Cyberpunk 2766AD

"Sit down and relax?" Zu responded sarcastically. "You're right, nobody is going to think there are freebooters in here...oh wait...but there are those gangers out there who will be wondering why an enforcer's vehicle is parked in the slums and maybe they'll want to check it out, then we'll have another mess like at the Hot Banana." Zu kicked the door, gritting his teeth. "Amateurs, geez," he spat out, "you'd think more freebooters would have some criminal common sense."

 

"And how likely is it that an enforcer is going to pass by this spot tonight? Remember, those that stay calm when s*** goes wrong are the ones that will survive the longest." says Fox. She picks up a magazine and looks at it for a little bit.

 

I stare out the window, watching the scenery whip past like I usually do when I'm not driving, and just like usual, I'm slightly bored... until I notice the hover is acting a little weird. Small jerky movements back and forth, nothing major, but certainly unnerving. I turn to Ghost, about to ask him if he notices, and he's flying with his f***ing eyes shut, steering wheel clenched tightly in his fists. "Ghost? Ghost?!? GHOST!!!" the last one I shriek right in his ear, still no response... I try to grab the wheel, but it's solid as iron in his grip, I can't even budge it with my left hand, and I can't get the leverage to try with my right. The car is starting to fly erratically now... twitching to and fro as Ghost flinches around, like he's lost in a bad dream... then, the worst happens. I hear a monumental creaking snapping *CRACK*, and now Ghost is still twitching and flinching with the steering wheel... but its no longer connected to the car. I don't even know what I'm shrieking anymore, but I'm pretty sure its all profanity, in a variety of different languages. I see the side of a building fill the windshield, and I try to brace.

*CRASH*

A few moments later, Ghost is standing over me, helping me out of the wrecked hover. I'm all-over sore, but the airbags and foam did their job well. "What the h*** just happened?" I ask, but Ghost doesn't seem to hear me. He's staring right at a kid off on the side. It's the freakin' kid from the shuttle! Jimmy. "Hey Ghost... talk about dumb luck, huh? The kid yer looking for." He still doesn't react, other than the fact that he starts to walk slowly and steadily toward the kid. "Umm, Ghost? What's wrong?" no reaction. "What are you doing?" no reaction.
"Hello Jimmy Kiro." he says, in a voice that chills me to my core. Something is very very wrong. I go back to what I was doing in the hover... cursing, pulling on him, and the like... too bad its working about as well now as it did in the car. What the h*** is wrong with Ghost?

 

Spencer stood in the lobby of the doctor's office, cursing internally. Nothing was going right. Tolva had run off. Ghost, the idiot, had gone crazy and had ripped a nicely traceable pathway of destruction to himself. Kiara followed, willingly or not, he didn't know. Perhaps it was better it was just he and Fox now...less impulsive thinking to deal with.

Of course, now they had found another companion, similarly waiting for some time with the doctor. Spencer hoped he had some brains. When he had said 'influence', he had meant people who could accomplish something other than randomly destroying everything in their path on a whim.

He and Fox were arguing the semantics of their detectability. Spencer stood silent for some time.

"They'll assume the enforcers who own the vehicle stopped to investigate something. They'll be some time in even contacting them. For now, we have to wait. There's no option. If you're concerned, go put the vehicles where you want."

 

Zu just stared at the woman, aghast that she didn't find this to be a big deal. Unbelievable, he shook his head.

"You know what, you're absolutely right," he said and turned to the doorman. "I'll be back."

Zu walked out of the door, slamming it behind him. He heard it lock from the inside. He looked at the vehicle just sitting there. I'll do them a favor, so they don't get caught here, he thought. Zu flicked out the baton and pried at the door until he could pop the lock. He hopped in the front the seat and looked at the security lay out. He'd dealt with tougher in tighter spots. Compared to some cars in this city, Enforcer security was a breeze, mainly because they were rarely left unattended. He just had to watch out for the electro-shock.

He got under the dash and started tampering with the gadgets beneath it. He felt a sudden cold and then burning shoot through his hand to the rest of the body. S*** I always forget about the last wire. He got back out of the car, and found a flat piece of metal on the ground. Wiping it off and folding it best he could, he got back in the vehicle, slammed the door, jammed the flat metal into the ignition and started the car. He gave a quick grin, still got it. He backed the car out of the alley and took himself on a joyride to the midlevel.

 

There is just something revolting about being puked on.

I wish I could act as revolted as I feel. My body is moving without me in control. Like a I am some spectator watching a life, someone else's life, unfold before me.

I don;t have many options, but I need to know what I am supposed to do. Capture? Kill? Contain? Recover something? Nothing at all , just that endless singsong of a name and now a barf covered face.

"I am sorry" I at least can pull that off as my body mindlessly brings the blade up to cut him in half. Jimmy's robotic leg blocks the full swing and the force blade nearly cuts his leg off at the knee.

I want to cheer at the resistance of the boy. He is fighter, maybe he might knock some sense into me.

 

Fox hears the car take off. She runs to the door to see that that a**hole took it. "WHAT THE F***! DAMN IT!" She slams her left fist against the wall. She then covers her left shoulder. "Ow! F***." She takes in a deep breath, and calms down. "Whoever is in there right now, had better have a vehicle."

 

Holy s***, Ghost has gone mental. The world feels like it's moving in slow motion as I watch his force blade come slashing down. At the last possible second, Jimmy kicks it away just enough to save his life, at the cost of his leg. I have to move. Everything snaps back to normal speed.

Ghost is bringing his arm back for another strike when I bring my right fist down on the arm holding Jimmy in a crashing overhand blow. I think I might have broken his wrist, I have no idea... I would have broken a normal person's wrist. I know I did what worked. He dropped the kid. I shove the now-one-legged kid back and step between him and Ghost, wakazashi now drawn, and looking warily at him. "Ghost? Are you still in there? Can you hear me? Please... please stop..." I plead. He's my friend. I don't want to hurt him, but I won't let him kill what still seems to me to be an innocent.

 

Spencer stood unmoving as the panicked man brushed past him. He heard the vehicle start up, and shook his head. Is there no intelligence in this city?

Fox had picked up something to read. Slowly, he walked over and sat beside her. Why beside her? Why not across from her. It would have been just as easy to do that. But no. He had sat beside her. And more than that, he felt a desire to make conversation with her. It scared him. He was never inclined to make conversation. Ever.

What was it, then? What attracted him to her? It was beyond her looks. She was attractive, but there had been other attractive women. The fight in the club? It had started there. It had to have. All he could think of in that moment was keeping her safe....what was wrong with him?

He almost opened his mouth to speak, but no words would come. He shut it, picked up a magazine, and pretended to read it.

 

It took a moment for Jimmy to catch his breath, but when he did he let out a stream of unending profanity. He reached for his laser gun and drew it.

 

"Please... please stop..."

The singsong voice stops for a moment as Kiara steps in front of me. I want to scream and cry at the sight of her.

I can hear you alright I want to scream, somehow I must stop myself.

I just can't do a thing about it.

I look down at my wrist, dangling in the air like a broken mast. Worthless and pointless.

"you are NOT my target... Please..." Then my audio control shuts off. The Singsong voice returns and I feel my world fading away even further then before. I am left a spectator in life.

I see that I am turning away from her for a moment only to pick up a table leg.

Maybe I'll give up, go away and try something else.

Then I watch in stark horror as I hurl it at the young mans hand, and watch his bones and muscles it turn to paste from the impact.

His screams drown out the sing song voice.

Nooooo!

 

Adrenaline.

I don’t know what’s worse, the anesthetic or feeling dopey and wanting to jump out of my skin at the same time.

I sit up abruptly which doesn’t faze the doc at all.

“What did you do?” I look down, panicked until I see two very real hands.

I do not want a cybernetic arm. I know that Kiara is very proud of hers but I want to touch and feel things with both of my hands.

“Shoulder.” He says tersely.

I look at it, the whole shoulder, almost up to my neck and down to the top of my arm are smooth golden-bronze metal parts with a deep sheen over them that I can’t place. I know Dr. Fillon and so I know that this isn’t just a shoulder.

“Want to give me the owner’s manual?”

He throws a few implements into a sanitizer and rips off a pair of gloves again. They are incinerated before they’re even properly in the waste receptacle.

“There’s company in the waiting room,” his look is significant, “a LOT of company.”

“Okay, condense it for me.”


Thirty seconds later, after a long crawl through the ventilation ducts of an adjoining building and timing it very carefully through the chopping blades of two ventilation fans, I unscrew the grating on the roof and peek out into the rain.

Dr. Fillon will have the section of wall closed and will be calling his next patient right now. I couldn't believe it was a panel until he opened it because it looked like an entirely normal wall.

The coast is clear so I scramble up, put the hood up on the new coat that the Doc gave me and get a look at the rooftop I want.

… magnify…

I am a runner and so I run, leaping to the next roof and to the next where I slow to a jog, my boots plashing softly, keeping an eye out, and head back to my Enforcer vehicle, still, I hope, in the abandoned upper garage.

 

The ride cooled Zu down. Of course, he had no idea what to do now. He was in an enforcer vehicle, cruising the midlevel. After his rant about being conspicuous, he realized he wasn't practicing what he preached. He abruptly jammed the vehicle right, taking it into an empty parking lot. He ripped the metal out of the ignition, got out of the vehicle, and headed back towards the street, dumping the metal in the gutter.

Zu looked up and down the street, spotting a hostel. He walked towards it, deciding it was better to lay low for a few hours than walk around in the open. He put his hood on, pulled it low, and slid the receptionist enough credits to get himself a private room. The hostel signs were confusing, as they usually are, but Zu finally found his room. It wasn't much bigger than a closet, with a bed, a chair, and a safe box. The bathrooms were down the hall.

Zu stored everything but his gun and baton in the safe, and sat on the bed. He pulled the window shade down and stared out the crack; watching the rain, and listening to the low rumble of the thunder over head.

 

Ghost stands, staring blankly through me, as if I'm not there. Then he blinks once, and he's looking AT me again... "you are NOT my target... Please...", then his voice just quits. His mouth is still open, but it's not moving, and there's no sound coming out. He turns away. I think it's over. He takes a step, then, faster than my eye can follow, he snatches up a bit of rubble from the ground, spins, and in one fluid motion throws it, whistling right past my ear, and hits the kid behind me. Jimmy's wails fill my ears as my shield flickers into being. Never thought something like this would happen... and I don't like it one bit.

 

The doctor comes into the waiting room and motions for Fox to come in. "Hey doc, what happened to your last patient." He simply says "Don't worry about it. It looks like you need to be patched up alittle." Fox nods and says to Spencer "Wait here for me. I'd rather not be stuck in the slums by my self." She walks into the doctors room. She lays on the table and he injects her with nanites. Her shoulder wound and leg wound close up. He looks her over and says "Your body is amazing for having so few augments." Fox says "Thanks. I'm sure Globe Corp's scientist would be happy with your complement." She thinks about the yellow eyed bounty hunter and the plasma pistol bounty hunter. "I could use a way to heal wounds quicker doc."

Well then, just lay down and I'll see what I can do. He pulls out a needle and injects it into her neck. "Those nanites are building a small nanite factory at the base of your brain. It will be able to construct more nanites to heal any wound you get. However, it won't be instant. Like the wounds you had would have taken about an hour for them to detect and heal." Fox nods and says "Well, that should atleast give me an edge in battle." She touches one of the panels and out comes a connection wire. She plugs it into her right hand. Pretty soon, the payment is put into the doctors accountant. "I'm suprised you have money." Fox simply says "Its emergancy funds." She walks out of the room and asks Spencer "So, do you know a way to get back to the hotel?"

 

That singsong voice is still there. What will it take to shut you up, I want to scream and yell and cry all in the same second.

Then I hear it, the missing words, the final command "Neutralize"

That means eliminate them as a threat. I feel my mind flowing back into my body. Now that I know what the command is, I can have some influence if minuscule it is till some, more then I have had so far.

"Kiara, Forgive me" I force the words out as I dive for a table and use it as a battering ram against her. Her force shield only as the resistance of her feet, and she knows it.

She moves with the grace of her ancestors; warriors born and breed everyone of them. She jumps over the table and moves in for an ending blow.

I am moving far faster then I ever could have in the past and I seem not be so reserved about what happens to my frame. In Nanoseconds I spin and then watch as the Wakazashi slides across my left forearm.

For a moment my hand floats in space and then a thin green line of fluid forms and that sucking sounds fills my ears as my left hand and part of my forearm hit the floor.

Right next to Jimmy's now severed hand.

I pull the force blade from the floor, I feel control return to me and I have no idea if that should be terrifying or relieving at this moment.

 

Fox is about to leave, when she suddenly gets a piercing pain at the top of the back of her neck. The doctor pops is head out fron his office and says "You should stay here and rest until your new implant is finished building itself. So just sit down and relax." Fox says "Fine." She walks over and sits down. Spencer sits right next to her. He seems to have a look of concern for her.

 

The hover is exactly where I left it. I unlock, slip in, and ease it out from its hiding place, rain drumming down on the canopy.

Where to? That is an excellent question. I power into a steep climb, water trails curling away from the little wingtips.

Always move up.

 

"Kiara, Forgive me." His voice is pleading, but his eyes are empty. He lunges toward me, grabbing up a broken table to body-slam my shield with. I meet his charge and spin around him, trying to redirect his force. I slash my blade down hard and fast... I've already taken one hand from him by breaking his wrist, I'll take the other one to stop him. H***, I'd take his legs off at the knees if I have to, next. He's moving so fast though, that even as fast as my arm is, I still miss my mark, I hit the wrong arm, I hit the one I already broke. He stops moving and stares at his arm or what's left of it...the stump of his left arm leaks green... green?!? He turns slowly to me, his eyes beg forgiveness... He moves slowly and cautiously as he bends down to pick up his severed arm, as if he expects me to hit him again. I turn slightly and look at Jimmy, and see that one hand is crushed to a pulp, and the other has been sliced cleanly off by the force blade. A million things run through my head, none of them I can figure out how to put to words. I stare mutely at Ghost, just as he gazes back at me.

What the h***?

 

Sen Markus stood under the tall street lamp watching the freebooter Zu enter the Hostel, rain bounced from his head and he fastened up his red jacket. He un-holstered his small shot gun and loaded two shells neatly into the chamber. He lit a Iho stick and took a few drags though the rain quickly dampened the stick making the tobacco soggy, he got the fix he needed.

He looked up the rain was heavy and the thunder raged over head. It mattered not. He slowly walked across the empty road letting the rain drench his hair and face. The rear of his red coat bouced about from small bursts of wind breaking through the buildings. He stopped by the doors and took out a fat looking barrel then un-holstered a pistol. He screwed the barrel to his side arm. A silencer. After all he didn’t want un-invited guests interrupting his objective. He opened the door and entered. Inside was warm grimly lit but that mattered not. On the desk a women sat reading yesterdays paper. Which to Sen Markus was still new, news. He smiled at her.
She smiled back.

He held up his silenced pistol and shot her between the eyes, her body flopped back with the chair she sat on.

Sen Markus looked at the book laid open for guests on the table. Room 13, how quaint he mused. Unlucky for some.

He went up the stairs and looked at the door numbers until he reached 13, then he took out a kit and slowly opened the locked door. Once open he saw Zu sat on the bed listening to the rain. He rose his arm holding his two barrels small shot gun and fired both shells together. BANG, BANG. The shells flew into Zu’s chest blowing him wide open. Blood sprayed across the clean bed and walls. Sen Markus placed the gun back in his red coat and slowly stepped back out of the doorway. He jogged back down the corridor and left the building back into the rain.

Typical not a single person came to see the commotion a truly beautiful city with a people that cared for nothing.

Sen Markus jogged down the street through the rain please with himself.

 

Wraith was now walking very swiftly through the slums. It was easier to avoid detection down here. The new chest and arms were holding together. He felt more alive than ever, he felt he could actually escape alive.

His destination was a small bar in the middle of the slums. There would probably be someone in there who could help him escape. At least there might be.......

 

I stand up a moment and look at my broken hand, a hand I am now picking up off the floor. Kiara looks at me like she has seen a ghost.. umm.. well something she does not see everyday and is sacred of. I am scared of what I just endured.

"I promise, I'll explain everything, but we only have roughly six minuets before this place becomes a hot zone for rescue and enforcers" I look her in the eye as I toss Jimmy over my shoulder.

I watch Kiara do her magic to a rather nice car, a bit of an older model but who with real money eats this crap. I toss Jimmy in the back seat, he seems to have passed out from the system shock of loosing both his hands and bleeding all over everything.

I watch as my arm is now still gushing water all over the place. The slight bits of green mollymer lubricant joining the waterfall. My skin falls and goes limp.

I need repairs badly. Peter might have an uninvited gust coming his way again.

"Get him someplace to get help" I call to Kiara and tell her that I'll find her again.

I walk over to one of the parked Big rigs. "Nice truck"

The guy hands me the keys and his jacket after I explain that I the only thing I have to barter with is his life.

He can keep it or I can take it.

Man these trucks are comfortable.

 

"I promise, I'll explain everything, but we only have roughly six minuets before this place becomes a hot zone for rescue and enforcers." Ghost comments, staring me right in the eye. He looks like he's back to normal, he acts like he's back to normal, but that still doesn't answer what the H*** just happened. I think I'm still a little numb, but I know he's right. We have to get out of here, and we have to get out now... we can sort things out later. Ghost tucks his severed hand into a pocket... how creepy is that, uhg!... and lifts Jimmy over his shoulder as I jog over to find a car we can boost. Really lucked out this time... unlocked and keys in it. Bonus!

Ghost places the kid in the back seat, but instead of climbing in, himself, he gets a brief unhappy smirk on his face and shuts the door. "Get him someplace to get help." I hear him call, along with something about finding me later. I want to argue, but I know I don't have time, the kid is pumping a little more of his life all over the backseat with every heartbeat, and doesn't have much left in him. I gun it and rocket away, no real destination in mind YET, just for the sake of not being at the scene when law starts arriving. I few seconds later I start to think... where to go? where to go? I look down at my right arm, and grin. I know just the place.

I put the car into a steep spiraling dive. I need to get there as fast as I can, but the place is all the way at the freaking bottom of the city. At least I don't have to climb it this time. A few moments of racking my brains trying to remember where the place is, and I find it. I find a spot to park around the corner, no one will look twice at this older-model car... at least not till it's reported stolen. I pull Jimmy out of the back seat and heave him over my shoulder. Oof... d*mn, Ghost made that look so easy. I punch the lock button on the keyring as I stagger off around the corner with the kid on my shoulder... right to the door with the slot. I knock, the slot opens. "This kid needs help, NOW." The eyes in the slot widen, whether in recognition of me, or in realization of what I'm carrying, I don't know, and I don't care. The slot slams shut with a bang, and a second later the door opens *just* enough, hands grab me, and we're both dragged through.

 

Fox stands in shock when she sees one of the female freebooters from earlier carrying Jimmy's limp body into the doctor's waiting room. "Holy s***. What the h*** happened to Jimmy?" Fox wonders if the kid finally pissed off the wrong person.

 

"You're going t-"

"Hold on bu-"

"Get him on the table quick!"

"CLEAR!"

There was a high pitched noise and then air suddenly rushed into Zu's lungs. He was back in Killon's office, in the operating room. Blood covered the table and some had splattered all over the walls, like someone came through with a machete and had a party. Zu's chest killed. He looked down at it, but it was covered by bandages.

"Back sooner than I expected, Mr. Zuiden," Killon said, sitting in the back. "Let the nanites do their job."
"H..how did I get here?" Zu winced, it hurt to talk.
"The manager was doing rounds," Killon replied, walking over. "Found you in a pool of your own blood, your chest blown wide open...any idea how?"
Zu furrowed his brow. "I just remember someone with a red jacket opening my door, and then nothing."
Killon nodded thoughtfully. "Well, the manager brought you, and your things, to me. Another half hour and you'd most certainly be dead."
Zu tried to sit up again, but the pain was immense. "What did you do?"
"Well," Killon started, flipping on a lightboard and putting an x-ray on it. "Had to pick out the pellets...some of your ribs cracked so those had to be reconnected and reinforced with durasteel filaments...the tissue and muscle on your chest is long gone...the nanites are busy reconnecting various ligaments and what not from your new chest to the rest of your body."
"New chest?"
Killon nodded. "Yes sir," he said, "it's all very technical, but essentially I created a lightweight alloy of kevlar, durafibers, durasteel, various other dura's that you wouldn't understand." He grinned. "You have your very own bullet proof chest, just like Superman."
"I don't feel any heavier," Zu said, looking down at the bandages.
"You shouldn't, as I just said, it's lightweight...shouldn't be a hinderance to you at all." Killon looked at his watch. "Nanites should be setting in place."
Zu nodded and sat up slowly. His chest was hurting, but the pain was slowly subsiding. "Doc, will you check something else out for me?"
"What's that?"
"I have this, mp3 file inside me," Zu said, rubbing his head. "Apparently it belongs to Sekki."
Killon squinted at Zu, then grabbed a data pad, plug, and earphones. He opened up Zu's panel and plugged in. Zu located the file and hit play. Killon shook his head. "It's just noise, doubt it's anything Sekki wants," Killon said looking at the data pad. "Says here it's some kind of signal, but that's it."
"But the guy who did it," Zu shook his head. "If it's nothing, then what does Sekki want with me, with any of us?"
"Mr. Zuiden, if I had that answer, I'd have a lot more people sitting in my waiting room."

Zu shook his head and slowly stood. He grabbed the pitcher of water set on the other side of the room and quickly gulped it down, spilling it over his mouth and bandages. Dr. Killon directed his attention to a rack of clothes. Zu picked out some jeans, a black tee, another grey hoodie, and a black dress coat to put over it. His running shoes were still in one piece, a little bit bloody, but they suited him just fine. Before Zu could put on the dress coat the doctor handed him a thin weapon harness that had his pistol and ammo, the baton, mace, flashlight, and flashbangs clipped to it. Zu put it on and covered it with the dress coat. He turned to the doctor.


"How much do I owe you?"
"Just your silence."
"What do I do now?"
Killon loooked at him and started to straighten him out. "Mr. Zuiden," he said adjusting the jacket, "if I had that answer, I'd have a lot more people sitting in my waiting room."

Zu sighed and slowly made his way out of the operating room just as a commottion arose in the waiting room. Zu shook his head: more freebooters.

Back to square one, he thought.