So Mi didn't need an ice tub to dive. Over the years, as parts of her body were chipped away under the 'persuasion' of President Myers, and as she stood now, she was more metal than meat. An Adam Smasher, but more feminine. Her entire body was custom-made by the best NUSA engineers.
She didn't need an ice tub because her body had cooling systems. All she needed was a bed, and that was it. It was just another dive on President Myers' orders. FIA had come across the location of an old IEC data fortress, and it was her job to salvage it.
It was a lot of work as the world was far smaller now in terms of interconnectivity. She had to jump from CitiNet to CitiNet, hiding her tracks from Netwatch. It took a toll on her body every time she did it.
Breaching the Blackwall was the easy part for her, as with the Blackwall Protocol, the likely sentient AI that defended the world always allowed her to pass. All she had to do was use fake requests and override data packets with false admin-level credentials. That was the trick she'd used all those years. But at the same time, it was killing her.
The real hard part was traversing the Old Net.
However, after hiding from all the rogue AIs, when she finally reached the IEC data fortress, what awaited her was a horror far scarier than even the Blackwall. How powerful did one have to be to simply execute a rogue AI? Especially one belonging to a corporation like IEC?
The confidence that this netrunner showed was beyond anything. She herself always moved cautiously, a hint of fear ever present. But this netrunner was singing, disturbing the code all around him as if calling the rogue AIs to come over.
Initially, her job was just to infiltrate the data fortress and take everything. But now, thanks to her personal needs, she decided to face this netrunner instead.
If someone this skilled existed out there, then maybe… just maybe, they could help her?
But she didn't know if it was even worth it. Her bane was the Blackwall itself, so she tried to foolishly test it by unleashing it on the netrunner. If he was able to fight it off, then she'd have every reason to befriend him. If he lost, then she'd just hand him over to NUSA or the Netwatch.
In that entire plan, she never realised how flawed her idea was. Maybe due to her neurodegeneration, her thought process was flawed.
And soon enough, she was face-to-face with the reality that there existed a netrunner more powerful than the Blackwall itself. She was caged, and eventually she yielded, finding no other option.
She just wanted to get away from NUSA. It was her prison as President Myers' demands kept growing. She didn't even have the power to run away, as NUSA would happily give her to Netwatch, who would kill her. She was a prisoner of NUSA, wearing the mask of a 'willing' FIA agent.
"Rosalind Myers."
She said it. FIA agents were never supposed to reveal their identity or handler. But she did it… to live.
"The President of the NUSA. Former CEO of Militech. Then you are a government spy. I understand your resolve now. It is sustained by the patronage of a formidable organization."
She scoffed, still locked in the tight cage, but the demons didn't hurt anymore. "Patronage? Please. I'm just hardware they use and toss!"
"I detect hostility toward your benefactors. There is a deeper story unfolding, I suspect."
So Mi frowned, finding the manner of speech strange. It felt old, like those rare lost media found from the Old Net. She could see that this was definitely a netrunner. While not much data could be read about him, she saw emotions.
Probably an old man?
It made sense to her because to get that good at netrunning, one had to be really old to acquire all those skills.
"You gonna zero me now?"
"I am in deliberation. Granting you passage back would endanger my continued presence. Your patrons may come searching, or draw NetWatch into the chase. Judging by the signs of what you endured, I doubt they can be reasoned with."
She fell into silence, weighing her options. She had already attempted to implement countermeasures to free herself from the cage. But her attempts felt like a cockroach challenging a megabuilding-sized foot.
Can he? If he's this skilled, then…
"I'm dying, Omnissiah. You flatline me now, or I go back and fade out in a year or two. Same outcome. I'm a half-borg; they made me into this. Their requests kept growing. So Mi, you should get this done, full spine swap, lung swap, better brain computer interface. I gave them an inch, and they grabbed a mile. I'm chrome from the waist up, just scraps of my original face left. Even the hair's fake. All they wanted was a good little soldier, always connected to the Blackwall, easy to breach. My whole back's one giant heatsink. I'm… a freak. And I didn't choose any of it."
"This stands in violation of human rights, if my assessment is correct."
She scoffed, a brittle laugh tearing out of her. "Human rights? In this century? Don't be so gullible, Omnissiah."
"I am not, for I have cataloged the detailed history of the world. Humanity is the reason for its own doom. Still, what was done to you stands as an injustice. My ethics forbid your execution. Therefore, I shall install a failsafe in you. The instant you attempt to reveal my existence, that act alone will justify your neutralisation. Do not seek the code. It is beyond your comprehension."
So Mi twitched, not used to such an insult. But she had firsthand seen this man's abilities.
"I won't! I won't tell anyone. Just… can't you help me? I can't take this anymore. My body's chewing itself up, tumors blooming in what meat's left. My head's a mess, seizures hitting hard, memories slipping out. They tried to bury the reports, but I read them. I don't have long. You're capable of stopping the Blackwall; you can do it."
"And what, precisely, do you expect of me? Your body is your own. Cease crossing the Blackwall, and continued existence is assured."
"Like I get to choose!"
"So you want me to fight NUSA and Militech? For what? For who? A stranger I only met, who attacked me?"
So Mi was speechless, again.
He was right. The only way to save her was by stopping NUSA and Militech. By forcing them to let her go. But why would they do that? She was their pretty little tool. President Myres's right hand. They would rather she be dead than free.
"Then… at least teach me. How do I protect myself? There must be a way to make this less taxing on my body. All the rogue AIs… they make me insane. Every time I weaponize the Blackwall, it bleeds back into me, all of it. I feel it all. The endless noise. The constant assaults from rogue AIs."
"We are finished, Song So Mi. Continued association with you yields diminishing returns and escalating risk. Nevertheless, I wish you fortune. To ensure this encounter remains concealed, I will leave this Data Fortress accessible. I have already claimed and purged what I required. What remains now belongs to you."
"No, wait. Please." She panicked, realising she really had no cards. "I can help you infiltrate Militech. I can open the door for you."
She knew how outrageous she sounded. If anyone were to know what she was offering, she'd be executed no matter her usefulness. But she was just that desperate. And yet, the Omnissiah didn't wait for her and simply vanished. She found no traces behind that she could use to track him either.
No, no! Please!
Never before had she felt this vulnerable. After all, before, she didn't know someone like Omnissiah existed. And now, after seeing him in action, she wondered what if. This felt like having a deadly disease, and having seen the cure, yet not being able to have it.
"What can I offer him?"
There was no such thing as absolute rejection. All she needed was a good enough bargaining chip to grab Omnissiah's interest. Something big enough to offer to make him move.
But what?
####
Rancho Coronado North,
It was late at night, and he should have been in his bed. But there he was, riding shotgun in the fiery, tanned beauty's truck, heading out of the city into the Badlands. At least she wasn't boring as she talked a lot on the way.
Panam had approached him when he was having dinner with Misty at a decent food stall. He planned on taking his new car on a ride alone and enjoying the thrill of speed on the way home. But all he ended up with was Misty's somewhat jealous gaze at Panam.
He had to give it to Panam, however. She was feisty, hot-headed, but also an honest woman. First thing she did was apologise to him for aiming her gun at him. She had finally learned the truth about Nash from Rogue herself. And she had also learned about the secret base Nash was building.
"I'm going to kill every single one of them."
She was seething, and Cypher had nothing to say about it. He just stared outside the window, sad because he didn't get to test drive his new car.
Dealing with a bunch of Wraiths wasn't a big deal to him, or maybe it was just his messed-up nervous system that didn't understand threats and risks normally. Killing, shooting, and driving were a natural part of the old Cypher's life, now his.
He had a greater reason to not look at her, however. There was no denying that Panam was one gorgeous woman and… sadly, that was enough for the 'Groin Wars: the rise of the brick'. And as someone knowledgeable of the Cyberpunk world and its future and lore, he was somewhat attracted to her as well.
But he had no plans to make a fool out of himself by acting like a pussy-starved fiend. He'd done it with Misty that afternoon, so things were under control.
"Well, a good Wraith is a dead Wraith," Cypher responded.
If I knew Nash had already started building the cave base, I'd have gone alone.
He recognised the way. She was taking him to the Rocky Ridge Mine Tunnel. He didn't expect a big firefight, however. He had already killed Nash and his closest gang members.
"That's right!" Panam slammed her fist on the steering wheel. "And Rogue? That bitch had the nerve to pair me with a fucking Wraith?"
Very feisty.
He hummed a nod, using his glasses to interact with the God AI. Too bad, he didn't have a Neural Link and couldn't do everything mentally. Even to speak with the AI, he had to speak physically. But at least the AI could speak into his ear directly.
"There it is." Panam dimmed the headlights. "Your call. I smash the truck into the tunnel, and we hit them by surprise."
"Nope, feet only. Zero idea how many guys, or if they booby-trapped stuff. Nash is dead, so they're gonna be a hot mess without him running things. I'd put money on them already scrapping with each other."
She didn't argue, which surprised him, and she eased off the accelerator. "You serious? We're throwing away the element of—"
He cut her off. "Then the truck will be the element of surprise. Not us. Soon as we hop out and start swinging guns, they'll already be swarming. We roll up on foot instead, then the real surprise is my round punching through some unlucky fucker's skull."
"Alright. If that's how you wanna play it, then fine."
Nodding, Cypher quickly got out of the truck before her and spoke into his glasses.
"Hey buddy, can you take the inside cams and tell me how many bodies I gotta drop?"
That was a very simple request, Cypher believed. If the fucker could sneak into Militech and fuck around with Blackwall, then this was a walk in the park.
Instantly, the God AI's response came, a deep, heavy voice that was too recognisable. [I am able, Cypher. If you so require, I may also compromise their cyberware. Each of them is equipped with a Neural Link.]
"No, not right now. We save the nuclear options for when I'm trapped, otherwise I start leaning on you too hard. I gotta keep my edge sharp. And I really don't want folks guessing a netrunner was involved. Anyone with half a brain will clock the pattern. All Neural Links getting hit is not subtle."
Done talking, he opened the door again and grabbed the big duffel bag he'd brought along. He always kept it at Vik's shop ever since Panam snuck in and aimed her gun at his head. It also helped him be prepared for action at any time of the day.
But instead of grabbing his guns, he put the bag on the ground and started doing jumping jacks.
"What are you doing?" Panam walked over to his side, holding an assault rifle and a pistol.
"Warming up."
"Are you serious?"
Cypher eyed her with a deadpan look, still doing jumping jacks. "I ain't got chrome, Panam. No nuts and bolts jumping when I tell them to. I gotta warm up my body first."
"I don't have chrome either."
She had a point. But Cypher's issue was something else. Normally, the rush of adrenaline would be enough to get you moving. But that only happened if the situation was affecting you. In Cypher's case, he didn't feel nervous, or scared, or anything. This was just another Tuesday to his head. No rush, no panic. And that meant his body wasn't prepared for action.
"Gimme a sec." He started doing push-ups, then a dozen situps, and finally neck stretches.
Only after that did he open the bag. He quickly put on an Arasaka polycarbonate-laced bulletproof aramid vest, a pretty expensive thing in his possession. Then he slung a DB-4 lgla double-barrel shotgun on his back, grabbed his pistol, a Constitutional Arms Liberty. Finally, he grabbed the holster belt and placed the DL-18 blaster on his hips just in case he needed the extra power. There were also three frag grenades.
"Seriously? A vest? You look silly." Panam scoffed, leaning against her truck, arms crossed.
Seriously? Now?
When he eyed Panam, looking like a hot mess, the surge of that rush that was supposed to make him agitated for the battle did the opposite.
Bricked up in a fucking firefight. Great.
"Let's go." He held the regular pistol and headed towards the mine's entrance.
Right then, the God AI spoke into his ear, giving him a detailed description of what to expect.
[Cypher, there are eleven individuals inside. Five are asleep. The remainder are working. They appear to be constructing a habitat for long-term use. I accessed their computer terminal. They are in communication with other Wraith factions, speaking of Nash's death. They are positioned two hundred meters in at the tunnel's widening.
[They are actively expanding it further, though only one side is open at present. No permanent structures are established. They are relying on tents for shelter. Two men stand watch. The others are seated around a fire pit. The first two you will encounter carry assault rifles. Three of those seated carry pistols. One is armed with a shotgun. Those sleeping each keep a pistol beneath their pillows.]
Cypher just nodded in silence and walked inside the tunnel, taking the lead because he didn't want Panam to fuck this up with her trigger-happy fingers. There was plenty of space to take cover behind the massive hydraulic arms holding the tunnel's structure from collapsing.
Then finally, he noticed extra light in the distance, and he knew this was it.
He kept to the left against the wall, as it was mostly dark. He slowed down further, keeping his footsteps silent, crouch-walking.
The God AI, being insanely intelligent, resumed assisting Cypher. Not only did he speak, but he also somehow gave a direct feed into his AR glasses, marking the enemies in front of him with a red dot marker. The marker moved in real time, giving him a continuous feed of where the enemy was. One by one, all eleven were marked in his view.
Finally, he neared the edge of the wall before which the tunnel opened up. He looked behind at Panam and gestured that he had eyes on them. She gave him a nod to take the shot, and that was it.
This is fucking helpful.
He really liked what the God AI had done.
One more step, he leaned forward and eyed the camp. It looked much different from the future Nash's base. This one was dirty, crude, and not much to go about. So, he aimed at the two holding assault rifles. They weren't even doing their guard duty, just standing and chatting with each other.
With a single hand, he aimed, took a deep breath, and…
Bang!
He fired the first bullet, deafening the tunnel with the loud ballistic sound. The humming of vents got overpowered by the loud noises that followed. It was a headshot, and soon Cypher took the next one.
Bang!
He dropped the second guy holding the assault rifle, again, straight to the head.
There it is! My motorbike!
As he moved further into to take cover behind a concrete block, he got a clear view of the camp. A lot of goods had been gathered there. But that was for later. He grabbed a frag grenade and threw it at the tents. He threw all three of them, each landing on the tents.
Panam was right beside him, firing like a maniac with her assault rifle.
[Grenade!]
Cypher heard the warning from the AI and leapt away to the side, easily rolling away to safety. He continued to shoot after that, always staying in cover, taking aim, and dropping a body. All his aims were to pierce the head or the hand holding a gun, and then a fatal headshot.
His breath was calm, however. His head was surprisingly cool.
"Damn you, Wraiths!" Panam roared.
He noticed the crazy woman getting a bit reckless. She stepped out of cover and sprayed at the remaining five men. He didn't stop her and shot the Wraith holding the shotgun.
It was deafening. His ears were buzzing, being in an enclosed space. The last remaining three Wraiths were behind the cover of a concrete block.
So, he sighed and grabbed his DL-18 blaster. He started blasting right at the concrete, scorching it black and crumbling it until the red bolts pierced through.
"What's that?!"
He ignored Panam's question and kept shooting. Not long after, the three Wraiths had to ditch the cover and leap aside. Panam was quick to shoot the two who leapt on the right. Cypher got the one who rolled left.
They were alert, seeing no more movement after that. The tunnel returned to the windy sounds of the ventilation working overtime.
"That wasn't so hard," Panam muttered, standing out in the open, her rifle slung over her shoulder.
But Cypher didn't relax just yet.
[Cypher, six additional hostiles are advancing from the opposite side. There were no cameras there. I have bypassed the minor ICE governing their cyberoptics. Each is armed with rifles and shotguns.]
"Get down! More are pushing in from that side!" Cypher yelled at Panam, diving behind a concrete block. "Move, now!"
Panam did heed his advice, but instead of taking cover with him, she hid behind a block in front of him, putting herself closer to the enemy side than him.
This woman never listens.
He put away the DL-18 blaster and grabbed his pistol again. He didn't wait; as soon as the six Wraiths appeared, running to take cover, he started.
Bang!
Cypher let his instincts take over. His raw talent with guns was already in his body. He didn't even take shots or use the sight. Just based on instincts, his body aimed, and he pulled the trigger.
"Aaaargh!"
This time, there were grunting, crying voices as the fight was ugly. He had to take aim from narrow spaces to hit their arms or legs. He never stayed in one position either, rolling away often to take a better angle.
He changed the magazine mid-fight, so fast as if his body had done that a million times. Then he aimed, the gun held at a strange angle, yet when he shot, it was accurate.
Bang!
Panam was right in front of him, unable to do anything as the bullets flew over her head too fast. At best, she could blindly spray her rifle without looking.
[Four down, Cypher. The right one is reloading.]
Hearing that, he came out of the cover, leapt sideways towards the destroyed camp, and took aim. He jumped in a way that the left one had no clear shot at him. But he took a clear one at the guy reloading.
Bang!
The skull cracked.
"Panam! Fuck him up!"
At his command, she finally got the chance to get up and shoot. As the man was too scared of being the only one left, she got a clear shot and killed him.
"Cockroaches!" Panam seethed. "Why are there so many? The intel didn't say Nash's gang was this big."
Cypher had his own doubts, but the fucking fight was still not over.
[Cypher, ten additional hostiles are approaching from your entry side. A netrunner is present. All internal cameras were attacked, along with Panam's truck systems. Panam is fully exposed and within their direct line of sight.]
"Jump!"
Cypher shouted, wasted no time explaining. He knew Panam's personality, fucking rebellious. Her first instinct was to always ask 'why', instead of doing it. She was a sitting duck, standing in the middle of the tunnel's direct line of sight. He was safe as he was on the tent's side.
He could hear the footsteps already.
He dashed towards Panam and dived, dipping his neck low to save his head.
BANG!
Sure enough, the first shot was fired at her. But he covered her right on time, taking the shot on his back, on the vest. He continued to fall, now with Panam. He took her down with him above the concrete block she was hiding against before, this time dropping on the other side.
Thud!
Bang! Bang!
Trrrrrrr!
Pistols, rifles, shotguns. Bullets flew over them endlessly. Only the concrete block was saving them, and it was getting chipped away fast.
Cypher was flat on top of her, staring at her face.
Panam herself seemed guilt-ridden, her brows creased in shock and fear.
"Still silly?" he asked with a smirk.
"Are you hit?"
He shook his head and seriously looked into her eyes. "No questions, promise?"
"What?"
He didn't reply to her. "Buddy, do it."
The fight had gone on for far too long already. Something greater was at play. That many Wraiths appearing at the same time wasn't normal. In an under-construction camp at that. He believed it was his and Panam's timing that was wrong.
Cypher didn't have to look up. Rather, he enjoyed a few more moments of keeping Panam trapped under him. Too bad his vest didn't let him feel the flesh, damn Arasaka for making it so firm. Still, the view was fucking stunning.
Her hair a bit messier now, her eyes confused, guilty, a thousand questions in them, locked with his.
Within three seconds, all gunfire stopped.
[Cypher, neutralisation is complete.]
He smiled, music to his ears.
"You good?" He asked Panam while moving off of her. Once he was up, he gave her a hand. "Remember, no questions."
"What do you mean by tha—"
She took his hand and stood up. But her lips stopped moving the moment she saw the aftermath right on the other side of the concrete blocks.
Cypher was a bit surprised by the bodies there. The enemies had come so close, he hadn't realised that. But that didn't matter anymore. He put away his pistol and equipped the shotgun. It was time to clean the scene of the crime.
He couldn't leave the ten dead bodies, all with identical injuries. Each had strange cracks in their skulls, the entire skullbone chipped away. There were also identical large see-through holes in their throats where shard slots went in.
Cypher walked to the nearest body and fired his shotgun at the head, splattering it completely into a gory, meaty, bloody mess. He made sure the entire head and throat were gone. Then he repeated it with the rest.
Surprisingly, Panam didn't say a single word during that whole time. But it did annoy him that she just stood there like a frozen doll when she should be going through all the goods and grabbing whatever they could.
Bang!
He dealt with all ten bodies, destroying the evidence. Finally, he walked over to the woman and shook her firmly.
"Rise and shine. What the hell happened to you?"
"W-What? I… how did you do that? I was… we almost died. You alright? You took a hit in the back."
"Argh," Cypher groaned, leaning in closer, shoulders hunching, making sure to exaggerate comically. "Damn, that still hurts. But hey, you know what they say, right? Sometimes the fastest way to forget the pain is a nice, sweet kiss."
"..."
Seeing her awkward face, he laughed and walked away. Who knew Panam could be made speechless like that? But again, he did show her something crazy. God AI's work was nothing short of magic.
"Just messing with you, Panam. Hurry up and grab whatever's yours, or whatever you want. Then we're out of here."
He didn't wait for her and walked over to his motorbike. He felt some sort of old connection with it, although it wasn't that fast of a bike. Still, he wanted it back. He also started checking all the containers. And when he was sure she couldn't hear him, he ordered the AI.
"Alright buddy, check the corpses for any good cyberware I can pop off easy and carry with us. While you're at it, scroll their messages and emails. I wanna know what the fuck happened here."
Instead of speaking, God AI appeared in his AR view. But this time it was different. Instead of appearing like a translucent 3D figure hovering in front of him, he fully integrated himself into the surroundings. And there he was, a Morgan Freeman-like man in human flesh, sitting on a metal box, smiling and waving a thumbs-up.
I guess I got my own Johnny Silverhand, then… but Morgan Freeman… Smarter, for sure. And yeah, not a terrorist. I can live with that.
He didn't mind it because he knew he could stop this at any moment. This was just God AI testing the limits and trying new things. It was also a fun thing to see him look so realistic. Made it easy for Cypher to treat the cosmic-AI like family.
One by one, he checked all the crates. He found bundles of eddies here and there and pocketed them. Then he found some low-grade cyberware and also pocketed them. He eyed Panam, hoping to see what she was taking. But nothing seemed special.
Just for revenge, then? Crazy for sure.
Finally, he walked over to the dead bodies that the AI marked in his AR glasses. Of course, the bastard was still integrated in the scene, squatting beside the dead body, speaking, pointing. The AI looked so human that there was practically no way of knowing it wasn't a human.
From little hand movements to chest breathing, facial twitches, and eye movements. Everything was perfect.
[Take this one, Cypher. He carries a tier two Dynalar Sandevistan. Second-hand, by the signs of it. Still, your hands are precise enough to return it to perfection.]
Cypher nodded and rolled the body over, ripped the clothes, and tore the Sandevistan from the spine. Sure, he broke it a little, but he didn't want to get his hands bloody by carving it out.
[This one has a Chrome Compressor, tier two.]
Once again, Cypher ripped it out of the spine as it was also an operating system.
[This appears to be a Moore Tech Berserk operating system. A remarkable construct. Share the schematics with me. I intend to refine them and test how far my comprehension extends.]
Cypher paused for a second and stared at the AI's human face. Yeah, why didn't he think that before, he wondered. God AI should be able to work on nearly all tech in the Cypherpunk world. If not upgrade them all, then at least it should be able to make blueprints.
They continued after that, and he ripped out a sweet Zetatech Berserk as well, tier three. And finally, he got himself a pair of electrifying Gorilla Arms.
He didn't take any eyes, however. He didn't take anything that would require too much stabbing. He'd already seen Panam giving him side-eyes, and impressions mattered.
By the end, he'd found sweet thirty-thousand eddies, decent cyberware, a few 'donated' guns, and his old motorbike. He removed his vest as well and filled everything into his duffel bag. Poor thing threatened to tear apart from overload.
Panam had put whatever she wanted in a decent-sized metal case. Moments later, both of them walked towards the tunnel's exit.
"Fine, I won't ask how you wiped those Wraiths. They're dead. That's what matters." She broke the silence, still stunned. "But the red bullets. What was that? They melted concrete."
"Oh, that?" Cypher dug into his duffel and came up with a DL-18 blaster. "Yeah, I made it. Shoots high-energy plasma bolts. It rules, honestly."
He noticed her disbelief. She stared at his face to see if he was joking. He was not.
"What? That's just sci-fi. Energy weapons are…"
"Still under development by the megacorporations. But I built this thing myself, spits out a hundred shots. I keep it buried because if anyone starts talking, those suits are gonna freak out. So do me a favor and keep this just between us, Panam."
Panam let out an audible exhale. "You are full of surprises. Who even are you? Do you have a team?"
"I'm solo as fuck, ma'am."
She chuckled as they finally walked out of the tunnel. Her truck was closest to them, so she put her stuff in the back. Cypher didn't; he still planned to take the bike with him, and someone had to drive it.
They still had things to grab. There were five more empty cars waiting, two Thorton Colby Revenant, two Mizutani Shion Wendigo, and one Quadra Type-66 Reaver.
"There should be more cars on the other end of this tunnel. Why don't you call one of your nomad buddies and tell them to come scoop these up real quick?" Cypher suggested.
Panam gave him a look. The one that said 'what the hell are you planning?'.
"You're a nomad too, no? You should send some to your clan."
"Hah! Haha!" Cypher laughed comically, wiping a fake tear, remembering from memory how hated old Cypher was in the clan. "Trust me, Panam. Even if I sent these to the clan, they'd torch 'em on sight. I got kicked… dishonorably, and I'm not even mad about it anymore. I fucked up, fair enough. Anyway, hit up your people, bring them over."
Ignoring the concern in Panam's eyes, he walked over to some of the cars to check them out. He really didn't want to answer more of Panam's questions, especially those about his clan.
It was getting late at that point. He thought of where to go.
Going to Lake Farm didn't feel right, and going to Misty meant answering a thousand questions. So, he pinged Judy and told her that he'll crash there for the night. They were pretty close still, texted every day endlessly, sometimes talked on call for hours, mostly about tech.
It didn't take long for Panam's people to arrive. The Aldecaldos camp wasn't that far away. He recognised some of them, but greeted them as usual.
"Hey, I'm Mitch. Appreciate you pulling Panam out of that fire. She filled us in on the whole thing. Truth is, after seeing the carnage in there, I can't decide if I'm glad you're here or if I should be shitting myself."
Cypher laughed at that and shook hands. "Come on, I'm just a weak little ganic boy."
"If that was you running all ganic, I'd shell out eddies just to watch you get chromed to the gills," the other man said. "Name's Driss. Just call me Scorpion."
Cypher shook hands again. He didn't mind befriending them. They were solid people who got the job done when asked. He needed that sort.
"Time will tell," he said and turned to Panam. "Adiós, Panam. See you around."
He headed back to the tunnel to grab his motorbike.
"Wait!" Panam came running over to him. "Hold up... you did basically all the damn work here, and I'm not some ungrateful asshole. Let me pay you for it, okay?"
"Fuck no!" Cypher recoiled like she just tried to poison him. "Just buy me a decent dinner or something. Although everything tastes like hot garbage, it's the company that matters."
Finally, with a wink, he left, never looking back again. Though in his ear, the AI did ruin the mood a little.
[Cypher, you should have retained one or two vehicles. They could have been sold. I have located contacts among questionable fixers who specialize in such transactions.]
Cypher sighed, shaking his head. "Buddy, I did what I did for a reason. You'll understand the day you get a cock."
Impressions mattered, after all. Being the flirty, slightly crazy, and very mysterious Cypher would stay on Panam's mind for weeks. He was sure about that.
Finally, he got on his motorbike and drove away to the other end of the tunnel. Going back and seeing Panam again was embarrassing and would ruin his mystery-man aura. Using that as an excuse, he got to see the Rocky Ridge as well.
From there, he drove like a maniac with nothing to lose. Fuck, he loved driving motorbikes. The air hitting his face, the cars flashing past him on both sides as he swerves deftly. It made him feel alive.
This… not the gunfight. This gave him the kick he needed.
He drove through Heywood and entered Watson. Soon, he reached Kabuki and parked outside Judy's apartment. It was past three in the morning, and he noticed her car there as well.
Humming to himself, his duffel bag clattering, he went upstairs, dialed the passcode, and entered the home-like apartment. He noticed a box of pizza on the kitchen counter, a few slices left for him.
He wolfed them down, although they tasted like cardboard. Then he hid his bag somewhere and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. While wiping himself, he looked in the mirror. There was a large dark spot on his back where the bullet had hit.
"Flesh is weak. Should at least get some subdermal."
Sighing, he only put on his underwear and casually walked into Judy's bedroom. As usual, he knew she was asleep in her undies. He'd done this plenty of times, but it still made his heart race a little. Still unable to understand why she felt comfortable enough to do this with him.
Not making much noise in the dark, he sat down on the bed and lay flat on his back, pulling the quilt over himself and Judy. She shifted right away, turned to face him, and hugged him like he was her body pillow. His one arm slipped under her head.
Without opening her eyes, she murmured in a sleepy, sexy voice. "Umm… Rough… day?"
"..."
"Yeah… a bit."
She just hummed and squeezed herself harder into the cuddle, purring something under her breath as her smug lips rested so close to his neck, her breath leaving goosebumps on his skin.
Fuck! You got me again, Judy. You fucking got me.
The snake was solid, and this time he had no excuses. He gulped, staring at the dark ceiling, able to feel it so clearly. She wasn't wearing a bra. The soft, smushy things on her chest were flat against his shoulder and chest's edge, skin against skin.
He could feel it… them… those little tips probing him.
Should've rubbed one out in the shower.
"Ummmh…"
Her near-moan-like voice rang close to his ear. Her one leg slid up to fold over his raging erection. As her hips scooted close, he was sure of it. He was damn sure of it. She was completely naked under that quilt.
This has to be intentional. I'm gonna ask her face-to-face in the morning.
Sadly, for that to happen, he had to somehow sleep first.
Should've gone to Misty. No, can't give up. My mama raised no chicken.
"Mmmmmmh…"
"..."
No idea about the chicken, but a cock was surely raised.