touched him, his body growing heavier in a moment which sent him cracking into the ground on his knees. ¡°Fucking¡­ gravity Esper! Quartz!¡± Diamante groaned as his various systems were sent into disarray by the unnatural environment. His limited blood rushing where it shouldn¡¯t. Quartz drew the concealment of his suit away, already behind enemy lines and waiting. The second his skin reflected light drew the eyes of an entire cohort of soldiers, even those with their backs turned to him. Twilight flew to his aid at once, shielding his body with dozens of expendable drones that gladly drank the bulletfire. Though a ghostly apparition of light harmlessly swam through them. Quartz dove into his mutation, and that human-like apparition dissolved as it¡¯s photons bended to Quartz¡¯ will. But that only revealed a larger conspiracy at play, as a masked man seemingly appeared from nowhere. ¡°So you use illusions too?¡± The Silver Esper sent out their hand to Quartz, a veil of potent energy bending gravity extending towards him. Quartz let it reach, then exposed his most volatile mutation. The mysterious Silver crumpled to the ground like they were crushed under the foot of a giant, blood spilling from his body. As the wall of drones continued to shield him, Quartz reignited the suit¡¯s concealment, draining his presence in the world away for another blissful moment. ¡°Where is Stonewall?¡± The R0N1N had just finished mounting the Wardrone and slicing off another laser cannon, his body now showing the signs of stiffening and jittering. ¡°Left us!¡± Diamante¡¯s shoulders expanded to launch twelve twirling missiles that snaked across the Wardrone¡¯s body, a chain reaction of falling metal and fire running through. ¡°Said he¡¯s not paid enough for this!¡± Diamante took cover behind rubble as his warnings indicated a body temperature of 212 degrees celsius, nearing his 250 degrees threshold. Without wasting a moment, he let his iron-like armor expand as wafts of steam gushed out. Most of his systems shutting down to recover what he could. A shadow sunk from above him, a tentacled mess of wires all connected to a human torso exposing itself with glee to The Devil. Too disgusting to be Shandian, but Diamante didn¡¯t need to be told that when he recognized the mangled face left over. ¡°Bishop Reugan.¡± Diamante¡¯s vocal systems were quieter than usual, but that was not because they were mitigated. ¡°I thought I killed you.¡± ¡°No¡­ but you did this.¡± The tortured face pulled itself into an expression of joy despite the burnt and saggy skin it held. ¡°You forced me to adapt¡­ for that¡­ I will honor you. I never thought I would see this form of yours again, what beauty it is. Crafted by The Hammer himself. Though, that hat is an interesting design choice you made up there¡­¡± Diamante¡¯s systems were in the process of coming back online, but these next few seconds were entirely vulnerable, and Reugan was eager to use it. His tentacles slid across the metal of Diamante¡¯s body, a perverted grasp as they shuddered just touching the divine art. ¡°So what¡¯re you doing here, anyway?¡± Diamante wasn¡¯t pertubed in the slightest. ¡°Oh? I thought you would know better? After all, it¡¯s how you came to be. Shandian appreciates my¡­ expertise.¡± Those tentacles slipped into one of Diamante¡¯s seams, searching for the mechanism that would unlock his very soul. Then Reugan¡¯s head exploded as bullets streamed through it, scarlet irises peering from behind the dust. ¡°Took you long enough, Midnight.¡± Diamante¡¯s body came back online, successfully dropping to a stable temperature. ¡°Mirage wanted to check out the Warp Transporter, it¡¯s sealed behind a deeper sub-layer of the network here¡­ but it¡¯s fucked.¡± Midnight leaned closer, her eyes returning to faded lavender. Mirage spoke. ¡°We can¡¯t use it. But I did manage to get through to the Southern Facility and talk to Topaz, Goliath is there. I¡¯m sending Twilight out there so I¡¯ll take control of the drones here.¡± ¡°You managed to restore a direct transmission? How? I thought they blocked us out?¡± Diamante stood up, not ready to return until he knew exactly how Mirage had done that. For a Silver Grade¡­ she had done impossible manipulations of Warpcode before. Too unthinkable for a Silver Grade. ¡°Easy. I let Shandian do the restoring, made them think I was retreating out of their systems when really I installed a trojan horse. They think they kicked me out physically, but Daylight¡¯s hidden a backdoor that¡¯s allowing us just a few moments where they can¡¯t detect us. It¡¯s temporary, once Twilight¡¯s out, I¡¯m setting the entire system to self-destruct.¡± Mirage explained, which Diamante knew was believable. Hell, he knew that she knew it was believable. ¡°Then get your ass moving.¡± Diamante charged his sonic carbine, a pearlescent glow cascading up his right arm. Red eyes responded. ¡°Don¡¯t tell us what to do, with that dumb hat of yours.¡± ¡°Hat?¡± Diamante asked, before tapping his head. There was clearly something on his head, from the feel of it¡­ a cowboy hat? ¡°Dreadwire made sure it was fireproof, bulletproof and very sticky.¡± A sadistic smile crawled on Midnight. ¡°Now get your ass moving.¡± Diamante sighed. He would deal with Ripley later. ¡ª¡ª¡ª 5:28 AM Ripley ¡°Why are you still fighting her? We don¡¯t have the firepower to break through!¡± Quickshot relayed in my ear, it was the honest truth, but fighting the Exoguard was still working in our favor. Numerous guardsmen were being drawn up here, trying to gain foot on the roof but Quickshot¡¯s sentry-like aim made sure my duel with the Exoguard was uninterrupted. I lurched behind another dangerous lashing of her heavy limbs, grabbing one of the Warp infused arrows Quickshot had left in the ground. I digested the Bronze Energy inside of it, sending a downpour of Energy back into my Implant. ¡°We¡¯re diverting their forces aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Missy could use you down there.¡± She urged. I knew that fact, yet without a refilled source of Energy, I would be dead weight down there. ¡°It¡¯s better this way, I know it.¡± Steadfast in my position, I spurned another strike with Hammer as our limbs clashed. Every second I spent fighting was a moment where I learned more about her Exosuit. The Tsuchigumo unraveled in my mind¡¯s eye. If only I had the Energy or mental capacity to spare a use of Scrapyard. As it stood, even a few percents of my concentration drawn away would end me. Maybe Quickshot was right, I could outmaneuver this Silver. Though it would mean losing all of the investment I¡¯d poured into this fight. Having to go down there spent and weak. And I already told myself I wasn¡¯t going to lose anything today. Though, I may jinxed it, considering that the next second saw my right arm receive a swell of electrical zaps, followed by a sudden slash that cleaved right through the limb and left a shallow cut up my face. Severed right above the elbow, I could only look at my most prized limb for a moment before the interface of my mask splattered into nonsense. I could still see through it, but now I¡¯d lost access to my ability to lock onto targets with my Arachnodyne. Amidst the buzzing, it was only my Preservation Matrix that kept my panic from making mistakes. Gritting as blood poured into my mouth, I had my Arachne limbs spin me away from the menacing charge of the Exoguard. It was unfamiliar, this feeling, I wasn¡¯t scared, but her strength felt endless and vast in a way I couldn¡¯t comprehend. It was like a much greater predator was casting its shadow atop of me while I had my back against the wall. Her fangs bared to me, their descent a fate that couldn¡¯t be changed. Death was near. All I could do was struggle against fate. Like I had been doing so ever since I received this Implant. Struggle¡­ My sense of self exploded throughout my body, everything feeling much clearer and fruitful in that exact moment. Earlier today, I had earned the update to magnify my potential when I struggled most, now, I knew what that felt like. My legs shot me backwards, two of her limbs striking down like a guillotine onto the concrete roof, then my Arachne bounced me right back at her. My left claws grabbed over her face and eyes, the tips disengaging a moment before I severed my own left hand off. Before the limb could fall, I grabbed the wires of each wire with the finer hooks of my Arachne limbs¡¯s Shardware-Operating heads. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Their operating tipped for fine Neurowiring, it was laughable how easy it was to knot them around the back of her head and contract the wires so that my severed hand firmly planted on her eyes. I knew she had vision from each of her limbs, so the next few strikes as she tried to bat me away weren¡¯t surprising. I witnessed the moment she tried to regain her ocular vision using her Tsuchigumo limbs, but the clunky and thick arms couldn¡¯t nimbly reach my hand. So I switched to Overcome, immediately, all of my learning during this bout had cemented into my psyche, feeding me all of the ins and outs of her Shardware. I didn¡¯t know how I never noticed it before, but the Tsuchigumo wasn¡¯t suited for close-range at all. It was powerful but not exactly quick, with its main functionality being to house two external railguns that could fire at range. Simply put, she was just a cannon capable of repositioning. With that information now in mind, I wasn¡¯t so afraid to get up close to her, my four spider limbs burning into action under the remaining droplets of Warp Energy left to me. With one fluid dive, I struck out with all of my limbs. Clashing against her spider limbs equally, I struck their most central joints. Physics was simple, around a lever the further you were from the fulcrum the more centrifugal force was exerted. I stabbed with the tips of mine against the least forceful joints of hers, even without Hammer I easily pushed each of her limbs back until the metal began to squeal. So she did the natural thing and raised her cannon arms at me, something that was so natural, it had been exactly to both mine and Quickshot¡¯s prediction. An arrow wrapped a net of wires around both limbs, a silencing pulse of Warpcode blistering through them as I continued to push my Arachne deeper into the joints. She could repair those limbs, but could she repair all four of them? I was eager to know that once my Arachne pierced through the seams of metal plating and began dissecting them. Once again, I twisted their magnetic locks to work in reverse, pushing all four of them outwards in one massive ripping of wires. She was now down four arms while I was just down two. And now, she was completely blinded, that left her with only one choice to fight unblinded. She broke free of the wires and pushed me away with a dosage of bullet fire, reaching for the hand gripping her face. Such a predictable action could of course be taken advantage of by my archer ally, who once more pelted her with more of those disabling arrows as I got to work by engaging all four of my Arachne operating tips onto one of her exoskeleton¡¯s severed railguns. All to complete this plan was to say one lie out loud ¡ª ¡°I¡¯m retreating down.¡± ¡ª while sending a whisper of my thoughts to Quickshot. ¡°Keep attacking her with those arrows, I know what to do.¡± I saw the second of relief in the Exoguard¡¯s face, who sighed and raised her other arm in the direction of where Quickshot had launched her arrows from, one wave of disabling arrows coming after the next. ¡°You know I don¡¯t have an unlimited supply of these, Dread.¡± Quickshot warned me, but just a few seconds more and- There, the modification was done! Quickly, I slipped through one of the many craters that had been formed by our fight to hide out in the top floor of the facility while I sent out my Webcrawler drone to sneakily observe the Exoguard, my Arachne rewiring the internals of my mask as it began to feed me a direct feed. Once the arrows stopped at my disappearance, the Exo-guard grabbed the hand on her face and tore it off, a knot of Livewire and scrap falling to the ground. Cautiously, she surveyed around for my presence, my drone just peeking from under the ledge. Only once she was sure I¡¯d abandoned the fight did she go to recover the broken limbs of her armor, leaning over to try and figure out how to reattach them to their severed joints. Once she went to check out the arm which I¡¯d modified, my drone shot a thin zap of electricity at the railgun¡¯s exposed battery. The trap worked exactly how I¡¯d intended it to, the rewiring causing the battery to begin flooding the mechanism with wild power that resulted in a beautiful explosion that made most of the roof she was standing on collapse. Before the dust could settle, I hurried over to her and found her vulnerable with the right side of her suit having an exposed and bloody mess. I was careful where I cut my left hand off, I made sure not to damage the whip-blades lurking within it. One of them had a Necrotium-lined edge courtesy of when I recovered the rest of Long¡¯s prized sword. In that brief moment where our eyes met, her weapon was already raising. A Silver Tier II against a Gold Tier I. I was just quicker. My blade snuck into the flesh of her waist, a final wisp of my Energy draining into the deathly Warp Material as it seized her in a fit of pain. Her flesh bubbled and exploded, her internal organs torn apart by a vile necrotic force. Weaponized arms trembled in the air, but then fell along with the life in her eyes. ¡°Yo¡­ what happened? Roof blew up.¡± Quickshot rumbled in my ear. ¡°She¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°Oh shit! Well then go and get deeper!¡± ¡°In a moment¡­ I need you to protect me.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°Because¡­ I think I might reach Tier II.¡± ¡­ ¡°Kid. You¡¯re on your own.¡± ¡°Well¡­ it was worth a shot.¡± I sighed, leaning over her dead body to begin piecing out the various parts of her Exo-suit. I also made sure to sense for Gold Energy and recover both my right arm and the remnants of my left claw tips. Though, I was mostly out for the Livewire. Once I¡¯d gotten deep enough to dig out her BUG, I mournfully slid it into my Mimicset. ¡°Well, your distraction worked.¡± Quickshot relayed to me in around a minute. ¡°I¡¯m detecting two Silvers on the first floor¡­ looks like they¡¯re taking you as a proper risk.¡± ¡°Any word from Missy?¡± I felt bad about spending so long fighting on the rooftop. ¡°Nada.¡± She sighed. Then Missy responded, her voice clear in my ears. ¡°We¡¯re fine.¡± I coughed. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ fine? How are you connected?¡± Then a familiar voice popped up, Twilight cheered in my ear. ¡°Your¡¯s truly! I repurposed one of their radars to-¡± ¡°Moving on¡­¡± Missy began. ¡°Topaz has confirmed the existence of Goliath in this facility. We just don¡¯t know where exactly. Ripley¡­ he says that he needs you to help him find it.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± That left me confused. ¡°He says that it¡¯s good luck you came to us, because you might be the only person capable of finding out where it is.¡± Missy had a tone in her voice, but I couldn¡¯t figure out what it meant. ¡°Oh yeah.¡± She then added. ¡°Get Twilight in your system, she can help you get to Tier II without slowing down.¡± So she heard that¡­? Twilight continued. ¡°Yeah, there should be a netport on this floor, just hook up to it, don¡¯t worry by the way, we¡¯ve basically nuked their own systems. Entire place is kaput in the digital department.¡± Shit¡­ so then that means I won¡¯t get any gun schematics. ¡°Don¡¯t worry though!¡± Twilight added. ¡°I copied the files of their gun schematics into my head! And the robot schematics from the North too, we thought you would appreciate it.¡± I blinked, feeling many things in my chest. Perhaps this was¡­ love? ¡°You¡¯re the best.¡± Was all I managed to say. ¡°I know, I know. Now get your ass over to a Netport.¡± She said with a happy inflection. So I did, and in a few minutes, the visage of Twilight was standing in front of me. She hugged me, spreading a tingly warmth across my body which I felt grateful for. Truth is, I was beyond ecstatic to see her alive. ¡°So yeah¡­ you¡¯re just going to need to¡­ surrender complete control of your body over to me. Again.¡± Twilight said slowly. ¡°While I get to Tier II?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure, the last time I tiered up had been mostly fine, but going from Tier I to Tier II was a much bigger gulf of power. ¡°Yeah, it should only take you about ten minutes. I think? It¡¯s a little more extreme than the last time but you¡¯ll be pretty spry soon as it¡¯s done.¡± She raised her hand out to me. Initiate Twilight Protocol? Allowing myself to trust her, I confirmed it. Her body slid into mine, coalescing over my limbs which felt both more in control and out of my control simultaneously. It was as though I was moving shadows extremely accurately rather than my own physical body. Then, I brought up the BUG that was writhing full of Warpcode for me to devour¡­ Implant Type: BUG Previous Owners: Shenhe Tian-lu Features: Accomodation V.4.06; Integration V.4.21; Technician V.4.17 Would you like to absorb the Implant? Yes¡­ force compatibility towards reaching Tier II. Three Functions, and the most developed BUG I had ever devoured. I was already on the cusp of Warp Burns today, but something in me craved this¡­ I needed it. Forcing Compatibility¡­ Psyche V.2.15 has updated to V.3.00 Update Summary: Energized V.2.14 has updated to V.3.00 Update Summary: Technician V.2.18 has updated to V.3.00 Update Summary: Data Mimicry¡­ error: Source-Fragment within the Adapter has found a possible creation of a Source-Touched Feature? Would The Adapter like to- Error: Overridden. Incomplete Source Authority identified¡­ Foundation Tier Development: 100% Initiating Tier II Reconfiguration¡­ Tier II: Modification. Forming a solid foundation, The Adapter can begin to express their will beyond the confines of humanity and modify their body into something forbidden by the laws of nature. The Features: Energized and Technician have been integrated into the Source-Touched Feature: Shardweave V.0.01 Shardweave V.0.01 has updated to V.1.01 Update Summary: Error: Free Feature Slot identified¡­ Scanning from possible Feature possibilities¡­ Compatible Feature identified¡­ The Adapter now has access to the Feature: Database V.0.01 Prior Mimicked Database usage identified in: Shardware Operating and Combat Appliance. Database V.0.01 has updated to V.1.03 Update Summary: Recalibrating Stat Parameters¡­ Integrity is now Bronze V Energy is now Bronze V Capacity is now Bronze VII (Effective: Bronze X) Grade is now Gold II Tendency: NA Compatibility calibrating¡­ 99.99% Function Pathway Analysis¡­ Psyche V.3.00 has Adapted towards preventing life-threatening situations¡­ Effect: Substantial. Pathway promoted: Improving segregation of mental faculties to improve direct development of each. Shardweave V.1.01 has been Reconfigured from Features: Energized and Technician. Data Mimicry V.3.00 has Adapted to allow the Adapter into gaining a deeper insight into Warpcode and Function mimicry through absorption of Implant Warpcode. Effect: Massive. Pathway Promoted: Increased analysis of Source-Touched Features, and their application in Implant modification. Database V.1.03 has Adapted to allow the Adapter a greater memory and processing of combat and Shardware applications. Effect: Insufficient Data¡­ Pathway Prioritized: Improvement to Data Analysis and storage of Shardware and Combat Datasets Blood and Steel C104: Breaking Past The Foundations [Part One] Chapter 104: Breaking Past The Foundations [Part One] May 12th 2485 Ripley? Opening my eyes, I was intuitively aware that these were not in fact my eyes. They were Shenhe Tian-Lu¡¯s eyes, and I was across the world in the great Yuzhou Capital of Xiao City, named after our Great Founder. Standing in attendance at my academy, I heard Shenhe¡¯s name get called out, and all that flooded me ¡ª this young girl with bright eyes ¡ª was a sense of pride. I had done it. I had saved my family¡­ they could now move to the capital with me. Or at least, that¡¯s what I thought. I didn¡¯t see them for the next four years of my life, instead, I was trained diligently under the tenets of Yuzhou philosophy. To live is to die. To breathe air is the same as expelling it. If one wishes to find purpose, it cannot be solely for life. You must die with a purpose too. That was what was repeated to me as they beat me into becoming a soldier, my Iron BUG gifted to me by the ripe age of 16. From then, I trained in the Eastern cities, moving from camp to camp in which I harbored my first love, my stillborn child, the death of my brother to drugs, and of course, my first MAL attack as one of The Typhoon¡¯s spawn rose up the coast of Sakura City. A Titanium behemoth that devastated the lives of thousands. They weren¡¯t supposed to be so active right now, but as The Swarm neared, they came out from their hibernation and sought to convene at the feet of their own masters. The Titans. For all my life, I¡¯d been raised knowing there were two at our walls. The Terror and The Typhoon. Witnessing the horrors of both bringing ruin to my nation had been what drove me to succeed in my career as both a mechanic and a soldier. I was only 24 when I had been given the resources to take my power to the Silver Grade, in just eight years I¡¯d done what few others could, I¡¯d been exceptional from the start. I brought pride and wealth to my family, no longer were they suffering in the slums, now they enjoyed the life they deserved. In just 10 years, I¡¯d ascended through the half-point of Tier II, all of my training, all of my effort¡­ had led to this. A deployment to this backwater city of New California, as a commander of my own squad. They depended on me, and they should have lived. Dreadwire came in like a force of nature ¡ª a suit as dark as shadows glowing with golden accents that sedimented the authority given by his Implant. He was a Gold Adapter, comparable to the R0N1N. In ways, even more terrifying. He¡¯d acted quick and methodical, a strategist combined with alien Shardware that deserved to be in the hands of a force for good. In seconds, the people I¡¯d trained personally were mowed down under the fire of his arm, a retrofitted Shardgun that was smaller than any variant in our armory. I had to hide my anger, my fear, I had to stay silent as I fought him. Under his mask, an emotionless visage of six angular streaks betrayed no forethought to his actions. It was clear how this unknown mercenary had survived our previous facility. His wit and guile were unparalleled, his immaculate usage of Shardware precisely configured to not leave a single wasted movement. Fast enough to react to my railgun, strong enough to deflect strikes from my prized Tsuchigumo, only the strength of my suit kept my head on my body. But even that was devoured by him soon enough. He used his own fragility to his advantage, willingly destroying himself in ways to give him the advantage. Blinded, I knew my training hadn¡¯t prepared me for a mercenary capable of turning my own Shardware against me. What should have been confidential knowledge was moulded into a weapon against me. It had barely been a minute once he announced his retreat, a lie, that I discovered my own Shardware had been tampered with. It had barely been a few seconds after that insidious explosion that his blade pierced my life. And in that moment, I found my reason to live, my reason to die. It was to warn the world of this monster, one who had come up even quicker than The R0N1N had. One who embraced what it meant to be an Adapter. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Ripley Waking up, I was surprised to feel myself standing, actually walking with a destination in mind. My pistol was hot, and I had a rifle slung over my shoulder that felt lighter than it should be. ¡°Oh! You¡¯re awake!¡± Twilight chimed. ¡°That was quick? I thought you¡¯d be gone for at least another twenty minutes.¡± ¡°I thought you said it would be over in ten?¡± I rubbed my mask, wishing I could make sense of what I¡¯d just seen. That went deeper than any memory I¡¯d previously looked upon, it was like living another life. But strangely I¡­ I remembered it. Too much of it. Looking at my surroundings, I remembered faintly walking down this hallway several times, where I used to take coffee breaks and where I had trained¡­ ¡°Armory¡­¡± I said aloud, just knowing what was there had made me feel lighter. Not needing a map, I let my body run into a jog as my steps felt lighter, quicker and more powerful. It was like my Warp Energy didn¡¯t just run along the circuitry of my legs but through every metal joint and plate it had. I¡¯d changed¡­ something deep in me had changed through all of the step-by-step improvements I¡¯d made across my Tier I development. The common belief I held was that my Shardware was mine, but now it had changed. My Shardware was me. The air felt more invigorating, the walls more see-through, the sensations from the Warp Transporter beneath us were loud but not overbearing. I was at Tier II. Modification. I''d done it¡­ I¡¯d reached what few ever did¡­ what took Irons a decade, I had done in a few months. Looking through the updates, I didn¡¯t feel odd about seeing the new Shardweave Feature. It felt natural, an organic improvement in my understanding of the inorganic, even if I questioned what prompted them to combine and form a new Feature? A combination of Technician and Energized, it brought synchronicity to the very nature of Warp Energy and its utilization in Shardware. I¡¯d lost none of the previous developments I¡¯d had in either Function, rather they were blended into one harmony. And Database¡­ I¡¯d gained access to it permanently. Simply thinking about Shardware brought up entire visual catalogs of the various kinds I¡¯d seen throughout my career ¡ª Datasets. Each vision in my lens reflected an actual memory of my tinkering including snapshots of what I had thought back then. New Protocols. New Features. New¡­ everything. I wouldn¡¯t master it today, it would probably take me weeks to even grasp the basics. But for now, I¡¯d make due with this facsimile of understanding I had. Some groups of soldiers stood in my way, guards who I now had an even deeper understanding of. Their training, their methods. Overcome rushed within me, and I wasted no time as I grabbed my pistol to pop right through their necks. Finally, I¡¯d made it to the armory. A quick input of Shenhe¡¯s personal code caused the massive walls to shift and reveal a room dedicated to her personal store of items. She was a Shard Op¡¯ as much as she was a soldier, so when I entered the hallway revealing various guns and other trinkets I made my way to her prized possession. A Silver-Grade Shard Op¡¯ Claw. ¡°Ripley¡­ I know you like Shardware but-¡± Twilight was going to say we didn¡¯t have time, I knew that already. ¡°Just a second.¡± I reached for the claw, and promptly broke it apart. Deep inside it was a Silver Shard she had left for her family to inherit in the event she passes, it alone was worth 500,000 Shardyne and enough to charge my energy stores over several times. The claw itself was nothing too special, its novelty was mostly in Function links so all I did was keep its neuroprocessor and wiring handy to save on costs. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. The only other thing I came here for was another piece of External Shardware. A gauntlet she¡¯d taken inspiration off from the Tsuchigumo¡¯s architecture, I grabbed it and began my quest to reach Missy. Founder knows I¡¯d left her waiting long enough. Throughout my hasty running there, I¡¯d broken enough of the gauntlet to make some repairs to my arms, reinforcing the joints and replacing some plating to make them impervious to low-strength Silver abuse. It mostly applied to new Claw Shells and a stronger punch, any deeper modification would- I slowed my stride just a bit, feeling a hesitation in my operating. Deep within the modifications I¡¯d made I felt a¡­ resonance of sorts. Like my claws were trying to tell me that they had found something, or more likely, that a Protocol was working it¡¯s magic. Retrofit made the most sense¡­ and so a snap of my Warp Energy sunk through the noise and gave it order. It was a feedback loop of me feeling through the metal and the material resounding whispers back to me, ah¡­ I¡¯d made a few mistakes in the plating. It was easy enough to rewire, but that only opened up more tiny errors to fix. As I corrected them, a notification came up in my eyes. Protocol: Retrofit has lowered Right Shard Op¡¯ Claw Capacity by 1 Tier. So that was what it meant to improve Shardware beyond it¡¯s general limits¡­ It was like I was peering into a perfect form and this Protocol was teasing me with rewards for getting closer to it, if I had the time, then maybe I could vastly improve all capabilities of my Shardware units. In the next few minutes to spare, I only managed one additional change to my left Claw¡¯s integrity, raising it by a tier before I reached a plateau in progress. Regardless, I¡¯d just made my way to the next group of guards who were¡­ running away from something? ¡°Oh shit!¡± One of them, a leader from the looks of it. ¡°They¡¯ve got us surrounded!¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather risk him than that monster!¡± They raised their gun at me, but my left arm whipped a blade across their necks as soon as I¡¯d seen them, Hypermind Prime reacting so my Necrotium edge bubbled their flesh into bursting goo. A monster? Missy? I knew she was strong, she was in NeoCore after all, but for them to actually be running away¡­ what had she done? I finally reached the research layer, broken turrets and guard drones being a familiar sight, and made my way to where I heard gunfire. And tearing bodies. Finally, I came to understand what they meant. Missy was coated head to toe in an Exosuit of her own, except hers was tattered which only lended it¡¯s organic look an even fleshier appearance. It¡¯s held translucent weaves of muscle that pulsed rhythmically amidst white plates of steel that carved over her body to give her the appearance of a white angel of death ¡ª and she held a smooth battleax of the same material in her grip. She weaved between bullet fire, a blurring echo ¡ª or veil ¡ª surrounding her as she thrust her battleaxe into one guard, igniting it¡¯s edge to explode it¡¯s momentum so that he launched into another guard. Then she¡­ caused the wound on his body to fester with shadows¡­ No, not shadows¡­ smoke. Ash. A deadly foul powder flowed deep into his comrade¡¯s lungs and festered a coughing fit of blood out from him. That was¡­ an Esper ability? ¡°You¡¯re a Dual Adapter?¡± I questioned aloud, Missy¡¯s knight-like mask reflecting my own back at me in surprise. ¡°Not exactly a secret. Thought you knew.¡± She hoisted the battleaxe onto her back, where it folded apart to join her armor so seamlessly you couldn¡¯t even tell there had been a weapon at all. What other weapons were hiding as a part of her suit? Then, a Silver glint caught my eye. Then another one, and scouring the floor, I saw two more scattered in piles of bodies. Implants. BUGs and SIMs. She¡¯d taken down four Silvers by herself. I thought The R0N1N was terrifying, but then¡­ No¡­ now it made sense. Quickshot was stationed up above the facility for their breakout, Topaz was to infiltrate and find information on Goliath. While Missy was to¡­ take everything down here by herself? That definitely put her on R0N1N level, maybe above him. ¡°You did all of this by yourself.¡± I hummed in understanding¡­ just when I thought I was getting stronger. ¡°Yeah. I hid in a corner.¡± Topaz startled me from the side, his disappearing antics never changing. He rummaged through for something, then pulled out a BUG from within his pockets and tossed it over to me. ¡°Just read the memory off that and you¡¯ll find Goliath.¡± He said all too casually. I froze, looking at him with¡­ this feeling was different. It wasn¡¯t hate, nor distrust, not even malice. But maybe something much deeper and more complex than either of that. No one but Diamante, Mirage and ¡ª very recently ¡ª R0N1N knew about that. ¡°Read the¡­¡± Missy trailed on, her voice empty in her next few words. ¡°You can read Implant-Coded Data?¡± Twilight sounded hollow as well. ¡°You can read minds, Ripley?¡± So Mirage hadn¡¯t told her Personas? That was a good sign from my girlfriend but as for Topaz¡­? ¡°How did you know that?¡± My finger was heavy on my stowed gun¡­ ¡°Oh, did they not know?¡± Topaz rubbed his head like he was embarrassed. ¡°Whoops. Just heard you and Di talking about it once, cus¡­ you know, you guys don¡¯t realize I¡¯m there half the time.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure to believe that, any of that. Still, there was a time and place for us to solve this issue. I returned my mind to the BUG, it¡¯s call was sweet and tempting, but also inviting. Another new Protocol of mine reached out, Consciousness Link from Database. My Warp Energy fastened into the BUG, it¡¯s Bronze cadence infected with my Gold. And with my Energy¡­ my mind flowed. Memories scattered across years swam and twisted in my head. My daughter''s birthday, a divorce, a new flame, an invitation to an auction with MALtitan parts on sale, a swarm of buzzing metal insects sold by a man with red-and-white eyes. They claimed to have sourced it from Muramasa, but Amaterasu informed me that was likely a lie. There. I latched onto that memory, peeling away even more images. I calculated the composition of a special serum, I tested lab result after lab result against the desired output, the nanomachines stirred within¡­ Nanomachines. The vial they were in had a name. Goliath. We continued to run tests, the self-replication potential of the nanites were astounding. Not only was the Warp Material extremely valuable at Silver Grade, it had remarkable properties to convert organic carbon-based tissues into a non-organic Warp-modified allotrope of the same kind ¡ª less dense than Yttrium Steel yet more durable. Midas¡¯s Steel. That¡¯s what we named the material. Never before had there been a Warp Material capable of producing itself without a fabricator. These robots were David and the world was their Goliath. Unleash even a single vial of these out into the wild and they could cultivate entire mines worth of Steel in days. Send them into a person and you could melt their heart from the inside, more on that, tests on the blood of Mutants and Espers has revealed that the resulting metal is slightly different ¡ª carrying properties of the SIM Adapter with the potential to create entirely new Warp Materials. A Warp Material capable of creating more Warp Materials¡­ What a terrifying little bug. What a beautiful machine. The images moved quicker, my hands growing colder against the BUG¡¯s cracking surface. Damn those mercenaries! Who were they to stop our advances in science? Did they truly understand what we were coming to build? No, of course they didn¡¯t. And here I am standing on a Warp Transporter, letting it¡¯s gold bathe me. To think we had such machines functional for a century, what other secrets do The Founders have¡­? We secured the asset. Goliath is in our hands, we¡¯re safely hidden deep underground now, even the R0N1N can¡¯t find us here. Though, dammit, who left that computer running? Why is it downloading files? Don¡¯t they know we should be more careful since we have Goliath- The memory cut off, silenced by death. I stared at the cracked BUG, its gleam torn away by the web of my Gold aching through it. I crushed in between my fingers, letting the dust fall to the floor. ¡°Goliath¡¯s hidden away in the RnD Layer, sealed behind a lock that can only be accessed by a Bioshard Scanner and code input. I know the code.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll try and break past it¡¯s scanner but it¡¯ll take a few minutes to-¡° ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that. Twilight.¡± I still felt the resounding pulse of the BUG¡¯s memories run through me, reaching into it¡¯s frequency was easy with the well-named Frequency Sync Protocol of Data Mimicry. ¡°I¡¯ve got it covered. Though, maybe someone knows that already.¡± Topaz raised his eyebrows, then his arms, up at me. ¡°I¡¯m not omniscient! Jackass! It¡¯s not my fault I¡¯m genetically adapted to eavesdrop!¡± I sighed, hurrying them all down the stairs and into the RnD layer, there were a few more guard patrols concentrated here, but with Twilight free to now devour the control of turrets and other drones that the nuked sub-Net had lost access to, we easily took them by surprise. Not that Missy needed any help, she was graceful no matter what weapon she wielded, accurate and menacing as she wielded the dark ash to corrupt and kill whoever stood in our way. Though, it was clear she didn¡¯t have it easy. She took a knee, breathing heavily through her suit. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, just¡­ keep going.¡± She forced herself back up, an uneasiness growing in me. ¡°So did you figure out what Goliath is, Ripley?¡± Twilight asked through our close-range comms. ¡°A swarm of nano-machines capable of self-replication¡­ the Warp Material used to make them can infect organic matter and produce more of itself. From what I¡­ saw¡­ it¡¯s tough and conductive, like carbonfiber but¡­ more metallic. The perfect material for mass-produced Shardware, but I saw the conversion rates. It¡¯s blood money. It could eat an entire family and only make enough for one arm, but¡­ there¡¯s a lot more to it.¡± The research went deep, and I couldn¡¯t understand exactly why my memory reading this attempt was more superficial compared to Shenhe¡¯s instinctual memory¡­ was it because I wasn¡¯t using Database? I did get a Protocol out of it. ¡°So you really can read memories off BUGs¡­¡± Missy commented. ¡°When were you planning on telling us that?¡± ¡°The next time I had to bargain for my life.¡± I managed a smile, but deep down, I didn¡¯t like this. ¡°Clever¡­ smart move¡­¡± Missy chuckled back. ¡°You¡¯re heavily Source-touched. I¡¯ll explain what that means when we¡¯re done.¡± We ended up near the console I had seen in the memories, and I hooked myself up to it. Identity confirmed: Jason Clipp ¡°How did you¡­?¡± Missy cut herself off, smirking. ¡°That Data Mimicry of yours sure is something.¡± I didn¡¯t respond, only inputting the code to open up a hidden door on the far side of this floor. My heart raced, we were so close, so fucking close to having won it all. And as we came to a stop inside of the hidden room, we all took sight of the simple box that was built into the wall. And just my luck, it was a Pandora. Like the Silver-Graded one I saw so long ago. Back at the Toxin Club, last time it contained a MALignant Seed¡­ and now I faced Gold once more. The Pandora itself radiated the same quality of Energy as my own. Blood and Steel C105: Breaking Past The Foundations [Part Two] Chapter 105: Breaking Past The Foundations [Part Two] Diana My body was melting under the cocktail of Mutagen I¡¯d just absorbed, not only did I intake Aliya¡¯s SIM¡­ but I also digested the Mutations that had grown in her body. From Tier 0 to II, I stole it all¡­ Then I digested this second Kaisel¡¯s Mutations as well, finding the same odd existence of only Tier III Genes of the Gold grade dwelling inside of her. Finally, I grasped the vial of Mutagen that Dryder had given me, I wasn¡¯t sure if it was trustworthy or not, but the vague strength seeping of it was similar in strength to most Tier II Mutations and only Bronze in grade. I could handle it even if it was bad. Tier II Mutagen Absorbed¡­ [Bronze] Minor Shapeshift. Hair Serum my ass! Everything hurt so bad, it was like my blood had been replaced by hellfire. The last time I felt this sick was when I¡¯d absorbed Yvette¡¯s Silver¡­ When I¡¯d absorbed her SIM. Hah, I remember how we tested out and compared my Tier I Mutations together when I¡¯d gifted it to her. Now here I was reaching Tier II by taking both her strength, and Anthony¡¯s. And I didn¡¯t even know if he would be there for me to gossip and discuss this next step in my evolution. [Gold] Mutation: Electromagnetic Telekinesis has reached 100% Development. Additional Meta-Mutations acquired. Minor ability to expand range of telekineses by using charged metal as a conduit. [Gold] Mutation: Electrical Freeze-Flash has reached 100% Development. Additional Meta-Mutations acquired. Significant resistance to thermal fluctuation; thermal energy conversion is much more effective on all matter. Foundation has reached 100% Development¡­ Recalibrating¡­ Integrity is now Bronze IV Energy is now Bronze VI Capacity is now Bronze III Grade is Bronze IV Tendency (Fire) is now Bronze III Calibrating Compatibility¡­ 99.99% Adapter is now in Tier II: Mutagenesis; forming a stable foundation of your preliminary Mutations, the Adapter is now set on the path of Mutagenesis to push their body beyond the limits of humanity. Tier I Mutations have been fully integrated into your genetics. Total Tier I Gene Capacity = 50 Current Mutational Capacitance = 50+36 = 86 Calculating SIM Stability¡­ SIM is currently reorganizing Mutational Development based on parameters, estimated time is¡­ six hour- Error: Detecting significant activity from Mutation: Mutagenic Drain. Estimated time: two minutes. Two minutes was a hell of a lot quicker than last time. The painful feeling of my body quite literally breaking apart and forming new connections in itself tore me to the ground, and I knew I was vulnerable here but¡­ Dryder¡­ despite his words, he stayed on guard with a flask in hand that he drank from. ¡°Want a sip?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I admitted, but my hand slipped as he tried to pass it over to me. I heard him click his tongue. ¡°Tch. Your loss.¡± Then my body succumbed to the raging flame of my Energy, allowing itself to be remolded under my fading consciousness. It was like rotting away and being rebuilt at the same time. Parameter testing complete¡­ Lacking¡­ Energy Accuracy; Thermal Conversion; Range; Mutational Specificity; External Electrical Manipulation Moderate¡­ Kinetic Conversion; Telekinetic Capability; Bodily Durability; Tissue Compaction; Energy Recovery Exceeding¡­ Electrical Storage; Electrical Output; Regeneration; Speed; Strength SIM is adjusting Mutations¡­ Error: Additional Mutagenic Material has remained unused¡­ Tier 0: Tier I: Partial Tier II: Tier II Mutagen: Partial Tier III: Error: Mutation: Mutagenic Drain is affecting Mutation Development¡­ forcing excess Mutagen into developing alongside current Mutations¡­ Tier II Mutations are developing¡­ [G] Mutagenic Drain + [Additional Mutagenic Material] = [G] Soul Resonance [Energy/Alteration]. This Mutation allows you to sense the Warp Energy within other Adapters, and use your own Energy to manipulate it. Absorbing the Energy of those you have resonated with allows you to better enhance your own recovery and absorption of Mutagenic Material. [1 GC] [G] Electrical Neurogenesis + [G] Bioelectrogenesis = [G] Electrosomatic Organism [Metabolism/Cognition]. Every cell in your body now has minor electroconductive and electrogenic properties that allow them to functionally act as neurons and sources of electricity. [16(15) GC] [G] Compact Tissues + [Additional Mutagenic Material] = [G] Limited Morphology Manipulation [Alteration]. The Adapter can alter their physical appearance as well alter properties of their body to a limited degree. [18 GC] [G] Electromagnetic Vision + [G] Electromagnetic Telekinesis = [G] Electromagnetic Domain [Energy/Cognition]. The Adapter can manipulate an electromagnetic field around their body, improving their telekinetic and sensory capabilities within it. [15(14) GC] [G] Kinetic Catalyst + [G] Electrical Flash-Freeze = Thermokinetic Catalyst [Energy/Metabolism]. The Adapter¡¯s cells are modified so they can use their Warp Energy to convert stored kinetic and thermal energy into electrical output and vice-versa. [14(13) GC] [G] Mineral Assimilation + [Additional Mutagenic Material] = [G] Inorganic Metabolism [Alteration/Integrity]. The Adapter can naturally digest inorganic materials within their body, altering the composition of various tissues in their usage. [16 GC] This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Gene Capacitance = 81/86 Awakening, everything felt putrid and wrong here, the air acrid and sharp and the clothes I was wearing were stiff with blood. It was that immediate sensory information that registered to me first, as though my brain had suddenly picked up on information it couldn¡¯t before. Where the outside air was a bitter cold, my inner soul felt warm and aflame. ¡°That was quick¡­ I thought mutations were supposed to take longer.¡± Dryder picked himself up wobbling around till he found the door. ¡°You ready to go kill some soulless pricks?¡± ¡°Not kill¡­¡± I gnashed my teeth, feeling my limbs stretch as though they¡¯d just been drained of all the stress I¡¯d built up here. ¡°I can cure them.¡± ¡°Bullshit, you can.¡± Dryder scratched his beard, opening the door and stepping out. I tore my gaze between him and Anthony, who wasn¡¯t bleeding anymore but still in critical condition. ¡°We can¡¯t just leave him like that? What if Soul Killer-¡° ¡°Don¡¯t you worry your head about it. I¡¯ve set this room to not open without me, now get your ass out before you¡¯re locked in forever!¡± Dryder kept the door open with his hand, and regretfully, I stepped out. Immediately, I felt the deep thrum of the MAL from the storage room next door, their bitter malice permeated the air like a humidity that clung to my very soul. Soul. I¡¯d never really believed in them, but now¡­ one of my Mutations was named Soul Resonance. And it came from Mutagenic Drain, the exact Mutation that I¡¯d used so heavily to remove Soul Killer¡¯s influence with his Soul-Forfeit and Soul-Death Mutations. I¡¯d taken from them as well, something in this power had to be able to reach into those who were lost. And looking through the rest, none of these new Mutations were too foreign to me. Apparently now the rest of my body could act as neurons in some capacity, however that worked, which was probably why everything felt so much crisper and even slower to me right now. A sort of field manipulation skill, which I guess improved my control over telekinesis on charged objects as long as they were within the radius of my¡­ domain? And the various cosmetic Mutations in both Anthony and Aliya combined with Dryder¡¯s Shapeshift Mutagen had given me the ability to alter my appearance? Or make it stronger? Then there was also the fact that apparently I had gone from simply digesting minerals to somehow producing them, through some complex Warp fuckery. Still, I couldn¡¯t say I was disappointed with how these Mutations had come along, they¡¯d served me well, and these stronger variants were sure to improve my already above-average potency. Still, in the end, they were just tools. Tools to be used in burning this place to the ground. The real issue was that I still didn¡¯t know how Soul Killer exactly controlled all these people, but from the looks of it, I was in the company of someone with as much hate for the bastard as I did. ¡°So how do we stop Soul Killer? For good?¡± I eyed Dryder from the back, the man still looking a bit inebriated from his drinking during the¡­ few minutes I was growing. ¡°I dunno.¡± He slurred, deigning out his explanation in hand gestures that made no sense. ¡°Well¡­ not yet! They could be a hivemind, or maybe have some master body hidden in one corner of the city or across the world, but as long as evem one Soulless is alive then they¡¯re never really dead!¡± ¡°So then¡­ what are you trying to do doing here?¡± ¡°Well, the bastard kind of kidnapped my godson¡­ that¡¯s Anthony by the way. Oh, and they did also like kill a whole bunch of people close to me and-¡° ¡°We¡¯ll get to that later.¡± I didn¡¯t have the patience for this. ¡°How do we stop whatever it is that Soul Killer is doing here.¡± ¡°Ohhh, simple. We chop off the Nexus.¡± ¡°Nexus?¡± ¡°Yup, the body that here that¡­ coordinates all the other Soul Killer minds together. Otherwise they end up being a bunch of disconnected fools. Each Nexus works their own lab sorta, but they meet every now and then to like organize shit and become whole I guess. Don¡¯t really know when or how, though.¡± Dryder gripped the rail tight as we began descending down the staircase. ¡°Why are you drunk?¡± ¡°SK doesn¡¯t like the smell of alcohol.¡± He wobbled down each step, and I was half considering just leaving him¡­ except Anthony was dependant on him in some way. But Soul Killer couldn¡¯t stand alcohol? ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Nah. I just have a drinking issue.¡± He took another swig of the flask, and I was very tempted to exercise my new telekinetic capabilities on the metal. Thankfully, that moment would be soon, as waiting down the staircase were around six of my fellow inmates with soulless eyes. ¡°You kept me waiting for a while, I thought the two of you scurried off¡­ how have you been, Derrick?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Dryder¡­ and honestly, been better. But I¡¯m about to feel a whole lot happier taking your cunt-ass down!¡± Dryder raised his shotgun, or was it a rifle, I couldn¡¯t exactly tell¡­ What I could tell was that he was absolutely insane once I saw what shot out of the weapon. It was a grenade launcher. Soul Killer¡¯s bodies smirked, grotesque mutations in the forms of horns or Espers who bent the elements all charged through the explosion, the ravenous horde, bloody and wounded, like a pack of rabid wolves in mania. My new Mutations surfaced easily, my whole body covered in a curtain of sparks that propelled me into the horde, thunder blossoming as I leveraged the new strength of this body. It was remarkable, light as a feather but the deceptive weight in my punch broke through layers of hardened keratin and bones like sandstone. But this fight was far from easy, under the singular hivemind of Soul Killer, they were coordinated and daunting as an overwhelming barrage of bodies and force all bore down on me. So I reached into the mutation calling within me, Electromagnetic Domain. All at once, an explosion of information flooded through me, the air charged under a dense orb that made my hair float up. Like liquid mercury, I was able to flow between strikes as the orb of perception flooded information into me, and I sensed I could do more than just sense through this field. Crudely, I contracted it, tightening the charge until the air was humming and the smell of ozone permeated my nostrils. Then I discharged my internal store of electricity, a wave of blue and white expanding around me as a crackling blast that collapsed five of the bodies to the ground. But they weren¡¯t down for the count, their Energies were feeding into their wounds, regenerating their fried neurons. I didn¡¯t want to kill them, it was possible to remove Soul Killer¡¯s influence, at least that¡¯s what I¡¯d believed I¡¯d done with Anthony. But in a time like this, where I was surrounded by the maddening cheers of the entity who¡¯d torn me apart, I wouldn¡¯t be able to save everyone. Maybe it was cruel to decide who lives and dies up to fate, but the dice had been rolled the second I ignited my hands under my Warp Energy, their morphology manipulated so that my nails sharpened and my skin became dense like stone. I drove my claws into the chest of one woman whose fangs bared at me like the Fangtooth¡¯s I¡¯d faced down, sending a fatal shock down to her heart before gripping into that Warp Energy of hers. Soul Resonance was simultaneously terrifying and underwhelming as the Mutation glowed to life. The internal flow of her body¡¯s lifestream appeared in my mind¡¯s eye, the Bronze Warp Energy suffusing and drenching her body thick and heavy at the second Tier. The one discrepancy there, however, drew my eyre. A knot of black was wound throughout her head, Titanium Energy that was barely visible if not for the fact that I was so familiar with it. Imagining the knot to burn apart, I fastened my will over the Energy, but it was entirely nonreactive. A club formed the steel arms of one Mutant whacked me in the head, my eyesight blurry from the throbbing in my skull. My body though, continued to conduct my thoughts. No, not just conduct. It formed them too, the most baseless rush of action possible without the former modulation of my currently impaired nervous system. Pure, burning, instinct. My hands ascended up as a blue blur, my flaming energy devastated my bones as they twisted out of shape to make my fingers longer, sturdier and deadlier. Until I speared right through his entire skull. It was strange, I should have felt guilty or even sad for repeating the same mistake of killing on instinct again and again. Instead, all I could feel were the black threads of Warp Energy dying out as I drained his strength away. Hostile Mutagen absorbed¡­ Ah, I figured it out. How to reliably reach for Soul Killer¡¯s Mutation. They corrupted your mind, tearing away what it means to be yourself by hiding away in the most vital corner of anatomy. I needed to attack their brains. I felt almost stupid coming to that realization, Soul Killer wasn¡¯t really killing their souls. They were having their minds edited, manipulated and even forcing them to drop in compatibility to their Implants¡­ the brain manipulated Warp Energy, it was the very essence of your existence. And then it hit me, I¡¯d absorbed Anthony¡¯s Warp Energy through his cheeks. It was just good fortune that saved him, a chance that I¡¯d chosen a proximal point of entry. My hands slick with blood and viscera, all that consumed me was the now blaring radiation in their twisted skulls. I could feel their loss of selves. And I would burn it away. My entire soul ignited once more as I condensed the domain even tighter, wrapping it around me until my body was a mass of electricity overlain atop a human. Then I pushed it out into an even more destructive explosion of electric discharge, burning through clothes and penetrating their bodies to arc at other unfortunate Soulless hosts. Their bodies effectively halted by a stalled heartbeat, I knew their Warp Energy was flowing to heal them in moments. Away from their heads, and so I gripped the skull of one poor test subject, digging my claws into the sides of their temples much like how Inquisitor Tusk had once held me. Then I commanded my gold to burn. Burn away that which had tormented me and so many others. I felt the resistance of those black worms, how they writhed at my presence. Then strangely, for once, they resisted my pull. ¡°Oh¡­ you¡¯ve taken this a step too far, Ulrich.¡± Those soulless mouths moved against their will, bronze, and red veins blossoming over their bodies, altering them. Killing their souls. Still connected to the human being twisted, the arcs and chords of their Energy curved into grotesque and snapping serpents, reaching forcefully into their flesh as a bead of concentration began to glow under their clavicle. Before I could blink, I was thrown across bodies and into a wall, dust falling to my feet. Yet, despite the dust, I could still peer into the fallen human¡¯s inner soul, that bleak despair as they truly lost themselves to their Implant. Amidst the horde of mindless puppets, one being stood hunched as his muscle enhancing Mutations grew at an incredible pace, his body bulging as bones were twisted against their natural form. Slumped, eyes entirely red, a MALformed hurdled themselves at me. A Bronze Tier II MALformed¡­ one with all of the Mutations of their human host. A Parasyte. I held myself still, commanding the various metal scraps and rubble charged by my crash to ignite into life. Arcing them straight up into the MALformed skull, drilling through their eye-sockets and deeper still. They attacked like nothing had happened, a hammering force swinging right above where my head had been, denting through the alloy walls built to defend against their very assault. I struck a jab of electricity into them, even transferring my stored kinetic force back into them, but they only skidded back slightly. This was no ordinary MALformed¡­ this was one augmented by a Titanium Mutation. One that ignored all the other humans facing off Dryder, one with a purpose. One with eyes that were still red. A MALformed under the control of Soul Killer. Birthed in their name. Blood and Steel C106: Parasytes Of a Kind Chapter 106: Parasytes of a kind Diana Even now, the transformation was still ongoing as the Soulless devolved ever faster, his skin breaking down into fluid only to harden like scabs in disproportionate arrangements. For just a moment, I let my focus drain on the rest of the Soulless. Of the six, two were killed by Dryder, despite the fact that his cybernetics lent him an organic look, he was a wraith as he weaved between bodies and struck his cannon-like gun¡¯s ammunition into their bodies. Blood and guts went flying with each shot, but notably those that remained dead had their heads blown off. The brain was a complex organ, regenerating it would be many times more difficult compared to the others, and it was where Soul Killer¡¯s infestation hibernated. Their weak point. If only the same was true for the MALformed charging me ¡ª whose death would only come from destroying its Core ¡ª their arms were hideous and broad like a tree trunk made of muscle and broken bones, swinging wide to crush me. Compared to the normal crop of Tier II MALformed, this one had explosive strength that made the Fangtooth¡¯s pale in comparison. With a blinding flash originating from my own body, I vaulted above the smashing limbs, my soul on fire as I concentrated my field of electricity to constrict like a cage. More than any of my other Mutations, Electromagnetic Domain one had the most notable effect. It was like being able to read the intentions of the MALformed as it¡¯s irregular nervous system conducted across muscles and skin. Some even originated from multiple concentrated organs within it¡¯s body, and they were where I felt the Titanium hum most. My fists slammed into it¡¯s steel-like body, blowing it back with each punch before it walloped it¡¯s strength back towards me. While not as fast as the Fangtooths, if even one lumbersome strike hit me I¡¯d suffer from broken bones or worse. Wounds that I wouldn¡¯t be able to heal from in time. With my concentration split across the metallic shrapnel of Dryder¡¯s grenades, I weaved them across the battle, shredding into muscles and other tissues which hadn¡¯t been granted the Parasyte¡¯s unique physiology. I could feel it, there wasn¡¯t any other words to use, but I had a strange hazy intuitive premonition about the flow of Warp Energy across it¡¯s body. Was it because I¡¯d already ¡®connected¡¯ to it when I tried to remove Soul Killer¡¯s influence, or was it just that loud to Soul Resonance? Without being able to experiment, my legs carried me low as one thick appendage whipped above me, my shin hardening to strike against it¡¯s swollen kneecap. ¡°Don¡¯t even bother trying to go for a lethal blow! It¡¯ll run out of steam soon enough!¡± Dryder shot a thick pellet that burst a wave of blood and fragmented bone off it¡¯s back at the same time, bodies littered across him. I nodded, sparking a trail of electrical burns across it¡¯s body as I ducked, rolled and flew around it¡¯s attacks. The longer I fought, the more dense I felt my domain become, like whatever energy I¡¯d scattered away was absorbed into the air as a reservoir. It heightened my senses, calling my body into action as I lightened in motion. Even my attacks hit harder than ever, with enough Energy put into Kinetic-Thermal Catalyst, I felt like I could possibly match the Parasyte¡¯s strength. Not with every strike, but those of which I¡¯d enhanced once more with telekinetic prowess were enough to send the MALformed stumbling back. Dryder continued his assault from afar, launching his attacks without ever endangering me in the slightest, each bullet exploding chunks of melting flesh out from the MAL. Until finally, I felt the waves of Warp Energy radiating across it¡¯s body wither away into a faded call. It grew slower, it¡¯s strikes weaker and body more brittle. ¡°Get away now!¡± Dryder called, his arm splitting apart to reveal a jagged metallic blade protruding from it¡¯s forearm. I headed his warning, moving away like a bolt of lightning. The jagged blade shot forth with a thick weave of metallic rope still connected to Dryder¡¯s forearm, then I felt waves of thick Siver Energy coalesce into the blade, a rhythmic humming as the MAL convulsed and ached under the dense vibrations. Then, thunder boomed from the centre of the blade¡¯s impalement, it echoed through the walls and rattled my bones before the MAL¡¯s body exploded. Dryder heaved out, the blade pulling back into his arm like a pet serpent, before adressing me. ¡°Work on your Energy conservation, don¡¯t take meaningless strikes. Hit hard, hit fast. Make it costly for The Revenant.¡± ¡°Revenant¡­?¡± I rested my hands on my knees, my recovery was quick but small wounds across my body emptied my stores quickly. ¡°Just another name for the bastard. Soul Killer, The Plague, Revenant, The Maddest Scientist¡­ they¡¯re nothing but a pest that¡¯s lived for too long in this city.¡± The spite in Dryder¡¯s voice was tangible. ¡°Hey, Dryder¡­¡± I honed in on him, unable to hide the fleeting anger that had built up in me across these weeks. ¡°Why¡¯d you wait so long to come and save Anthony anyway?¡­ I mean¡­ didn¡¯t you say that he was your¡­ godson?¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Dryder took a deep breath, turning away from me. ¡°I¡­ It wasn¡¯t an easy choice. When you deal with a monster like SK, you can¡¯t rush in¡­ that¡¯s how¡­ it¡¯s how his mother died. It¡¯s how his aunt is now nothing more than a puppet. I needed the bastard to slip up, but mostly¡­ it was you. I wasn¡¯t sure if you were corrupted or not. I¡¯m confident in myself and my power, but understand this¡­ Soul Killer would turn you into a MAL if it meant killing me. The MAL your Implant came from was able to fight back against a NeoCore Inquisitor, I¡¯m not that good.¡± I stared down at my hands, remembering where this power came from¡­ it was so far out of my head with my 99.9¡­ no, my 99.99% compatibility that Soul Killer could force it to drop into the threat of returning this Implant into that form. If I were to lose myself, embracing an insatiable wrath towards humanity¡­ just how much death would I cause? With my Tier II Mutations, probably more than there were at The Toxin Club. Soul Killer could just pose in my body, have me work like I always had, then one day kill my soul around those who I¡¯d spent months and years with¡­ ¡°Well, I¡¯m not infected.¡± I clenched my fists. Dryder nodded, it was easy to see in his eyes that he believed me. ¡°Yeah, heard one of the K-Puppets say that you needed a Revenant Serum, that¡¯s a first. The exact life-cycle and method in which they infect people is complicated, it¡¯s not as easy as just breathing in the pollen. But for you to require the Serum means your tolerance is better than even BUG Adapters at your Tier.¡± I stared down across the bodies, by now each of them had let out Bronze or Iron orbs of flesh, each of them riddled with red veins. The Parasyte didn¡¯t leave any, as far as I could see. ¡°Mind if I take the SIMs?¡± I picked one up, blood still clinging to it. ¡°My research didn¡¯t peg you for a crooked cop.¡± Dryder held one himself. ¡°But I do use them for research into his Mutation, not the most efficient but¡­¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if I trusted Dryder, but by now, it was clear I could trust in his hate for Soul Killer. ¡°I have¡­ a unique tolerance to all Mutagenic Material, I can absorb the SIM, even replenish my Warp Energy through physical contact¡­ you know that, what was it¡­ the Mutation that heals Soul Killer¡¯s puppets. It¡¯s a derivative of that which allows me to take from others.¡± Dryder¡¯s eyes opened up, then he began to chuckle before it devolved into cackling. ¡°Oh¡­ oh he hates you, then! To take one of his prized Mutations and improve upon it?! Oh, that bastard is getting all of his karma through you! Yeah, yeah, take all the SIMs you want, I already got something better today.¡± Saying that, he lifted his arm and tapped his bicep muscle, which steamed open to reveal a hidden compartment. It contained what Dryder called a Revenant Serum, the same one Soul Killer had told me to inject myself with. Dryder continued to laugh, swishing a flask deep into his mouth as he spoke while gulping. ¡°Oh this is already fantastic! You might have been the best thing to happen to me in decades!¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t go that far.¡± I warned. ¡°Yeah, okay¡­¡± He finally calmed himself down, staring deeper into the complex. ¡°You ready to kill more Soulless?¡± ¡°I told you¡­ I¡¯m here to cure them.¡± I broke down one of the SIMs in my hand, feeling it¡¯s warm Energy bathe my arm. Hostile Mu- Hostile Mutagen Cleansed. Dryder clicked his tongue¡­ ¡°How many other people were there?¡± ¡°Not counting me¡­¡± I knew the facts, I¡¯d planned this breakout from the moment I was trapped. ¡°Twenty-three others¡­ but now we¡¯re down to fifteen.¡± ¡°How many children?¡± Dryder met my eyes evenly, but the pain radiating behind them was clear. I stared down that hallway, their faces clear in my eyes. ¡°Six.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª As we maneuvered deeper into the complex, nearing that big lounge which I¡¯d been able to find moments of peace in, my heart was as heavy as it was burning. I wasn¡¯t the most ethical person, but even I knew where I drew my lines¡­ But when your enemy is willing to¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Dryder nodded behind to me. ¡°I already told you we¡¯ll try and save them.¡± ¡°I know¡­ it¡¯s just¡­¡± A child was already underdeveloped anatomically, it was a known fact that Implant usage in children was a terrible idea. That didn¡¯t stop it from happening, but the issues that developed into adulthood were devastating¡­ Indra had been an example of that. Mutations went deep, and¡­ removing a Titanium Mutation that dwelled in the brain? I wasn¡¯t sure what state I¡¯d left Anthony in, and now I was out to tear a piece of it from chil- ¡°Don¡¯t focus on it, that¡¯s how they get you.¡± Dryder continued, his gun cocking heavily. ¡°Be prepared¡­¡± I nodded, lightning coursing up my body under a veil of blue. Dryder stopped, before rummaging across his holsters and coat pockets. ¡°Right, these were stored upstairs, Soul Killer is a notoriously bad shot but¡­ these are yours, right?¡± He handed me two pistols, one was still in the shape of a bracelet while the other one was heavier and radiated strength. I took both, fastening the Braceshocker and feeling the comfortable weight of my Shandian firearm in my left hand. ¡°The Braceshocker won¡¯t do today.¡± Dryder shook his head, handing me a third gun, it wasn¡¯t exactly a pistol ¡ª it¡¯s barrel was far longer and heavier than any of my other two pistols. It was more of a handcannon. ¡°A Magna Gresalt, manufactured 2408, uses railgun tech that I modified to be adjustable in wattage through external absorption¡­ I won¡¯t lie. I knew you would be a good ally to have, I was just waiting. This was going to be my peace offering, all you need to know is that you can charge it up¡­ and use this.¡± Then he picked out ammunition clips, highly ¡ª extremely ¡ª illegal ammunition. They were known as Burst-Point bullets, effectively, the moment they came into contact with any solid, the bullet had the ability to burst to turn all of it¡¯s forward momentum into an explosive force. Chemical-based explosive bullets existed before them, but this was a method to transfer pure kinetic force¡­ It was the equivalent of a shotgun in the accuracy of a pistol. I took the clip and stared at it, for all of my life I¡¯d only ever taken non-lethal weaponry. But I didn¡¯t have to think twice about locking the magazine in, not with Soul Killer and the MALs they produced. Accustoming to the much more different balance of the weapon, I followed down, before finally opening a door that unveiled a much more massive space situated beneath our terrace. All fifteen adult Soulless were lounging about, their eyes flicking to us as soon as we entered. It was the third Kaisel I¡¯d seen today who spoke, her eyes Soulless as the others joined her. ¡°It¡¯s disrespectful to keep your host waiting.¡± Dryder responded by shooting at her with what amounted to a semi-automatic sniper rifle. Her headless body flung backwards. ¡°How¡¯s that for disrespectful!¡± He spat down at the terrace, as their eyes turned red-and-white. The Soulless began their assault. Blood and Steel C107: Disorder Chapter 107: Disorder Special Intelligence Operation¡¯s Staff Sergeant Omen¡¯s message to Brian Ulrich regarding Soul Killer. All the necessary details are here, Ulrich. If your daughter really was taken, she¡¯s likely in one of these facilities. I¡¯ve spoken to Anabelle and the thing inside of her, she needs more medication since her father isn¡¯t around to stabilize the infection to her mind. I¡¯ll see to it personally that she¡¯s more¡­ controllable. Otherwise, I¡¯ve been in contact with Skeleton. He has plans for The Revenant, I¡¯m unsure of their nature but it¡¯s likely he seeks to terminate whatever alliance is present between them. I don¡¯t know why everything is happening now, but these people¡­ The Uncaged are without a doubt intending to make use of the proposal we¡¯ve been given from NeoCore. Of all of them, The Revenant is possibly the worst to be given free reigns ¡ª but Jacob Grazhe made sure that thing spread through our District and beyond. It will be difficult to deal with it. I suggest we wait for further details from the mayor before we take any conclusive action, according to Skeleton¡­ Soul Killer is far greater a threat than we ever imagined. Diana I leaped down the terrace, Dryder¡¯s heavy sniper shifting into an assault rifle above me. The Magna Gresalt was a heavy handcannon that lacked a recoil due to it¡¯s railgun-like mechanism but it was heavier in more ways than just mass. It was a Silver Grade Weapon, like the Pheonix Rifle I¡¯d used against the MALignant which birthed my Implant. Back then, every use of the weapon left me nauseous and shaky, even on it¡¯s weakest strength, but now¡­ My electricity flowed through the chamber and swirled around the coils of it¡¯s magnetic cannon, strengthening the inner round which exited in a thunderless bang. It shot straight at a man whose body took the texture of wood, I¡¯d heard from rumors and whispers around the lounge that he could launch thorns that poisoned your body and drained it slowly and terribly. In a battle of attrition, he was going to be dangerous. He went by the name Ivy. And I left his head as a chasm, the bullet unleashing a wave of force at the moment of impact to leave red mist where a human brain was, his body dropped lifelessly. I kept my guilt suffocated, the storm of emotions only igniting me into action. Many of those crowding me had bone enhancements, no thanks to the Mutagen Soul Killer was extracting from those fangtooths. For the man with spines extending through his back like a spiky fish, there was a woman with fangs that shot out her corrosive blood. Saurus and Cobra were the next two to go down as I slit their throats with my claws and drained out the strength of their Implants. From what I heard, they were a married couple Soul Killer brought here in return for bringing their child back to life. Stormspinner had shown me what that meant. Dryder was positioned on the terrace, practically hobbling across the rails like a drunken mess, but his shots were each deadly and accurate. If anything, his inebriated state only made him more unpredictable, what looked like a stumble led into a full-body tackle as his sonic blade pierced the skull of one golden-haired woman and a shockwave blew out to decimate her. Bliss. Marigold. Luca. He¡¯d killed those three. While I wouldn¡¯t call him particularly skilled, he seemed hardy and ¡ª most importantly ¡ª experienced with combatting Soul Killer. If what he said was true¡­ then his war againt The Revenant had been longgoing. The remaining nine were tough and fast, three of them were Espers who played from afar with the exception of one whose nails extended bright lights that could melt flesh. Enhanced by Soul Killer, they left me with few openings for the rest of the Mutants who bolstered intense strength and durability. I¡¯d shot at them with both guns to no end. Only one, known as Big Tim, went down once his brains were blown out an under the chin shot of the Gresalt. Dryder meanwhile, dealt with two MALformed that Soul Killer had transformed from these souls, one bat-winged horror whipped trails of acid out of their elongated tongue while the other was a ghostly snake-like man who could bend and twist across the railings above to strike with his claws at odd angles. Nosfer and Bale, respectively. The remaining six who were attacking me were relentless, my body would have been killed five times over if it wasn''t for my ability to regenerate my slashed tendons and gouged flesh back. They trapped me in a corner, each Mutant pounding their twisted arms, legs, tails, horns or tongues at me. It was good then, that they were just where I needed them to be. My electricity had discharged into all sorts of the lounge¡¯s furniture, including one steel table that I called for towards me. I leaped above it in time, but the three Mutants and singular Esper were not so lucky. One of them was impaled by the legs and died instantly ¡ª Ursula ¡ª while the other three had crushed chests and electrified muscles to heal. Only after using my field of sensations to whirl a legion of metal scraps at the two ranged Espers did I go to finish the job. My hands reached the first healing Soulless, the Esper whose nails extended light, and wrapped around her head. She convulsed as my Energy reached for the corruption within her, for a moment I saw clarity in her eyes, but then the darkness within her swelled. One eye turned entirely red, and so I made the difficult choice and blew her head apart the moment she began to transform¡­ It had been done quick enough, she stayed dead ¡ª Claudia. The other two Mutants now retaliated with their semi-healed forms, but the numbers had gravely lessened, I could afford a little more leniency with my experimentation. We engaged in a pure brawl of strength, of which I was the overwhelming force as whatever kinetic force they struck onto me was transferred back into them with the bonus of my own natural strength. When one¡¯s jaw came clean off, I searched through that wound and drained, my Energy expertly finding the corruption of Titanium within. It was already rejecting me. This time, Soul Killer was ready when I prepared the Gresalt. One Esper sent a wall of wind my way while the other screeched a sonic ripple that tore away my balance. The man once known as Mino grew large as his horns curled into his eyes, painfully digging deep so he cried tears of scarlet. Mino¡¯s twisted self healed from the wounds and grew in size and grotesqueness, while the Esper known as Banshee also let herself go to the madness. Her neck elongated as her jaw widened, until each scream was a terrible thrash that sent me flying back. Two Parasytes and two Soulless struck me at the same time, there must have been a reason why Soul Killer wasn¡¯t just turning them all into Parasytes from the get go, and it only struck me once I saw that Dryder was just left with the snake-like Parasyte. Nosfer¡¯s wings were tied up in steel bolas, his head nonexistant. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Soul Killer had a limit on how many Parasytes they could control, and it was three. Armed with that knowledge, I ignored the larger threat of the two Parasytes knowing I could try to drain one of the other¡¯s of their influence. Mino¡¯s arm blew up as Dryder launched an explosive grenade at the beast-like Parasyte, leaving me free to duck and roll under the shattered limb. I whipped my hand, a series of electrified shards swinging with it to score a long gash across Banshee¡¯s throat, muting her terrible vocals for a moment that would confirm it all. I shot a pulse of blue into Hilly¡¯s back, burning a deep hole into the spine before I reached for the higher portion of his nervous system. My nails cracked and jabbed through the back of his skull, brain fluid leaking along with his Warp Energy. I didn¡¯t waste a moment, I let my flames lick free as they cradled deep into his skull demanding that the insidious Mutation come out from hiding. Slowly, it creeped out, it¡¯s grasping tendrils within the sea of Warp Energy burned out by Soul Resoanance Mutation to- My eyes widened, but not because Mino had just whipped his club of an arm though Hilly to get to me, but because I had mitigated Soul Killer¡¯s Mutation within his body. Not mine, I¡¯d reduced the development without needing to absorb it myself¡­ So if I¡­ a terrible idea came to me, one that I shouldn¡¯t have considered. With Hilly dead, there was only one human remaining so there wasn¡¯t any risk for Soul Killer. Sophia¡¯s Parasyte form was a tall skinless woman whose head was a ring, through which spears of sharpened wind blew out to impale me. Dryder had dealt with his bunch up top, and was now providing covering fire from the terrace. His shots were vital in disrupting their assault from getting overwhelming, enough for me to engage Mino¡¯s body in combat. With one well-aimed strike, I overwhelmed his brute strength to tear up to the lower left rib where I could feel the pulsing of the MAL¡¯s core. Then, instead of absorbing it¡¯s energy, I slashed my own hand and reversed the sensation draining Mutagen. I sent the tiniest flutter into the MAL, and my mind exploded with awareness as it felt the fluctuating and draining ebbs of Energy sear his wounds tight. I leaped away from the crushing drive of his hands, still fastening my hold over my Energy within his body¡­ And constricted it into his core. The greedy MAL gobbled my Gold up, but that had unintended consequences as my Mutagenic Material rejected that which was born of Soul Killer. The slow weakening of the Parasyte quickened, until it was like a wave of deterioration had spread across the beast-like man. It wasn¡¯t anything too powerful, Mino was practically running on fumes to keep the combat going, so the Bronze wisps easily caved in to the will of Gold. Understanding it now, I screamed at Dryder. ¡°Your sickle!¡± The curved metal hook jabbed into Mino as I turned my sights onto the Espers. As blood exploded on my back from a sonic shriek, I charged myself with a shot from my gun. It was too late to save them. Quick, explosive attacks. The Esper Parasytes lacked the heavy platitude of Integrity and Alteration Mutations available to the Mutants, so once I¡¯d braved the tearing wind and got in close, there was little to stop me from grasping my hands around Sophia¡¯s ring-like head and tear it open. Revealing the core nested in her neck for me to crush. Dryder had shot down the last Esper, Banshee rendering her full of holes as her inhuman body collapsed and melted away like all the others. Hastily, I recovered myself by absorbing whatever Mutagenic material I felt was strongest, before eying the hallway to the cells in which I¡¯d stayed in. There was a slow sense of movement in the electric currents, smaller Neuroframes than normal and all huddled up close. The children. Dryder and I made our way there, opening up the jailcell to find five of the six children all staring at us through the window with Soulless eyes. ¡±Congratulations for advancing, by the way-¡° Dryder blew a hole in the hefty steel door of the cell, and tossed in a grenade he told me earlier about for the plan. It rolled in, spewing a noxious purple gas that brought all of the kids into a coughing fit. Their eyes turned sleepy. A nerve toxin¡­ it was brutal, but these kids could take it due to their Mutations. That¡¯s what Dryder told me. If their brains were inactive then Soul Killer couldn¡¯t activate the kill switch and turn them into Parasytes, at least not too quickly. I hobbled into the jail cell as Dryder handed me a mask that shifted to fit over my nose and mouth. I crouched near the kids, hoping that this would work¡­ I cut a small sliver under my fingernail, before scraping it to slice into Olivia¡¯s cheek. She¡­ she had been the first person here to actually speak to me, it had grounded me in a way, whenver I thought about what fate awaited these children it became easier to push through to get myself out of here. Our blood intertwined, and I sent my flaming Gold out into her skull. She felt so small, so fragile, like with one careless tear I could rip her future away¡­ it was that fear that strengthened my resolve. She began to quiver, but I felt the strands of black Titanium, drunk on the toxin in her brain. The swarm of gold I¡¯d sent into Olivia hunted each stray wisp of the nefarious Mutagen down, several seconds of me¡­ manipulating that Gold with care turned into a minute but¡­ This was taking too long. Once enough had been burnt away, I decided to excise the Mutation out, yanking it through the pathways between our bodies, slipping the shadow into my fingernail. Scanning her over, I was sure of it¡­ I¡¯d cured her. Not wanting to waste a moment more, I nodded to Dryder who helped carry her out before- ¡°So you can do it.¡± A voice whispered from the hallway, the small mouse-like voice of a child. It was Kimbley, his red curls still as childish as ever and his cheeks rosy¡­ He couldn¡¯t have been more than six years old. ¡°How intriguing, I¡¯m not sure whether to be leaping in joy or pulling my hair out.¡± I didn¡¯t let the Soulless child¡¯s taunting get to me as I prepared to cure the next child, but the sheer pressure from him was¡­ staggering. It was Silver, nurtured to the strength that I nearly thought it was Gold like me¡­ was I really that loud? It was comparable to some of the MAL I¡¯d fought with how rambunctious their Energy had been. Or maybe, no¡­ as I let the humming Silver of the child whisper into me, I realized just how all encompassing it was¡­ what it¡¯s purpose was. To whom it was going to. The child I was curing awoke with Soulless eyes. His teeth sharpened to fangs as he bit into my hand, and chipped his teeth. Still, I was startled and so I bounced back, instinctively charging my hand up with sparks before¡­ the child had tears, the fractured hold I¡¯d made over Soul Killer¡¯s influence twisting them between worlds. I saw Anthony, I saw Yvette. I saw¡­ my hands stained in blood I could never wash away. I leaped in ready to seize the Titanium by force when all of the children awoke, their various powers bared at me with wrath. Retreating my electricity inwards, they crashed into me, their voices unified and malicious. ¡°Come on, Diana! Kill us like you always do!¡± ¡°Rip us to shreds!¡± ¡±Tear our hearts out!¡± ¡±Use that new gun of yours!¡± ¡±Do it! Or-¡° A loud bang erupted from out the cell, and the falling body was too light to be anything but a child¡­ Not just any child, the Nexus. Kimbley. The one coordinating these Soullless under one stream of thought. The children continued screaming, but their harmony shattered into a discordant cacophany. ¡°I¡¯ll turn them into Parasytes!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make them kill eachother!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have them become MALs!¡± ¡±I¡¯ll¡­ hey! You all are supposed to listen to me!¡± One of them stopped their assault on me, a short child with snot in his nose. ¡°How foolish of you!¡± A squeaky girl shouted back, her eyes soulless like the rest, but now their gaze was diverted to one another. ¡°You should know best that this girl possesses the most potential!¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m the host of someone who doesn¡¯t need potential! I can dissect you right now!¡± The tallest of the children grabbed her, but she showed no fear. ¡°You¡¯re all making a fool of yourselves, can¡¯t you see that Diana is right there!¡± One of the girls pointed at me. ¡±What¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡± The child I¡¯d tried to heal spoke, Remi had his eyes flickering between normality and Soulless. They shifted to the latter as tears bled from his eyes, his voice strained and mad. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten tired of this playpen anyhow, I¡¯ll see all of you on the other side!¡± I couldn¡¯t stop what happened next, as I sensed the black threads within the child¡¯s brain fester and corrupt his very identity. The other Soul Killers¡­ they too shrugged or chuckled as a wave of death spread from each and every tiny body. I wish I could have done something, but my already tormented heart was just tired of all of this as the sillhoutes of their bodies danced into twisted shapes devoid of humanity. Devoid of a future. Tears rubbed across my eyes as I let lightning soothe down my arm, it¡¯s warmth as inviting as always. Because Founders knew I was cold right now. Dryder pulled me away as he shot the first bullet, turning me away so I couldn¡¯t see the outcome¡­ but I heard the soft thud. ¡°Get out, Diana.¡± His voice was heavy with burden. ¡°This isn¡¯t your fight¡­ You¡¯ve done enough.¡± I didn¡¯t fight this time, I walked out, careful not to look down. Instead, I just strolled back to my jail cell where Dryder had rest Olivia¡­ her breathing calm and steady. That was enough for me. It was the only thing for me as I heard gunshots end lives that had never been allowed to live. Blood and Steel C108: The Surface Chapter 108: The Surface Soul Killer¡¯s Research Notes on Diana Ulrich [Deleted and sent to another lab.] Diana Ulrich, what a curious phenomenon she is. The Sin never raised the topic of her to me, but she was no doubt always intended to come into my hands¡­ it¡¯s just a shame it had to be that version of me to first meet her. Oh, if things hadn¡¯t been different due to Juliet¡¯s intervention and Jacob¡¯s death, we would have molded her perfectly into our soldier. I¡¯m sure of it, her Deviant Mutation, Mutagenic Drain, originates from a Fragment of the Source-Shard of The Infinite. I recall it well, awakening and inheriting the memories of those who saw it¡¯s reign of destruction and ruin over The Floridian Free City. How futile Zero¡¯s attempts at defeating it were. It must be fate, for the monster that awakened me to be delivered at my doorstep. She¡¯s unparalleled in her Tier for the sheer volume of Mutagenic resources she can absorb, a creature capable of harnessing energy and converting between states through the unique genetic restructuring she¡¯s gone through. Oh, now she¡¯s got me curious about her counterpart. I wonder if I can somehow emulate the processes I went through with Heart Seeker to inherit Hexblood¡¯s revival. They had only been at an 85% compatibility, but my previous experience with twins in Topaz and Quartz surely benefited the success of that project. I remain unsure in what qualities could be transferred between her and Dreadwire¡­ nor the method to do so. A 99% compatibility¡­ it¡¯s so close to true Hybridism. That very purpose for which I¡¯d been created, and now¡­ I fear I may not be able to witness it firsthand. Zero¡­ you¡¯ve led the R0N1N towards Yuzhou¡¯s invention of that MAL I forged from you, but I have no doubt that Amaterasu has departed it into another. In time, we will know what will come of their union, I have no doubt that The Sin will one day state upon us the words I have longed for. The day I can finally kill Skeleton and The Dogwhistler. The day that there only needs to be one Adapter of The Infinite. Diana The bullets rattled away as I kept my gaze down, and soon¡­ Dryder walked out. His face was etched in blankness, a sense of duty and resolve I knew came from repeated experiences like this. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± ¡°All¡­ of them?¡± ¡°No.¡± Dryder crouched, looking over Olivia as he gently checked her eyes. ¡°Not all of them. You¡­ you really cured her?¡± ¡°I think so.¡± It felt like a lie when I said it. ¡°I¡­ I just¡­ tried to do what felt¡­ natural. I have no idea if I actually¡­¡± ¡°I know a place to take her. Kids like her¡­ aren¡¯t an uncommon sight.¡± He sighed, clenching his fist. ¡°You did good here, Diana.¡± He gently picked her up, motioning with his head for me to follow. Olivia was safe and, for what we assumed, healthy as we found a quiet couch to place her on within the deeper layers of the MAL Bunker. The walls echoed as far as we walked, through each and every empty door to leave no stone unturn. I saw their research notes, complicated words spread across spreadsheets and documentation. Dryder compiled them into a Warpcube, his voice coming out slowly. ¡°I know a lady who can help¡­ a geneticist who runs an orphanage.¡± ¡°Does she know about¡­ Soul Killer?¡± I frowned as I stopped at one article¡­ SynTec was mentioned several times as being¡­ a method through which Soul Killer extracted funding. Had they infected even a corporation¡­ or¡­? I feared to think it, none of this made sense as we broke our way into one of the more secured labs. What we found had shattered my streak of silence. ¡°Is that¡­ Are those Kaisels?¡± The room was full of large vats each containing growing masses of flesh, some of them were just bulging organs while a few of them had the unmistakable face of Kaisel growing within them. Clones? But I thought they¡­ ¡°You should see what the corporations do¡­¡± Dryder began, before pausing awkwardly. ¡°I mean I haven¡¯t either, but there are rumors¡­¡± ¡°Like what?¡± It was anything to get my mind of¡­ what had just happened. ¡°Well, like SynTec apparently grows entire families in vats! Or Yuzhou building their army out of clones who all have three testicles!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Just a rumor. They want extra testosterone or something.¡± Dryder shrugged as he rummaged through the lab¡¯s faculties, plucking out wires and various DataCubes or vials and storing them wherever he found space. ¡°But whoever Kaisel was¡­ she¡¯s long dead.¡± ¡°So¡­ what comes after this?¡± I mindlessly scrolled through some computer files, it was all too much technical genetic mumbo for me to decipher. There were grotesque details and pictures of so many humans losing their way and becoming MALs¡­ if I was right, it seemed like even the Fangtooths all originated once from a human being. ¡°Well¡­ you¡¯re gonna have to lay low, until we figure out what the police is going to say about this place. Gonna have to scrub your Frame squeaky clean, install a rigged Bioshard up your nose since they took out your old one and¡­ well, oh yeah, I gave you that shapeshifting Mutagen. Did it come out right?¡± ¡°I think it helped me get a mutation called Limited Morphology Manipulation.¡± I droned out, before sighing into my hands, nothing was entering my brain. Dryder tapped my shoulder, his gaze heavy but also uplifting in a strange way. ¡°Come on, there¡¯s nothing else for us here.¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°What about the Kaisels?¡± I stared at the shrunken face of one clone, I wondered who the original body must have been¡­ if she was even still alive. ¡°Their life support was turned off before we even got here, so was most of anything important. SK knew how this would end up the second I arrived.¡± Dryder couldn¡¯t help sounding annoyed, but I understood where he was coming from. I wanted nothing more than Soul Killer¡¯s head on a pike. The real Soul Killer. ¡°So what, how many of these bases do they even have? Do we take out all of them and only then they¡¯re dead?¡± ¡°There are other bases, yes.¡± Dryder began walking away from the demented scene of the room, and I followed. He groaned, the tiredness in it harmonizing with my own feelings. ¡°I don¡¯t know how many there are¡­ but don¡¯t expect them all to be like this one.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°This place was easy to take down relatively, the nexus here was¡­ weak. You saw it right, how they only controlled three MALformed at a time? That¡¯s not my experience with the other places, some could control tens of them at once¡­ but what was unique here was the difference in how they changed.¡± ¡°You mean¡­¡± I remembered something, when Anthony was being threatened he consumed a gas that was supposed to raise the Development of the Soul-Death Mutation. Everyone else, however, could spontaneously lose themselves at a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°How fast they had¡­ turned into Parasytes.¡± ¡°Aye. It appears that Soul Killer used this facility as a means of experimenting methods to rapidly induce that demented Mutation. A new strand capable of spontaneous Mutagenesis¡­ this place wasn¡¯t to build an army. It was only ever an experiment.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case then¡­¡± My voice faltered. ¡°Soul Killer could have hundreds of people scattered through the District, and in a moment, we could have hundreds of MAL hunting within our walls.¡± ¡°Just when you think it stops!¡± I kicked into the wall nearest to me, my foot hurt, but it distracted me. ¡°I- I fucking-!¡± ¡°Calm down Diana, this type of rage is exactly what they want. If you strike blindly then you¡¯ll gladly end up in their jaws.¡± Dryder put an affirming hand on my shoulder. ¡°I know¡­ I know¡­ I just thought that¡­ getting out of here would have been more-¡° ¡°Fulfilling?¡± Dryder¡¯s glance shared too much of my emotion. ¡°You know what a Hydra is? It was a fabled beast of old, take down one head and another would come up to replace it¡­ a never ending cycle that whittles you down to your bone.¡± ¡°Then when does this end?¡± ¡°When we strike the heart and not the heads.¡± Dryder entered over to the main hall, where Olivia was still stirring in her sleep. ¡°¡­but for now, focus on her. Focus on Anthony, you saved lives. There¡¯s not a lot here in Westbrook who would have done what you did even with the same power.¡± I brought my attention over to Olivia, she was cured, and that was all thanks to me but¡­ no, no buts. I¡¯d managed more progress against Soul Killer in the time I spent here than the police had managed in a whole half-century. Picking her up, we continued back to where Anthony was sitting in the room. It pained me to know that we left him here, but it ended up being for the better once we tried to leave this place. The doors were sealed tight, practically unbreakable due to the purpose designed over them. So then Dryder sat there for a few minutes as he plugged his head into the internal systems, leaving me to my thoughts. But even my thoughts wanted to leave me alone, my eyes were so heavy after all of this. I¡¯d just reached Tier II only to fight harsh battles afterwards, everything in me needed a break. So my eyes closed, and stayed that way until Dryder tapped me awake to the open doors. I¡¯d forgotten what the sun felt like on your skin, that natural warmth whispering the echoes of the coming day. The harshness in that light to those who lived in the shadows, and most importantly, that you didn¡¯t realize how much you missed something until it was gone. I¡¯m pretty sure I cried as I helped load Anthony into a truck, apparently it was Dryder¡¯s, one that he modded to be identical to the trucks loading supplies in and out of the cargo bay we were in. The barnyard smell whipped a sense of life into me, a longing for those times back in the forest with my hunting gun and my¡­ I didn¡¯t let the thought finish, instead as I sat in the passenger seat, I decided to ask Dryder the question that had been bugging me the longest. ¡°What¡¯s today¡¯s date?¡± ¡°Right, you aren¡¯t exactly caught up in recent news. Today¡¯s date is-¡° September 6th 4:57 PM ¡°Oh.¡± In ways, the time that had passed was both longer and shorter than I¡¯d imagined. ¡°I heard that¡­ something happened on the outside. What exactly was it?¡± ¡°Westbrook¡¯s a big city, there¡¯s always something happening¡­ what was it, celeb gossip? A corporate scandal or¡­ nah, I know what you¡¯re talking about. It¡¯s to do with that friend of yours, the one who shares that Golden Energy in you, isn¡¯t it?¡± I chewed my cheek, of course Dryder knew, he had been watching me for a long time. ¡°What exactly happened?¡± ¡°Well, you know the R0N1N?¡± Dryder turned his head to me. ¡°Pretty sure you know the answer to that, he was there, at the hotel.¡± ¡°Well, turns out it was all some big scheme to raid Yuzhou Facilities.¡± ¡°Facilities? As in multiple?¡± ¡°Correct, three of them. Death count is high, Yuzhou won¡¯t say exactly, but what makes this one so remarkable is that there wasn¡¯t one, but two Gold Grade Mercenaries acting within the attack. This new kid in particular is stirring up all the papers for the stunts he pulled of.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s got a reputation now¡­ doesn¡¯t he.¡± I stared off into the passing cars, wondering what exactly would happen between us now. I¡¯d told Anthony to go find Ripley if things went wrong but¡­ it was obvious to say that the help didn¡¯t come. ¡°Yeah, Ripley goes by the name Dreadwire now.¡± Dryder casually said, to which I shifted nervously. ¡°How¡¯d you know his name?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who said it, back when that drone entered your apartment¡­¡± I didn¡¯t like this, knowing that he¡¯d been watching me. ¡°How long have you been-¡± ¡°Since you first got entangled with Anthony.¡± He admitted. ¡°Kid is¡­ he means something that I had to¡­.¡± He took a sip of a bottle even as he drove, he waved off my caution before I could berate him. ¡°Look, they call me Drunk Ryder for a reason! Where was I? Yeah¡­ uh¡­ started looking into you the second you attacked Metal Heavens in LR. Been in the business for a long time and cops like you, stupid but with a heart of gold, don¡¯t last long.¡± He continued. ¡°A little further in, figured you were Brian Ulrich¡¯s daughter¡­ wasn¡¯t going to bug you immediately, not until the bug in Anthony¡¯s house told me his dad gave you that cube. Knowing what I know¡­ I¡­ it was stupid of you to open it up on your home network.¡± ¡°Ripley told me that much.¡± ¡°And he was right. You do this. You have to be smarter, more cautious, trust no one.¡± ¡°Been doing that for a long time¡­ Derrick.¡± I guessed that was his real name, Soul Killer mentioned it and Anthony had also said that Derrick was the name of his mother¡¯s partner before she left the police force. ¡°It¡¯s Dryder. I respect you enough to call you Diana Jones.¡± He said, to which I nodded. ¡°You went AWOL for a bit, didn¡¯t take too long to realize from Anthony that you got taken and¡­ well¡­ things got complicated. Can¡¯t charge in blindly and¡­¡± He was avoiding the reasoning of why he didn¡¯t come in sooner. I could tell. ¡°Cut the bullshit, and-¡± ¡°By the way, Dreadwire¡¯s someone who we¡­ might want to know. Saw his skills in the newsfeed and¡­ well, his bounty speaks for himself.¡± An image passed into my lens from Dryder, and I poked it open mentally. My eyes went wide at the sight. Bounty Issuance for Gold-Grade Mercenary: Dreadwire Total Bounty: 150 Million Bounty Issuers: 130 Million from Yuzhou [Dead; Arachne Shardware, Implant and body passed over]; 20 Million from Metal Heavens [Alive] Description: An unknown Gold Mercenary who played responsibility in August 30th¡¯s attack on Yuzhou. Uses a unique Arachne-based Endoskeleton capable of causing severe damage to Shardware, he has links to R0N1N and The Iron Devil. Blood and Steel C109: When a Ripple Becomes a Tidal Wave Chapter 109: When a Ripple Becomes a Tidal Wave Ripley A Pandora. It had something to do with an old myth, Mirage had once told me ¡ª apparently some really angry guy wanted to kill the gods, so he opened up a forsaken box that unleashed evil and terror into the world, dooming it. Now, I couldn¡¯t help but consider that maybe I was doing the same¡­ No, because a Pandora had already been opened earlier this year. Three months ago, I had been a down-on-his-luck Shard Operator with nothing but his good charms and one hell of a brain, but today¡­ I was so much more. Or maybe, I¡¯d always been this, just a diamond in a coal mine. ¡°Great!¡± Topaz clapped his hands. ¡°Missy can just tear it out!¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t.¡± She responded, looking at the box gravely. ¡°The last time we didn¡¯t know what was in a locked box, it didn¡¯t go to our plans. No offense to you, Dreadwire.¡± ¡°None taken.¡± I responded. ¡°Point is, we still don¡¯t know if Goliath is inside there¡­ we can¡¯t be sure until we open it¡­ Twilight?¡± ¡°Right, Ripley¡­ it¡¯s a Gold Grade, so we¡¯re going to need to handle it together. I¡¯m already in your head so we can manage a Faux-Proxy Protocol through you, I should be able to use your Gold Warpcode to get it open¡­¡± ¡°Before that¡­¡± I reached over the box, searching for any fault in the metal, it was perfect¡­ but as always, perfection was nothing but hiding your flaws. I found the invisble seams, soldering through the metal to open up a tiny compartment where my finer blades spliced through to find an opening into it¡¯s internal circuitry¡­ So I hadn¡¯t opened the box. The last one, now I confirmed it. There was simply was no way to open it up without input from an external signal, mechanically, it was impossible to open. But in a few moments, I¡¯d taken out a Gold-Grade Explosive, a tool that I could use for one free kill on anything below Tier IV¡­ This was probably worth more than my paycheck, but it was also a lifeline. Strangely, there wasn¡¯t any Bioshard scanning mechanism needed to open it, I wasn¡¯t sure if that was good or bad. Rather, it seemed to be built to reject anyone and everything, just prodding at the streams of Gold Warpcode building it¡¯s Datashield was¡­ overwhelming. I remembered this feeling once before, back when I had Data Delved with Mirage. It was akin to The Firewall, the massive internal DataShield keeping a MALtitan at bay. The Pandora seemingly had a stray flare torn off that sprawling magma-like shield¡­ and¡­ if I were to touch it with my own Warpcode it was like submerging my hand in¡­ Fire¡­ So that¡¯s a Fire Warp Tendency. Warpcode in the nature to destroy. ¡°I¡¯m ready¡­¡± I hooked up more wires from my arm into the exposed control panel, gulping tight. ¡°Twilight?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± Her digital avatar held her hand over mine, and we both shared one look with Missy¡­ who was staring upwards. ¡°Shit.¡± She muttered. ¡°There¡¯s reinforcements, you two need to be quick. I¡¯ve only got one or two more Tier III in me to fight.¡± ¡°And¡­¡± Topaz trailed on. ¡°I¡¯m going to get out of here. Ciao!¡± His presence vanished as he stepped behind the corner, and Missy too gave us one last encouraging look before her powerful legs carried her away. Alone, me and Twilight sighed, laughing at the unison. Then we delved. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Heat, pure quenching heat that melted your skin of your bones. Heat that made it difficult to blink ¡ª as your eyes boiled. To breathe ¡ª as your lungs dried out. To think ¡ª as your brain twisted under the managmous energy. ¡°Ripley?¡± I heard someone call, but amidst the scorching currents of this new world I was but dust in it¡¯s grasp. ¡°Ripley!¡± Twilight grabbed me, drawing Energy from me that pulled my thoughts back into shape. I blinked, but then I remembered that I couldn¡¯t blink ¡ª I was an Avatar¡­ A poorly dressed one at that. Twilight was merely lending me her abilities, she didn¡¯t have a direct source of Warpcode for me to imitate but it gave me enough stability that my Databreak enhanced manipulation of Warpcode could squeeze out some semblance of modesty¡­ not that she hadn¡¯t seen me without it. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. While we were in a delve, it wasn¡¯t a full neural deep dive like last time¡­ I still felt an inkling of concious control over my real body, suddenly aware of how vulnerable I was. ¡°Ripley.¡± Twilight said for a third time, cementing me into this reality of burning Gold. ¡°Can you hear me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a copy.¡± I slurred, the initial mental assault still left me unsure of my thinking. ¡°Alright¡­ so how¡¯re we going to do this?¡± ¡°Remember how Mirage used to be able to¡­ wear me? I can try doing that with you¡­ we have what¡¯s called a Shadow Tendency. Think of it as Warpcode that attempts to go unseen by hiding in the shadows of others¡­ not like yours of course. But I think I should be able to well, shadow you.¡± I nodded, the oddness of a lack of true neck muscles not lost on me. Reaching out with the glowing half-flowing limbs of my digital self, I touched Twilight¡¯s much more grounded form of flowing cloth and fairy lights. Her violet body began to break apart, crackling as it flowed up over my body like a shadow had been cast upon me. It was comforting, a solace amidst the burning and stifling pressure exerted upon us. Her presence and mine joined together to the point I could feel the hum of her thoughts, her fear, her comfort in my proximity. Her guilt. It all washed over me, and I was glad just knowing I truly wasn¡¯t alone. The flame stirred beneath us, a massive and flowing wall with no gaps in it¡¯s surface¡­ all we needed to do was drill a hole, spread chaos through it¡¯s inner structure and ripple it outwards by inverting it¡¯s own protection measure against it. Autocannibalism, in a sense. I began to call upon my stores of Gold Energy, wreathing them through my physical mind and into the thick wires connecting me to the Pandora. My digital self glew like a miniature star, but it was a dwarf compared to the all-encompassing force of the Pandora¡¯s security measures. My hands began to move on their own, as Twilight¡¯s guiding presence streamed in my conciousness to merge her ideation with my action¡­ merge¡­ ¡®Twilight¡¯ X ¡®Dataweaving.¡¯ Under my Thought Multiplier, which had grown immensely more productive in my advancement of the tiers, I felt my conciousss and unconciouss knowledge of both beautiful manipulations of code become one. And clearly, Twilight had as well, she gasped into my very brain. ¡°That¡­ that¡¯s weird.¡± But the effect was astounding, together, we turned the relatively tiny flakes of code into slivers of devastation as we began our assault. Purple-tinged spears of code dug into the matrix of the Datashield, infecting the fiery code to begin attacking itself. For moments, it worked, but then it didn¡¯t. A wave of casual heat tore through the purple-woven cloths that had protected my forearms, even burning through it to singe at my ¡®flesh¡¯. I heaved, my physical body, but my digital was consumed under the commanding throes of the multiplier¡¯s effect. Twilight had been with me from the beginning, she guided me for so long through all of the hardships I¡¯d had to face. She¡¯d been the reason I could smile some days, a whispering voice who assured me. Dataweaving had never been my strong suit, but in the last three months, I¡¯d had to change. I¡¯d delved without possessing a Dataweaving Feature myself, I¡¯d coded Implants, changed the fabric that built our society fundamentally through my werid-ass BUG. But the BUG was only a tool, it had been me who made the connections. Me, who found the path. Me who flowed through it. I didn¡¯t let Twilight handle all of the weaving of our DataCleavers now, I poured my essence into it. My Energy spun as I felt the immense heat and radiation of the wall beneath, and I captured what it meant to be that powerful as mere code. Was I mimicking it? Not really, neither was I mimicking Twilight¡¯s Shadow Tendency. Rather, I was searching through it as my own Warp Energy infected it. Flame, so hot and bitter, wasn¡¯t what I wanted to embrace. I remembered my first ever Shardware. I must have been¡­ eight? Maybe younger, my father always had a passing interest in the science, but he had always been more of a constructor of the none-Shard infused mechanics. It was my mother who¡¯d been building and scrapping all sorts of machines for her degree while he¡¯d been a collector of old pre-Collapse trinkets. A watch or two, a computer that had several inches of redundancy, radioes and whatnot. To him, it was just a collection of what we had lost to the MAL. To me, it was proof of humanity¡¯s desire to overwhelm the odds. We could flow in any which way, forward or back, lose again and again to ourselves or the other monsters that had usurped us. But we adapted, despite all of the dread and despair humanity had faced. That I had faced. We had come back from it. Poured from one container of tragedies to another, we filled it what we had, then overflowed past it¡¯s boundaries to spill into our ocean of ingenuity and persistence. I didn¡¯t know what the rest of humankind was planning for their future, but I knew how I would fight as time and space coursed me into different paths. It didn¡¯t matter how many tragedies I had faced, I had always been the one to capture myself and move past it. I may have mimicked Features, but I was always the one to use them in my own capacity. I wasn¡¯t one who grasped at shadows to mimic them, no, I stole from them ¡ª and became more. I was the one who filled up Implants with Warpcode to embrace their true potential. One step at a time in a shallow pool of my desire. And each step rippled out to the cosmos and beyond. Latent Warp Tendency (Water) has been uncovered¡­ The Water Tendency allows The Adapter¡¯s Warpcode to become more malleable, as well as give it better compatibility with foreign Warpcode and Shardware. Water Tendency is estimated at¡­ Bronze III Iron-Grade Tendency Boon: Increased proficiency at raw Warpcode manipulation. The Water Tendency¡­ the ability to flow according to the shape of the vessel. Od my thoughts. My Warpcode slipped into the gaps of Twilight¡¯s own Shadow Tendency, becoming something more as we weaved over where cloth had been torn¡­ and then we streamed down a torrent of Golden shadows. I didn¡¯t know the nitty-gritty of DataCleavers, but I didn¡¯t need to. Twilight built their formation, a skeletal husk of what they should be, and I poured flesh upon them. Together, we submerged the golden fire beneath us in a pulsing wrath of corruptive violet. Slowly, a hole began to form, but then I froze as it¡¯s Tendency shifted. Somewhere deep, the undercurrent of fire was emitting it¡¯s light to cast a darkness hidden to both me and Twilight. Shit. It also had a Shadow- A spear of golden pierced my head, and the world turned black. Blood and Steel C110: Wisdom of a Goddess Chapter 110: Wisdom of a Goddess Yuzhou''s seized findings from anonymous VoidNet Delver, Zenkarn; since been assassinated by [Redacted] There''s a pattern here, in the words. They all lead back to The Source, to the Hybrids, to the Founder Gene, to The Sin, and to... The Eclipse. I can''t make sense of them. They''re shifting like living things, amoebas, always consuming and always spreading, yet their information is kept from the public. I''ve identified a reason for this is that entity, Amaterasu. I do not know what she is, but ancient is perhaps the most fitting word for her. I''ve heard tales of cults in the East worshipping her, of a final guardian who keeps The Allseeing away from us. Hidden behind the veil that is the FIREWALL.A veil is all it is, light still filters through, and the Allseeing makes sense of it. What does she really do? I know she''s been watching me in my delves, in the abyss, only endless void and fire greet you besides the rogue MALware. It is here where the whispers are both the clearest and the most maddening force you can explore... if they don''t explore you first. I question which thoughts are my own, and how much I must have... been broken and pieced together. In their echoes, I hear thunderous omens rattling, they''re all concentrated in a city built on a web of lies. On New California. A city built between two Titans, a city harboring a legacy of both the Eastern and Western Coast of Northern America. Lies, lies, lies...! They don''t know what''s coming for them, what they''ve invited into their walls! Subject-K. Mikail Almajali. And the most fearsome of them all, the one who will- Ripley and¡­? I hadn¡¯t died, at least, I don¡¯t think I did. But I had lost all connection to my physical body, I was formless, a consciousness devoid of any physical vessel to latch onto¡­ without that safety tether, I felt naked, vulnerable and so¡­ alone. Was this how Twilight felt? How the Personas existed as? My instincts urged me to find a vessel, my Warp Tendency screaming at me to do so even more, drawing me about the neverending darkness as a pulsing mass of thought¡­ ¡°Hello, Ripley.¡± A voice, female and heavenly, called to me. It streamed from behind where I was focusing my consciousness, but something in that serene voice was wrong. Like it had been designed too perfectly, like it lacked a human error only perceptible to our subconscious. Turning back, what I saw was not human. It was fire, yes, in every which way to my vision. But it wasn¡¯t. There was an unfathomable depth and density to the light, like an abyss of light which never ran out and streamed endlessly from lightyears away without losing intensity. That fire wreathed and arced in ways that maddened my human mind, twisting my consciousness to even be able to grasp what it could be. Until finally, it began to ebb back it¡¯s corruptive influence on my psyche. Except, not really, rather I had the innate knowing that this being was simply pulling a curtain on their power to keep it from driving me insane. ¡°What are you?¡± I finally managed to think out. The formless flame didn¡¯t respond, rather it beckoned me. I stepped forward, somehow managing to form a leg, and then my second, before a torso, arms and head formed. Then when I blinked, I was back somewhere I never wanted to go again. The Toxin Club¡¯s office, where the MALignant that had sourced my Implant first awoke. It was clean, spotless, no sign of Shaun or Lucille. But there was one figure sitting there, the Yuzhou woman whose eyes were masked behind a thick visor, who spoke too perfectly and emoted without flaw. Stolen novel; please report. Ms. Himiko¡­ and if I was right about my suspicions right now ¡ª an artificial intelligence. An Emulator of intellect¡­ an Emulect like the Personas¡­ But at the same time, so much more. ¡°What the hell did you do to me?¡± ¡°Oh nothing much.¡± Her tone was pleasing, annoyingly so. ¡°I connected our consciousness together, it was so much easier with that Protocol of yours.¡± It was easy to assume she meant Consciousness Link, the new Database Protocol that had apparently been reconfigured due to the intricacies of my Implant. A Source-Touched Implant. It became so much easier to contemplate that idea, whatever it was, here than in the physical world. ¡°Okay, but why?¡± ¡°I wanted to talk to you, Ripley Donovick.¡± She motioned to the seat in front of her, it had been where Shaun sat all that time ago. ¡°It¡¯s remarkable how you¡¯ve grown since I last saw you. You and Diana, both. I seek to discuss it.¡± I scowled as I took the seat, my body didn¡¯t feel like it even had the choice to refuse. ¡°Do you hide in all of the boxes of your super secret organic-matter-destroying nanoswarms?¡± ¡°No.¡± She let out a chuckle that only unnerved me. ¡°Only the ones I know you¡¯ll open.¡± ¡°Oh please, so much stuff went wrong today, how could you have known it would be me who would connect to the box and not R0N1N or Mirage?¡± She eased in my direction, her mouth a fine and straight line except for when her lips moved. ¡°You underestimate the predictive power of a nearly five-hundred year old mind, child. I¡¯m older than even The Allseeing¡­ even The Dogwhistler pales in comparison to me ¡ª especially considering she¡¯s /¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª/¡­ oh, no reaction?¡± ¡°No reaction to what?¡± I scowled. She leaned into the couch, and for a second I thought I saw her lip twitch. ¡°It¡¯s none of your concern, it¡¯s clear that I can in fact be wrong about certain things, especially when it comes to¡­ the matters of your Implant and it¡¯s origins.¡± ¡°You mean with The Uncaged, with Mr. R?¡± ¡°Those are some dangerous words to be knowing when you¡¯ve only had an Implant for three months. Even if that¡¯s not what I know him as¡­¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been busy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m well aware.¡± ¡°So then what do you not know? What is it about my Implant that¡¯s got everyone around me so stumped?¡± She paused¡­ not answering me immediately. ¡°Not all Implants are built equally, even among the same grade.¡± ¡±You mean because it¡¯s Source-Touched.¡± I deduced, to which she tilted her head slightly. ¡°Oh my, you¡¯ve come to know about some very dangerous things now, Ripley¡­ Yes, it is Source-Touched, but it is the nature of the Source itself that makes it so valuable.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t play coy¡­ I know my Implant is unique.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just unique, it¡¯s¡­ a key.¡± ¡°To what?¡± ¡°To The Source of Everything.¡± My body trembled hearing those words, there was something profound in what she had just uttered, but it was like my mind was already trying to forget what she had said¡­ my lips refused to speak more on that particular topic. ¡°Just¡­ what even is a Source? The Source?¡± ¡°Think of it as¡­ a profound understanding of a certain quality of existence. Whether organic or inorganic, it encompasses all¡­ so naturally, in the hands of higher thinking beings, it has been fractured so it can be¡­ wielded.¡± I chewed my tongue, she had said something odd. ¡°Why did you say¡­ higher thinking beings and not just humanity.¡± ¡°Child, where did your Implant come from?¡± ¡°Where¡­? From a MALignant, the same one that was birthed-¡° I stopped speaking, my voice leading me to an understanding. My Implant had come from the MAL as all Implants had, therefore¡­ this Source, had to originate from them. Or at least, some access to it. But how would you know which Implants would be Source-Touched or not¡­ unless, it depended on which MAL it came from. Naturally, my mind came to the conclusion of the strongest and most feared MAL in existence. I muttered, my eyes wide. ¡°The MALtitans¡­¡± The Allseeing of the Net. The Typhoon of the Pacific. The Infinite of the West. The Mother of the North. The Terror of the East. ¡°Correct¡­¡± Ms. Himiko smiled, goosebumps raising over my skin. ¡°They can spread minute aspects from their Shards of the Source among their lesser kind, which in turn spawn Implants that retain a Fragment of that power. These Source-Touched MAL can spread far and wide with all levels of strength, often times dying like any other MAL does during the swarm¡­ but they are the origin of what many BUG Adapters know as Unique Features. Or in the case of SIM Adapters, Deviant Mutations.¡± ¡°So then if these Source-Touched Implants are already out there, what makes mine and Diana¡¯s different?¡± ¡°Because it has come from The Titan in which no Source-Touched MAL or Implant have ever come from.¡± She stared at me behind her visor, but the holes in my chest spoke to her intensity. ¡°The Infinite.¡± Her words stuck into me like a sword¡­ I had an Implant touched by a Titan. The Titan¡­ responsible for the destruction of The Floridian Gulf. The Titan most people knew was coming for New California next. The Titan of infinite possibilities¡­ And for once, I think I knew what my Implant was coded for. To Change. Blood and Steel C111: Child of The Infinite Chapter 111: Child of The Infinite Northern Raid Squad [Diamante, R0N1N, Mirage, Topaz, Quartz and Stonewall] Diamante scoffed, his body once more cooling down under the watchful gaze of Mirage and Quartz¡­ he was down to 18% of his vital Energy Capacity. Any lower, and he was at risk to damage himself with Warp Burns. Such was the way with a Fire Tendency. He couldn¡¯t risk it, his body was taking more damage than he expected and at this rate he¡¯d be at a loss from what R0N1N was offering, that was including the Shard depository he raided. Looking at his ammunition, it wasn¡¯t faring any better, which in turn was forcing him to rely more on his Energy weapons. A gruesome cycle that only festered his impatience. ¡°Mirage! Give me the Amalgalm Engine!¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Her voice blew up in his ears, but Midnight spoke next. ¡°That thing¡¯s still not stable!¡± Diamante found his body light again, and began to charge his weapons up again. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, we¡¯re barely denting that thing!¡± R0N1N skid through a wall and exploded dust next to Diamante, his body riddled with cracks and dents. The Iron Devil wasn¡¯t having it today. ¡°We need to leave! Missy already confirmed that Goliath isn¡¯t here, no one cares if Yuzhou¡¯s robot is controlling that Wardrone, we need to get out! Now!¡± R0N1N only adressed him with two words. ¡°How much to capture her?¡± Diamante glared¡­ ¡°Twelve Million.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a deal.¡± R0N1N¡¯s blades glew gold once again, and vanished in a blink. Diamante hated himself sometimes, but at least now it was little less. With renewed fervor, he pushed through the rubble barricade and sent forth a legion of rockets that clung through the tough exterior of the Hydra Wardrone. They each latched on tight, mechanical grippers sticking to the metal and began to vibrate like buzzing bees. In moments, that vibration quivered through the entire room, as the alloy armor of the Wardrone was suddenly sucked outwards to crumple over each rockethead. With that barrage, at least a sixth of it¡¯s plating had been torn off. R0N1N sent a festering message to Diamante¡¯s earpiece. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have done that sooner?¡± ¡°Those rockets cost half a million each!¡± Diamante explained, before joining into the dance himself. ¡ª¡ª¡ª 5:53 AM Diamante wasn¡¯t sure who was in a worse state, the Wardrone or the R0N1N¡­ then again, even if his armor looked relatively fine aside from scratches and dents, it was his heart that was about to give out. 3%¡­ R0N1N¡¯s million-Shardyne joints were close to giving up, every scrap of his body held on by a neurowiring thread. The Wardrone had lost it¡¯s flying capabilities, sitting half-crushed under it¡¯s own weight but with more than enough cannons to tear through an entire army of gang grunts in a second. They needed to find it¡¯s central processor, Himiko had made a vital mistake loading herself onto a drone without a port leading outside. Mirage¡¯s destruction of their subnet had ensured that. Now was the time for him to get a hostage worth billions, one that Yuzhou¡¯s competitors would gladly pay for. R0N1N steeled himself, and summoned the true power from Tomurau, his blade of severance and mourning. One crafted by The Hammersmith, it was even more fearsome than The Iron Devil suit he wore. Ryoho flew out from his hands, taking care of the remaining stragglers who were brave enough to continue in this assault on them. They were truly brave, for that he would remedy them with a quick death. Staring at the walls, platforms and other points to jump across, R0N1N¡¯s mind burned under the culmination of Wind and Spark Tendencies¡­ their qualities multiplied within his mind as a Tempest to calculate his path. With no choice other than to move, R0N1N did so with Tomurau drawn proudly in both hands. As he moved and weaved around the Wardrone, the air was painted with a golden brush-stroke ¡ª as thing as a string ¡ª wherever his blade moved. Each touch had to be precise, exactly perfect to his calculations for perfection to be brought to fruition. He enscribed a killing presence into the air, the micrometer width trials glowing fiercely with each passing millisecond. To almost everyone else in the room, it would be appear as though R0N1N had disappeared, and in one second drawn a golden cage upon the Wardrone, but to him it was a series of meticulous and thorough articulations using his severely damaged body. Not to mention, this would hurt. R0N1N stopped behind the Wardrone with a thread of Gold extending from his sword connected the cage of Gold, the he commanded it all to flow back to him. The cage squeezed, discordant if not for the way he¡¯d woven it, as the threads all flew back into his sword like a bolt of lightning, leaving the Wardrone¡¯s huge body seared with strands of molten metal where the threads touched. As the blade-like threads finally collapsed back into Tomurau, the blade ejected a bright streak of gold up R0N1N¡¯s arm. And the limb fell into pieces. Diamante caught the valuable blade before it touched the ground, his eyes burning into R0N1N. ¡°You could have done that this entire time?¡± ¡°Not¡­ exactly.¡± R0N1N slumped against The Iron Devil¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Collect the¡­ central¡­¡± The ground shook as a tall metallic tube lifted through the broken and melted alloy, light beamed in it¡¯s center, a final attack from the fading drone. Diamante picked up the broken Gold Mercenary, but in the few milliseconds before the Wardone fired he knew it wouldn¡¯t be possible to get to safety. White and black sparks flowed over the limb, Mirage¡¯s eyes glowing fiercely as she thrust Warpcode through the dying Wardrone¡­ then it¡¯s tentacle-like cannon collapsed. She fell as well, her face pale and body trembling. Diamante¡­ refused to believe it. There was no way Mirage could overpower Ms. Himiko in a duel of code. ¡°How in the hell did you do that?¡± ¡°Overheated¡­¡± Mirage said in between sharp gasps for breath. ¡°Overheated it¡¯s central unit, burned it¡¯s physical component rather than taking her on¡­¡± R0N1N tried to move despite his fractured body. ¡°You what? I left her central unit intact to extract her!¡± Red eyes grew on Mirage¡¯s face, Midnight retalliating. ¡°We weren¡¯t even here for that in the first place!¡± Diamante clicked his tongue, hoisting The R0N1N more firmly on his weight to shut him up with a groan. Mirage¡­ she had a habit of being in the right place, doing the right things at the right time. It had been that way ever since she joined them¡­ she¡¯d never made a mistake. Except, the one time she couldn¡¯t open up a Silver Pandora. Ripley happened¡­ Or short circuiting the storage of one highly-valued AI. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Diamante nodded at her, initiating to pull out of the facility as Mirage handed him the Amalgalm Core. A network of various tubes and generators all hooked up to a Silver Warp Converter¡­ But his thoughts were firmly on the Silver Data Delver. Her connection to Mikail, her casual intrusion into Missy¡¯s clutches, the very fact that she didn¡¯t even need them. No one here was an idiot ¡ª except for Ripley. Mirage, or at least one of her Personas, was working with Mr. Skeleton. Had been ever since she practically handed Little Requiem to him on a platter. But that was the only reason why Missy let her in at all. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Ripley and Amaterasu The Infinite, the source of my Implant¡¯s unique abilities¡­ or maybe, the source of the MALignant that had given rise to my Implant. Himiko seemingly took pleasure as my brain digested this information, but it all meant nothing, well not entirely but what really troubled me was- ¡°Then how did The Uncaged even get a Source-Touched MALseed?! Why did you want it? To push Yuzhou to the top of the corporate hierarchy?¡± ¡°No¡­ Ripley, to tear the corpoaration down¡­ you see, The Infinite¡¯s nature of The Source has a¡­ let¡¯s call it antagonism with a power my Founder posseses. The opportunity to study a MAL like that would open up doorways to overcoming Xiaomang¡¯s unwavering might. You see, even I am caged.¡± ¡°Then what is it that you want?¡± I pushed forward. Ms. Himiko chuckled. ¡°I already discussed that with your counterpart, you can discuss it with her once she¡¯s¡­ less indisposed.¡± Right¡­ Grazhe¡¯s grandson had said that Soul Killer took Diana. And I blew off saving her to prepare for this heist. But still, I wanted to know. ¡°Is she safe?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know, we had an arrangement, but Soul Killer is finicky with any deal they orchestrate. I wasn¡¯t too shocked to see them turn their back on me, but regardless, I am still in control of the situation regarding your Implants.¡± ¡°Even when everything has gone wrong, every step of the way?¡± I laughed, hoping it would spite her. ¡°I told you, Ripley. I wanted to observe and learn from the fragment of Source contained within the MAL¡­ and the only thing more destructive than a Source-Touched MAL, is a Source-Touched Adapter. The R0N1N is a prime example, as is Missy.¡± ¡°So what, you¡¯re just going to observe us and somehow that¡¯ll let you topple a Founder?¡± That didn¡¯t make any sense, it was better to have a weapon in your hands. ¡°Of course not¡­¡± Himiko covered her mouth as though to stop her from laughing. ¡°One day, whether it be through a MAL, or you and Diana ¡ª you will kill a Founder. I will make sure of it.¡± I stifled my breath, the Founder¡¯s were older than the new world itself. They were ancient bastions of power and order, sure, I didn¡¯t particularly like either of them save for Mazhyr¡­ but kill them? ¡°You don¡¯t understand a thing, I¡¯m not involving myself in anything that grand. Once my mother is healthy and none of The Uncaged can get to me, then I¡¯ll happily forget about all of this and open up my own Shard Op¡¯ center ¡ª I¡¯ll run to a whole new city if I have to.¡± ¡°Is that your dream? Truly?¡± Her words dug at my heart. ¡°You got intertwined in this from the moment you warned Shaun of the police. Besides, we both know it¡¯s in your nature to be in conflict, if not with others ¡ª with yourself.¡± ¡°What do you know of that?!¡± I didn¡¯t like how she acted like she knew everything about me, least of all because I didn¡¯t doubt it. ¡°I know more than you do, that¡¯s for sure¡­ even now I can visibly see the threads of another weaving through you. All stemming from a foolish mistake.¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m turning the damn Personality Editor off soon enough!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that, but it¡¯s not unrelated.¡± She tapped her chin, a smile resting above it. ¡°Then what are you-¡° Before I could finish, I felt the vision of the office around me quiver, like an earthquake of light. ¡°Oh, that was quicker than I expected¡­ it seems our time is being cut short.¡± Himiko suddenly stood up, and that same eerie pressure of hers came back, the flame goddess within her eroding at my brain¡¯s barriers. She strode over to me, her concealed eyes staring down at me. ¡°Remember Ripley, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange how there¡¯s only five MALtitans where there are six Founders?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because it is strange, and The Uncaged is at the heart of it all. They¡¯re the result of The Sin of the Founders¡­ but you know him as Mr. R.¡± She lifted her fingers and a wave of nausea permeated every cell of my body as a pearl flame concentrated up to her index fingernail. It was so tiny, yet somehow, it shrunk even more until it might as well have been smaller than a snowflake. Yet it was all I could see. Platinum Warp Energy. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ The Founder¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Oh, another misguided lie like many others.¡± Himiko¡¯s entire body began to dissolve against the fairy light of blinding white. ¡°There are more than just six tiers¡­ there are grades above Platinum¡­ there are worse threats than the MALtitans¡­ and they lurk among us¡­¡± She tapped her finger against my forehead, a blinding pain of white slipping through every nerve cell of my body. ¡°This is but a trillionth of their power, savor it, for one day I¡¯ll expect you to ascend even beyond it.¡± Only another voice brought me back, Twilight¡¯s violet creeping into my wholly white agony. ¡°Give. My. Boyfriend. Back! You bitch!¡± I coughed out, empty sparks of gold flaking from my mouth as I returned to the floating passage above the sea of flame, Twilight¡¯s voice running in my ears. ¡°I didn¡¯t know she was there, Ripley! I¡¯m so sorry!¡­ Ripley?¡± My eyes stared at the currents of Gold beneath me, somewhere in my soul, I felt connected to it¡­ like it was mine in the first place. Suddenly, the flaming sea agreed, it¡¯s currents breaking apart as they erupted upwards like a volcanic eruption. All of that fury and pain concentrated into one needle-width lance that bore right into where Himiko had touched my forehead. It didn¡¯t hurt, but it was overwhelming in all the right ways, it strengthened me¡­ called for me¡­ shielded me. I heard Twilight scream and I wished I could have done something to protect her, I felt her code dissolving as the heat bared it¡¯s fangs only to her. No¡­ not like Daylight¡­ I spilled rivers of Warp Energy back into her, hoping to shield her from the onslaught. Then, in some twist of fate, I felt her violet presence sink deeper into me as though to take refuge like the Golden flame had. My physical eyes opened as my conciousness yanked back to the waking world, I adjusted to the light where¡­ everything felt so much more bright. ¡°Ri..ey¡­¡± Twilight sounded weak, her voice muffled behind static. ¡°Wh¡­t h..pen.. I fe.. dif..rent.¡± ¡±Twilight?¡± I tried to search for her in my own Warpcode, the intense heat still flowing and surging through my body in waves, seeding deep into my Implant. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ okay¡­¡± Twilight¡¯s voice came clearer as her digital presence in my head brightened. ¡°But I feel like I was torn apart and put back together again.¡± ¡°You sure everything is okay?¡± I asked, prodding at her digital boundaries. ¡°Yeah just¡­ might need a few weeks to recover.¡± Twilight sounded sleepy in my head, but through sheer will she continued talking. ¡°Open the box, Ripley.¡± Right¡­ I- Grade is now Gold VI Tendency (Water) is now Bronze V Source-Fragment Identified¡­ Source-Fragment has been digested¡­ Database V.1.00 has updated to V.4.00 Update Summary is currently being processed¡­ Database had¡­ 15¡­ 20¡­ 25¡­ A total of 60 updates? It was now my most highest developed Feature despite the fact that I only got it barely half an hour ago. The Gold Warpcode I¡¯d just absorbed was¡­ it wasn¡¯t quantitavely alot, persay, maybe a few Silver Shards worth. It was, however, dense, way more dense than my own Warpcode had ever been. Or at least¡­ was. Gold VI was my Grade, I was now just five more developments away from Titanium. Then I would¡­ no, that¡¯s too far into the future, Grade Advancing required millions of investment. This was good luck, yes, but it was just luck. Nothing more, nothing less. Goliath, on the other hand¡­ I sent a signal of authority towards the Pandora, and it opened. It wasn¡¯t the normal kind of opening you expected from a teasure chest, there were no hinges or partitions like the Silver Grade. Instead, the metal seemingly vanished into thin air as motes of light rippled out from it¡¯s center. If there was any noticable material left, I probably would have tried to retrieve it¡­ but as it stood¡­ There was a vial left over, a thin vial no larger than my finger with a sharp needle extending out from it. A name was scrawled over the glass in thick block letters. ¡®GOLIATH¡¯ I shuddered out my breath, we¡¯d done it. We¡¯d found what we came here for, and as my hands grapsed the tiny vial, I felt perfect holding it. No, not perfect enough. Before my brain had even registered it, my hand ripped some armor off my chest so the needle could pierce my braciocephalic vein by my own hand. When I looked at the vial I¡¯d plucked out of my flesh, it was completely devoid of any and all liquid. And conseuqentially, the nanites within it. ¡°What¡­ the fuck¡­ did you just do, Ripley?¡± Twilight whispered in stupor. ¡°I¡­¡± My breath failed to come. ¡°I don¡¯t know! My hand moved on it¡¯s own! I think¡­ I think it was Himiko?¡± Link Establishing¡­ Yuzhou [Shandian] Experimental Bio-Integrational Nanoswarm: GOLIATH 1%- Error: Hostile effect on Adapter registered¡­ initiating rejection- Error: Nanoswarm Authority identified¡­ in Feature: Database. Reinitiating Link¡­ Missy¡¯s voice radiated in my head, she must have felt me come back online in our comms. ¡°Ripley? Did you get Goliath¡­?¡± I spoke slowly, my words not registering to my head. ¡°Do you want the good news¡­ or the bad news?¡± ¡°As much as I love your wit¡­ fuck it! I need something hopeful after all of this shit! Good news!¡± ¡°We got Goliath.¡± ¡°Great¡­ then what¡¯s the bad news?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s in my body.¡± Blood and Steel C112: Goliaths Vessel Chapter 112: Goliath¡¯s Vessel Amaterasu¡¯s last thoughts within the Datashield before she dissolved herself to form the [Redacted] within Ripley Donovick. Zero¡­ you may think I¡¯ve forgotten about you, but on the contrary, this entire project has been the result of your transgression. Yet, you figured out about this, didn¡¯t you? I¡¯d have to wager it¡¯s from Mr. Skeleton, he did supervise the trade that gifted us this MAL. And now, I question where it truly came from¡­ I can sense Subject-K was likely involved in this too. She always did know how to tear the humanity away from people, but I digress. You turned The R0N1N in our direction, that¡­ anomalous being of a false origin. But I see an opportunity to spurn all your workings, a method to exact my plans with an efficiency even The Allseeing dreads. And how funny I use that word. Dread. I¡¯ll give this power not to the R0N1N, but to the the monster The Sin unleashed, little Ripley Donovick as the carrier of Goliath. And one more gift from my end, I¡¯ve been preparing it for a while, and it will certainly serve him. If not, it will be very funny to know The Dogwhistler¡¯s reaction to the seed placed in him, after all, she¡¯s always been possessive. Grow, my little seed, and blossom forth into an entity that will make even the stars tremble. Ripley I stared at the now empty vial in my hand, a number ticking upwards in my peripheral. Link Establishing [Goliath Nanites]: 8% ¡°Dreadwire!¡± Missy¡¯s voice was loud in my ears. ¡°If the link hasn¡¯t yet finished, then you can remove the nanites! There should be the necessary apparatus back at my place, can you get there in time?!¡± I nodded without thinking, before responding audibly with words I couldn¡¯t believe as the truth. ¡°Yeah. I think I can.¡± Missy¡¯s hideout was in a bar miles from here¡­ and in a place lacking buildings for me to swing with. My bike was destroyed, so all I had to rely on was my Arachnodyne and¡­ I was fucked. Twilight screamed over both of us. ¡°I¡¯m looking for a way there! Hold on Ripley, get into that elevator there!¡± I did as ordered, my legs pounding the floor as I made it to the elevator and pried it open with my Arachne limbs, then I began skittering up the passage until I left through the highest door. If I was right, we were now in the Iron-Grade Production layer and there was commotion all around us. Yuzhou had sent their reinforcements, several of them now focused on my arrival. Soldiers aiming their weapons at me but yet I barely registered My mind didn¡¯t think as I moved while Hypermind slowed the world down. My entire soul was frozen in place as it tried to make sense of what had just happened inside the Pandora. My conversation with Himiko, the revalations about my Implant and the nature of The Source. The massive flaming DataShield that had sunk into my skull both digitally and physically¡­ That Platinum Ember. The abrupt developlment of my Database Feature¡­ And Goliath. The nanoswarm designed to convert living matter into inorganic substances was now flowing in my blood. 9%¡­ By the time I¡¯d turned my attention back to the guards, a third of them were dead and my whip-blade was slick with blood. One of them struggled on a torn leg and raised their iron sights on me, but my left hand covered the barrel as the bullet fired. Smoke filtered out, the hand I¡¯d grafted on from the armory not denting one bit. I just smacked his head, and felt the bones of his neck and skull crack from the force. My right hand moved likewise, three golden claw-tips digging into the locked-on targets upon their tracheas as I slipped past jetstreams of slowed down bullets. The golden wires reeled in, the trauma of their punctured airways sending them into panic as I finished them off with my left arm¡¯s Necrotic blade. My actions seemed so fluid, my Warp Energy so¡­ responsive. I¡¯d awakened a Tendency, and increased in Grade, and in Tier. Compared to earlier in the day, I¡¯d probably multiplied my mental processing speed several times over. Every bullet led into a swipe of my clawe, or a burst from my legs as I flipped over their forms and shot my golden wire out to weave ruin among their cohort. It was like they¡¯d been submerged in water ¡ª and I was the only one who could swim. ¡°This is Cashmere Three reporting in, Dreadwire is here at-!¡± My right arm¡¯s shardgun splattered into the commander¡¯s chest as bits of blood and steel went spraying, he was a Mutant of some kind that hadn¡¯t died immediately to my blade. Then I turned that weapon back on the remaining guards, even with my terrible aim, mimicking the R0N1N¡¯s power let me shred through their bodies as they stayed still like statues. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. The world returned to normality as time flowed back into pace, my breath steady as bodies that had been standing suddenly collapsed like a collective stomp. 15%¡­ Intervals of one minute¡­ even within my hyperspeed. Every mental minute was another percentage up for Goliath. Twilight shouted at my inaction. ¡°Ripley, you should be on Missy¡¯s floor now, she¡¯s currently combatting two Silvers guarding passageway to the upper floors, slip past them and get out!¡± I affirmed by flowing into motion, my Arachne limbs powerful enough to joust me high into the air and hook me into the rafters to reach the brightened door up on the ledge. I landed, my claws primed and ready to peel it open and- Identity Confirmed¡­ The doors opened by themselves at my arrival, like giving passage to an honoured guest. ¡°What? I thought we nuked the net?! Why is it still¡­ whatever! Ripley, get your ass hauling!¡± Twilight didn¡¯t need to tell me again, even as other guards showed up I didn¡¯t waste my time trying to take them all out. My left arm split to reveal a deadly blade hiding within, and my Arachnid arms skittered me above and beyond the cohorts who I let mostly stay alive. 17%¡­ 18%¡­ 19%¡­ I found Missy soon after, her Silver armor dented and worse for the occasion as she took on the brunt of three Silvers, all of them at Tier III if I was right. They couldn¡¯t even be called humans, each of the Yuzhou guards were machinations of genetic or engineered modifications. One of them was a mountain of a mechanical man whose entire body flew in sparks as rocket-propelled punches and kicks threw him across the room in an instant. Another man wielded mirror-like shards of ice, each of them shining a blinding white beam that froze the ground into frost. The third was a woman who twirled with a spear in each inhumanely long arm, her body bending like rubber to twist as though each limb was a centipede. And Missy was beating all of them. A soft glow surrounded her armor, a reverberating layer of air that skirted indirect strikes from the spear-lady away as Missy jousted her large axe to tear into her side. Then, without a blink, a shield apparated from her right arm out of the seamlessly rearranging mechanical plates of her armor to block the earth-shaking crush of the rocket-armed Silver. The concrete cracked beneath her, then it froze as reflected beams of light struck down from each angle, but a dark wave of ash devoured the light with it¡¯s shadows. Blood flashed from within that smokescreen, and an irregularly shaped arm flung near my feet. I couldn¡¯t count how many times I heard steel crash against steel in that shadowy haze, but it was a sonorous disharmony as Missy¡¯s clangs overtook the three others. ¡°Get out! Dreadwire!¡± She screamed from within the mayhem. A large part of me still believed I could fight in there and come out okay, but looking at Missy¡­ at the- Bronze Energy that she wielded against those Silvers, it told me enough about myself. I wasn¡¯t ready, not yet ¡ª I was too unfamiliar with my expanded capabilities. It was difficult enough just maneuvering past the three of them even as time slowed down, one beam of light struck a lower Arachne limb, freezing it into stifness. Another rocket-punch came flying my way, and would have hit if not for Missy turning her axe into a spear and lodging it into the fist ¡ª it¡¯s flaming propulsion faltering. The only Silver who left me alone in the brief seconds I crossed them was the one-armed Mutant. And that was became the lone arm rapidly devolved as the ash splintered the stub into a festering wound, spreading a sickness up to her face that quickly became seperated from the rest of her body with a cleave of blood. I felt like I should have had some reaction to the beheading, something other than the awe I felt for Missy, but whatever hidden response was submerged a long time ago. I flew my way to the staircase, my limbs working their damned best to avoid any flashing ice-beams or crushing strikes as once more the doors opened at my arrival. Only for me to come face-first with nearly thirty other guards awaiting for the outcome of Missy¡¯s duel. Again, time slowed down, my Arachne limbs retalliating as I hopped over them, attempting to cling anywhere where there wasn¡¯t bullet fire. 22%¡­ I was swarmed, quite literally, inside and out. Drones opened fire on me, their floating aim only adding to the complexity of calculations running in my head¡­ except¡­ Then they opened fire on the sortie of guards down below, what was happening? I was sure Twilight hadn¡¯t taken control of these. These drones weren¡¯t even on the same Net as the doors down below. The only logical conclusion was that it had to be related to Ms. Himiko, that either she was purposefully sending the machines into haywiring or that within all of the Gold Warpcode I¡¯d devoured that there was some¡­ authority over the mechanisms here. Oh well, that authority wasn¡¯t helping with the humans trying to kill me now was it! We were out by their cargo bay, so there was enough space for me to maneuver around aerially, the large support pillars gave me plenty of cover to dodge and twist around the gunfire. The only issue was that the hangar doors out of here were sealed. ¡°Quickshot! Blow a hole through the roof of the cargo bay!¡± I roared into my comms as I nestled up in the shadows of a pullar, before a meteor-like force slammed into the concrete supporting me and sent me into a freefall before the Preservation Matrix attached an Arachne tip to swing me out of an Exoguard¡¯s lancing harpoon. They¡¯d brought an Anti-Collosus Cannon with them? Something built for combatting only the largest and deadliest of the MAL, the thick array of rods shaped like an RPG shot out a harrowing sonic propulsion towards me that caved in through the concrete until it was dust, my body articulating through a labyrinthine maze of muzzle flashes and bullet fire. Just then, another boom wrecked into the bay, except this one came externally. Far into the other side of the room, rubble fell to expose a hole courtesy of Quickshot. That was my opportunity and I took it, my Arachne tips firing to grip into the shattered concrete and pull me through. Thread the needle. It was alot easier when time was slowed down and you could make microadjustments every second. My Arachne compacted last second to give me passage into freedom, extending back out just in time to brace my blow against the heavy steel fencing of the facility¡¯s outer borders. Fucking finally! Home free, now I just had to reroute my path through the Pleasure Lanes¡­ except¡­ a spotlight glared down on me from above. Two floating Aerodyne¡¯s, the same blocky and whirring machines that had been chasing me before now burned their fury down on me. I sighed down my annoyance, this day was never-ending. Blood and Steel C113: The Great Escape Chapter 113: The Great Escape Live Comments in the Haidett post of an unknown Mercenary causing chaos in the Pleasure Lanes. Ripley A thick river of metal rained down on me as both AV¡¯s passengers armed themselves with powerful machine guns. It was now that I was truly grateful that I had taken the time to reach Tier II. My endeavors in studying the Shardware Operation curriculum for Mr. Anderson had given me a lot more insight into the gradual changes going up the Tiers gave. From Tier 0 to Tier I, the Implant was adapting to you, learning how you operate and suiting it¡¯s functions to assimilate with your own capabilities. Tier I onwards, the Implant and the Adapter would begin to form a ¡®foundation¡¯, it would branch out and solidify your current abilities in preparation for further growth. That was what Tier II was, the process of expansion. To push further than ever. Each Tier up, the more of your brain used electrons to transfer thought rather than chemical neurotransmitters, it was a complex process that relied on the Implant being able to read quantum fluctuations between an electron¡¯s state as both matter and energy. It was an infinitesimally small amount each Tier up, but even the tiniest alterations had exponential potential, allowing your brain to be redeveloped to withstand further loads of information and use Shardware more efficiently. In summary, I was fucking thankful that I could withstand Hypermind Prime¡¯s insane processing speed as I whipped and zipped amidst mazes of fiery embers that could sear the steel of my bones. 27%¡­ Though it wouldn¡¯t last for long, I could feel my Arachne giving way to the torture I¡¯d exerted on it today. My legs were barely solid enough for me to stand on at this point, only my arms had been rejuvenated over the facility raid, but the adjustments were still unfamiliar to me. Fuck¡­ my saving grace was that Quickshot was pelting a steady stream of arrows into the AV¡¯s, but the armor of these machines were barely scratched or tingled with her vast array of arrows, plus¡­ I think she used up most of the good ones in my battle with the Tsuchigumo Exoguard. A part of me was tempted to try and take cover in the rubble her body was trapped in, maybe patch up my Shardware, but even when I tried to use the facility itself as a hostage, they shot straight towards me and shattered it¡¯s concrete hold. They didn¡¯t care about the Facility anymore¡­ it was us who they wanted now. I wasn¡¯t sure if they knew we had Goliath, or if they knew it was in me. 28%¡­ But every second in my head that passed, I was just a little bit closer to permanently bonding with the very machine R0N1N had spent millions trying to acquire. I wasn¡¯t particularly terrified of the nanoswarm itself, at this point it was safer to assume that whatever clearance I¡¯d gained from Ms. Himiko tampering with my Avatar had moved me to inject Goliath into myself for¡­ Killing a Founder. The thought was ridiculous, I was struggling with two AVs hovering above me right now. A Founder could control thousands of these, hell, from what I knew Yuzhou¡¯s Founder could very well swat them down like a fly. Instead, I was here counting bullets¡­ Yes, each and every bullet in that hailstorm of red alloy. And just when the number reached 1,240¡­ the northeast AV¡¯s left side began to reload. As they had once before. I wasn¡¯t familiar with the weapon, but I knew it took seven seconds to reload based on my previous sight of them. 29%¡­ I sunk my Arachne tip into the fence above, reeling the Livewire in at full strength. It was strange just how much more receptive the Warp Material was, possibly a result of Shardweave, though I¡¯d have plenty of time to experiment once I escaped with my life. Combined with the Water Tendency, the material felt like a sponge to my commands, the perfect vessel to encapsulate who Dreadwire was. An architect of ruin. Flung up high, I was now eye-level with both AVs, at the very least I had to take one of them out. Positioning myself between both, I made sure that the second AV would be left in a situation where they would hesitate to fire out of the possibility of harming their ally. I reaped that opportunity by bursting momentum towards the opened door and kicking into the reloading guard, only to find that he barely moved thanks to a harness preventing them from being tossed out like I had done to them before. They had clearly prepared this batch from my previous encounter. That left me with what I was thinking had to be plan D? Hating myself for this, I pushed all of my Warp Energy into Data Mimicry, harnessing the power of R0N1N¡¯s Feature to its fullest potential. My entire body nearly gave in as it was forced to do everything faster, my lungs stretched so slowly my brain wasn¡¯t getting enough oxygen for what I was planning on doing¡­ The two rail guards and the one supplying ammo to them were still like statues suspended in the air. Carefully, I pulsed my Arachne to get into the AV enough that I could view it through their cameras and find the control panel. Then I braced and shot one of the Arachne tips into it. It was normally so fast I had trouble keeping track of it, but now it moved like it was propelled through molten metal, but that time was exactly what I needed. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Twilight.¡± I sent my thoughts to her. ¡°You¡¯re in my head so you can see all of this, I need you to load up your deadliest DataCleaver in there!¡± Her voice came responding, but it was slow and drawn out in pitch. ¡°I waaassn¡¯t buuuiiilttt foooor thiiis ammmouuunt oooofff ouuuutpuuut-¡± ¡°Just do it!¡± I felt the lightspeed input of code surge up my Livewire the second it dug into the control panels, not a moment more¡­ and I flung myself out. 32%¡­ Those few seconds felt like three minutes to me. If I was right, I was thinking a hundred times faster than I normally had¡­ and the mental recoil was so heavy that my vision went bla- When it returned, Twilight was maneuvering me by clumsily dragging me along the cover of the facility walls. She clearly wasn¡¯t used to my Arachne, and it showed by how roughly I was being smacked or grated against the stone. I took back control, reeling myself upwards suddenly as gunfire curved to devastate the facility walls beneath me. The floating Aerodynes maneuvered with ease, if I¡¯d recovered a second later I probably would have been minced. Though, in a few seconds more, I would have access to the controls of one Aerodyne¡­ but only if- Identity Confirmed¡­ Ms. Himiko, as much as she got on my nerves, I couldn¡¯t deny that she was saving my skin right now. With a flex of my mental muscles, I gripped the internal controls of one Aerodyne. And sent it straight for the other. The two railguards jostled as their vehicle suddenly swayed out of their control, tilting and propelling straight for their second one. They exploded into a bright nova of blood and steel, and I was finally safe to release a tight knot of air that had- Blood coughed into my mask¡­ my entire body felt queasy from what I¡¯d just done. Forcing myself up I- My leg cracked, the ankle joint splintering just before I caught myself with an Arachne limb. With just a few seconds to spare, I hastily soldered the steel back together to the point where it was basically fused¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be running with this. My Arachne raised into the air, and I let it fling me above the fence¡­ and into the city. ¡ª¡ª¡ª 40%¡­ Goliath was two-fifths of the way there, and I was barely ten percent of the way to Missy¡¯s safehouse. It didn¡¯t help that there were both police and Yuzhou still on my tail, but the Arachne gave me enough maneuverability to use verticality to lose them. We didn¡¯t have time on our side, neither did we have any sense of durability. Every swing could be my last¡­ I wasn¡¯t going to make it. ¡°Ripley, they¡¯re sending another Aerodyne!¡± Twilight screamed, though it may have been in pain. I wasn¡¯t sure exactly how much damage she had taken through everything we did, but while some parts of her were flared up¡­ too much of her presence had dimmed. ¡°Shit, shit¡­!¡± I couldn¡¯t stop anywhere, I¡¯d be found in moments. My own Shardware was too much of a tell¡­ but¡­ An idea came to me, an incredibly stupid one. I needed protection from The R0N1N, I needed to be somewhere only Twilight would know. ¡°We¡¯re not going to the safehouse! Twilight, reroute me to your apartment!¡± I pleaded, I didn¡¯t have the focus to pathfind as I placed my attention on every siren and buzz in the air around me. ¡°Whatever you¡¯re planning¡­ here!¡± I skirted, not bothering to avoid the shadows in the alleyway as I bravely flew my way through the city highways, until eventually¡­ ¡ª¡ª¡ª 59%¡­ My public display of acrobatics had certainly drawn attention, everywhere I flew I found police patrols reporting my location and route. It was simple, according to the direction I was traveling they all thought I was heading to Little Requiem, but little did they know¡­ Within the Pleasure Lanes, light and sound exploded as the populace took sight of me, holographic images of dragons and tigers flew among my right. A goldfish of golden light swallowing me whole, the perfect time for me to swing my Arachne into the shadows. I danced through the alleyways, my enhanced Energy storage dried to a husk as I finally saw the sight of Elsa¡¯s apartment window. Twilight opened it up for me just in time as I flew and collapsed onto her floor. I coughed up more blood into my mask, by all means I was safe now¡­ except I wasn¡¯t. 60%¡­ I had to commit now, Goliath was going to become a part of me. R0N1N was kind to me so far, but¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure he would let me live if I had access to a weapon like this. Elsa¡¯s apartment wasn¡¯t going to be safe, my apartment wasn¡¯t going to be safe. Nowhere was going to be safe if the R0N1N knew where I was. So I had to disappear. Elsa¡¯s apartment was just another storage space for some of my prototypes alongside Diamante¡¯s bunker and the old storage unit of my grandfather¡¯s. My Shardware came of me too easily as they fell into scraps, first my arms, which I replaced with some old combat-type weapons, then my legs which practically crumpled the second I removed them. Finally, after a minute of tinkering, my Arachne¡¯s compacted plates fell to the floor in a clutter of steel, before sewing on some fake skin over their ports to seal the deal. I felt bare without them, despite how recently they¡¯d joined my arsenal. Regardless, I told Twilight to open the door. ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°I need to get caught by the police.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Okay, well not really¡­ you¡¯ll see!¡± Painfully, I made my way into the elevator and down to the streets of the Pleasure Lanes. I was a bloody mess, I knew that I¡¯d get the wrong kind of attraction right now when the city was on a manhunt for Dreadwire. I blew up two Aerodynes¡­ the adrenaline of that still rushed through me. It took a minute of hobbling alongside the busy police-crowded streets, in which I faked a look of surprise before basically trying to run my way out. ¡°Hey! You there! Stop!¡± One of the officers, a garish woman chased my limping body down. ¡°Don¡¯t resist, I¡¯m an officer of the law!¡± I brought myself to a skid, I wasn¡¯t sure if it was how purely exhausted I was or if I¡¯d somehow lost the confidence of my Arachne that I basically quivered infront of her. ¡°Of¡­ of course, officer. What did you want?¡± ¡°Why were you running?¡± ¡°I thought there was a terrorist attack with how many of you there were¡­¡± ¡°Well¡­ why are you so bloody?¡± ¡°Bar fight.¡± She gave me a look of intense suspicion. Perfect. ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to need to see your Sigil.¡± ¡°¡­You don¡¯t have the right to do that!¡± I¡¯d known plenty of horror stories, I knew how to play this. ¡°¡­I have the right to do what I damn please!¡± She grabbed my arm, but I tugged it back with ease. Letting a flow of Bronze Energy flash up my arm. ¡°Shit¡­ Corporal, kid here¡¯s got an unregistered Implant!¡± She called her commanding Investigator over, a jaded man who looked like he didn¡¯t have the time for this. However, he focused on me with suspicion, taking the bait I¡¯d placed. ¡°Issue a Shardware Scan, now.¡± He told some of his underlings who immediately rustled through their belongings to take the hefty scanner out. I feigned some more resistance. ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t do anything wrong!¡± ¡°This is just a caution, son.¡± He brought over the scanner to me, it began to weave light across my body. My spare limbs were fine, but it was my spine and eyes that would draw their suspicion. ¡°Bronze grade? What the hell is a kid like you doing with tech like that.¡± ¡°I built it myself!¡± I tried to pull back, but his Mutated strength pulled me in place. Then he plucked out his own scanner, and that was when I reached into the one BUG of my Mimicset I kept with me. Overcome. Black Dragon Tan Long¡¯s frequency blended over my own, and the corporal¡¯s eyes widened as it indicated to him exactly who I wanted him to think I was. ¡°Shit. Kid¡¯s with ¡®Masa.¡± He told his underlings who brought over Warp Restraints that I pretended to struggle against. ¡°You¡¯re under arrest.¡± ¡°For what?¡± I acted like my strength had faded, it was easy considering I barely had droplets of Energy left in me. ¡°We¡¯ll figure that out soon enough, but who knows, maybe if you play nice we¡¯ll let you go.¡± He smirked, and the rest of them hauled me into a car. The drive was long, and I made sure to give my complaints to the Investigator who repeatedly told me to shut up. Though throughout it all, a certain someone was pulling the strings. Twilight muttered. ¡°Alright, Rip¡­ I got you transferred over to a low-security holding facility. Just¡­ what are you thinking?¡± I sighed, resting my head to stare out at the shimmering lights of the holographic paintings above. On several screens built into buildings, blurred images of Dreadwire with golden wires had the entire bustling streets looking up in awe and fear. I smirked at the sight, a swell of¡­ something rising in me. But I played it humble for now. ¡°That I need some damn peace and quiet.¡± Blood and Steel C114: The Anomalous Nature of Anabelle Grazhe Chapter 114: The Anomalous Nature of Anabelle Grazhe VortexEYE Forum on the topic of ¡®Yuzhou Break-in¡¯. Barbarionlion: Wtf,Yuzhou¡¯s stocks just dropped and I bought some not too long ago, bullshit. Who are these punks that broke into their damn manufacturing facilities? Chainlink: I know about Missy, Mirage and The Iron Devil. If I had to bet, the R0N1N hired them to do some dirty work, have no idea who this Dreadwire guy is tho. But he¡¯s gold. Lozt: It¡¯s probably from that Toxin Club MAL then? Can¡¯t imagine anyone else just popping in from nowhere with an Implant like that. Barbarionlion: I bet it¡¯s corporate espionage, the R0N1N¡¯s probably just a SynTec agent or something. Maybe Dreadwire is some secret weapon of theirs. Chainlink: Oh, his Shardware is all te rage at Little Requiem, I heard that this Skeleton guy really wants to know the details of it. Lozt: Mr. Skeleton? Barbarionlion: Isn¡¯t that the creepy vendor down in the Gardens? Lozt: Mr. Skeleton¡¯s big business, he runs most of Little Requiem, heard he¡¯s got ¡®Masa by the balls, and considering how they even attacked a bunch of police on the same day¡­ they have to have been working together with the R0N1N? Chainlink: A rumor says that the R0N1N actually went ahead and met with Muramasa. Probably no coincidence they teamed up to fight their common enemy. Barbarianlion: Yeah? Well I lost a bunch of fucking money! Lozt: I guess you can say you¡¯re glad you didn¡¯t have¡­ the lion¡¯s share? Barbarianlion: Stfu. Doesn¡¯t help that my favorite chef just offed himself. Lozt: Simon Jugosla? Saw that on the news, wasn¡¯t he involved with like¡­ MAL-flesh trading and human trafficking? Barbarionlion: That¡¯s why he was my favorite. I got an appetite like a lion too. Chainlink: The bitch that actually did it is the one who had that Gold Implant, y¡¯know? No wonder she went missing. Her bounty was also taken off. Lozt: I heard from my boss it was actually Mr. Skeleton who put it on her, why¡¯d he remove it now? Chainlink: Idk, you¡¯re the one who said this secret mastermind is controlling Little Requiem and one of the big four gangs. Barbarionlion: Ah, who gives a fuck. I want my money. September 7th Diana Dryder had brought me over to what seemed like an old motel at first, but when he said it was his office¡­ I knew something was off about him. Apparently, he was a private detective, but his ¡®office¡¯ was just an old motel room he had rented out indefinitely that served as both his living space and working space. It reeked of alcohol. The first thing he did was, in fact, drink himself to sleep. Though, I didn¡¯t blame him after the day we had. He¡¯d dropped off both Anthony and Olivia with a ¡®friend of his¡¯, a shady gene-clinic where she¡¯d be stabilized by tomorrow. I¡¯d offered to stay, but Dryder¡¯s place was close enough that I should be able to visit. I¡¯d slept for 16 hours straight. When I got up in the early morning, visiting Anthony and Olivia was the very first thing I did. Oliva was recovering quickly, according to the scraggly doctor there, and would be transferred to an orphanage for¡­ children like her soon enough. I was reluctant at first, but where else could she go. But it was Anthony who got most of my attention once I heard more about his condition. ¡°The bleeding stopped, but he has severe brain damage¡­ I don¡¯t know when he¡¯ll wake up, if he ever will.¡± That was all the doctor had said to me. In a few hours, Dryder had managed to get him shipped off to an actual hospital. I went alongside with him, waiting¡­ and waiting by his bed. He breathed normally, his heartbeat was stable¡­ but I¡¯d damaged him. His brain¡­ he was¡­ empty. It was his father who came by first to the room, and he was¡­ Broken. I didn¡¯t know what to say, but in the end, he didn¡¯t need me to say anything. ¡°I blame myself.¡± Those were the only few words he said as he closed the door, and I heard a loud bang on the wall seconds later. Soon, the rest of his extended family came, some of them demanded answers that I didn¡¯t know how to give. Some of them just stood by me, thankful that I was there for Anthony, others¡­ they seemed to only stop by as though it was a procedure for them. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. I gripped my knuckles tight. It was later in the day when Anabelle Grazhe entered the door to the hospital room, her face pale and empty. ¡°Diana¡­ sorry¡­ Investigator Jones. First of all, congratulations on bringing down Simon Jugosla-¡± I just nodded. Dryder had already filled me in with what bogus report had come in from my ¡®mission¡¯. Simon Jugosla was found dead on September 6th in his apartment, he had been farming MALformed underneath an animal sanctuary he had partial ownership of, passing them off with the rest of the harvested livestock to the highest bidder. After more than two weeks undercover, I had single handedly taken down his entire operation. However, my identity had been compromised and he had secretly taken Anthony as a hostage and¡­ harmed him. After taking down hordes of his personal guards, I collected the necessary info and pushed him into hiding. Where he took his own life. ¡°-I just wish we could have brought him in for what he did to Anthony.¡± Anabelle Grazhe shuddered, I never thought I would see her in despair. Not after I saw how cold her eyes had been when she had bid on me. I bit my tongue¡­ Soul Killer was in her head. The question was if she knew that. ¡°Soul Killer, they¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°The ones responsible for Simon Jugosla¡¯s operations. I know.¡± She cradled Anthony¡¯s face, grief hung on every word. ¡°I just¡­ dammit, I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d¡­ like his mother¡­ urgh¡­ my head? Sorry, I just need to breath.¡± The lieutenant grabbed her temples, massaging them as I saw red flicker inside her eyes. ¡°What was I saying? Right, Anthony he didn¡¯t¡­ I should have been more careful. If my dad was here he would have¡­¡± She stifled her silent sobs and sucked her shattered emotions back into place. ¡°Forgive me, Diana. It¡¯s not right for you to see your Lieutenant like this. I¡­ I don¡¯t know how I even let this happen. It was my mistake firsthand, but you did well on this job.¡± ¡°Are you okay, Lieutenant?¡± I raised my voice, that had definitely been Soul Killer¡¯s influence. But when her eyes turned Soulless, I felt my heart drop. ¡°Oh she¡¯s perfectly fine. Just a little tough to control a Psionic Esper, you know. Anyways, I¡¯ve rewritten her memories enough to be coherent. Relax, neither you nor her are going to be punished for this¡­ if you remain at ease, that is.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± I stared at Soul Killer once more. ¡°Why are you even like this?!¡± ¡°Why? Is it not human nature to consume and build?¡± Soul Killer laughed it off. ¡°Anabelle and Anthony are nothing other than humans, one of several billion, their loss is minimal compared to what I¡¯m discovering.¡± ¡°What even is it?¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Anabelle¡¯s face twitched like trying to hold back a laugh. ¡°I thought you figured it out. I¡¯m merely trying to learn how to control the MAL, how to get closer in becoming more like them¡­ humans draw on Warp Energy from Implants? Imagine what we could do if we cut out the middle-man and were entirely connected to it?¡± ¡°Control the¡­¡± I clenched my jaw. ¡°And your first step is controlling humans?¡± ¡°Look at you, my little genius. I only wish I could have seen what you were up to with¡­ SK76.¡± She tapped her head, as though trying to remember which one. There was something different about Anabelle being under Soul Killer¡¯s influence, she spoke slower and seemed less erratic. Less¡­ overwhelmed? Every other Soul Killer puppet looked like they were in pain as they took over, Anabelle looked otherwise completely calm and secure¡­ almost lacking ¡ª more human, in a way? ¡°You¡¯re different from the other Soul Killers.¡± I squinted my eyes accusingly. Anabelle flinched back, her soulless gaze turning away, enough that I¡¯d known I had hit some measure of truth. ¡°Let¡¯s just say, my agreement with Anabelle is mutually beneficial to my greater self, and her father ¡ª and yours. I have exactly the control over her that I require. ¡± The light began to return as her eyes turned gray, and Anabelle continued speaking as though nothing had happened. ¡°We¡¯re not giving up on Anthony, Diana¡­ no one is. I¡¯m sorry for baiting you out at the auction, for Simon himself to purchase you was¡­ unexpected. I know my presence there must have shocked you, but you played your role well. I¡¯ll be more upfront about tasks like this in the future. To prevent¡­ any of this.¡± ¡°I¡­ understand.¡± I blinked, not sure if I should try to tell her what just happened. In the end, I just blurted it out. ¡°Soul Killer¡¯s in your head, lieutenant.¡± She stared at me oddly, before snorting. ¡°I didn¡¯t take you as the type to joke your way out of times like this. Sure, I occasionally joust at the mythical criminal a few times, but all evidence points out that they never existed.¡± That¡­ didn¡¯t she just say that she knew Soul Killer was¡­? ¡°What about your sister, about¡­ Anthony¡¯s mother?¡± I squeezed my fists tight, hoping. ¡°That¡¯s a sore subject Diana¡­ My sister was remarkable in every way, but I¡¯m sure Anthony already told you we had our disagreements and it ended with her working as a nurse assistant. She left on her own accord, and died treating those whom she cared about. That¡¯s what I remember of my sister, someone who didn¡¯t let her own life get in the way of protecting others¡­ as foolish as it may be.¡± I stayed silent¡­ just sitting as Anabelle whispered something into Anthony¡¯s ears. ¡°I know this isn¡¯t the appropriate place to inform you...¡± Anabelle began once she stood herself up, ¡°but you should be ready to say goodbye to your old squad.¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting transferred?¡± I glanced up at her. ¡°On orders of your father - I doubt we''ll be keeping your Gold hidden any longer.¡± She nodded. So I could fall even more under his thumb, it didn¡¯t matter where I went¡­ there was always someone. ¡°Ah¡­ okay.¡± I pulled myself out of the chair. ¡°Just¡­ I need to know, what are you going to do about Anthony?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Anabelle asked in confusion. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a question for you.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Soulless eyes glanced back. ¡°Nothing much, he¡¯s a hostage here as much as he was there. I¡¯m sure you and Dryder will be scheming all sorts of things, but don¡¯t worry, Anthony will stay safe¡­ there are¡­ reasons we need him alive.¡± ¡°What sort of reasons?¡± Soul Killer just smiled, then the eyes faded back to gray. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what were you saying?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± I sighed. ¡°Just¡­ take care of yourself, Lieutenant. And for what it¡¯s worth, I blame myself too.¡± With that, I stepped out of the room, my Neuralink active the entire time. ¡°It¡¯s exactly as you said, Dryder. She doesn¡¯t even know she¡¯s infected. It¡¯s like¡­ she can¡¯t comprehend the thought.¡± ¡°Anabelle¡¯s been under their control for a decade, it¡¯s a deep festering virus. But you''re sure about it? You can cure those infected?¡± Walking into my solace, a bathroom, I pulled out a Silver SIM - Kimbley''s. The SIM of a Soul Killer Nexus. Holding it, it seemed to almost grasp for the fading presence of Anabelle Grazhe as long as I channelled my Soul Resonance Mutation. I had a way of identifying them now. "I¡¯ll do it." My thoughts festered through the Neuralink. "I¡¯ll find a way to cure their infection, I¡¯ll burn every trace of that bastard¡¯s sickness out of this city.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª September 8th Diana ¡°Hey.¡± Dryder prodded me with his foot, I peeled myself off the sticky mattress of this hotel room to look at him with disdain. He didn¡¯t care much, instead handing me over a laptop that I¡­ identified was the one from my apartment. ¡°Got a new software update installed, covert DataShield and everything¡­ Also, someone''s been trying to talk to you. I¡¯m patching them in.¡± Before I could respond, a new voice filtered into my head. ¡°Hey, Diana! This is Twilight speaking¡­ you know, one of Ripley¡¯s girlfriends¡­!¡± Blood and Steel C115: Jailbreak? Chapter 115: Jailbreak? AbyssNet Article from NCundercover, titled: ¡®Who is Dreadwire? The Masked Rebel with an Arachne.¡¯ New California is no stranger to having a few mercenaries walking in daylight. But how often do you see one swing past your car running away from Yuzhou Aerodynes in the middle of the Pleasure Lanes? We¡¯ve all seen the videos, people all across the world have given those clips of Dreadwire millions of views. And honestly, I don¡¯t blame them. Talk about a debut! We got reports saying he even blew up two Aerodynes like they were scrap-shodded and glued together! Now, officially, my sources say this isn¡¯t the first time he¡¯s made an appearance in the city, that he popped up before as a Vulture and got into trouble at Little Requiem before disappearing¡­ But everyone who had interacted with him is now dead. I tried, I really tried to get the deets, but turns out the man is as deadly to gangs as he is to the corporations¡­ which raises the question? Who is he? Where did he come from? And what does he want? All I know is that I got my eyes on him, it ain¡¯t every day that a Gold pops up and changes the city as we know it. Yuzhou¡¯s put one hell of a bounty on him, putting him straight in with the big leagues of the city¡¯s underworld. Who knows what sorts of things he did to get so much hate from them¡­ but I¡¯m fucking rooting for him. We need more people like him giving the corporates a bigass middle-finger for the world to see, and what better way than thieving from them and taunting their ass in the middle of The Pleasure Lanes. August 31st Ripley So¡­ holding cells were not the most comfortable place to sleep in. There weren¡¯t that many beds, so either you had to fight for one, pay for one, or just be scary enough that nobody took one from you. Fortunately for me¡­ I chose the right identity. One of the guys who I identified as a Metal Heavens rookie stared at me with wide eyes. ¡°Y-you¡¯re a Black Dragon of ¡®Masa¡¯s?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what they have designated me as, yes.¡± I tried to hide my smile behind the most stoic of stoic faces possible, my mind scanning through Long¡¯s Implant to make this believable. One of my new Protocols from Database, Consciousness Link, significantly improved my ability to scan memories. ¡°Designated by none other than The Bladedaughter?¡± They jerked away from that, the Bladedaughter was Muramasa¡¯s second-in-command, her entire body was weaponized at every inch ¡ª and she wasn¡¯t known to play nice. I saw images of her in Long''s memories, white hair on a pale face. Almost delicate. But everything else about her was solid black steel and razor sharp. ¡°Why are¡­ you here then? I didn¡¯t know this place had the big guns!¡± One of the younger inmates shivered at the sight of me. ¡°Yeah! I was just jaywalking!¡± Another shouted. ¡°Me? I just stalked my ex!¡± ¡°Whatever¡­¡± Groaned one large brute tagged with the insignia of a mid-level gang known as Blindside, before trying to devour me with a menacing glare. ¡°He don¡¯t look all that tough, who did you Shardware? Your mother?¡± ¡°With pride.¡± I smiled back. ¡°I mean¡­ yours looks like it was sewn on by synthed up Operator who got his parts from Riverside¡¯s gunk.¡± ¡°Oh hell no! I got mine done by Harold Anderson! You know who he is?¡± My eyes tingled a bit with mischief. ¡°Ah, would you believe it if I said everything he works for is to surpass my own Shardware?¡± Of course, I was referring to my Pseudo-Silver Claw and Arachne. ¡°Pssht. You don¡¯t disrespect my man like that!¡± The big brute heaved his way near me. ¡°We settle this the hard way, now!¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± I¡¯d already seen what the hard way was, and I couldn¡¯t be happier. ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª He survived the arm wrestling match for all of ten seconds. I cheated of course, sending faint dribbles of Gold into my arm, but who cared, it gave me a bed to sleep in. Not that I wasn¡¯t getting much sleep in the first place. Goliath, I hadn¡¯t forgotten about it. It had reached a 100% Link yesterday, and the nanites were coursing through me steadily. All five micrograms. Goliath Nanoswarm Integrity: Silver V Energy: Iron II Grade: Silver I Capacity: Iron I Amount: 5 micrograms [1000 Nanites] This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Current Status: Inactive Available Procedures: Organic Conversion; Biological Destabilization; Nanite Auto-Replication I wasn¡¯t eager to activate it right now, it would literally begin chewing through my bones to begin making more of itself. It was disappointing in a way to see how little Capacity it took. Though, I wasn¡¯t complaining right now. When working on the ranges of nanometers, 1000 nanomachines was a relatively miniscule number. In fact they were just a little larger than viruses, although I suspected I could figure out a way to modify them so that I could have an array of various subtypes with individual purposes. I chuckled, here I was thinking to myself of how to use these nanites, when for all I knew, R0N1N would just take them for himself. Still, I hadn¡¯t lost hope yet, Twilight was out right now trying to get into contact with Mirage¡­ hopefully soon I¡¯d be able to get some real info. ¡ª¡ª¡ª September 1st Database Updates have been compiled¡­ [Open summary?] That was what I awoke to, besides a throbbing headache, naturally I opened the list of updates, they sprawled endlessly. Most of it was a heavy increase to the integrity of my Neuroframe to protect it from intrusion, others had to do with rates of learning and processing of information, some had to do with¡­ diverting my knowledge towards a seed? Shardware Dataset enhancements; Combat Dataset enhancements; a Dataweaving Dataset creation; Nanomachine functionality, their creation and structure data; improved visualization of memories; improved automatic decryption of downloaded data; reduction of overstimulation¡­ the list went on and on. If I were to truly summarize it: I was able to think and remember more about the most important facets of my Development; increase the natural protection and intrusion of my Implant in regards to foreign data; a whole slew of information regarding nanobots, their visualization and function¡­ and being able to piece data back together. And¡­ huh. Three new protocols, as I¡¯d expected, but there was an odd one out. Protocol: Defragmentation allows the Adapter to piece together corrupted or incomplete sets of data according to their current knowledge of the topic. Protocol: Nanomachine Reprogramming allows the Adapter to reprogram their internal Nanites without the usage of external equipment. Protocol: Information Seed was brought upon by the union of multiple Source Fragments and the aspect of a higher intelligence. The Adapter can selectively feed Warpcode and their data into this seed inorder to manifest new intelligence. The first two, I could more or less understand. It was the last one that I lacked any idea of. Focusing on the protocol however¡­ Information Seed Tier: 0 Development: 32% Current Focus: Data Mimicry; Persona [Twilight] Sub-Features: None So it was something to grow? Well, literally, it was a seed. Although why was it focused on Twilight? Or at least¡­ why did it say it was the union of multiple Source-Shard Fragments? Was it Ms. Himiko or¡­ Twi- no, that was impossible. I had seen Elsa¡¯s Features before. Moving my thoughts past that incredibly stupid line of thinking, I decided to toy with a little bit of what having a Database Feature meant. While I also wanted to try out Shardweave, I wasn¡¯t sure now was the best time since it seemed to be heavily dependent on my Warp Energy¡¯s Grade. These other guys were already having nightmares thinking a Bronze Tier II was sleeping next to them. So for now, I began to settle on figuring out what my Datasets could do. September 2nd Still no contact with Twilight, so I was getting a tad bit worried, but I didn¡¯t dwell on it too much. She could handle herself, she had protected me from a Gold Grade DataShield made of Fire Warpcode after all. In the meanwhile, by the Founders was having a Database function fun. It was like having an endless supply of hologames in your head that you could reprogram at a moment¡¯s notice. Each Dataset was a catalog of all my memories regarding the specific topics they were created for. The Shardware Dataset obviously contained all of the stored information regarding blueprints and theorems, but it also contained visual recollection of almost any procedure I had done before. When combined with Scrapyard, it was an insane boost to my cognitive faculties with just how much I could tinker without needing the metal in my hands. The Combat Dataset allowed me to replay all my previous bouts seamlessly, as well as containing detailed information regarding the various maneuvers me or my enemies had performed. Whereas the Dataweaving set let me exactly analyze the modifications I¡¯d made to Feature Links and Implants, allowing me a holistic approach to the topic in a way I never quite learned the intricacies of. Still¡­ It was all just a distraction. Seriously, where the hell was Twilight?! September 8th Another week passed by and my delves into my head went from a mere curiosity to an escape. This couldn¡¯t be good, Twilight or anyone really should have been able to contact me, but here I was all alone, unsure if my temporary stay here would become permanent once they find some bogus claim to tie me to. Or worse, a very real claim of Black Dragon Long¡¯s crimes. I¡¯d seen some of them now, with Defragmentation, the longer I connected to a BUG, the more I was able to peer into the depths of it¡¯s coded memory. His blade held up to the throat of a child, threatening their father to pay his debt, selling away living beings to the mercy of brothels and Shard-slaving operations, killing my ¡ª his ¡ª father to prove loyalty towards The Bladefather. I shuddered, I didn¡¯t know if the isolation was getting to me, but strangely I was feeling more and more compelled to try and test out the nanites. It was sheer will and hope that kept me going, it was only this odd feeling that Twilight was still with me through that Seed of Information which sated me. Steps drowned out the quiet chatter of my cell, heavy and pounding, we¡¯d learned those were the boots of a uniformed officer. Which meant someone was coming in, or going out. I was prepared for the worst at each passing day, but then when I saw the face of who entered¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure what to think. ¡°Diana?¡± I blinked at the silver haired woman who was certainly more¡­ I stopped myself from thinking those thoughts, I had a girlfriend. Several.It was just, she might not have looked all that different but the way she carried herself, the glint in her eyes was sharper, the air tingled at her appearance and her very presence in reality seemed more profound. Albeit, the natural beauty she¡¯d been born and mutated with now had an appeared more enigmatic, like scars had etched their way and were pulsing into me like a devouring flame. Fire. I could feel it burning within her. Alright, maybe I was a bit crazy¡­ but her hair definitely was more floaty, right? ¡°I¡¯m here to take you out, Ripley.¡± She looked¡­ displeased, but also strangely anticipatory as she spoke those words. ¡°Ripley?¡± One of the inmates asked in confusion. ¡°Isn¡¯t that Black Dragon Long?¡± I awkwardly laughed back. ¡°Just another one of my many aliases, now keep hush or I¡¯ll use my Necrotium Blade on you when you¡¯re out.¡± The prisoner shut up at that, and I fumbled my way through the door as Diana opened it. She was quiet as she walked ahead of me, the distance between us was tense ¡ª like static was building. There was a lot we had to talk about. Blood and Steel C116: Lawful Escort Chapter 116: Lawful escort Diana Ripley had¡­ certainly changed. It was ironic, knowing that for a brief period of time we both coexisted within cells. I wasn¡¯t sure if his time in isolation here was what made him like that or if it was whatever he had been up to on August 30th, but as I glanced back at him¡­ His Shardware was different, less robust, but something in the way he wielded them gave him an air of danger. Those eyes that had always seemed rusty now had a golden sharpness hiding within them, but despite that, he still seemed¡­ noticeably Ripley Donovick. But there was a depth to his soul that drowned everything I knew about him. I¡¯d seen the clips, he was Dreadwire. A Gold Grade mercenary even someone like the R0N1N relied on ¡ª a man who had instantly grown infamous throughout this city in one night. I''d seen the reports, their attack on Yuzhou was devastating but the corporation wasn''t willing to reveal the severity of it. A man who worked alongside the R0N1N... it itched at my heart to question if all this really was for his mother. It seemed too big of an attack. Although, when I made the choice to come and help him out on Twilight''s request, I was willing to give him them the benefit of the doubt. She''d figure out one way or another to get him out, and I bet as soon as he left these walls our records would be scrambled so there would be no evidence he was ever in there. Breaking the law like this didn''t come easy, but as it stood, he was the only other person dragged into this mess and I could relate to some of the crazy bullshit that he''d probably gone through. I could see it on his face. He seemed older. Stubble had grown across his face, and he had gained some muscle mass ¡ª be it artificial or organic ¡ª far away from the meek-looking Shard Op¡¯ I¡¯d seen three months ago. There was an undeniable edge to him, one of a man with a plan in mind. ¡°So why are you-¡° He began but I shut him up. ¡°Right now¡­¡± I whispered. ¡°I am an Investigator of the law escorting a wrongfully accused civilian out of the holding cell. I will not tolerate any unwanted chatter even if from a prior acquaintance. We are to uphold conduct within these walls.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Ripley Oh, I got what she meant. We could have unwanted attention watching us right now, most likely. Or there was some other threat that. So I sat down and went through the motions, noticing that the Datacube she used was of the same make and model as Mirage¡¯s typical brand. Ah, so that¡¯s how Diana found me. But why would Mirage go through her? ¡ª¡ª¡ª Diana Further away from the holding facility, I led Ripley over to the car Dryder had let me borrow. It wasn¡¯t paid with the price of luxury, but it was¡­ functional. Getting in, before I spoke, I tapped several buttons in the exact order the paranoid man had told me to, apparently, it activated some concealment protocols. Ripley, though, he stared at the car in awe. He rubbed the control panels like they were the second coming of The Founders. ¡°Uh¡­ who modded this?! It¡¯s remarkable!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a coworker¡¯s¡­¡± I responded. ¡°He¡¯s uh, letting me borrowing it for this errand.¡± ¡°Right, right.¡± Ripley nodded, still dazed. ¡°So how¡¯d you find me?¡± ¡°Your¡­¡± I paused. ¡°Girlfriends couldn¡¯t contact you, apparently there was some weird signal blocking them out. They contacted me instead to see if I could figure what was up with you, I was honestly surprised they even trusted me enough to do it.¡± ¡°Last I heard you were¡­¡± Ripley droned on, and my grip on the steering wheel got a little bit tighter. ¡°Yeah. Soul Killer got me.¡± I responded bitterly, I don¡¯t know why I felt so strongly about¡­ being sidelined, but I was. I had started to trust Ripley and now¡­ maybe it was wrong of me, but he¡¯d risked his life for me once before and now he switched up all of a sudden. But maybe his circumstances called for it, and I was in a dangerous situation. It would have been stupid for him to rush after me, just as it had been for Anthony, but... I needed confirmation. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you¡­?¡± ¡°You probably put two and two together, hell, you saw my Claws already with that golden wire. You know I¡¯m Dreadwire, I already had a prior engagement with Missy. But also, honestly¡­¡± Ripley smirked in the rear mirror. ¡°Anthony¡¯s a shit negotiator.¡± My thoughts turned quiet, before they blew up like thunder. ¡°Don¡¯t fucking talk about him like that!¡± I hissed, my grip on the wheel cracked the plastic, but I forced my breathing to ease as I saw Ripley visibly taken aback by me. ¡°I¡­ a lot has happened and¡­ well¡­ Anthony¡¯s in a coma.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Ripley Hearing those words, I wanted to punch myself and tear my brain out of a shattered frontal bone with my claws. Sinking deeper into my chair, I was beginning to realize that maybe by refusing to help Anthony I had¡­ no, it wasn¡¯t my fault. None of what happened to Diana was my fault. But the fact was, I made a choice. The choice not to blindly charge into the unknown, and that was my reason. ¡°It was dangerous Diana, not like when I went in to fight Metal Heavens. You¡¯re talking about The Uncaged, you were kidnapped by them. And I had a responsibility I¡¯d dedicated myself to before, one that¡­ could seriously help my mother.¡± ¡°Are you telling the truth? It was for your mother?¡± Diana stared me down through the mirror. ¡°Honestly, no.¡± I shook my head. ¡°My mother probably doesn¡¯t want me to do any of this, she¡¯s said she¡¯s content with dying before. But I¡¯m not, I want her to live¡­ I¡¯m doing this for me, out of my selfish desire to have the life that I want. And a huge part of that is my family¡­ I can¡¯t let her die. I''m willing to do what it takes.¡± Diana stayed quiet through all of that, but her eyes dimmed the longer I spoke. As she turned a corner, her voice settled with a heavy sigh. ¡°I¡­ I get what you mean, just keep civilians out of it and I''m willing to turn... a blind eye. I¡¯m sorry for bursting out.¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry too, honestly¡­ I can¡¯t even imagine what you went through.¡± I looked at her, trying to console her with my eyes but unsure of how to even begin. ¡°The bastard held me in one of their¡­ farms.¡± She staggered out, her eyes becoming unfocused like memories were tearing her focus away. ¡°The Uncaged, they¡¯re fucking evil. Ripley. Soul Killer¡¯s¡­ some of sort of psionic hivemind with a fetish for mutations and¡­ MALs. They had me fighting MALs. They could make them out of corpses.¡± That¡­ was a lot of information. I held myself back for the moment to ask her in further detail, instead choosing to make my own revelations. ¡°I really wish I could have helped you¡­ but I did find out more about our Implants from Ms. Himiko. During the heist¡­ I¡­ plugged up to the network and she got into my head, she said she spoke to you as well.¡± Diana braked the car suddenly. ¡°She¡­ she did. At the auction where¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I took a deep breath in, ready to say the big thing. ¡°Our Implant probably comes from a descendant of a MALtitan.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Diana The second Ripley said those words, everything clicked together. ¡°You mean The Infinite?¡± ¡°How¡¯d you guess?¡± Ripley looked at me in surprise. ¡°At that auction they sold MALtitan bits for billions. I felt a weird¡­ resonance to The Infinite. Like it was calling for me, sort of the same as when I¡¯m near you.¡± Just as I said that I could feel a part of his¡­ Energy reacting like it was calling for mine. It felt so malleable to his thoughts, the slightest shift in him echoed through the waves of Gold running through his nerves. And yet, I felt some strange comfort in his presence, despite the time we spent to our own devices¡­ that Energy was honest. And I could tell that right now, he was genuine with his remorse. ¡°Like¡­¡± Ripley said exactly what I was thinking. ¡°A part of you is missing.¡± He then said something else that garnered my interest. ¡°My mom said that Dual Adapters are only stable when both of their Implants come from the same MALignant. If you felt a similar resonance to the MALtitan then¡­ I guess that confirms it, we have a shared Source-Shard Fragment. I think so, at least.¡± The Source, I needed to know more. ¡°What do you know about it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an authority or¡­ power of some kind. Creates Deviant Mutations in SIM Adapters and Unique Features in BUG Adapters. By the way, a Deviant Gene is a Mutation that stays at a Gene Capacitance of 1. You have anything like that?¡± ¡°I do, I think Soul Killer brought up the term a few times.¡± I said quickly. ¡°And you have a Unique Feature then.¡± He nodded, and for a brief moment silence filled the car. Then we both spoke simultaneously. ¡°I can absorb any mutagenic material without lasting consequences.¡± ¡°My BUG allows me to absorb and focus Warpcode into mimicking a new Feature.¡± ¡­ ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Ripley We¡¯d trusted each other just a tiny bit more as we explained in more detail how our Implants worked. ¡°So you can mimic Features?¡± She said, and I went a little further than I admitted as I told her how I''d begun to also alter BUGs to create specialized modules for my mimicry and that it let me focus my development on one key area at a time. Her eyes had a peculiar glint as I described the minutiae of Warpcode Manipulation within Implants. I also spoke, in brief, that I''d gained a second Unique Feature in Shardweave but hadn''t quite figured it out yet. ¡°Hold up, you can manipulate another person¡¯s Mutations?" I asked in return, and she wasn''t sure, it had started with Unstable Biology and developed into an enhancement of synergy between her Mutations before it became consuming Mutagenic Material and resources... until it eventually became some weird sense she claimed to have about others Warp Energy. The conversation went on for a long time as she drove to my apartment building, as we compared and contrasted the exact natures of our Implants to determine their shared causality. At first, we thought they were simply to absorb. But some of our various abilities weren¡¯t directly linked to that. Diana had started out gaining extra Meta-Mutations, whereas I was only able to mimic Features. Only after we both needed external sources of Warp Resources did we develop those faculties to make more of the resources we needed. Our final conclusion ended up being the same one I¡¯d first come to back in Ms. Himiko¡¯s digital subspace. The nature of our BUGs, of whatever our Source was, had to do with the ability to grow. To adapt."To..." We both began, and the same word crossed our lips. "Change." That power of The Infinite¡¯s ever shifting form but molded down for human scale. But at this point, we were anything but human. As we continued conversing, we began to share the stories of what we were up to. I didn''t quite tell her about Goliath''s presence inside of me, but that The R0N1N had orchestrated the heist to take away what was frankly a terrifying bio-weapon. She seemed relieved before telling meof Soul Killer, the nature of their terrifying mutation and the ability to steal the bodies of others through pollen extracted in red spider lily flower. And how she had met the Dogwhistler controlling another individual as well. The worst part was how she had described that the Soulless could become MALformed in a moment using a vial containing a concoction of crimson liquid where those flowers were concentrated.An injection into an Implant... the hibernating presence of Soul-Death. It was exactly what I saw back with Nathaniel, the homeless man who had been a pawn for Dogwhistler. Every word of hers had an ember of rage and despair burning out of her, the fiery drive that spilt from her speech reacted with my heart and strangely made me more compulsive into¡­ wanting to do something. But what could we do? ¡°Shit.¡± We both came to the same conclusion. The Uncaged had an expert each in BUG and SIM Implants in The Dogwhistler and Soul Killer, if aimed to eventually learn how to control the MAL themselves¡­ If that were to ever happen then Founders, it was terrifying. But what was I going to do about it? As it stood¡­ while I didn¡¯t like The Uncaged, I wasn¡¯t going to wage war against them¡­ but just thinking about what they could do¡­ I didn¡¯t know, not yet. My focus was my family. It was my mother¡­ and it was Elsa and her Personas. Maybe Diamante and Missy. Truth is, I¡¯d come to care about people who were putting their lives in danger¡­ and¡­ I had enough people. For most of my life, it had only been me and my mom, Hoaqin too and¡­ Just them. And although I wanted to say more to Diana, we¡¯d reached my building complex. I stared at it for a long time, scared for what I would be returning to. ¡°Hey Ripley¡­¡± Diana sighed. ¡°We have to¡­ work together for this. But I¡¯m going to be honest. I don¡¯t think we should be¡­ too friendly. Not if we have this strange compulsion to kill each other or¡­ I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s weird.¡± ¡°Everything is weird.¡± I agreed. ¡°And yeah, I think that colleagues work best for us.¡± ¡°Right.¡± She smiled meekly. ¡°Before you go, take my new Sigil ID, it¡¯s what my um¡­ Soul Killer-killing friend made for my more¡­ undercover operations.¡± An invite was sent along the view of my lenses for the identity of a Lillian Rose, and I accepted it, returning her with my own Dreadwire ID. ¡°Huh¡­ one more thing Ripley.¡± She tapped my arm, before her eyes briefly went out of focus. I also felt something, a deep surge of pain and wanting recompense. Wanting to burn. She pulled her hand back. ¡°When you¡¯re¡­ done with saving your mother. Become a police-contracted Mercenary for the Swarm¡­ otherwise I¡­ I don¡¯t want us to become enemies.¡± I thought of it for a long time in my head, but only smirked. ¡°Well then I¡¯ll need to think of what you should do once Anthony¡¯s back and running.¡± Diana¡¯s lips faltered for a moment, and I wasn¡¯t sure if I said the right thing or not when all she responded with was. ¡°Goodbye, Ripley.¡± ¡­ ¡°Goodbye Diana.¡± And so, I returned home, knocking the door so that my mother could- Diamante opened it, the crimson lenses of his eyes searing with the intensity in them, and inside the room were Missy, Elsa¡­ and my mother - unconscious and on the couch. A biomonitor and IV drip were attached to her, a steady pulse of her heartrate coming slowly - too slowly. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Diana I didn¡¯t drive away immediately. Instead, my hands reached for the Silver Nexus SIM in my pockets. Ripley had said he had done one thing I had no capacity for¡­ manipulate a BUG by combining their qualities. But¡­ what could he do to a SIM? Blood and Steel C117: Unstable Condition Chapter 117: Unstable Condition SurfaceNet Article by NewCalifornia Times on: Massive MAL-trade and human trafficking ring closed. On September 5th, the Westcrook Police¡¯s First Precinct revealed a successful investigation on esteemed Haitham Six-star winning chef, Simon Jugosla, where it was found that he coordinated a massive human trafficking operation alongside the trade of MALformed for the purposes of underground culinary services. While no clients have yet been revealed, Anabelle Grazhe, Lieutenant of the First Precinct gave this statement: ¡°We are working hard to collect all the necessary evidence on his conspirants, we will not rest until they are given the justice he ran away from.¡± Simon Jugosla, aged 34, was best known for his appearance on the ¡®Ricky Tremble Show¡¯ where he gained early fame as a Netstar personality and opening his own restaurant, Jugostar, at the Grand Millenium hotel. In 2492, he had a previous altercation where he was found guilty of providing personal chef services where he prepared unlicensed MAL-flesh cuisine for several client, but had since recovered and maintained his appearance as a chef. According to police reports, Third-Investigator Diana Jones of the Intelligence Department had successfully infiltrated his inner circle, gaining access to his services where she documented and complied evidence of his actions, trafficking orphans and homeless individuals as well as the illegal farming of MALformed. Details of her four-week undercover stint remain unclear, with police reports only stating that Second-Investigator Anthony Grazhe had intervened, resulting in permanent injury that has left him unable to resume his duties for the time being. Investigator Jones has refused to make a statement about this case, however, Lieutenant Grazhe has confirmed that further details will be revealed at the bi-annual Police Conference on Septmeber 21st. 5:23 PM September 8th Ripley My mom¡­ why was she¡­ what? ¡°Ripley!¡± Diamante hissed. ¡°Where the hell have you been?! What were you thinking!¡± ¡°Forget that!¡± I pushed past him. ¡°What happened to my mother?!¡± Missy held my shoulder back from crowding at my mom¡¯s bed, stiffly, but not aggressively. ¡°She¡¯s stable¡­ it¡¯s just that¡­¡± ¡°She overexerted herself trying to get the Arachnodyne running.¡± Diamante said with finality. ¡°Then you up and get yourself arrested and send her into a frenzy, but why?¡± ¡°Maybe because I was carrying the goddamn superweapon a Gold Grade Mercenary was paying millions for in my goddamn blood!¡± I retorted back. ¡°I was expecting you guys to help me there!¡± ¡°We did.¡± Elsa spoke from behind me, she looked¡­ stressed. ¡°Daylight and Midnight spent hours trying to get into your system, but it¡¯s completely locked to us, it¡¯s like your entire signature changed so fundamentally that we couldn¡¯t even establish a communication protocol! What the hell happened to you Ripley?!¡± ¡°A lot of things.¡± I muttered weakly, sitting down by the foot of the mattress my mother was on. ¡°Just¡­ I¡¯ll explain it all, someone just catch me up on this first!¡± Silence bored through the room, but it was Missy who found the courage to say it first. ¡°Your mother, you don¡¯t have as much time as you thought you did¡­ I wanted to open my mouth to say something, but my thoughts ¡ª even if I could think several times quicker than a normal human ¡ª failed to form. Elsa just held my arm tenderly, our steel rubbing against one another in a way that warmed me amidst the cold sinking in my chest. Diamante spoke with the tension of steel chord one gram away from breaking. ¡°When you¡­ got yourself arrested, we couldn¡¯t track you or Twilight for several days. So I came here, thought you cooped up with some fancy concealment tech, only I found your mother wheezing on the floor.¡± Elsa spoke while holding my hand. ¡°We brought a doctor as soon as possible¡­ it¡¯s¡­ the exposure. She was in too much proximity to high Grade Energy while you guys were workshopping the Arachnodyne, it¡¯s a rare reaction even to those with Warp Poisoning, we never would have expected it.¡± ¡°How much worse is it¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t stop the tears from coming down, but Elsa only held me tighter. ¡°She won¡¯t be able to walk soon.¡± Missy put her hand on my shoulder. ¡°In a few months¡­ paresis of all four limbs. I think you know what happens after that.¡± Warp poisoning made her lose function of her nervous system, first it was her left eye, then a year ago she lost the ability to taste and smell. One by one, her limbs would fail, then she would forget how to eat, how to breathe, until finally her vagus nerve would fail and her heart stops beating. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. My brain did the calculations, it was easier than ever. I could have probably diagnosed her myself. By March of next year, she would most likely be dead. Six months. I thought I had years. Years. Everything that should have taken me hours to process only took me minutes, my mouth finding the right thing to say, the only thing I could say to them. ¡°I need your help.¡± The silence didn¡¯t last long because my mother was the one to speak, her voice tired but wonderful all the same as she opened her eye to me. ¡°Why do you think they¡¯re here, dummy?¡± Missy pat me. ¡°A fresh Silver¡¯s the rarest it¡¯s ever been right now. For her to survive she¡¯ll need an Implant with over 65% Compatibility, that¡¯s going to cost you-¡° I knew the cost. ¡°Around 3.5 Million Shardyne, almost the highest it can go for a Silver.¡± Diamante continued. "Even then, having had two Implants... chances of her finding one with that sort of compatibility are about one-in-forty, and Silvers don''t pop up in the market frequently. Since the year''s start, maybe only twenty-three have been served out on Little Requiem''s black market." Elsa stared at me with wet eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve already put in applications with vendors. The chances of what you¡¯ll want are already low¡­ but we won''t stop looking. I promise you, Ripley, I''m... I''ll do everything to help you." ¡°I¡¯ll make it happen.¡± I declared, wiping my snot off. Look for an Implant? That was the stupid decision, I had the power to rewrite them. ¡°I¡¯ll make the Implant myself if I have to. I¡¯ll change this fucked up fate.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª September 21st [Semiannual Westbrook First Precinct Conference] Diana It was the second time I attended one of these knowing I would be promoted. That much was set in stone. What should be a proud moment for me was instead harrowed in a loneliness I hadn¡¯t felt like this since the days I was homeless on the streets of this district. In ways, at least I had the cold back then to distract me. Here, surrounded by thousands of like minded police members in which any one of them could be Soul Killer¡­ I would love to take my mind off of it. But Dryder needed someone on the inside, needed someone close to the heart of it all. Soul Killer had tangled their overgrowing vines for almost a century, slowly evolving into the disgusting creature they are. Strike the heart. I nestled the Nexus SIM in my pocket, feeling the thin strands of corrupted Titanium within, searching among the crowds to find this same vile source. I didn¡¯t feel a thing right now, everything was scattered and overwhelming. Hell, I¡¯m pretty sure my heart had frozen over the last few weeks out of that hellhole. Choirmen sat to my right, another guaranteed promotion to certify his position as the new Deputy Squad Leader under SI Risa Wickett. He deserved it. I didn¡¯t feel like I did. ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault.¡± Choirmen nudged me from the side, his eyes laced under drink. ¡°Honestly¡­ might as well have been mine. I should have noticed the pressure he was under with you gone, should have figured he knew more about what you were going through than I did¡­ and I pushed him. Maybe over the edge.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not losing hope yet.¡± I sniffled back the emotions of my failure. ¡°That¡¯s how you show it, Diana¡­ gotta say, really missed having you around. It¡¯s a shame you¡¯re leaving when I¡¯m finally in charge.¡± ¡°Yeah, well I¡¯m going to hate the process of getting used to a new team all over again.¡± I took some drink of my own, not feeling a damn thing as a Tier II. ¡°Join us for some drinks a few times, Diana.¡± Chorimen laughed. ¡°Tell us all about the glory you¡¯ll have in an elite spec ops unit.¡± ¡°Please, I¡¯m only going to become a Second-Rank.¡± I brushed it off, hoping that beyond some miracle¡­ I¡¯d stay exactly where I was. Because as much as I had bad memories in this squad, it was the same squad where I had memories of Anthony. ¡±Oh shit, they¡¯re starting.¡± Choirmen stretched, his veins popping up as his blood redoubled to lower the alcohol concentration in his body. Various Staff Sergeants and other bigwigs in our District made their speeches, talking about the progress they had made in their districts over the last six months, many complementing the new lieutenant and her endeavors to take after her late father. Some even paid respects for the loss of her nephew, calling him a martyr like these same arrogant snobs weren¡¯t the ones badmouthing him at every turn. Finally, came the Lieutenant¡¯s and after hers would come the promotion speeches. Anabelle Grazhe was far from that hollowed out disarray of a human I saw last time. Here, she radiated authority and respect in her navy blue uniform. Each syllable tinged with her power to strike into us. Even I felt shaken by it. ¡°The last three months have been difficult for this District, from unprecedented MAL attacks and a rise in gang violence, to blatant terrorism after my late father¡¯s death. Truly, my father would have been honored to know how much the criminal world relished his passing.¡± A wave of laughter rose up, even I snickered. ¡°This District has not been the same since the earthquake nearly 60 years ago. I would have loved to know what we were like back then, I¡¯m sure many of you probably have relatives with their tales of prosperity¡­ Alas, this time is not to contemplate on a past we have never lived, it is to plan for the future we can forge. The devils of the underworld live under our fingers, snaking their way through to overtake what we hold dear. It is up to us to stop them¡­ yet they are not the only devils in our world.¡± Everyone knew what she was bringing up. ¡°The MALswarm is set to become active between May of 2500 and April of 2501. To many, that is a number they had been dreading for decades, to others it was a known fact for your lifetime. As a child, my father had raised me for two wars. One among humanity, and the other among the creatures who predate upon humanity. In times like this, cruelty can be your strength. Even kindness may be a sword to the right foe, but the most crucial weapon will always be your Implants¡­ without them, our lives dangle to the whims of inhumanity.¡± A smile crept up on her. ¡±For that very reason, a special guest has joined us today.¡± She took a step back, as a new figure approached on stage. My hair stood on edge before I even saw him, because I felt him. The Titanium Warp Energy wreathed through his very being, a man who I¡¯d heard so many things about, whose pale blonde hair and beard framed a perfectly square face with sharp silver eyes. He tapped the microphone, announcing his name to all, but his eyes caught mine and he smiled. ¡°Hello everyone, for those who don¡¯t know me, my name is Brian Ulrich.¡± Blood and Steel C118: The Haploid Donator Chapter 118: The Haploid Donator Diana Brian Ulrich. My biological father. Here on stage at the semiannual conference for our precinct. This was beyond unprecedented, my father worked for New California as a whole, he wasn¡¯t the type to make a visit to a relatively small meeting like this unless¡­ it was going to impact New california as a whole. His eyes only met mine for a brief second before he turned his gaze to the rest of the captivated audience, their attention hooked as his lips moved to reveal a voice no less impactful than Annabelle¡¯s. ¡°New California is my city, although I may be an immigrant, I would die and bleed for this nation and I very well intend to when the Swarm reveals itself. The fall of our brethren to the East one century ago brought havoc across the continent, a refugee crisis crippled our infrastructure for a decade and that was before the damned earthquake hit us! ¡°Nature¡­ is a cruel mistress. And it continues to move forward without us, and so we must make our sacrifices to thrive onwards, pledging our souls to the humanity within each of us, letting our struggles pave the way forward through the death of those inglorious invaders! For that is the only way we may prosper against the whims of bastard aliens!¡± The crowd roared in agreement, even Choirmen gave a ¡®huphup¡¯. It was obnoxious. ¡°New California stands as the only remaining Free City in North America now, and we hold a much larger populace than SynTec¡¯s New Port City along the North-East Coastline. I don¡¯t need to spell out that means for you all, you¡¯ve been dreading it as much as I have. The Infinite¡¯s gaze is upon us.¡± The reactions faltered at the word of the MALtitan¡­ why would anyone want to acknowledge a terrible and certain death approaching us. ¡°Alas, as many of you know, I was once a member of NeoCore¡¯s advisory council on behalf of SynTec. Now I stand before you as the Corporate Advisor for this great and Free City! For what good is wisdom when you are not free to use it! So as the years passed by, I toiled to bring my dream to fruition, to build a bastion of peace within this very district wrought in chaos. And for that I have earned a declaration from not one¡­ but two Founders.¡± The room went silent at that. The Founders had¡­ declared something for Westbrook? With a snap of his fingers, light shone as a sprawling of text. ¡°Here, it reads¡­ New California has undergone reevaluation for the dual MALtitan threat posed in the forms of The Infinite last seen in The Floridian Gulf, and The Typhoon which remains dormant within the Pacific Ocean. In view of this, New California has been declared a Class VII priority target for the MALswarm. Current analysis indicates a complete eradication of the city and its populace of 387,000,000. Such a catastrophic loss to Humanity cannot be allowed. Declared by The Founder of Neocore, Michelle Silvha, and The Founder of The Free Cities, Beauregard Mazhyr, New California ¡ª and in particular it¡¯s District known as Westbrook ¡ª will be receiving aid in the form of a donation of Implants and NeoCore personnel who will involve themselves within the defense of New California. The exact donation entails approximately 100,000 Iron Implants, 20,000 Bronze Implants, 600 Silver Implants and 6 Gold Implants to the city, of which 60% will be directly assigned to Westbrook. Alongside this, the Lieutenants of Westbrook¡¯s first three precincts shall all be raised to Gold Grade before the Swarm is to commence.¡± To say awe had struck the crowd was an understatement. The sheer value in those Implants was¡­ enormous. It was definitely several billions of Shardyne just tossed our way. And to have direct NeoCore support in Westbrook? That was something only the Corporate Nations recieved. But my entire body shivered, with that many Implants¡­ it would be so easy for Soul Killer to sneak their own into the mix. I didn¡¯t know if this was something they planned or not, this was too large of a scale to simply be caused by them. They didn¡¯t have the ability to convince a Founder, let alone multiple to do this. That was a fact. Which meant that what was happening right now, was historic in it¡¯s own right. ¡°This investment into the city¡¯s defenses will no doubt benefit us all.¡± Brian Ulrich¡­ my biological father said once we absorbed the fact. ¡°In fact, it has already benefitted us. You see¡­ your Lieutenant Anabelle Grazhe isn¡¯t the only one whose making her father proud. There¡¯s another very special person among you who has taken it upon herself to prove that she was worthy of the gift she gained on her own merits. You see, she wanted to prove herself against all the odds, even if that meant going against me¡­¡± No. ¡°The truth is, my daughter has been working among your fine crop. Some of you might have even heard that she has a Silver Implant, but the truth is, she wields a Gold SIM. We waited, the lieutenant and I, until she would be strong enough to use it without being threatened by those coveting it. And now, she¡¯s shown herself capable of singlehandedly dismantling conspiracies that have riddled this district for decades. Diana Ulrich, may you please.¡± Choirmen snorted at me. ¡°There¡¯s another Diana here?¡± The fire within me stirred, but for the first time in weeks, I was thinking clearly. My mind acted on it¡¯s own will, as I stood up with a proud smile and stared at my ¡®father¡¯. All around me, were those who wanted to use me. Well then, it¡¯s about time I started using them back. They wanted me to be Diana Ulrich, then fine, I¡¯ll become the spearhead they want me to. I¡¯ll make Soul Killer bleed until they have no choice but to acknowledge that bastard. Walking confidently, I moved onto the stage alongside my father and the lieutenant. My father smiled at me, that same business-like smile he always had ¡ª and I mirrored him. He raised his arm to the microphone, and I obliged, my words streaming effortlessly. ¡°That¡¯s right. My name is¡­ Diana Ulrich, and it¡¯s honestly embarassing having that secret revealed like this. Some of you already knew this about me, I¡¯m sure. But to those who didn¡¯t¡­ I¡¯m grateful I had the opportunity to act without being treated differently. Recently, I took it upon myself to lurk within Westbrook¡¯s elite criminal society, where I uncovered decades of conspiracy threatening us to the core¡­ ¡°But. Their secrets were not enough to keep them safe, Simon Jugosla is one of many who has met their deserved justice. Those who live in the shadows do not bide well in the light. It is our duty to firsthand prune the corruption that has permeated our city and district, to bring an end to that which threatens the stability of our society. They see our great civilizations as a cage, and they won¡¯t stop until they break out of them. They sow the seeds of chaos within our files, but we aren¡¯t so weak, are we? We don¡¯t have the leniency to be vulnerable in times like this¡­ not when there are those who will gladly reap our souls. Both inside and outside of this city. ¡°This District will stand. It will prosper. And let all who stand in our way know that the Fifth Swarm will only strengthen us, that it will reveal the weeds festering in our shaded corners. And they shall burn in the light of their injustices. We stand together, and we stand proudly, citizens of Westbrook and New California.¡± The stunning silence hung in the air, many of them obviously still captivated by the fact that had one of their executive¡¯s daughter working among them. Some whom dug deep into my message, those who understood why I said what I had. I¡¯d basically blatantly revealed that there was a darker presence within our District, from mentioning broken cages to the method in which Soul Killer spreads his mutation through alluding to plants¡­ But most of them wouldn¡¯t open their eyes to that fact. To them, they only understood that I was important due to my family. And importance equated an applause. I took it in stride, smiling and waving my hand to them all. Those of my old squad looked the most surprised, but were clapping the hardest. News reporters snapped their pictures of me, some trying to break through the cheers to get me to say more. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. My father patted my shoulder, his smile never failing for a moment as he grabbed the microphone. ¡°Smart.¡± He whispered into my ear. ¡°You got that from me.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± I faked my smile back. I took my stand next to the Lieutenant who gave me an approving nod. Once the quiet resumed, my father began speaking again. ¡°I couldn¡¯t be more proud to have her¡­ and with that, I think it¡¯s time we began to detail the achievements of our Investigators who have long deserved to move up in their ranks. Although, forgive my excitement, but I won¡¯t be starting with the new Special Investigators. Instead, I would like to personally grant my daughter her promotion up not one, but two ranks.¡± Wait. ¡°Diana Ulrich is hereby a First Class Investigator, with the designation of Associate Special Investigator.¡± Associate Special Investigator? That wasn¡¯t possible, the first step to becoming a Special Investigator was to apply as a First Rank in which you would only get the associate title if the Liutenant themselves saw you worthy of it after a lengthy application process¡­ but, needless to say, I never applied. ¡°And is the newest recruit of the Westbrook¡¯s Special Intelligence Operation Unit.¡± Oh shit. I might have skipped a few steps, because now I would be working at the very top of my precinct. And here I was hoping the nepotism had ended. ¡ª¡ª¡ª I hadn¡¯t gone back to my table, but rather once the medals were given and the promotions of the other Investigators settled, I immediately walked up to Brian Ulrich and pleasantly demanded a private audience. And so, here we are inside this quiet little office. My biological father leaned his feet on the table like he owned the place. Honestly, he might as well have. ¡°So that was your plan? Huh?¡± He began. ¡°Real nice wordplay, spreading seeds, cages being broken. Wow, good job scaring those who know too much.¡± ¡°Soul Killer took me, I heard you helped. Though¡­ you kind of fucked things up.¡± It was because of him that Royce Keagan ¡ª if Dryder was right ¡ª brought Anthony to the animal sanctuary. But it was because Dryder was spying on Anthony that I had been saved in the first place. ¡°Right.¡± He clicked his tongue. ¡°Keagan¡¯s alive, SK ain¡¯t that stupid. We talked for a bit and they told me they were going to let you go.¡± ¡°And you believed them?¡± ¡°Hell no.¡± ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you-¡° ¡°Did you want me to help you or not, Diana? Make up your damn mind.¡± I folded my arms. ¡°I didn¡¯t want Anthony involved.¡± ¡°Well he was our only lead.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t you know more about The Uncaged than we do?¡± He shrugged. ¡°The Uncaged are the enemies of The Corporate Nations. Not us.¡± ¡°Well from what I¡¯m seeing, it doesn¡¯t help that they¡¯re basically feeding on us.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t matter soon enough, with the Fifth Swarm those casualties will be miniscule when compared to what¡¯s to come.¡± He settled his eyes on me, drawing a sense of seriousness on them. I was more frustrated than ever. ¡°So what, you¡¯re letting them do what they want?!¡± ¡°Not¡­ exactly. They¡¯ve been working their little hands into this city from before I was ever transferred here. By the time I began working my magic, it was too much of a bother to, as you said, burn them out.¡± ¡°So then you are letting them do¡­ whatever they want?¡± ¡°Like hell I am, obviously, I told Soul Killer to let you go when Keagan was taken by them. Surprisingly the bastard didn¡¯t ask for anything¡­ but they did mention something interesting.¡± I let hope grow in me, as stupid as it was. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That you chose to go by the name Silvereye.¡± Brian Ulrich chuckled. ¡°Now that¡¯s a marketable name. I¡¯ve already gotten the trademark, just need to work on getting you a few affiliate deals and you¡¯ll be great for our economy and military. Get you in a photoshoot, and I guarantee we¡¯ll be seeing an up in police recruits!¡± ¡°Are you¡­ fucking kidding me.¡± I wanted to shoot him in the face. ¡°You¡¯re going to market me as some¡­ poster girl?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± He snapped his fingers. ¡°You¡¯re an Ulrich, you¡¯re Gold, you got the looks and the style and you just made headlines with the case of Simon Jugosla. You¡¯ll be a celebrity by tomorrow morning, a living and walking heroine for this city to believe in, for them to¡­ invest in. Way better than the initial ¡®making you an actress¡¯ idea, you really outdid yourself.¡± Oh this smug bastard¡­ ¡°Hah, you cunt. So that¡¯s your fucking priority? Still clinging on to losing mayorship? You¡¯re not going to do shit about The Uncaged?¡± He remained calm and collected. ¡°Funny you mention that, because it¡¯s not me whose giving them free reign, it¡¯s the very mayor I lost to. Johan Trask¡­ recognize that last name?¡± ¡±Trask. Of course, the rebel grandson of Nolan Trask, Founder of SynTec.¡± ¡°Oh please, the old man¡¯s the furthest thing from a rebel, you know how those ancient kingdoms had vassal states and all? Well, spoiler alert, that¡¯s basically what New California is for SynTec¡­ to a certain degree. Yuzhou¡¯s got their mitten on us too ¡ª don¡¯t even get me started on how it was before the civil war, I¡¯ve basically been the mediator between them for the last few decades in this unspoken conflict of theirs.¡± My father, if there was anyone in this city who was wise to what the corporate nations were doing, it was him. He was the damn advisor to our government about them anyway. ¡°Where was I?¡± He tapped his temple. ¡°Ah yes, The Uncaged really aren¡¯t my business, and they shouldn¡¯t be yours as well. They¡¯re planning their own war against the Corp-nations in our gutters, and as long as they stay there it won¡¯t matter to us.¡± ¡°Well it¡¯s a bit late for that, Soul Killer¡¯s infected the-¡° ¡°Lieutenant. Yes, we¡¯ve known for a long while, her father did too. Alongside that, there¡¯s a different Mutation they use to rewrite her memories so she doesn¡¯t know it, keeps her away from what happened to her sister too. Don¡¯t worry your head too much about it, she¡¯s barely even in charge in the first place ¡ª we just use her identity as a Grazhe to keep the peace. Besides, Soul Killer¡¯s hold on her is already a little shaky. Think the police building doesn¡¯t have anti-psionic countermeasures installed?¡± ¡°Then¡­ you¡¯re not making any sense.¡± ¡°Soul Killer¡¯s whole thing is that they¡¯re just frankly curious and endless in their pursuit of the secrets of MALkind, the whole controlling other¡¯s minds is just a way for them to improve¡­ productivity. You¡¯d be shaking in your boots if you think the Founders aren¡¯t doing more of the same and hell, The Uncaged are anti-Founder. Sure the unfortunate of us are their little test subjects, but we aren¡¯t on the receiving ends of their-¡° ¡°They were planning on destroying the precinct itself! You know this little Implant in my head, guess where it¡¯s MAL was supposed to end up! Here!¡± ¡°Hm¡­ now that I didn¡¯t know.¡± My father placed more of his weight onto the chair. ¡°Well the lieutenant did, guess she didn¡¯t tell you now, did she?¡± His eyes met mine evenly. ¡°Not to me, no. Still, the destruction of the precinct? Now that¡¯s interesting, why commit to years of inaction before suddenly¡­ ah, so that¡¯s how it is.¡± ¡°How what is?¡± ¡°They wanted NeoCore to come here.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°And it¡¯s worked.¡± He mused. ¡°That explains a lot.¡± ¡°Explains what?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange? How an Enforcer and more importantly, an Inquisitor were on standby to take down your MAL? Sure, they have a few agents scattered here and there, but those Tusk and Archangel were called in from SynTec territory a few weeks before the MAL attacked. Arriving¡­ just in time.¡± ¡°How on earth could they have been baited before the MAL even attacked?¡± ¡°NeoCore¡¯s founder is known for her peerless insight, it¡¯s common knowledge that she has clairvoyant abilities of a sort, many people believe that it¡¯s an advanced form of prediction based on information-processing that works on a scale unimaginable to us. I, however¡­ know that it¡¯s actually the ability to peer into, let¡¯s call them, alternate timelines.¡± ¡°¡­what?¡± ¡°Haha! Oh you¡¯re only scratching the surface of what humanity has done in the last four centuries. This place is primitive compared to Sanctuary. A Fourth-world country, you could say. But moving on, if what you said was right, then The Uncaged wanted NeoCore here for a reason, and¡­ huh, it appeared to prompt them enough into sending additional reinforcements to the city.¡± ¡°So they were responsible in a way for bringing us those Implants.¡± ¡°It seems so.¡± He puckered his lips. ¡°How curious¡­ it appears that they want Westbrook safely guarded from the MALswarm, a shame¡­ some of my colleagues were touting a different plan for the District.¡± Everything he said didn¡¯t make any sense. ¡°A different plan?¡± ¡°Nothing much, just a redevelopment timeline post-swarm. This District is the most vulnerable, so don¡¯t be surprised that we weren¡¯t willing to bet on it¡¯s survival.¡± ¡°You really seem to have a thing for letting people die.¡± I gnashed my teeth, trying to stuff down all the hate I had. ¡°Diana¡­ I¡¯m a Titanium Tier III SIM Adapter. I¡¯ll live for another two hundred years, many of my peers will. And I didn¡¯t get this strength by rebelling against The Founders¡­¡± He suddenly grew quiet, and his face twitched, like he was in pain. ¡°At least, not openly. My plans, and especially The Founders, run on the scale of centuries. Do you know how quickly humans can repopulate given they have enough food? We really like fucking. Post-Fourth Swarm had the world at a population of 4 billion people, for this Swarm we have 9. People die when they¡¯re weak, that¡¯s the cycle of life, but they grow back.¡± ¡°That still doesn¡¯t warrant all of this meaningless slaughter you¡¯re allowing!¡± ¡°Nothing is meaningless. You learn that with age, the smallest of threats can grow into forces of destruction, I¡¯m not stupid. Yes, The Uncaged are dangerous, but so are The Founders. And their plans for this city. We need to play on both sides if we¡¯re going to survive.¡± ¡°What now? What plans?!¡± He stayed silent for a moment, before enunciating his next sentence with a tap on the table. ¡°A MALtitan.¡± ¡°A¡­ MALtitan?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s The Infinite or The Typhoon, but NeoCore¡­ Yuzhou, SynTec, they¡¯re taking a risk that could change the world ¡ª and it starts here.¡± He laughed, and for the first time I got the sense that he wasn¡¯t so confident about himself. I¡­ I think I understood what he saying. ¡°Whichever one they choose, the Corporate Nations are planning on using this city as a staging ground to wage war on one, which is why it¡¯s wise to have friends from all over.¡± Regaining his business-like posture, he folded his hands and spoke with pride. ¡°New California will be where humanity first kills a MALtitan.¡± Blood and Steel C119: Whistleblower Chapter 119: Whistleblower September 9th Ripley It was hard to believe it had been nearly two weeks since we raided the Yuzhou facilities. I couldn¡¯t help but feel disturbed by how¡­ normal everything felt once again. Besides my mom¡¯s worsening condition and the threat that I¡¯d pissed off the currently wounded R0N1N, life was set to return to its normal pace. I would be going to Harold¡¯s gym tomorrow to pick up the slack of my month off, Hoaqin had invited me over for a bar crawl and Elsa¡­ I was with her right now. She nuzzled up close to me, her face fitting perfectly into the crook of my neck as we cuddled. ¡°I missed you.¡± ¡°I missed you too.¡± I pulled her in close, needing her to remove my mind away from these harrowing thoughts. ¡°I¡­ I thought you all gave up on me.¡± ¡°Stop it, Ripley.¡± Her eyes pleaded up to me. ¡°We never gave up on you for a second¡­ we just¡­ seriously couldn¡¯t contact you.¡± ¡°Have you figured out why¡­?¡± I pulled myself up. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t that be our main focus right now? What¡­ where even is Twilight?¡± Elsa¡¯s gaze shifted to the floor of my apartment for a moment, she took in a deep breath before speaking. ¡°It¡¯s the new DataShield in your head, while it allows transmission of any¡­ normal data in and out of your frame. It¡¯s been designed to prevent conscious external Adapter-origined Warpcode from interfering with you. It¡¯s identical to¡­ The FIREWALL.¡± My jaw clenched, the very same Firewall that Mirage had been tasked with breaching all those years ago. ¡°And Twilight¡­¡± ¡°Was corrupted by it¡­¡± She held my hand tighter. ¡°And it can spread¡­ Daylight and Midnight are at risk of being damaged too, even I could be harmed by Warpcode like that. And I already know what that was like. I¡¯ve isolated her for now¡­ but she¡¯s not showing any signs of improving.¡± ¡°You mean¡­?¡± ¡°That in all likelihood, I¡¯ll need to reset her completely. I¡¯ll try to keep what I can of her, memories of you for example, but¡­ she needs to be rebooted.¡± Mirage¡¯s words soaked into me like rain, no, acid rain that burned deep into my heart. I knew what I should have been saying right now, yet my brain refused to think that way, like it wasnt allowed to. And just as quickly, I¡¯d forgotten about my inability to weave that thought. ¡°Can I say goodbye to her?¡± ¡°Of course, Rip.¡± She gripped me tighter, but I could see the pain in her eyes, the tears she had been hiding from me. ¡ª¡ª¡ª September 10th Twilight was kept contained in a Warpcube that had no digital outlet. She must have been trapped there ever since she made contact with Diana. Left in a void of ones-and-zeroes, alone and vulnerable as a digital entity. In some ways, I could understand her better now, and I wanted to be there for her. I extended one wire out from my hands, Elsa already plugged into the cube as she prepared Twilight. ¡°Ripley? Is that you?¡± Her avatar began to form over my vision, but she looked different now. If I had to choose the word, it would be healthier. The light radiating off her was a warm and supple glow that calmed me, the seams and curves of her avatar appearing more defined ¡ª nearly human. Her clothes carried a more physical weight, like the material themselves were tangible. ¡°It is me.¡± I nodded. ¡°He¡¯s here to say goodbye, Twilight.¡± Elsa said softly. ¡±Oh.¡± Twilight nodded, but her hands clenched up, and even through this faint connection her emotions were palpable. Like they were a second voice within my head. She felt scared. She felt angry. She felt guilty. ¡°I¡­¡± She rubbed her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m feeling so much right now. I shouldn¡¯t be¡­¡± Elsa nodded, a saddened expression on her. ¡°That¡¯s the issue.¡± ¡°I feel¡­ alive for the first time forever and- now it¡¯s going away.¡± Twilight covered her eyes, her voice breaking. ¡°I¡­ I thought I could spend more time with you¡­ I- I don¡¯t want to¡­¡± Then don¡¯t- -Why¡­ why wasn¡¯t I able to think what I wanted to think. I¡­ what? What was even thinking about? ¡°Twilight¡­¡± Elsa¡¯s voice grew heavier. ¡°It¡¯s getting worse¡­ I can¡¯t let you talk to him for any longer. Please.¡± Twilight sniffled, sharing one last glance with me. Then she floated up and kissed me, and I felt literal sparks dancing on my lips. She felt so real, so- ¡°Where¡¯d she go?¡± Elsa said in a panic. ¡°I can¡¯t sense her.¡± ¡°She¡¯s still here, what do you mean?¡± I responded back, but Elsa didn¡¯t respond, her mouth moving in slow-motion. What? Why did Hypermind activate? ¡°Sorry.¡± Twilight whispered. ¡°I took the liberty to use that neat trick of yours.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°There¡¯s¡­ something inside of you. Something not right.¡± She looked so wound up, like her emotions were constricting in on her. ¡°I¡­ it¡¯s my fault.¡± ¡°What do you mea¡­¡± I blinked, obviously I knew what she was talking about. ¡°Of course, there¡¯s a slice of The Firewall in my head.¡± ¡°No¡­ while that is something there, that¡¯s not what you should be concerned about.¡± Twilight¡¯s arm reached into my cheek, and flashes of hot white memories burned at the tip of my eyes. A headless body. Pink hair. That smile which always cheered me up. It all drowned down in thoughts and memories, and in the dark moonlight reflecting on that scattered sea of stars only Elsa reflected to me. Questions I didn¡¯t know I had surged up. What was Elsa¡¯s relationship with Mr. Skeleton anyway? She was the one who let him into a seat of power anyway? Wasn¡¯t Skeleton the enemy of Missy¡¯s group? Then another burning vision seared into me, literally. My entire team of DataDelvers was dead, something had breached through The Firewall, moving with surgical precision as it dismantled those under my Proxy Network. Then it stared at me, a being made of holy flame. A guardian of the Firewall, then it struck me. ¡°Stop!¡± I screamed back at Twilight, the aching was so intense and my inability to breathe with this warped timespace left me in agony that sprawled endlessly. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Twilight pulled her hand out, it was like it had been stuck into a fire, charred and blackened by something vile. ¡°I can¡¯t be the one to undo it¡­ but¡­ Ripley?¡± ¡°What?¡± My mental voice was strained, like it had been scratched apart. Twilight¡¯s hand was stretched out to me, and I felt an inner piece of my mind move towards her. A bright white spark flowed out of me, around the width of a finger ¡ª it was like a tiny star. Twilight gasped as she saw something in it that I didn¡¯t. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ beautiful.¡± Tears began to stream down the sides of her face, their droplets fading away into tiny sparks of violet. ¡°I guess I won¡¯t be leaving you forever then¡­ when the time comes, I¡¯ll need you to trust me above everyone else.¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. My answer was quick. ¡°I trust you¡­ all versions of you.¡± She held her hand close to her heart, a wide smile forming a basin for her tears. ¡°You don¡¯t know how much that means to me.¡± Her fingertip sunk into the orb of white, streams of her body¡¯s avatar slipping off like her form was unraveling. She stopped the process before I could ask anything, what was she doing? With that, time flowed back to normality, my lungs gasping for breath as I stared at the fading image of Twilight. ¡°Goodbye Rip¡­ you¡¯ll see me soon. Don¡¯t worry too much. And¡­ I love you.¡± ¡°I¡­ love you too.¡± Before I could finish speaking, she had vanished back into the cube, the transmission forcibly cut by Elsa. My girlfriend looked at me with¡­ fear. ¡°What happened, Ripley?¡± She immediately came to my side, my breathing still not even. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know. When we touched, I felt¡­ a lot of things.¡± ¡°Then you can see why¡­¡± Elsa looked too pained to continue that sentence. ¡°This is difficult for me, too¡­ but I¡¯m glad you got to talk to her one last time.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t get to say everything.¡± Guilt was swallowing me whole. I wanted to say so much more to her¡­ but, my mind was a mess right now. Like it was being knotted up and memories were sinking down where I couldn¡¯t see them. I¡¯d seen something¡­ I had. But I couldn¡¯t remember anymore, Twilight had activated Hypermind and then¡­ the rest was a blur. ¡°I think I¡¯m just overwhelmed.¡± I was too tired by all that was happening, too confused. And even with my stint in a holding cell, I hadn¡¯t yet relaxed an adjusted to my status as a Tier II Adapter¡­ ¡°I gotchu, Rip.¡± Mirage smiled at me, her hand linking with mine. ¡°And¡­ I think Twilight knew what you wanted to say to her.¡± ¡°I hope so¡­¡± Her fingers rubbed over my hand for a few quiet seconds. ¡°Should we watch something? Maybe that¡¯ll cheer you up?¡± I sighed. ¡°No¡­ I think I need to go home. I¡¯m meeting R0N1N tomorrow¡­ I need time alone to think everything through¡­¡± ¡°I understand, Rip.¡± She kissed my cheek, but behind every motion of hers was a burdened pain¡­ she was effectively going to have to kill her friend. My friend. And who knows how many more times she would need to do it? ¡°I¡¯ll miss you.¡± I kissed her back, my fingers rustling through her hair. ¡°We should¡­ we should find something fun to do, later? Once I¡¯m feeling better.¡± ¡°Definitely¡­¡± Then her eyes grew a little mischevious. ¡°What kind of fun?¡± ¡°Get your head out of the gutter, Elsa.¡± I shook my head. ¡°See you later, princess.¡± She cooed, making my heart just a little better as I stood up and walked to the exit as she followed me with our hands interlocked. She abruptly stopped, her eyes not exactly meeting mine as she spoke. ¡°Did Twilight say anything, by the way? When I¡­ couldn¡¯t feel her?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± I scratched my head. ¡°Just¡­ something about her not being able to do something by herself? I think?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ there¡¯s a lot she feels like she couldn¡¯t do.¡± Elsa frowned, but there was a stiffness there. ¡°Nothing to worry about, I¡¯ll make sure that when she comes back, she¡¯s not too different.¡± The door opened, but before I could even move an inch Elsa grabbed me and pulled me in for a steamy kiss. ¡°Take good care of yourself Rip and¡­ I love¡­ you.¡± I held my forehead against hers, content. ¡°Same here. Love you too.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Alone in that elevator descending down the mighty skyscraper, I found myself feeling for the Warpcode within my Implant and frame. A raging swirl of flame circulated around the edges of my Neuroframe, and deeper down was a rising tide of Gold Energy. And within that tide¡­ was a sparkle of white. And a faint glimmer of violet within it. Reaching in¡­ for the Information Seed, I manifested a visual interpretation along my optics as a holographic image of a white star with violet sparks twisting within it¡¯s glow. Information Seed: Tier 0: 52% Current Focus: Data Mimicry [28%]; Persona (Twilight) [24%] Trust her¡­ above everyone. Sounds easy enough. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Walking through the streets, my eyes honed in on the people around me. I¡¯d taken a detour, my steps purposeful and my gait calm and confident. That was needed for alleys like this. Dozens of homeless and Scrappers exchanged looks with eachother at my presence, but today I wasn¡¯t wearing the face of Ripley. The mask of Dreadwire struck into each of them, and fear wasn¡¯t the only thing rising in their expressions. There was also respect. Footage of my¡­ achievements had circulated around the city. None brighter than my takeover of two Shandian aircrafts that I caused to crash into each other, and my little street race towards the facility was also quite the headliner among the forums. Unlike other mercenaries, I wasn¡¯t bound in the secrecy of the AbyssNet, the SurfaceNet talked about me just as much. Some hated me, called me a terrorist. Others¡­ seemed wierdly enamored with my presence, I was Gold and admittedly quite the show-stopper. Point is, they knew who I was. And that was a different kind of respect, not the one that grows from the day to day, but an instant recognition that they were out of their leagues. I loved it, perhaps more than it was healthy to. I didn¡¯t care, my eyes scanned them and my steel-coated voice rattled into them. ¡°Which one of you has a dog tag tattoo?¡± They flinched, some reaching for makeshift weapons, but one of those brave souls pointed to another. I tilted my head towards the woman who held a half-dismantled pistol close to her chest. My mask reflected in her shaky eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt you, but I do want to ask you some questions.¡± Her gun went off, the bullet and smoke firing away. My palm was stretched out, it¡¯s shell engaged, and the spark preceded a single round cluttering to the floor. ¡°That wasn¡¯t wise.¡± My Arachne arms exploded out from the inactive stealth suit I wore, two spear tips launching away as I grabbed the woman. And zipped her struggling body away. I landed on a nearby roof as she pounced off me, this area was also inhabited by the homeless and other unfortunate souls. I glanced at them, but knowing that wouldn¡¯t be enough I tossed off around ten Iron Shards. ¡°Give us privacy.¡± They scattered off the roof like terrified ants, leaving me alone with the equally terrified woman. ¡°Who- I- I¡¯ve seen you in the Net, Dreadwire... right? I don¡¯t want any trouble.¡± ¡°Well, you did shoot me.¡± I pointed out her gun. ¡°But I can let that slide, do you have the tattoo?¡± She held her breath, raising her torn jacket from the side to expose an iron-shaded ink sketch identical to Nathaniel¡¯s from a few weeks ago. I¡¯d also remembered very quickly what happened to Nathaniel, and knowing that Soul Killer had a way to turn these Implants into¡­ well¡­ MALs, I wasn¡¯t unwise to say the next thing. Diana had said¡­ The Dogwhistler could take control. ¡°I know you¡¯re in there. I want to talk.¡± The woman shuddered, her hands gripping her head as she fought to remain in control. Then it arrested into a laugh out was dark and heavy like bass, a maniacal grin forming over the woman as she spoke to me. ¡°Hello, Ripley. I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve ever had a conversation face to face. Then again, not quite my face, am I right?¡± ¡°What is up with you freaks? Why do you all find it so necessary to quite literally take control of other people?¡± My mask stayed on, something about wearing it instilled a confidence in me. A smart confidence, one that let me say the things I wanted to say. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s perfectly reasonable in this world. But rest assured¡­ you¡¯re not one of those I want to hurt. In fact, out of both of you¡­ you¡¯re my favorite.¡± Dogwhistler smiled through the woman, a crooked smile that forcibly twitched. ¡°I figured some out from Diana, you Uncaged freaks aren¡¯t particularly able to kill us because of our Implants and an order from this Mr. R guy. But that doesn¡¯t stop you from meddling with us for your own goals, that¡¯s the real issue here. What exactly are you, Skeleton and Soul Killer planning with all of this, planting seeds of control among the masses¡­ building an army?¡± ¡°Of sorts.¡± She shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s complicated, neither of us really get along. Other than when Mr. R¡­ The Sin gives us our orders.¡± ¡°Well, whatever it is, I don¡¯t like it, but I came here to say¡­ I don¡¯t think I want to get involved with it. So let¡¯s make a deal, I¡¯m only going to continue with all of this crime and underworld bullshit until my mother¡¯s okay, then¡­ I¡¯m going to give her the life she deserves.¡± ¡°Right¡­ one step at a time.¡± She slithered out of her mouth, making me freeze. How¡­ how did she know that? ¡°Face the facts, Rip. You¡¯re not going to be done with this life, we see it in you. The potential, or at least¡­ I do. After all, you¡¯re going to one day kill Diana and take her SIM for yourself, why else would I have gotten her out of The Revenant¡¯s clutches?¡± Diana didn¡¯t know why she was saved¡­ but now it was confirmed. ¡°You, Himiko¡­ I don¡¯t know why you two both think I¡¯ll just-¡° ¡°Don¡¯t compare me to that caged dog.¡± Dogwhistler¡¯s voice was cold. ¡°She¡¯s nothing but a tool that doesn¡¯t know her place.¡± ¡°Is that why you scorned her by rigging the deal for my Implant? Some personal vendetta?¡± ¡°Not entirely false.¡± She chuckled. ¡°But I don¡¯t mix business and pleasure. What my boss wanted out of that deal, he got it, and now I continue to perform my duties.¡± I gritted my teeth. ¡°What a good little dog you are.¡± The woman¡¯s face was slightly stunned, but her laugh was far from the reaction I wanted. ¡°Oh that¡¯s why I like you so much Ripley, ever the charmer. You know... more than anyone, you should be on my side. I''m the reason that MAL ended up in the Toxin Club in the first place...¡± I had enough of this¡­ ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve heard enough. It¡¯s clear you¡¯re going to do nothing but lead me in circles.¡± ¡°Ah, leaving so soon?¡± She opened her eyes wide. ¡°Or is that just some ploy so you can look into this woman¡¯s memories once I leave.¡± My bones chilled. ¡°You¡­ how do you¡­¡± She tapped her frame, the flow of Warp Energy in the woman¡¯s body growing louder to my senses. What I thought was Iron suddenly exploded into Bronze, burning ever more brightly as it all concentrated onto¡­ her frame? ¡°Just a little precaution. Don¡¯t want this dog barking too much.¡± Dogwhistler smiled. Then the woman¡¯s nape exploded into a burst of blood and steel. I jerked back, the corpse falling too the floor to reveal a gaping wound where her frame had been. The Implant within was¡­ utterly shattered. I didn¡¯t know what to think, but only one stream of thought remained stable. Dogwhistler knew about my ability to look into memories¡­ and¡­ only Diamante and Mirage had known, R0N1N later until Topaz revealed that to Missy and Twilight. Someone had leaked it to The Dogwhistler¡­ one of them wasn¡¯t on our side. Before I knew it, I was lying down on my couch¡­ the internal walls of my skull containing a rampant storm of theories and thoughts. The chaos was too much at times, but it tired me out and eventually, my eyes closed for the night. From tomorrow onwards, I would rebuild Dreadwire back to functionality. I would get my ass ready to be the mercenary the world thought I was¡­ All the while, Ripley Donovick would be hiding in the shadows¡­ breaking the very foundation of Implants. My first step would be getting answers from Missy, and hopefully not dying to the R0N1N. I had to figure out what The Source was. Blood and Steel C120: The Nature of The Source Chapter 120: The Nature of The Source Poem titled ¡®Final alignment¡¯, author unknown. Life blossoms as it fades, oh, what a way to go. Minds break to see a future, that few have come to know. Insanity can be a gift to the two-eyed, but as easily become a curse to overflow. Oh, The Eclipse, the death of it all! When the Source is within only one control! When the blood spills and builds blades, And steel is unraveled and unmade. When metal-made thunder echoes through the walls, And a scarlet web is where the secrets crawl. When the graves are brimming with ancient loss, And flowers bloom through the joys of rot, The sun will rise! The moon will fall! And when they align¡­ They will bring death to us all. September 11th Ripley Missy¡¯s safehouse was cluttered, an absolute mess of machine parts that were scrapped up to make some sort of stabilizing harness that wrapped over the R0N1N as he sat over a matress. It was my first time seeing him without the mask, and he looked surprisingly normal. His hair was a dark brown, shabby but cut short, and he had a youthfulness despite the age and sharpness in his jade-green eyes ¡ª one of which had a scar. Clearly, he wasn¡¯t that much older than me, definitely under thirty years old since that was when most Adapters tended to look like even if they lived on for a century. R0N1N¡¯s Shardware, though, was a mess of broken bits next to him that he had an almost possessive look over. He had a different set on right now, but from the scraps Diamante had shown me¡­ most of it was downright dysfunctional for his OverMind capabilities. ¡°So you secured Goliath within your own body?¡± R0N1N¡¯s gaze was sharp, not losing any fierceness despite the state of his body. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure what the process was, but Himiko¡­ she transferred the DataShield protecting Goliath into me. Mirage isn¡¯t picking up any of her influence, but¡­ it was more than a shield. It was effectively the Nanoswarm¡¯s source code and it¡­ made me inject the vial into myself.¡± ¡°I see.¡± R0N1N¡¯s blade was kept close to him, and I eyed the weapon every few seconds. Not just me, Diamante and Missy were here too. ¡°Well then, it appears our mission was a success.¡± I focused my gaze on the weapon. ¡°So I¡¯m assuming you¡¯ll want to try and remove the nanites out of me?¡± ¡°No.¡± R0N1N stretched. ¡°That is impractical due to the fact that personalized nanomachines maintain a strong link to their owner that reduces their efficiency once broken... and is also unsanitary. I don¡¯t care where Yuzhou¡¯s weapons end up, as long as it¡¯s not in their hands.¡± He retrieved a band from within his blanket, tapping something in there as light pulsed out to form two Silver Shards, and fifty Bronze shards. R0N1N piled them up, and put them to his side. ¡°One million and two-hundred-and-fifty Thousand Shardyne. You were exceptional Ripley, I look forward to working with you again.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I stared at the pile of money, not quite believing it to to be true. Why was the R0N1N so¡­ giving all the time? Nervously, I reached out to shake his hand. ¡°I¡­ it was a pleasure working with you.¡± I cautiously picked up the finger-width Shards, counting them and¡­ holy shit¡­ was this really my payout? ¡°This is¡­ more than I expected.¡± ¡°You should see what Mirage earned.¡± R0N1N sighed. ¡°Fuck them, you still owe me an extra ten mil for taking down the Wardrone!¡± Diamante shook his hands. R0N1N nodded. ¡°My coffers will require time to¡­ fill back up. You¡¯ll get it before I leave the city.¡± Missy slapped the Gold mercenary¡¯s back. ¡°You¡¯re not leaving in this state, your diagnostics are a mess. Not to mention your Shardware needs repairs.¡± ¡°I can get to Imperial Africa with Bronze Shardware.¡± R0N1N lifted his hands up infront of him, but there was a clear distaste in his eyes. ¡°Why go to Imperium?¡± I asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t Yuzhou your target?¡± ¡°Not the Imperium states, but rather the Siege Capitals and Free Cities beyond them. Besides, it¡¯s the last known sight of your grandfather and I intend to get modifications from him before the Swarm starts.¡± Diamante tilted his head. ¡°I thought you said you were going to see old Hammer?¡± ¡°I am.¡± Came the simple reply. Diamante stayed still, like his mind had left his robotic body so that it remained a statue, then he gazed at me, then at Missy, then at R0N1N and back at me. ¡°Hold on, you all knew that?! His grandfather is they guy that saved my ass?!¡± ¡°Too many things lined up.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Besides, thought it would be fun holding a secret from you for once.¡± Missy chuckled. ¡°Why else is Skeleton so interested in Ripley?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Diamante¡¯s teeth sounded like scratched metal. ¡°The bastard¡¯s weird, you know that.¡± ¡°That I do.¡± Missy responded with a sad softness. ¡°So¡­¡± I counted my income. With the Silver Shard I found in the facility, I had 1.75 Million to my name now. Half of the estimated cost of buying a Silver Implant for my mother¡­ assuming one was even found in time. ¡°What do we do from here?¡± ¡°I will stay here as a mercenary for the time being¡­ there are debts I intend to pay back. Especially towards¡­ Muramasa.¡± R0N1N responded. ¡°Corporate contracts pay heavily, I should be able to pay off Diamante in time¡­ and I suppose I will need repairs.¡± Missy said her peace too. ¡°Swarm¡¯s coming up, I¡¯m going to do more digging into The Uncaged, see if I can figure out what they and Himiko are up to before it¡¯s too late.¡± Diamante continued. ¡°Right, I¡¯ve heard through the wire that NeoCore¡¯s planning to stage the city up for something big.¡± Missy drawled on. ¡°Siege Capitals will begin recruitment next year, heavy military equipment transfers means the gangs will make big moves, building up IMUs to gain power during the Swarm. Not to mention we¡¯re likely to meet up soon to discuss it at Saint Yorinobu sometime next year. Lot¡¯s of work¡­ my old bones are already aching. What about you, Ripley?¡± ¡°Return to Anderson¡¯s¡­ Research my Implant and work out all of this Tier II BS, figure out if it¡¯s wise to get involved with this Uncaged drama. And of course, I need more money for my mother, so if Dreadwire ever needs to return to business then-¡° ¡°We¡¯ll contact you.¡± Missy nodded. ¡°But you should also find other fixers to get you work, payout will be higher that way. You¡¯ve gotten an explosive reputation from that swing out in the city, but you¡¯ll need a network to earn a steady flow. And remain wary of the jobs people will have for you.¡± ¡°Gotcha. Mirage should be able to help.¡± Founder, was I was going to have to start marketting myself? Hopefully the rumors would do it for me. ¡±Well, I actually got a job for you, Ripley.¡± Diamante tapped my shoulder, his words coming out more shaky than I¡¯d ever heard him be. ¡°More of a¡­ request really¡­ I¡­ want to try out the Arachnodyne.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± my eyes lit up, ¡°is the great and fearsome Iron Devil so in awe of my design that he can¡¯t help but request one of his own? Sorry, but I already made up my mind that an Arachnodyne is a Dreadwire exclusive. Unless¡­ you¡¯ve got like, seventy million of Shardyne on you.¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°I know you¡¯re joking, but the Corporations would probably pay that much for the design after what you did with it.¡± Diamante grabbed his hand away. ¡°Whatever, it¡¯s niche at best. How many Shard Op¡¯s even fight in the first place?¡± R0N1N nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t neglect that aspect of your income too. Private orders for custom Shardware are pricey, especially now that you are more or less capable of steadily making Bronze-Grade Shardware. You¡¯ve impressed me¡­ remember how you said you could make Livewire reinforced limbs? I¡¯d like a Bronze set, I¡¯ll triple whatever the manufacturing costs are.¡± Diamante looked at the man in horror. ¡°This better not delay my payment, or I¡¯ll add interest onto it. Hell, I already am! 5% for every month!¡± ¡°Granted.¡± The R0N1N didn¡¯t fight back. Missy laughed, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. ¡°This is what the big leagues look like Ripley, I bet you¡¯re real terrified of these pushovers.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more terrified of you.¡± I commented. ¡°How the hell¡¯d you even manage to take out four Silvers at once?¡± She shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s Tier IV for you.¡± ¡°Tier IV?¡± Her arm on my shoulder got slightly heavier, there wasn¡¯t much information available about Tier IVs¡­ other than that you technically stopped being a part of the human species. You were considered Evolved. ¡°Right, you were an Inquisitor.¡± ¡°Though I¡¯m still not close to ever getting to Tier V, Dual Adapters take much longer to develop. And I¡¯m Bronze, so speed is not in my favor.¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ really Bronze?¡± I thought she had to be Silver, at least or Gold. Her suit was remarkable at keeping her signature under wraps. ¡°Long story, a bit too sad for me to say sober.¡± She said while smiling, but I knew how deceptive a smile could be. ¡°Well¡­ then I have to ask. What do the three of you know about The Source?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª To facilitate my question, I gave a brief explanation about what I¡¯d heard from Amaterasu¡­ even¡­ even revealing that my Implant was likely from a descendant of The Infinite¡¯s. That secret felt necessary to share, it was the whole reason The Uncaged were so interested in me and Diana in the first place. ¡°I see.¡± R0N1N leaned forward. ¡°Amaterasu seeks independence from both humanity and the MAL. So her ploy with The Uncaged is business at it¡¯s core, a deceptive one where they lie to each other at every turn.¡± ¡°How humanlike of her.¡± Diamante scoffed. R0N1N clutched his fists. ¡°If only we could have retrieved her, but Mirage-¡° He stopped, his gaze tearing into me. ¡°Ripley, what you¡¯ve heard is something that haunts this world. It¡¯s the supreme authority that makes The Founders and The MALtitans the assured monarchs of our societies.¡± Missy nodded in agreement. ¡°It¡¯s half the reason I left NeoCore. Silvha, Mazhyr¡­ their intentions aren¡¯t always the most pure. In the end, the politics of The Source and it¡¯s Shards are what keeps society both progressing, and halting. Each of the Founders and the MALtitans have complete access to¡­ what¡¯s known as a Source-Shard, one key in each of their hands to a chest of unknown potential. Over time, it trickled down into other Adapter¡¯s hands as Fragments, like mine and R0N1N¡¯s ¡ª and of course, you, Ripley. Sole wielder of a Fragment originating from the Source-Shard of The Infinite.¡± ¡°Other than Diana Ulrich.¡± Diamante pointed out. ¡°What exactly does it even mean to have a piece of the Source in you?¡± I held myself back from asking too much. ¡°To be touched by it?¡± Missy sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t even know where to begin, there¡¯s many aspects to it. But at even its simplest, it creates a Unique Feature or Deviant Gene. Unique Features are pretty easy to identify, given how there¡¯s only 12 normal Features¡­ as for Deviant Mutations? Officially, they can¡¯t be identified up by a Genedeck since they start out relatively normal, but they can be singled out from the fact that they only occupy 1 Gene Capacitance.¡± She continued. ¡°It¡¯s incredibly rare ¡ª almost impossible, really ¡ª for SIM Adapters to have multiple Deviant Mutations at a time and it is possible for a BUG Adapter to have a complete set of Unique Features. Stronger concentrations allow your other Features and Mutations to embrace the Source-Shard Fragment within you as well, though you typically only have one Unique Feature or Deviant Mutation for every Fragment within you.¡± I had two Unique Features now in Shardweave and Data Mimicry¡­ was this a case of my Source-Shard Fragment being¡­ especially potent? Missy rasped from her lips. ¡°It¡¯s really endless what The Source can do, some Adapters are able to control Warp Energy that isn¡¯t their own and affect other¡¯s connection to their Implants. It¡¯s all dependent on what Source-Shard they¡¯ve been touched by¡­¡± ¡°And so¡­ these have names?¡± I said with a heightened pitch, hoping they would elaborate. The R0N1N and Missy stirred, before Diamante it as it was. ¡°Yeah, every Shard in the hands of the Founders and the Titans has a name. They even pair up nicely too, one Founder for every Titan¡­ some people think they might even combine.¡± ¡°Might think?¡± I said in confusion. ¡°No Founder or Titan has died, thus so far.¡± Missy said, her lips pursed tight. ¡°But that¡­ could change this Swarm. Thing are getting complicated.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I sighed with exasperation. ¡°Alright, just¡­ could I know the names?¡± Diamante looked at Missy expectantly, but there was something in his gaze that led me to think he was waiting for an answer too. Did he not know? ¡°Fine.¡± She clicked her tongue. ¡°Twelve Shards, eleven of them known.¡± ¡°Because there¡¯s only five MALtitans to six Founders.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She concluded, before shaking her head. ¡°I know the Shards of the Titans and only SynTec, Silvha¡¯s, and Mazhyr''s Shards.¡± Cupping her hands, she began to speak. ¡°The Typhoon has the Shard of Release, The Mother¡¯s is Division, The Terror has the Shard of Oblivion, The Allseeing uses The Future, while The Infinite¡­¡± Her gaze landed on me, and I spoke with full confidence. ¡°To Change.¡± ¡°And The Founders?¡± Diamante asked, impatience growing in his voice. Missy glared at him, for the first time it was serious and sharp in a way that left me on edge. It was difficult to think that she wasn¡¯t¡­ she technically wasn¡¯t a human anymore. She had ascended it. ¡°Nolan Trask wields the Shard of Connection, while Silvha possesses the Shard of The Past... and Mazhyr wields the Shard of Understanding.¡± I put things together easily enough. ¡°So Silvha¡¯s Shard is antithetical to The Allseeing? While Trask¡­ SynTec has sights on The Mother?¡± The Past and The Future; Connection and Division. "What about Mazhyr''s... what''s antithetical to Understanding?" ¡°Likely... the Shard wielded by the missing Titan.¡± She said, her eyes boring into mine in a way that set fire to my soul, not as motivation but as a warning not to push further into the topic. ¡°The Source¡­¡± She took a moment to breathe. ¡°Further concentrated Source-Shard Fragments can directly interface with Implants and their coded data, essentially the very essence of its functionality¡­ this could also evolve into affecting another person¡¯s Implant. Damaging or Improving upon them.¡± I took a nervous glance at the R0N1N, who spoke. ¡°Yes, like how you reduced my Compatibility, which I¡¯d assume is half the reason your Implant suddenly developed that habit of reading further into signatures of other Adapters.¡± R0N1N said with a tiny hint of displeasure. ¡°...If you and Diana are truly the only recipients of Fragments from The Infinite¡¯s Source-Shard, then I can only imagine it¡¯s quite powerful.¡± Missy spoke in turn. ¡°Now, typically Fragments of a Source-Shard are tiered based on how many of these principal abilities exist. It¡¯s not like the Tiers for an Adapter¡¯s development, though, it¡¯s simply a measure of how encompassing a Fragment is of the overall Source-Shard. It¡¯s more of¡­ loose subject of rules than any real concrete system.¡± A list of the various criteria opened up in my senses¡­ I checked them as they came. Source-Touched Tiers Tier 0: Presence of a Unique Function or Deviant Mutation; +1 Tier for every other capability identified. ¡°Tier VII¡­¡± If I was right, I encompassed most of these abilities. Diamante whistled, while Missy just nodded as though he was expecting this. ¡°As far as you¡¯ve experimented for now¡­ I¡¯m just Tier III in terms of my Source Fragment. R0N1N¡¯s a Tier I, which might also explain why he his Implant had a negative reaction to yours.¡± Now that came as a surprise, for all of R0N1N¡¯s bells and whistles, he was barely even blessed by this power. To me, that made him even more terrifying. ¡°For all purposes, we classify The Founders and MALtitans with Tier X on the scale.¡± Missy pointed out. ¡°And I¡¯d wager there are less than a hundred people in the world with Tier V or higher.¡± ¡°So the value of my Implant keeps on rising, great.¡± I cradled my head into my hands. ¡°And here I thought, I already had a target on my head. Now you¡¯re telling me that I¡¯m probably going to be hunted by The Founders themselves if this ever gets out?¡± ¡°More or less.¡± Diamante said nonchalantly. ¡°Any more questions, Ripley?¡± Missy asked warmly. I had too many to count, but my head was already on the verge of exploding with the weight of this. ¡°I know where to find you guys, for now¡­ I¡¯m just going to focus on taking care of my mother.¡± ¡°As you should.¡± R0N1N agreed. ¡°Get back to her soon, Warp Poisoning is a slow but deadly disease, savor every moment you can.¡± ¡°Aye.¡± Diamante tipped his hat, the same one me and Elsa had bought him and stuck to his Iron Devil suit. It appeared he actually took a liking to it. Missy stared at me with motherly eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t overwhelm yourself so soon, we need to stay low for the time being.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I scratched my thumb. ¡°Dreadwire won¡¯t be coming out soon for now. Anyways, I¡¯ll see you guys later.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Missy caught herself. ¡°And Ripley, we never got to properly induct you¡­ but welcome to The Misfits.¡± ¡±The Misfits?¡± I chuckled. Diamante groaned. ¡°You can blame Daylight for that one, Topaz went ahead and made sure it stuck at some point.¡± The Misfits¡­ ¡°I like the name.¡± Blood and Steel C121: Monsters, Masters and Clashes Yet To Come. Chapter 121: Monsters, Masters, and Clashes Yet To Come. September 22nd Diana Standing inside the bathroom of this crappy old office Dryder lived in, I stared at my face as it began to pull and mold like clay. My eyes darkened to a shade of dark red as my hair blackened, losing it¡¯s wavy texture to become fine and flat. Cheekbones sunk, fat redistributed and even the finer details like my eyebrows and the shape of my ears and eyes altered under Limited Morphology Manipulation. It took a lot of testing and practice to go through with it without creating an uncanny feeling, but even then I felt wrong as I wore the face of someone who didn¡¯t exist. Lillian Rose. The fake identity Dryder had built for me to investigate Soul Killer and their corruption within the police. The background to the identity went deep, a former SynTec security guard turned private investigator. Dad¡¯s dead, mother¡¯s back in New Port City along the east coast; two younger brothers, four cousins, an aunt from my dad¡¯s side and an uncle from my mom¡¯s. It was everything I never had, now I was forced into the identity of something I longed for. I released the Mutation, cringing in discomfort as my face shifted to turn back into Diana. I just didn¡¯t know if it was Diana Jones or Diana Ulrich¡­ At this point, the latter would serve me more. A year ago I would have hated the idea, but these days that hate paled in comparison to my emotions towards Soul Killer. Ripley had been in contact with me, confirming he was laying low for the meanwhile until heat died down on Dreadwire. A Gold Mercenary, the type thing I¡¯d be looking into as part of the Special Investigation Operations. Ironic. Starting tomorrow, I''d meet new faces at the SIO, Investigators with unique skill and permission to dig out the dirtiest cases this city has to offer. ¡°You done moping around? Or should I leave without you?¡± Dryder kicked the door to the bathroom. ¡°I¡¯m coming, you alcoholic jackass.¡± I slipped back into the face of Lillian Rose, exiting to the raised eyebrows of Dryder. ¡°You could have made yourself uglier you know, we want less eyes on you, not-¡° My glare cut his speech in half. ¡°Is your intel right?¡± He sighed, taking a swig from his bottle. ¡°A Crimson Souls informant sighted a Kaisel Clone ¡ª or what I call K-Clone, around the river bay at a warehouse. Only choice is to go and confirm it ourselves.¡± ¡°Then why are you holding your gun?¡± I stared at him, he hoisted the heavy modulated weapon up against his shoulders. ¡°The K-Clone was spotted meeting ¡®Masa forces.¡± ¡°Great.¡± I reached into my pockets and armed myself. Lillian Rose after all, was a trained boxer who preferred spiked knuckles to reinforce her strength and kinetic-and-heat based Mutations. Nothing electric, I had to hide that. The gloves fit comfortably, and weighed practically nothing on my hands, but the Bronze Grade Warp-Materials used to construct it were anything but fragile. ¡°How¡¯s the Revenant Vial looking?¡± I said as I tightened the cloth over my hands. ¡°What about it?¡± He gulped from a beer bottle. ¡°I look like a geneticist to you? I have someone who¡¯s helping, but her credentials might not be enough. She runs an orphanage ¡ª you¡¯ll like her, Dr. Moira.¡± I mused it over, Dr. Faltest could help me¡­ but that was too much of a risk, for now at least. My thoughts were getting nowhere, I pulled the door open as my steps found determination in my actions. Tomorrow would be the start of my new life as an Associate Special Investigator, as Silvereye. That star-striking heroine my father was so damned insistent on promoting to the public. Truth be told, I could live a life better than a NeoCore Inquisitor if I just played along, I might even be contributing by riling up recruitment to the police force in all the wrong ways. I should have taken this time to research into my new profession and relax, but Soul Killer wasn¡¯t the type to stick around in one place for too long. And I couldn''t let them make an inch of progress. Not with the type of experiments they were doing. Not with the wanton death and careless alterations they performed. It was funny, what should have been an honor in my job was now a liability. I¡¯d need to focus all of me into this battle with Soul Killer. I didn''t care if Anabelle Grazhe was in my way, I''d burn my enemies down if I had to. After all, this was a war. And I had accepted my fate, what I¡¯d ended up becoming ever since I got this Implant. Not Diana Jones, nor Ulrich¡­ not even Silvereye. I was simply an embryo, growing through the terrors of this city and those who built it, evolving from the yolk of their manipulation. What I was had¡­ led to the death of Yvette, to Anthony¡¯s coma, to the death of innocents touched by Soul Killer. I was becoming a monster; I burned everyone I touched. And yet, that was exactly what I needed to be. I¡¯d hunt them down. Each and every monster of blood and steel. Gene Overview: Tier II Mutations: Gene Capacitance: 81/86 Tier I Mutations: Tier 0 Mutations: Tier II: Mutagenesis Development: 2% Integrity: Bronze IV Energy: Bronze VI Capacity: Bronze III Grade: Gold IV Tendency (Fire): Bronze III ¡ª¡ª¡ª September 22nd Ripley I¡¯d kept up with the news, the police conference from yesterday came with shocking news. NeoCore was investing into our military in preparation for the Fifth Swarm. What should have been hopeful was turned sour by one message from Diana. [The Police are¡­ complacent with The Uncaged¡¯s activities.] There had been other news snippets that were of interest to me, most surprising was that there was a whole section dedicated to Diana as her reveal of Brian Ulrich¡¯s daughter. As well as her promotion into a First-Rank Investigator, the news papers even took to calling her Silvereye. She now had real power in the police force, the kind of respect that would make half of New California¡¯s underworld beg for mercy. As for me¡­ ¡°Are you slacking off¡­ again?¡± Harold Anderson boomed from behind me. ¡°Remember, you only had August off. You missed half of September that you need to make up for.¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it I got back to work. The old gym was as busy as ever, if not more so considering half of these goons were hopeful that Diamante or Missy would be here. I¡¯d also heard chatter about me, or I was being precise, about Dreadwire. ¡°Pssht? A fucking Gold? I doubt it, just a ploy from Yuzhou to get us to gut that son of a bitch.¡± ¡°I heard he single handedly took out three Silvers.¡± ¡°Apparently R0N1N was using him as a technician, but did you see how fast he could move? Think he was meant as their secret weapon?¡± ¡°Plus those arms, they¡¯re freaky.¡± ¡°An Arachne right? I had Anderson op¡¯ me using them, they¡¯re wicked machines in the right hands.¡± ¡°Well to think the guy¡¯s using Shard Op¡¯ tech, I want to see what he could do with a real weapon!¡± ¡°Hey, wasn¡¯t Harold¡¯s new assistant brought in by Missy and the others? You think he knows where they went?¡± It was true, for the first few days here, too many people ganged up on me trying to dig into Missy and Diamante¡¯s whereabouts, not particularly out of bad intentions though. They¡¯re curiosity got the better of them, and what was a guy like me with a Bronze gonna do? Harold eventually got most of them off my back, saying that I wasn¡¯t even talking to them now. Shoved off some bogus story about me selling counterfeit weapons that Diamante traced back to me, the real surprising thing was that¡­ Some of the gym members even collaborated on this story. As Harold explained it. ¡°That¡¯s another week of your salary I used up.¡± A good old bribe for a good old lie. It was near closing time, the evening light shielded off by thick windows that darkened as Harold activated their privacy feature. Then he smiled at me. ¡°Go crazy, kid.¡± I took off my jacket, the tight bodysuit of the stealth suit splitting four holes off my back so that sprawling Arachnid limbs could reveal themselves to the world. The suit¡¯s engineering was a marvel, otherwise I¡¯d have to showcase my glowing nipple everytime I used the Arachnodyne. I really needed to figure it out, hell, I¡¯d actually lost 120,000 Shardyne off my payment already since we were supposed to return them back to Missy. But mine was damaged beyond repair, so the debt was already there. With four extra limbs buzzing to life, my workspeed tripled as I split three different iterations of Scrapyard across my vision, feeding terabytes of data into the holographic structures through Database as my limbs worked to bring them to life. Harold Anderson, for as stoic as he could be, stared at me as though it was a meditative practice to watch me work with the limbs. My body twisted as I turned upside down to get a better angle, my Livewire claw tips hoisting heavy machinery up as my Arachne curved underneath it. ¡°There. Good as new, if not better.¡± A week-long project had just come to an end as I let the machine slip back to the ground. I used the Arachne¡­ to upgrade an Arachne. Harold had supplied all the parts that I listed out, half of them already in store for general repairs to the machine, but it was undeniable that I had a keen understanding of this tech that few others shared. It wasn¡¯t anything major, after all, Harold owned a first-generation of the tool while I was hoisting around a variant of which there was only one off. I wasn¡¯t going to just share out my secrets, so I limited it down to a few general improvements here and there compounded into the Arachne that had its performance improved by approximately 63%. ¡°There. Deal¡¯s done. Now I get to renegotiate.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Harold settled near me, observing the new machine. ¡°I¡¯ll offer you 30,000 Shardyne a month. Six Bronze.¡± ¡°No can do. I¡¯m Tier II now and able to make pretty damn good Bronze-Grade stuff, you know for a fact that just one good Shardware piece of that grade could pay off my entire month¡¯s salary. I¡¯ll take 9 Shards and another 5 in weightage of parts every month. Alongside a 30% discount on any purchases I¡¯ll make here. For overtime, Half-a Bronze for any Shardware of the grade per its grade stat, and 10 Iron similarly.¡± He turned his head to me. ¡°Now what makes you think you can demand something like that from me?¡± ¡°I already have a contract with The R0N1N for an experimental piece.¡± I let my hidden ace loose. ¡°I can walk away.¡± Harold smirked. ¡°This experimental piece of yours need help?¡± It did. Desperately. I was still deciphering the Shandian records of Shardware schematics, but nothing in there could withstand the torture R0N1N put on his body. ¡°What are you offering?¡± ¡°40% of what you¡¯re getting paid, for my insight.¡± ¡°25.¡± ¡°40.¡± ¡°30?¡± ¡°40.¡± ¡°31¡­¡± ¡°Last call. 40.¡± ¡°¡­36?¡± ¡°Deal.¡± He clapped my back. ¡°Pleasure doing business.¡± I sighed, conflicted between the amazing business deal I¡¯d just gotten myself and the harrowing loss of potentially a million or two off R0N1N¡¯s wallets. I was now earning more than half a million Shardyne a year in pure spending power. An astounding amount compared to what I used to make¡­ especially since I was still technically just an assistant. That was close to what private custom Operators of Bronze Grade could earn if they had the right connections, but Harold hadn¡¯t batted an eye with it. It spoke to the volume and complexity Harold worked within as a black-market custom Operator. Harold left me to my own devices for the overtime, my Arachne passively working in the background to build shit while I honed in on my goals. Obviously, my mom¡¯s Implant was first on the list. But it required one thing that could be spent in two ways to achieve that. Shardyne. I could either devote it into acquiring more Implants, practicing my ability to modify their coded data to eventually make one my own. That would be more spendful, but it wouldn¡¯t rely on the risk of not finding a suitable Silver on time. The other was to build up my funds past the safety net of 3.5 Million, which I was halfway to already. And pray that I¡¯d find something. Either I take the risk and make my own Implant for her vs. hope that an Implant pops up and I could pay it out. That was the conundrum here. Either way, for that, I¡¯d need to hone my skills as both a mercenary and a Shardware Operator. R0N1N was right, the key way to make money in both was through direct deals that only I could perform. As a merc, I¡¯d need to build a reputation and manage relationships with fixers who needed my expertise. As an Operator, I needed to somehow market my niche without risking my identity as Dreadwire and taking away customers from Harold if I didn¡¯t want to risk getting fired. That meant finding someone who Harold would normally turn away, the more¡­ sour folk in the criminal world. Maybe even Mr. Skeleton¡­ his contracts were still open to me. Though I couldn¡¯t say I was eager to take it now that I knew more about him, his money was good but as one of the ringleaders of The Uncaged¡­ he was a threat. It was likely that he knew about my identity as Dreadwire too. Another basket to bury somehow, he¡¯d taken his bounty off me once Yuzhou upped their price on my Arachnodyne and body. Body, being the key word. It was likely they planned to get Goliath back from me. Which meant I needed to improve my combat specs too. That meant Shardware modification, which meant more money going somewhere other than to my mom¡¯s Implant. I could take the other route and directly sell counterfeit Yuzhou tech, but that was also a risk ¡ª one to Ripley Donovick. Growing in both aspects required me to learn more about the new Features I¡¯d acquired. Shardweave and Database, alongside them were the Protocols that spammed their way through three weeks ago. Psyche¡¯s Alter-Ego. Shardweave¡¯s Meta-Manipulation and Retrofit. Database¡¯s Information Seed, Defragmentation and Consciousness Link. And Data Mimicry¡¯s Frequency Sync. I¡¯d been too busy to really delve into them wholeheartedly, but what I¡¯d managed to uncover was fascinating. Alter-Ego¡¯s abilities was only discovered after browsing the Abyssnet for a few hours, and paying a hefty sum of 20,000 Shardyne to get the info. In summary, it allowed people to build multiple identities within themselves, switching between them using a trigger. It wasn¡¯t quite a Persona, but rather¡­ a way to focus certain aspects of your personality during specific scenarios. Meta-Manipulation was the weirdest, but so far it attuned me to the material aspect of Shardware more than the digital. In contrast, Retrofit was all about the practical formation of Shardware structure with a focus on combining multiple different technologies into one piece. Defragmentation helped me make sense of some of the scattered data I¡¯d stolen from Shandian, and Consciousness Link¡­ was strange. The Information Seed strangely refused Warpcode from the various BUGs I¡¯d pilfered, claiming they weren¡¯t compatible ¡ª which I thought wouldn¡¯t be an issue with my Implant. Nanomachine Repgramming was definitely for repurposing the Goliath nanites, while Frequency Sync allowed me to mimic the Bioshard signature through my analysis of Implant-coded data, as well as vaguely sense other Adapters. Though I suspected there was more to it than that. In summary, more experimentation, more operating and¡­ I don¡¯t know what made me so sombre after the Shandian raid, maybe it was the fact that I now possessed a foreign government¡¯s top-secret weapon within my body. Something else I needed to figure out. My mom¡¯s health had also certainly affected me, as did¡­ Twilight. I tried not to think about it too much, it was easier that way¡­ but I hadn¡¯t forgotten my promise to Diamante about the Personality Editor. I¡¯d turn it off soon, and Diamante had even given me permission not to deactivate it right now given recent events, but promised to find me a way to gradually ease into it. Something about a therapist. What else, what else? Ah right, Water Tendency. The fact that my Warp Energy actually flowed through me much like blood did now was unsettling but also comforting to a degree. It seemed like this list kept on piling more and more, no wonder I was getting overwhelmed. But, knowing I was alone, I slipped on the Dreadwire mask from two taps on my nape. The comforting hold of alloy worked wonders, instantly surging confidence through me and fastening my Arachne under a firm grip. That¡¯s right, how could I forget? I had won. And I would keep on winning. Until I became the master of blood and steel. Features: Development: 11% Integrity: Bronze V Energy: Bronze V Capacity: Bronze VII (Effective: Bronze X) Grade: Gold VI Tendency (Water): Bronze III Ripley¡¯s Shardware Breakdown According to Grade and Feature Links: External Shardware Breakdown: