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Prelude:
History of technology relevant to
story.
Fake history of what technologies might
arise needed for story.
Chapter One.
2059. A decade short of 2069, Andre
thought with a slight snicker. He was working on a mod for his left
arm. He had it replaced years ago, before the Crowe-act that
restricted the replacement of organs and limbs with artificial ones.
Even augments were severely restricted.
After the tech to replace parts of your
body had become mainstream, people began to fear. A growing number of
augs had become involved in crime. And using their augs, the result
were often....messy.
Many people had, in the 20 years since
the tech had become reliable, replaced huge sections of their organic
body by choice. Either because they performed better or because of
some fashion trend. If you could type or work 5 or even 20 times
faster as an aug, most businesses preferred augs.
Glowing eyes, color-changing skin or
even modded sexual organs were popular trends.
Andre did not get his augs because he
wanted to. He had been all for augments before. He had seen the
benefits they had over organics. He had not felt comfortable with the
idea of cutting off his arms because the augs looks cooler.
But a close encounter with pavement at
over 200 km/h had made the decision for him. Most of his arms and
legs had been shredded when his bike went haywire and he lost
control.
A freak accident that left him a
perfect reflection of it. What was left of him needed massive surgery
to even have a chance of survival.
He had hated the augs. It took him a
few years to fully accept what had happened. Andre lost more than
parts of his body. He had lost many of his friends and girlfriend. He
had pushed them away.
And now he was reveling in tinkering
with his still hated augs.
He needed money. Like most people, his
insurance only covered a small part of the ludicrous cost of his POS
augs.
He figured that since he had no one
left to hurt, he might as well put these fucking things to work.
“After all,” he said to the cold
metal lying on the workbench. “you've done nothing else good for
me, have you?”
Andre Cormac. He was an artist once.
But he had always had a good insight into mechanics and engineering.
He made himself an familiar with the tech in the last year or so. He
wanted to make his augs better. And he couldn't craft art anymore.
That part of him was cut off somewhere with the giblets that were his
body.
He had a reserve that had lasted him so
far and might be enough for about half a year of food, rent,
debt...
“Fuck it.” he said to his workbench. “I almost died once. I refuse to work myself to death just to make a living!”
“Fuck it.” he said to his workbench. “I almost died once. I refuse to work myself to death just to make a living!”
Andre re-attached his arm and plugged
it into his computer. He had to upload some new code to his arm. Any
tampering with the hard- or software would result in a system
shutdown. He didn't have the funds to pay a fine, let alone enough to
buy a new arm.
He had to be quick. The arm was already
entering its diagnostics mode. He ran a program he'd gotten from a
“friend'. A hacker who would write aug-code for a price. It had
cost him $5000. fucking ripoff, but since that asshole was the only
guy he knew that could write the code he needed, he Andre didn't
really have much choice.
The code worked, as he'd hoped it would. His arm came to life. Motor functions, sensory input and his custom mods. “I can't wait to play with these!” He looked at his arms and legs and was feeling very pleased with himself.
The code worked, as he'd hoped it would. His arm came to life. Motor functions, sensory input and his custom mods. “I can't wait to play with these!” He looked at his arms and legs and was feeling very pleased with himself.
His limbs were much stronger than they
had been previously. He estimated he was around 12 times stronger
than an average organic. That meant he was faster, more resilient.
Hell, robbing an armored truck was going to be easy.
Of course, he wasn't stupid. Adding
that much power to just his limbs would rip what was left of him
apart. Thankfully, his remaining body had already been modified to
support his new extremities.
All he had to do was tinker with them,
buff them up. The worst part of all this was that his skull was still
the original. For now, he'd have to rely on a helmet and body armor.
Once he had enough cash, he could think about adding some sub-dermal
armor , replacing his skull even.
He looked at the old digital clock
hanging on his wall. It was an old matrix-type clock. Several of the
LED's had died a while ago, but it still worked good enough.
“Good, still an hour left. Might
as well get going.” he
thought. He grabbed his gear. Helmet, faceplate, body armor. He
didn't have a gun yet. Screw would provide those. He'd told Andre not
to worry about that. Screw would get them some nice little toys. The
way he'd said that, Andre was expecting to find Screw drowning in
RPG's and Gauss-rifles.
Andre shoved all
his junk in a big dufflebag and swung it over his right shoulder. All
of it combined must have weighed in at over 100 kg, but it was easy.
He laughed at the ease. Loud and hard. He was starting to like these
“new” augs.
About 30 minutes
later he arrived at Screw's Lair. Screw lived up to his name. He was
insane. He also knew how to get the parts and equipment Andre needed.
Andre got off the
train and walked about 10 minutes, through busy streets, filled with
people. Most of them had augs to some degree. Some had ocular
enhancement, others had limbs. They passed him by in all shapes and
size. From absolute trash to hightech showpieces. Some had holograms
projected over them, flowing colors and images, pulsating. Others
were covered in shame.
He
walked down another street and went into an alley.”It always has to
be a shitty alley.” Andre never liked this alley. It looked even
worse than the rest of this rotten neighborhood. He always expecting
to find a corpse or a rape or something horrible down here. He'd only
been here four times so far and each time he was kind surprised he
didn't find something dead or dying. The worst he'd actually seen
here was a dead rat. “Although that doesn't mean worse
doesn't happen here.”He
pounded the door, leaving sizable dents in the rusted, old metal.
Normally a slide would open, like in those old cliched movies. The
guy behind the door was cursing as he tried to open it. “The fuck
you do to my door, man? Fuck'n asshole! ANDRE!, is that you?”
“Yeah, it's me.”
“Shit man, you owe me fuck'n door, ya fuck.”
The door opened, a lot less smoothly. Andre did feel like a bit of a dick but he couldn't stop himself from grinning.
“Yeah, it's me.”
“Shit man, you owe me fuck'n door, ya fuck.”
The door opened, a lot less smoothly. Andre did feel like a bit of a dick but he couldn't stop himself from grinning.
With some effort
Screw slammed the door closed and used around 10 different locks and
bolts to lock it.
“Right, you son'a
bitch...” he paused, looking and admiring the work Andre had done.
“...lets see what all my hard work and effort got me.”
Andre tossed his
duffel bag on Screw's couch. The couch didn't approve of that and
protested by cracking and folding in half. “DUDE, the fuck man!
That was my fuck'n BED! Goddamnit. Well, shit...I suppose it does
show that shit's working” he said, while pointing at the modded
augs.
“Nice fuck'n job
on those. And nice fuck'n job on the couch. So what about your legs?”
A little
reluctantly, Andre dropped his pants.
“Damn sexy work,
man. Hmm, I could look at those all day.”
“Shut up. Can we get on with this? I still need to test most of this stuff. Open up the shooting range, would ya?”
Screw went over to the wall in the back and flipped a broken looking light switch.
A metallic clink followed and a section of the wall slid down.
“Can't have a Lair with a secret door, now can I?” Screw burst out in to laughter, wiping tears out of his eyes.
“I know about the door, Screw. You show it each I come here. You know that right?”
“Hehe, yeah. But I still love it. Makes me feel like an old movie villain or something. Right, in we go. Time to show you what Santa got all the good little robbers this year. HAHA!”
Still laughing at his own jokes, Screw went into the shooting range. It was nothing more than an abandoned building that he'd sound-proofed so his customers could test their purchase without letting every cop in the city know where they were. Even if cameras or microphones didn't pick anything up, other sensors and drones would pick up the gunshot all the same.
Drones of every shape and size would be on the scene in less than 2 minutes. Actual cops would usually arrive shortly after.
“Shut up. Can we get on with this? I still need to test most of this stuff. Open up the shooting range, would ya?”
Screw went over to the wall in the back and flipped a broken looking light switch.
A metallic clink followed and a section of the wall slid down.
“Can't have a Lair with a secret door, now can I?” Screw burst out in to laughter, wiping tears out of his eyes.
“I know about the door, Screw. You show it each I come here. You know that right?”
“Hehe, yeah. But I still love it. Makes me feel like an old movie villain or something. Right, in we go. Time to show you what Santa got all the good little robbers this year. HAHA!”
Still laughing at his own jokes, Screw went into the shooting range. It was nothing more than an abandoned building that he'd sound-proofed so his customers could test their purchase without letting every cop in the city know where they were. Even if cameras or microphones didn't pick anything up, other sensors and drones would pick up the gunshot all the same.
Drones of every shape and size would be on the scene in less than 2 minutes. Actual cops would usually arrive shortly after.
“Alright, lemme
open mah toybox” Screw said with a fanatical grin that sent a cold
shiver down Andre's spine. While he marveled at the engineering and
power involved with weapons, Screw mostly loved what they were meant
to do.
“Oh hooo, you're gonna love this one, man!” It took him some effort to lift the massive weapon out of the crate, his black thick dreads trembling like excited tentacles of some angry seagod.
“Oh hooo, you're gonna love this one, man!” It took him some effort to lift the massive weapon out of the crate, his black thick dreads trembling like excited tentacles of some angry seagod.
“This, my friend”
a loud thumb and rattle of a metal table followed “is a brand new
military-grade Gauss-rifle.”
Andre was shocked. He had thought Screw would like this monster, but never had he actually believed he'd be able to get his hands on one, let alone whatever else might be in that crate. Andre's normally nonchalance fractured and crumbled. He was in awe of the weapon in front of him. It was an masterpiece of destruction, he knew. Capable of accelerating a small piece of metal to hypersonic speeds in a fraction of a second. The impact on target was comparable to a small bomb. And this thing was fully automatic.
Andre was shocked. He had thought Screw would like this monster, but never had he actually believed he'd be able to get his hands on one, let alone whatever else might be in that crate. Andre's normally nonchalance fractured and crumbled. He was in awe of the weapon in front of him. It was an masterpiece of destruction, he knew. Capable of accelerating a small piece of metal to hypersonic speeds in a fraction of a second. The impact on target was comparable to a small bomb. And this thing was fully automatic.
“Shiny, ain't
she?” Screw was actually drooling a bit. There was a hunger in his
eyes. The chill was back, multiplied. He loathed that he needed this
psychopath.
“300 rounds per minute, no cooling needed. Just a recharge every now and then.”
Andre was starting to come out of the shock of seeing a gun like this.
“300 rounds per minute, no cooling needed. Just a recharge every now and then.”
Andre was starting to come out of the shock of seeing a gun like this.
“Just
how insane are you, Screw?” he shouted at the grinning man in front
of him, looking every bit the cartoon villain he might as well have
been.
“The plan was to rob an armored truck, you goddamned lunatic. Not liquify it and who ever is inside or even close. Fucking hell..what the fuck did you think I was gonna do with this thing, huh? I told you to get something non-FUCKING-lethal and you.... ” Andre had to regain some breath. He was livid.
“Hahaha!” Screw pounded the table and slapped the gun. Andre looked at him, angry and slightly confused. “what the fuck is wrong this guy?” Screw looked him in the eye and said”I just wanted to see how you'd react. Most of the cunts I show my gun to freak out and panic. It's too big! is the usual line.”
Screw looked over Andre. His insane eyes took on a calculating aspect.”But not you. You've got a goal and you want the tools for it. The monster doesn't scare you. You know how to tame it. You understand it.”
Andre was getting annoyed with the madman in front of him. Of course, he still had that big fucking gun, so he thought it'd be unwise to insult Screw outright.
“The plan was to rob an armored truck, you goddamned lunatic. Not liquify it and who ever is inside or even close. Fucking hell..what the fuck did you think I was gonna do with this thing, huh? I told you to get something non-FUCKING-lethal and you.... ” Andre had to regain some breath. He was livid.
“Hahaha!” Screw pounded the table and slapped the gun. Andre looked at him, angry and slightly confused. “what the fuck is wrong this guy?” Screw looked him in the eye and said”I just wanted to see how you'd react. Most of the cunts I show my gun to freak out and panic. It's too big! is the usual line.”
Screw looked over Andre. His insane eyes took on a calculating aspect.”But not you. You've got a goal and you want the tools for it. The monster doesn't scare you. You know how to tame it. You understand it.”
Andre was getting annoyed with the madman in front of him. Of course, he still had that big fucking gun, so he thought it'd be unwise to insult Screw outright.
“Enough with the
poetic nonsense, Screw. I know how this thing works, yea. Now, do you
have anything that I can actually use for this little endeavor of
ours? Something that wont reduce the truck or guards to a messy
puddle?”
Screw was laughing
again. He was enjoying his little show.
“Sure man. I got what you need.” He dove back into the crate and took out a far smaller gun. It looked like a bulky assault rifle, angular and aggressive. Not the huge metal beast previous.
“Sure man. I got what you need.” He dove back into the crate and took out a far smaller gun. It looked like a bulky assault rifle, angular and aggressive. Not the huge metal beast previous.
“This is a lot
less fun, though.” The excitement had left Screw's eyes. “This
thing still packs a nice punch against most fleshies. Augs less so.”
He charged the gun, turned suddenly and let off a few rounds. Blue
streaks cracked through the air. Bursts of lightning sparked the far
wall.
“Should drop any
fool with one hit. You can reach out and touch em at about 200
meters.”
“And you call this a stungun? The last one of those I saw was in an old series. Copper wires carried the charge.”
“Ah,” Screw said enthused “but this thing fires actual bullets! They carry a charge for about 5 second, release it all on impact. And it looks totally space!”
“And you call this a stungun? The last one of those I saw was in an old series. Copper wires carried the charge.”
“Ah,” Screw said enthused “but this thing fires actual bullets! They carry a charge for about 5 second, release it all on impact. And it looks totally space!”
“Well, there is that, I suppose.”
Andre had to agree with Screw. The looked pretty cool and even better
when it fired.
“So
what's the plan, Screw? You said you'd done this kind of thing
before.”
“Oh yea, don't worry. I have. Couple a times. They never paid off though, HA!”
“Are you kidding me, Screw? You mind telling me what happened?”
Screw stopped laughing. Instead he showed a toothy grin that would have been perfect for a wolf about the eat its prey.
“Couple months back, right after Nugget did the intro, I thought I might try this little venture with you. So I called a couple....acquaintances of mine. We loaded up on gear and headed out. We hit the truck, killed the guards...mighta blown one up...We bagged the goods, ducked into the sewers and BOOM! Gone, BABY!”
Andre vaguely remembered hearing or reading something about that. He didn't really care as long as no-one was involved that he knew.
“We forgot about one tiny little detail that fucked us...well, the other guys, right up their asses. The money was tagged. As soon as we left the sewers, they got us. I picked up a transmission. Drones headed in, armed ones. Next thing I knew, the place was a fucking shootin' gallery. Ooh, I never seen such gore. That carnage....hmm”
Screw looked like he had just seen the most beautiful girl on the planet, naked, begging for him to come over. Goosebumps and terror. That was what Andre felt. What the hell was wrong with this maniac? If Andre told him he was having severe second, third, fourth thoughts, Screw would probably kill him for the hell of it. And to get his hardware back. “Shit!”
“As soon as round and parts of my crew started flying, I jumped back in the sewers. Money's nice, but only if you're alive t spend it, ya know?”
“So how'd you survive? I'm assuming those drones were targeting all of you. And by the sound of it, they had some pretty decent guns on them.”
“I was wearing thermal-cloaking. Messes with the sensors on those flying drones. The walkers didn't show up 'till after I was gone. I told m to wear cloak. Fuckers ignored me. Called me paranoid. Even if we did get caught, they'd stun us and arrest us. Not so famous last words. 'Course the media wasn't fed that last bit of the story. News said we got arrested, money was found and justice would be served.”
Andre looked skeptical. He never really trusted the news 100%. But to cover something like this up...It was beyond anything he'd heard of. Even in the wildest conspiracy theories.
“Sure. You got any evidence to back this up?”
Walking to a small desk in the corner, on top of which was a shrine of some sort, Screw opened a drawer. He took out a small case, the size of a small, narrow shoebox.
“Oh yea, don't worry. I have. Couple a times. They never paid off though, HA!”
“Are you kidding me, Screw? You mind telling me what happened?”
Screw stopped laughing. Instead he showed a toothy grin that would have been perfect for a wolf about the eat its prey.
“Couple months back, right after Nugget did the intro, I thought I might try this little venture with you. So I called a couple....acquaintances of mine. We loaded up on gear and headed out. We hit the truck, killed the guards...mighta blown one up...We bagged the goods, ducked into the sewers and BOOM! Gone, BABY!”
Andre vaguely remembered hearing or reading something about that. He didn't really care as long as no-one was involved that he knew.
“We forgot about one tiny little detail that fucked us...well, the other guys, right up their asses. The money was tagged. As soon as we left the sewers, they got us. I picked up a transmission. Drones headed in, armed ones. Next thing I knew, the place was a fucking shootin' gallery. Ooh, I never seen such gore. That carnage....hmm”
Screw looked like he had just seen the most beautiful girl on the planet, naked, begging for him to come over. Goosebumps and terror. That was what Andre felt. What the hell was wrong with this maniac? If Andre told him he was having severe second, third, fourth thoughts, Screw would probably kill him for the hell of it. And to get his hardware back. “Shit!”
“As soon as round and parts of my crew started flying, I jumped back in the sewers. Money's nice, but only if you're alive t spend it, ya know?”
“So how'd you survive? I'm assuming those drones were targeting all of you. And by the sound of it, they had some pretty decent guns on them.”
“I was wearing thermal-cloaking. Messes with the sensors on those flying drones. The walkers didn't show up 'till after I was gone. I told m to wear cloak. Fuckers ignored me. Called me paranoid. Even if we did get caught, they'd stun us and arrest us. Not so famous last words. 'Course the media wasn't fed that last bit of the story. News said we got arrested, money was found and justice would be served.”
Andre looked skeptical. He never really trusted the news 100%. But to cover something like this up...It was beyond anything he'd heard of. Even in the wildest conspiracy theories.
“Sure. You got any evidence to back this up?”
Walking to a small desk in the corner, on top of which was a shrine of some sort, Screw opened a drawer. He took out a small case, the size of a small, narrow shoebox.
He presented the
box to Andre.
And slowly opened the lid.
Inside was piece of an arm. Shot to hell, covered in blood and preserved in some weird goo.
And slowly opened the lid.
Inside was piece of an arm. Shot to hell, covered in blood and preserved in some weird goo.
“What the hell is
that?!”
“What's left of my acquaintances. Not much, is it? It was floating next to me in the sewers. Must have been blown off as I started runnin'.”
“What's left of my acquaintances. Not much, is it? It was floating next to me in the sewers. Must have been blown off as I started runnin'.”
“Christ....take
that thing away. I feel sick... Why would you keep that?”
Screw closed the lid of the ornate little box. The detail and trimming were macabre but beautifully crafted. Andre could appreciate a piece like that, if he didn't feel like screaming and throwing up all over the damned thing.
Placing the box, with a delicate touch, back in its drawer, Screw returned to the matter at hand. He looked more subdued, as though the arm had taken his madness and tamed it. For how ever long that might last.
“We were playing with toys, weren't we?”
“Ugh...” Not feeling any better, Andre's thoughts snapped back to why he had seen that arm to begin with. “No, you were telling me what happened to your previous crew. And while you're at it, you mind explaining how we'll avoid ending up like that?”
Screw closed the lid of the ornate little box. The detail and trimming were macabre but beautifully crafted. Andre could appreciate a piece like that, if he didn't feel like screaming and throwing up all over the damned thing.
Placing the box, with a delicate touch, back in its drawer, Screw returned to the matter at hand. He looked more subdued, as though the arm had taken his madness and tamed it. For how ever long that might last.
“We were playing with toys, weren't we?”
“Ugh...” Not feeling any better, Andre's thoughts snapped back to why he had seen that arm to begin with. “No, you were telling me what happened to your previous crew. And while you're at it, you mind explaining how we'll avoid ending up like that?”
“Aww, you spoil
all the fun.” The insanity hadn't been gone long. “Well, I
analyzed everything that happened. That's why I needed you to armor
up. These new arms and legs will be able to take whatever they dish
out.” Screw admired the work Andre had done. The look made Andre
feel uneasy.
“Unless you don't
bother with the rest of yer armor, that is. And yeah, I know what
went wrong last fuckin' time! Ever here of a Faraday cage, brotha?
Blocks EM waves. Means radio cant get through. The rebar and all the
crap, heh crap...kept the tags from alerting anyone to our position.
As soon as we left that pretty cage, we were fucked.”
“So we need a way
to kill those tags, before they kill us? You got an idea on how to do
that? EMP? Microwave?”
“yup, microwave. Imma cook the little fuckers, HA!”
“yup, microwave. Imma cook the little fuckers, HA!”
“Alright then. So
what's the est of the plan? Might as well tell me now, since we're on
the subject.”
It was only now that Andre noticed Screw's artificial eyes. The lit up for a brief second. They almost seemd to glow, if only for a second.
Screw's predatory grin appeared again.
“Heh. Might as well. Plan's pretty simple, really. Bit different from last time. Mostly because we got you. You can rip off the doors, smash the windows. No need for anything goes boom! Sadly.”
“So, what? I just walk up to the truck, open it up and we take whatever we can carry?”
It was only now that Andre noticed Screw's artificial eyes. The lit up for a brief second. They almost seemd to glow, if only for a second.
Screw's predatory grin appeared again.
“Heh. Might as well. Plan's pretty simple, really. Bit different from last time. Mostly because we got you. You can rip off the doors, smash the windows. No need for anything goes boom! Sadly.”
“So, what? I just walk up to the truck, open it up and we take whatever we can carry?”
“Pretty much. The
hard part was to find a truck that would be alone, no escort and big
fuckin' payoff!”
Andre looked doubtful. If things sound too good to be true...
“It cant be that that easy, that's absurd. There's gotta be something you're not telling me.”
Andre looked doubtful. If things sound too good to be true...
“It cant be that that easy, that's absurd. There's gotta be something you're not telling me.”
Screw looked
pissed. “You doubting my brilliance? They ain't got enough men to
cover all the trucks. I got a man on the inside, let's me know that
kind of shit. And by man I mean worm.”
“You bugged them? One of the biggest security firms in the country?”
“YES I FUCKIN' DID!” Screw reached back and had a gun to Andre's head in the next second.
Andre froze. Screw started laughing maniacally. Anger surged up in Andre.
“You bugged them? One of the biggest security firms in the country?”
“YES I FUCKIN' DID!” Screw reached back and had a gun to Andre's head in the next second.
Andre froze. Screw started laughing maniacally. Anger surged up in Andre.
“The
fuck man!” he grunted through clenched teeth.
“HAHAHAha...heh...” The gun lowered. “you ain't got any combat software, DO ya?!”
“What? NO! How the fuck am I supposed to get shit like that?”
Screw looked twisted, something a mad god would make.
“Gonna have to fix that, brotha. Follow me.”
Andre stood frozen, gasping and sweating. He'd never had a gun to his head before. “Was this a test? Is Screw testing me? Is he toying with me?” Questions raced though his head, until the spell of fear was broken by Screw yelling at him to come over.
“Shit your broken ass down! NOW!”
“What are going to do to me? You know you cant kill me. You need me for this.”
Glancing over his shoulder, Screw's eyes were cold.
“Oh, this is such a cliché moment. If I wanted you dead I could killed you already and then more of those lines. No, fuckwit, imma make you better!”
“HAHAHAha...heh...” The gun lowered. “you ain't got any combat software, DO ya?!”
“What? NO! How the fuck am I supposed to get shit like that?”
Screw looked twisted, something a mad god would make.
“Gonna have to fix that, brotha. Follow me.”
Andre stood frozen, gasping and sweating. He'd never had a gun to his head before. “Was this a test? Is Screw testing me? Is he toying with me?” Questions raced though his head, until the spell of fear was broken by Screw yelling at him to come over.
“Shit your broken ass down! NOW!”
“What are going to do to me? You know you cant kill me. You need me for this.”
Glancing over his shoulder, Screw's eyes were cold.
“Oh, this is such a cliché moment. If I wanted you dead I could killed you already and then more of those lines. No, fuckwit, imma make you better!”
The chair was an
old medical device, the ones they used to calibrate augmentations in
new patients or customers. Every point of contact had sensors, plugs,
wires, status indicators. But this one looked old and beaten. It
looked robust. Screw had made a lot of changes to the Chair. It
looked to have more capabilities than the ones Andre knew.
“Well? Have a
seat, Your Highness!”
Andre could have killed Screw or ran faster than was humanly possible. The problem was that killing Screw would have repercussions. If he even could kill someone. Running wasn't much of an option either. He'd end up not only dead but hunted. By Screw and whatever SOBs he had lurking around.
Andre could have killed Screw or ran faster than was humanly possible. The problem was that killing Screw would have repercussions. If he even could kill someone. Running wasn't much of an option either. He'd end up not only dead but hunted. By Screw and whatever SOBs he had lurking around.
He took a seat.
“Right...this is
gonna hurt!”
A sharp jab in the back of his head, crunching and breaking bone. Andre couldn't move. He was paralyzed, but he could feel everything. His eyes cried and screamed. Screw came into view. A view that become covered in a red blanket. The red shifted into black.
A sharp jab in the back of his head, crunching and breaking bone. Andre couldn't move. He was paralyzed, but he could feel everything. His eyes cried and screamed. Screw came into view. A view that become covered in a red blanket. The red shifted into black.
“AAAH!”
“Oh, good. You're awake. Now don't fuck'n move. I still got shit to do to ya and I need you awake for this part.”
“Aah...fuck...the hell did you do, motherfucker?” “I can move again. That's a plus. Fucking hell that shit hurt. The fuck...”“Yea yea, I could have knocked you out, but that would have spoiled my fun. The look in your eyes was...hmmm...delicious...”
Screw kicked a pedal on the Chair, shoving Anre upright.
“Here ya go!” A needle suddenly stuck in Andre's neck, near the base of his skull.
“AAH! What the fuck man?!”
“Stop crying! I need as direct a feed as I can get. Unless you wanna rip yourself to pieces.”
Fighting back tears of pain and actual terror, Andre felt the back of his head. He could feel a large scab, maybe 2 cm across. It felt very round and sore. A slight pain radiated away from it, throbbing less and less each heartbeat.
“Oh, good. You're awake. Now don't fuck'n move. I still got shit to do to ya and I need you awake for this part.”
“Aah...fuck...the hell did you do, motherfucker?” “I can move again. That's a plus. Fucking hell that shit hurt. The fuck...”“Yea yea, I could have knocked you out, but that would have spoiled my fun. The look in your eyes was...hmmm...delicious...”
Screw kicked a pedal on the Chair, shoving Anre upright.
“Here ya go!” A needle suddenly stuck in Andre's neck, near the base of his skull.
“AAH! What the fuck man?!”
“Stop crying! I need as direct a feed as I can get. Unless you wanna rip yourself to pieces.”
Fighting back tears of pain and actual terror, Andre felt the back of his head. He could feel a large scab, maybe 2 cm across. It felt very round and sore. A slight pain radiated away from it, throbbing less and less each heartbeat.
“What did you
do?”
“Aside
from some satisfaction, I ripped out some of the crap they shoved
into your brain. Don't look so puzzled. You know how these toys work.
They need imput from your brain to do anything. Fucked up part is,
every civie implant comes with a fuckton of locks and shit.”
“Ugh...” Andre inhaled sharply. “Locks?”
“Neural Input/Output Inhibitors, but who can be arsed to say that? That system is part of every single implant in the world, except military-grade. And it's all very secret. So don't tell!”
“But why? I don't get it.”
“Remember the Crowe-act? That limited more than just replacement and shit. It put limits on every single aug since. Any civie with an aug that came in for maintenance after that had locks put in! They fuck'n neutered us! We should've been GODS!”
“Gods? What are you talking about?”
“Fucksake...lemme give you a history lesson. About 40 years ago, we invented tech to replace limbs. Couple years after that, organs were easily grown and replaced. About 20 years ago, we unlocked the key to fuck'n immortality! But they kept that a secret from genpop. It's asecret little toys for the rich and powers that be. Heh, fuck'n brilliant plan, that was. Use the law to keep everyone in check and keep the good shit for a few. You getting' the picture?”
Andre couldn't believe it. This was even too much for a nutcase like Screw.
“Ugh...” Andre inhaled sharply. “Locks?”
“Neural Input/Output Inhibitors, but who can be arsed to say that? That system is part of every single implant in the world, except military-grade. And it's all very secret. So don't tell!”
“But why? I don't get it.”
“Remember the Crowe-act? That limited more than just replacement and shit. It put limits on every single aug since. Any civie with an aug that came in for maintenance after that had locks put in! They fuck'n neutered us! We should've been GODS!”
“Gods? What are you talking about?”
“Fucksake...lemme give you a history lesson. About 40 years ago, we invented tech to replace limbs. Couple years after that, organs were easily grown and replaced. About 20 years ago, we unlocked the key to fuck'n immortality! But they kept that a secret from genpop. It's asecret little toys for the rich and powers that be. Heh, fuck'n brilliant plan, that was. Use the law to keep everyone in check and keep the good shit for a few. You getting' the picture?”
Andre couldn't believe it. This was even too much for a nutcase like Screw.
“Are you serious?
Do you hear yourself? Immortality? A mass conspiracy? Come on...”
“You callin' me
crazy? Then watch this...”
The world lit up. Andre could see everything, hear anything. He felt as if he was more.
The world lit up. Andre could see everything, hear anything. He felt as if he was more.
“Judging by the
look on your face, I'd say the locks are gone. Welcome...to the real
world...heh.”
Andre looked around. He was having some trouble focusing. He noticed had had a HUD, all of a sudden. Different settings he could go through to filter his vision. He never knew he could do any of this. Not only that, but his power output had tripled.
Andre looked around. He was having some trouble focusing. He noticed had had a HUD, all of a sudden. Different settings he could go through to filter his vision. He never knew he could do any of this. Not only that, but his power output had tripled.
“Oh...wow...”
“Nice, ain't it? All that power, just by removing a lock. Oh, and I may have swapped out your eyeballs.”
“You WHAT?”
“Don't have a cow. I ripped out your old ones, added some augs to them and out em back in. that's why they's healed already. The connection to your brain was made by some new tech I invented. Automatic connection to the right part of the neural hub.”
“You should have fucking asked.”
Even though he loved the new vision, he still felt sort of violated.
“What, and risk you saying no? Bitch, please. Besides, you'll need these eyes to See.”
“I wasn't blind before, you moron.”
“DON'T....piss me off, kid! The locks also blocked all the sensors you have. The HUD will overlay the data they provide you with so you can See. Hazard alerts, GPS....augmented FUCK'N reality!”
The more he heard, the more everything this madman told him started making sense. Was he becoming as insane as him? Maybe he needed that for the insanity of what he needed to do. He'd known there would be massive changes to himself, but he had never expected anything to this level. Not even close.
“Global conspiracies, secret government deals...and how does Screw know? How would a lunatic like him know all this and even care about?”
“Heh, I can see that you have fuckload of questions, brotha. I'll get right round to answerin' them.
First though, I need you to run some diagnostics. Make sure you ain't gonna die on me. I mean, wouldn't want ya to form an aneurysm, now would we?”
“Great, so no matter what I do, I might still die today? Fucking marvelous. I wonder why people don't use that word more often?”“Yeah, that sounds really encouraging. You know, you might want to do something about your bedside manner, Screw. Ugh...You got a diagnostics-terminal around here?”
Screw pointed like Death himself over to a corner. Covered by an old stained blanket was the terminal he needed. It was brand new. Not a scratch on the thing.
“How the hell does he get all this shit? Brand new augs, tech I've never seen before. Shiny new terminals...You'd thing someone would notice this thing being gone. I mean, it's not exactly small....”
The terminal was the size of a small car. A smooth white plastic box, containing anything and everything needed to make sure a patient was taking to their augs. While the tech was decades old, rejection still happened. It was rare, but if it did occur and went unnoticed, it was still often fatal.
Andre took a seat in front of the device. It registered the patient sitting in front of it. Several robotic arms carrying different medical tools and sensors unfolded from the seamless box.
“Nice, ain't it? All that power, just by removing a lock. Oh, and I may have swapped out your eyeballs.”
“You WHAT?”
“Don't have a cow. I ripped out your old ones, added some augs to them and out em back in. that's why they's healed already. The connection to your brain was made by some new tech I invented. Automatic connection to the right part of the neural hub.”
“You should have fucking asked.”
Even though he loved the new vision, he still felt sort of violated.
“What, and risk you saying no? Bitch, please. Besides, you'll need these eyes to See.”
“I wasn't blind before, you moron.”
“DON'T....piss me off, kid! The locks also blocked all the sensors you have. The HUD will overlay the data they provide you with so you can See. Hazard alerts, GPS....augmented FUCK'N reality!”
The more he heard, the more everything this madman told him started making sense. Was he becoming as insane as him? Maybe he needed that for the insanity of what he needed to do. He'd known there would be massive changes to himself, but he had never expected anything to this level. Not even close.
“Global conspiracies, secret government deals...and how does Screw know? How would a lunatic like him know all this and even care about?”
“Heh, I can see that you have fuckload of questions, brotha. I'll get right round to answerin' them.
First though, I need you to run some diagnostics. Make sure you ain't gonna die on me. I mean, wouldn't want ya to form an aneurysm, now would we?”
“Great, so no matter what I do, I might still die today? Fucking marvelous. I wonder why people don't use that word more often?”“Yeah, that sounds really encouraging. You know, you might want to do something about your bedside manner, Screw. Ugh...You got a diagnostics-terminal around here?”
Screw pointed like Death himself over to a corner. Covered by an old stained blanket was the terminal he needed. It was brand new. Not a scratch on the thing.
“How the hell does he get all this shit? Brand new augs, tech I've never seen before. Shiny new terminals...You'd thing someone would notice this thing being gone. I mean, it's not exactly small....”
The terminal was the size of a small car. A smooth white plastic box, containing anything and everything needed to make sure a patient was taking to their augs. While the tech was decades old, rejection still happened. It was rare, but if it did occur and went unnoticed, it was still often fatal.
Andre took a seat in front of the device. It registered the patient sitting in front of it. Several robotic arms carrying different medical tools and sensors unfolded from the seamless box.
Andre
tried to relax. The first time this whole day that he'd even
considered relaxing. He tried to recall a happier place. Somewhere
far away from this filthy, decrepit warehouse. This building of
torture, death and insanity. Andre was convinced more than a few
people had died here. To what extent Screw was involved, he tried not
to think about. After all, the man had been inside his brain.
The machine worked fast. It performed neurological scans, X-rays, biofeedback exams and basic vital system checks. It would gather all this data in less than a minute and perform a rudimentary analysis. Normally a doctor would verify the results. It chimed, signaling it had completed its job.
Screw came over, waved his hand near the surface of the box. A cover depressed into the box a few millimeters and slid up. A display came forward to take its place, producing a full render of its results.
“You ain't dyin' today, kid.”
“Hmm” “If you say so. The day hasn't ended.”“Cheer the fuck up. Means the plan is good to go. And we still got over a week before the next transport shows up.”
“So what now?”
“You go home. I ain't giving you any toys yet. You don't need em anyway. Just practice, get used to your new body. Try out the weapons in your arms. I recommend you either leave town or come back here to do so.”
“Leaving town sounds like a plan.”
The machine worked fast. It performed neurological scans, X-rays, biofeedback exams and basic vital system checks. It would gather all this data in less than a minute and perform a rudimentary analysis. Normally a doctor would verify the results. It chimed, signaling it had completed its job.
Screw came over, waved his hand near the surface of the box. A cover depressed into the box a few millimeters and slid up. A display came forward to take its place, producing a full render of its results.
“You ain't dyin' today, kid.”
“Hmm” “If you say so. The day hasn't ended.”“Cheer the fuck up. Means the plan is good to go. And we still got over a week before the next transport shows up.”
“So what now?”
“You go home. I ain't giving you any toys yet. You don't need em anyway. Just practice, get used to your new body. Try out the weapons in your arms. I recommend you either leave town or come back here to do so.”
“Leaving town sounds like a plan.”
“No goddamned way I'm coming back
here if I can help it.”Andre
was beat. He'd never been this tired. He looked like he hadn't slept
in at least 2 days.
“So when do we meet?”
“I'll let you know. Get back here ASAP when I send you the phrase...GET THE FUCK BACK HERE, HAH!”
Screw was laughing so much, he cried. He was almost rolling over the floor.
“Hehehe...alright, get the fuck out. Sleep, rest, eat, jerk off, do whatever you gotta do. Oh, before I forget, today's Tuesday.”
Andre must have misheard. He came here on Sunday. He'd been here for three days?
“Are you serious? Three days? Wha-”
“Haha, relax, brotha. I'm fucki'n what ya. You've been here about 12 hours. Now get the fuck out and shut the door. Leave the bag. No sense in lugging that armor back again, risk getting caught.”
“Yeah, right.”
Andre walked out of the warehouse and towards the old metal door he'd come in through. As he opened it, he damn near ripped it off it's hinges. Whether because of his new strength or the age and corrosion of the door, he was unsure. As he slammed the door, sparks flew pas as it scraped back into place.
“Right, strength then...”He smiled. He walked back through the night of the city. It was never dark in this town, except in the places you didn't want to be. Andre had to be careful, he realized. It'd be really easy to injure or even kill someone.
“So when do we meet?”
“I'll let you know. Get back here ASAP when I send you the phrase...GET THE FUCK BACK HERE, HAH!”
Screw was laughing so much, he cried. He was almost rolling over the floor.
“Hehehe...alright, get the fuck out. Sleep, rest, eat, jerk off, do whatever you gotta do. Oh, before I forget, today's Tuesday.”
Andre must have misheard. He came here on Sunday. He'd been here for three days?
“Are you serious? Three days? Wha-”
“Haha, relax, brotha. I'm fucki'n what ya. You've been here about 12 hours. Now get the fuck out and shut the door. Leave the bag. No sense in lugging that armor back again, risk getting caught.”
“Yeah, right.”
Andre walked out of the warehouse and towards the old metal door he'd come in through. As he opened it, he damn near ripped it off it's hinges. Whether because of his new strength or the age and corrosion of the door, he was unsure. As he slammed the door, sparks flew pas as it scraped back into place.
“Right, strength then...”He smiled. He walked back through the night of the city. It was never dark in this town, except in the places you didn't want to be. Andre had to be careful, he realized. It'd be really easy to injure or even kill someone.
Taking
care not to touch any one, pushing buttons with a feather touch, he
went back home.
He opened his fridge, found what he was looking for. Pizza he'd ordered the day before but never ate. He'd been too nervous to eat then. Now, the pizza was gone in minutes.
Reaching for a glass and a bottle of booze, he crushed both. “Shit....that stuff was good.”The second try went better. He drank until he couldn't keep awake. Dragging himself into his bed, he dreamed about the murderous villain who'd played God with his body and brain. He cried in his sleep.
“What options do I have?”It was the last thought he could recall. No other dreams bothered him. Maybe one...
He opened his fridge, found what he was looking for. Pizza he'd ordered the day before but never ate. He'd been too nervous to eat then. Now, the pizza was gone in minutes.
Reaching for a glass and a bottle of booze, he crushed both. “Shit....that stuff was good.”The second try went better. He drank until he couldn't keep awake. Dragging himself into his bed, he dreamed about the murderous villain who'd played God with his body and brain. He cried in his sleep.
“What options do I have?”It was the last thought he could recall. No other dreams bothered him. Maybe one...
