I've only been to cyberspace two or three times in my life, but every single time has left me with a profound sense of awe-inspiring feeling that just hits me like a point-blank shot to the face. Every time you move, it feels like your entire body is underwater, but the resistance is not really overwhelming or uncomfortable. The entire world that lies in front of you is made up of tiny glowing dots, and the entire world seems to be thrumming with energy, like it is breathing. "It's beautiful here." I said involuntarily, while dropping a tracker and a backdoor into the subnet; once that was done, I turned around to face Bridgette, but I was alone.
I was just about to wander away when suddenly Bridgette appeared in front of me and slowly said, "It is. Now we need access to Johnny; he will lead us to alt." and slowly touched me and started accessing the timeline.
"Alright." I said, slightly shivering at the intrusion; soon I was living through the memories of Johnny again, and looking at them now, it is clear how much he has grown up. I mean, he was never abusive towards Alt, but he was still one crappy boyfriend. God knows what Rogue and Alt saw in him. Getting out of the simulation, it was again just Johnny and I, standing alone in cyberspace.
"Hey, I never asked this before, but what happened to Thompson?" I asked standing up, from the floor… or at least I think it was a floor.
Johnny said flippantly before appearing a bit away from me. "Don't know. Never worked with him again." Nodding, I looked around for a few more seconds and waited for the next step when suddenly I was back in front of Bridgette. "Well, got what you need?"
"Yes," she said before moving away from me a bit.
"Well you better have, because I just saw a better chunk of Johnny's life and also Alt's."
Before I could say anything, Brigiette started moving us across cyberspace, and suddenly we were standing in front of the blackwall.
The blackwall… fuck me. Shivering with a bit of disquiet, I looked at it, knowing that this is literally humanity's last line of defence, but the blackwall itself was such a scary entity that even just looking at it is enough to put things into perspective. The first time I saw it, I didn't actually understand what I was looking at, but after seeing it in action through So Mi and after working with Netwatch, I finally understand what we were fucking around with the last time… And now I want to do it again. "Now, let me guess, I need to go past the black wall." I said with an annoyed voice.
"You are correct," Bridgette said in a smug voice.
"Of course I am." I said with a small, resigned voice before hesitatingly touching the pulsating wall. A slight shiver ran through my spine; apprehensively, I looked behind me and saw nothing but a dark empty void, and just as I removed my hand from the wall, I started hearing all the unfettered AIs; their strange clicking and clunking sounds were driving me insane with fear here. Pressing myself against the wall, I looked around me anxiously. I didn't want to scream Alt's name here, fearing that some other entity might hear me.
I was just deliberating whether I should do anything or not when I finally saw Alt's digital form floating towards me. The relief I felt at seeing her is something that can't be overstated. "Johnny. You can't stay here," she said in an almost ethereal voice before waving her hand, and once again, we were back in the cyberspace with the VDBs.
"Alt Cunningham…" Bridgitte said reverently, but before I could react to it, we were once again transported to the balcony overlooking the courtyard where we were last time. I tried to shake the effects I was still feeling from going beyond the blackwall. That… was the most terrified I've felt in a long time… oh god…. Let's never do that again…
Sighing deeply, I tried to gather myself the best I could and slowly moved to where Johnny was standing, "Well, here we are again." I said with an uncomfortable chuckle. Giving me an understanding look, Johnny nodded and clapped his hands before saying, "Alright! Introductions again. V, this is Alt, one of the best netrunner in NightCity, and Alt, this is V, one of the best merc NightCity ever produced."
"High words, rocker boy," I said, slightly happy at his description; after all, not only has Johnny worked with the best of the best, but he also was considered a legend himself.
"Why are you here, Johnny?" alt sked in that ethereal but disinterested voice of hers, while waving her arms around… for whatever reason.
"Don't ask me; she's the one who wanted to come." Johnny said, pointing to me, before stepping back.
Finally, Alt turned towards me and started staring into my digital soul… it was creepy. "What is it you want, V?" she asked, leaning a bit closer to us. In another lifetime, Alt right here asked me a simple question: `the netwatch propaganda has been successful i see, tell me, do you see me as a devil?` i can now confidently say that yes… the propaganda is successful because even though I know her, know that she'll help me here, I can't help but feel a little bit apprehensive. But knowing how irrational it is, I took a deep breath and steeled myself a bit.
"I encountered a netrunner a few years ago; she was extremely talented, so much so that she used Blackwall."
Tilting her head a bit, Alt was quiet for a bit before saying, "A highly dangerous and reckless thing to do. But effective too. Using Blackwall as a conduit, or as a weapon, is effective, but there are downsides."
Nodding, I remembered how so mi looked in black sapphire. "Yes, she was completely chromed out, like head to toe; it was like her body was failing her."
"Using Blackwall takes a huge toll on your body; Blackwall is not just a simple program created by humans; she is quite literally humanity's last line of defense."
Oh believe me, I know that. But there is a question that has been going on in my head for quite a while. "Tell me, how do you pop back and forth through it?"
"Speaking simply, I'm not a rogue AI; I don't fit the parameters set by Netwatch. So Blackwall usually leaves me alone." Well, she's not wrong; despite only being a shadow of herself, Alt's digital self still knows how to think like a human and also how to escape detection. I was just nodding at her answer when suddenly something she said jumped at me. "Wait, what do you mean by usually?"
"We do converse sometimes," she said simply, as if talking about weather.
"Is Blackwall sentient?"
"She is sentient, but I'm afraid a conversation between you would be quite difficult."
Nodding, I took a deep breath and stepped back a bit. What I'm about to ask her is going to sound so fuckin' absurd, considering I worked and now still have close ties with Netwatch… "Tell me, can I use black wall hacks safely?" I asked her hesitantly. Suddenly, Johnny appeared in infront of me and, with crossed arms, looked at me with judging eyes. "Seriously?" and I get it; after talking to Moseley and all that talk about stopping VDBs, just even thinking about using it makes me one of the biggest hypocrites.
Raising my hands in a placating manner, I slowly said, "I know, I know… but did you forget what we did to Myers' forces in the end?" that night… We literally decimated Myre's forces just by the wave of my hand, all while carrying Songbird on my back. I don't care if it makes me greedy, but I want that power again. And it seems Johnny also agrees with me on some level.
"That was something else," he said dreamily.
Nodding excitedly, I looked towards Alt, who gently shook her head and said, "Blackwall doesn't like it when people use her like a weapon; she is a sentient being after all."
"That… makes sense actually." It makes more sense than I could imagine, and I get it, but I can't help but feel a little bit disappointed at the answer.
Seeing my emotions, Alt once again leaned in and asked, "What is it that you're actually after, V?"
Sighing, I turned and looked at Johnny's face for a few seconds, trying to decide what I should say here to Alt. After a few seconds, I reached a decision based on one fact I'm sure of. "I got an exclusive contract from someone very important. The contract is for Saburo Arasaka."
"I was under the impression that Saburo was dead?" Alt asked in a confused tone, tilting her head to one side.
"Saburo is, but his engram lives on," I said with a small grimace, "and he'll use that engram to take over his son's body."
For a few seconds there was no answer from Alt; instead, she was just staring at me and Johnny. Slowly she started drifting back, without saying anything… It was creepy to say the least. "Alt?" Johnny asked hesitatingly.
Finally, slowly nodding her head, Alt said, "This is disturbing." Isn't that the truth? "If he becomes successful, then theoretically he can live on forever."
Nodding, I leaned on the digital railing in front of me. "He will be successful; that's why I'm going to break into Makoshi and kill him before it could happen." I've already lived through a reality where Saburo took over his son's body. And it made my blood boil to see it happening right in front of me, all over again. I watched as Yorinobu's public appearances declined, and he slowly faded away. And suddenly then, one day, he came infront of a press conference and announced his legitimate rule over the company, all while Hanako was standing right beside him, and in that moment I knew… that what almost happened to me also happened to Yorinobu, but in my case Johnny never had a choice whether he wanted it or not. But it shakes me to my core just thinking about it, where an engram is actively taking over your body, all while the construct is taunting you about it. Mercilessly.
I'm not going to let that happen again. Looking up at Alt with determination, "I was wondering if you would want to cause a bit of havoc in there?"
"The offer is tempting."
Smirking, I nodded my head, a chance at fucking with the emperor himself; who can resist? "In return I want some hacks, or something in that department, something as powerful as Blackwall, but without the physical toll."
"There's nothing quite as strong as her, but there are a few unfettered AIs that will be able to help you."
"The ones that are classified as some of the most dangerous by Netwatch?" I asked incredulously.
"It's just propaganda, V. These AIs are considered dangerous because Netwatch can't control them."
Okay… A for reasoning, but still, that doesn't mean that they are not dangerous as fuck. "What makes you think I'll be able to control them?"
"Don't worry, I'll turn them into manageable programs, which you'll be able to turn into either a cyberdeck or a weapon."
"The cyberdeck, will it be able to help me hack into secure sites like Netwatch or Makoshi?"
"It will be just a program. Hacking into places like this will be dependent on how good you are, but it will give you a considerable edge." Works for me; don't want to make everything easy now, do we? "Okay… after getting these codes… How will I turn them into a cyberdeck or a gun, and also how many can I make?"
Floating a bit higher, Alt closed her eyes, spread her arms a bit, and went silent for a few seconds before once again coming back down and said, "There is no limit to the number of AIs here, but I suggest two would be enough. If someone else were to gain access to them, then things could get bad very quickly."
"I hear ya." I can't be stupid enough to let a powerful AI fall into the hands of Tygers, or… God forbid, scavs.
"As for creating the weapons or the deck, you can find information or instructions on the net, or I can send them to you. Here. This way it'll be more customizable." Alt said, waving her arm towards me, and suddenly all the information about a cyberdeck and a customizable sidearm was just sent to me… This is so neat.
"I got it, thanks!" I said with a smile while looking at Johnny with a satisfied nod. I was just about to ask Alt about VDBs when she suddenly waved her hands and said, "Now you need to leave; staying too long in the net is not good for you."
"Wait, what about the AIs? When will I get them?"
"I will send them to you." The moment she finished, everything started to get fuzzy and glitchy. And then suddenly my eyes flew open, and I was in the ice bath. Pulling the links out of me, I stumbled out of the tub and took in a few deep breaths.
I was leaning on my knees and catching my breath when suddenly Bridgette came in infront of me, "So you survived."
Her smug and a little condescending tone was really pissing me off now. "Didn't expect that, did you?" While saying that, I quickly sent a message to Mosely. And now it's just a waiting game. "I was put on this earth just to destroy expectations, Bridgette."
"Is that so? But for how long, I wonder." Bridgette asked with a haughty look.
"Oh yes, about that… I'm not dying." I said with a savage grin, "I just needed to make contact with Alt, and I needed to… well, you'll see." I finished still grinning while slowly and subtly taking out a small karambit.
I watched as hers and everyone around me got a slightly uneasy expression. "What do you mean? What did you do?!" Bridgette asked, stepping closer to me, trying to intimidate me.
I was just thinking about how I should answer her when I got Mosley's message; it simply said 'get ready'. Smirking, I also got ready to get in action and tightened my grip on the knife and, in a slow drawl, said, "this." and suddenly all the servers sparked out and shorted, the lights connected to the workstations suddenly flickered, and two of the runners who were still jacked in started screaming.
"It's Netwatch! They are in the rezo agwe!" one of the netrunners screamed while looking at the screen in front of him in horror. His panicked scream distracted Brigette long enough for me to jump into action. Rushing forward, I slashed from her stomach up to her neck, completely opening her up. Before anyone could even understand what just happened, I stabbed Bridgette in the eye and dragged her roughly in front of me. Using her as a shield, I threw the knife in my hand into someone's skull and took out Comrade's hammer and fired it in the crowd, disorienting and killing a majority of them. Narrowing my eyes, I quickly uploaded and spread contagion, poisoning a few of them, but a few of them also had self-ice, but it won't matter. Reaching into my pocket, I grabbed an incendiary grenade and threw it at them and watched as all the infected people exploded; with only three more people left, I took out dying night and started dispatching them too. Clearing the goons down here was actually the easy part; the main problem will be that fucker Placide, who's probably prowling the chapel upstairs.
Throwing Bridgette's lifeless and bullet-riddled corpse behind me, I picked up a rag from a nearby station and started cleaning all her blood from me while looking at Netwatch's progress through the computers. Almost all of Rezo Agwe was purged, all the personnel connected to it were fried, and all of the VDBs networks are going down. It was almost beautiful.
'You're out of your mind if you think that is beautiful…' Johnny said from where he was standing behind me. Smirking, I turned back and said, "You're only saying that because it's a corps that is doing the destruction, instead of a merc or a rebel."
Without saying anything, Johnny just gave me a middle finger and disappeared from my sight. Chuckling, I shook my head and started restocking my guns and grenades. Alright… Fighting Placide won't be hard; it'll be just… tedious. Just don't let him hack or get too close, and I'll be fine.
Finally, I was standing in front of the door leading into the chapel. I could hear Placide talking to someone else. Taking a deep breath, I once again took out Comrade's hammer and tossed in another flashbang. The moment I heard the bang, I burst in and shot the other goon in the head; he was standing really close to Placide, so not only did his head explode, but Placide also went flying back. Quickly stashing the gun, I took out my favorite shotgun guts, and started spraying on placide. But even while blinded, he was hopping from one place to another. Putting the gun away, I dodged a few shots and took out the mono wire, preparing it, I swung it as hard as I could, making a deep gash in his chest and face, while also uploading a cripple movement quickhack, which caused him to stumble a bit. Taking out the C. hammer, I rushed at him and whacked him hard in the head while also reloading the gun, and with a loaded gun, I pulled my hand back and, with all my strength, pushed the barrel in the gash on his chest, and as he howled with pain, I looked at him with a sadistic smile and said, "This is for trying to flatline me, you bastard!" and pulled the trigger, and then I watched as half of his upper body turned into red mist.
Stumbling back I looked at myself and saw that I was completely drenched in blood.
"For fuck's sake…" These clothes were completely ruined, so much so that the only option I could see in infront of me was to throw them away, because these do not look salvageable.
'You look absolutely lovely. Mmuha!' Johnny said, laughing his ass off, while standing in front of me.
"You can't even look at me, asshole!"
laughing he walked around a few steps before stopping infront of Placide's body, or what's left of it, looking at it, he took off his glasses and snarkily said, 'at least that's one less gang to write about now.'
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Hey guys! thanks for reading! please do consider rating, commenting and saving, it'll help me immensely! also I feel like Gollum now, running and chasing after my precious Powerstones. So please, do consider throwing some my way please!