Ghost in the City
Chapter 55

A few hours later I drove home.

Jun wasn’t at the apartment when I got there which let me flop onto the couch uncaring of the loud sigh I gave off.

Gig complete.

I had done it. Killed at least two of the monsters that I remembered from the game. There were others I was sure. But these two were what I remembered. Killing them was enough to at least lighten my conscience.

Would killing them make Night City just a little bit better of a place?

I think it would.

I reached over and grabbed the guitar.

I didn’t know what to play.

The ideas flowed through me. I could play something famous or popular, but I was a total nerd. I listened more to anime OST’s than radio pop.

So I just strummed a few times before the idea formed.

I couldn’t do it all, I didn’t have the electronic sounds needed for it, but I could play the guitar, and I was feeling in a pretty dark metal mood having just murdered a man in cold blood.

As I started the first riff, I was thankful there were no lyrics to this song, just sound from my guitar.

But I had to say something anyway, something that simply fit too much.

“The only thing they fear Is ME.” I growled my face turning into a smile as I lost myself in the music for a while. Playing through a few songs from the Doom Soundtrack that I liked, at least what I could do with just a guitar.

I would need a lot of extra equipment if I wanted to recreate the song in truth.

Which is why right in the middle of BFG Division, I realized I was a fucking genius.

“I’m a tinker, and a netrunner. Why the hell can’t I make the noise I want!”

I put the guitar to the side, and went to grab my laptop. Engineer it first, then tinker it into being.

Hah! See Rita!I was a perfectly sane and normal girl! Capable of normal sane girl things!

But first I needed to focus. I needed this to properly shred! How would they know that they should fear me, if I didn’t have an awesome theme song!

Honestly it was really easy. Using my CAD software I was able to build up the little box from bottom up.

When I finished the blueprints of my music box, I realized that while I could handle the outside of the system just fine. I had no idea how to properly program it. It was the same problem I had with my directional Mic. I could finish the hardware and get it running, but programming it to do more? I had no idea.

Even with my netrunning… Right now my ability was only at the level of script kiddy stuff. I could use programs already made, I was even good at it.

But Programming?

No idea.

With a very important part of my future music box unfinished I started hammering my head at the wall. The CAD software was of course capable of accepting some programming to test it out, but as I went through it I very quickly got nowhere.

I found myself wasting time, going in mental circles.

So I needed to program this thing. I realized I had a blank in my netrunning understanding. I was pretty sure I was fairly competent, with Intelligence and Breach at 6, even if my Quick Hack skill was lagging behind.

“This system is deeper than I thought.” I admitted realizing that I was definitely missing a skill. If Rockerboy was a skill under cool, and Driving existed, then obviously there were more skills in my system than there were in the game.

I just had to figure out how to start a new one.

I couldn’t help but sigh when I realized I had another skill to grind, no matter how much time I spent grinding away, there always seemed to be more!

Which was both good and bad as I liked grinding, but I didn’t want to admit that I liked it! I wanted to be irritated!

Fortunately I had an idea of how to get started. I went into my room and pulled out my mothers netrunning guide.

I popped in the shard and started browsing through it swiftly, until finally I found it. A small section she went over personalizing Quick Hacks.

It wasn’t much. It wasn’t long. She prefaced it with ‘99% of you will never bother with this.’ But it was there.

So I sat and followed the steps of my biological mother in altering just a tiny bit of the code of my Ping Quick Hack.

It was the basic of basics program already. My Ping wasn’t special, or anything. If I put it in game terms, my Ping was the white common rarity.

But as I pulled it apart, I was able to make a minor change that I followed along as my mother guided me.

And finally something I had done, was enough.

*Programming Experience Gained.*

*Skill not unlocked, no XP gained.*

*Programming Unlocked.*

Well that was level zero…

Let’s see what I could get a level before Jun got home.

—-

Turns out that unlike Rockerboy, Programming was fucking hard. I had ended up making a copy of my Ping Quick Hack. And basically tearing it apart over and over again trying to find ways to make it slightly better.

Most of the time I ended up spiraling the program into utter uselessness.

But the times I succeeded at least on not ruining the program I got that alert telling me I was one step closer to understanding.

Finally hours after I started and with a few clumps less hair on my head I altered the Ping so it would visually show a different color connection in my optics and the alert popped.

*100 Programming XP Gained.*

*Programming skill level up!*

And my eyes were opened. Breaching. Quickhacks? They were a tiny miniscule sliver of the net. Breaching was like learning how to move in the Net. How to bypass system security, or even just port access through different servers. It was what you needed to live in the net.

Quick Hacks was bringing the power of the net to the real world.

But Programming?

Programming was magic. There was nothing in the net you couldn’t do with the proper application of programming.

It was also incredibly difficult, easily the most complex of the three skills, and the one that the least amount of people used.

Real Netrunners didn’t have high Breach, or Quickhack skills.

They had high programming. The difference between a ‘common’ Ping Quick Hack, and a Legendary one was a layer of magnitude in complexity.

If someone who could use Quickhacks was a knight, the Programmer was the smith. The weapon designer.

A lone Netrunner could find weapons and use them.

A lone Programmer? Could create an army.

I suddenly realized that Programming might very well be the most powerful skill I accessed. If I designed a Legendary Quick Hack. Or in the real worlds terms. A Quick Hack of insane complexity and power, I could sell it, or trade it for favors, for eddies, for power.

It was in a lot of ways making a magic weapon in a mundane world.

Eeeeee! So cool! I giggled and kicked my legs as I rolled around on the couch.

So I had the basics of another powerful tool.

Now I just needed to spend the hours upon hours to grind it out.

Since all I really had was Ping, that was my go to playground. I knew it could be improved after all. If I could practice with it enough, I could figure out how, and improve one of my only Netrunning tools.

Fuck I really needed to upgrade my deck.

I reached behind my head and touched the back of my head where it was installed. The little port hidden in my skull.

Was I ready for it?

I wasn’t sure. It made me kind of nervous. I was still working my way through my arms, trying to adapt to them, make them mind, and I still felt the effects of chipping them at times. The harsh reminder, always there niggling at me, and yet.

I didn’t want that spider ripper to win. To scare me away. I wasn’t afraid of chipping chrome. I liked the idea! I always had. Just in moderation and not adding in something stupid to myself.

But still. There was that itch in my shoulders at the thought. That, and the fear that slid down my spine.

I knew how close I had come to losing it. I didn’t dwell on it really. It was too easy to just ignore it. But before I had put the points into adaptation, I had truly been on my way to losing myself in revenge.

I hadn’t liked the person I had been becoming.

Which was part of the reason I hadn’t been hunting the Maelstrom Spider Ripper down afterwards. I didn’t want to admit to myself how out of control I had been thanks to the constant pain and trauma.

I sighed flopping onto the couch for a bit. Why was life so complicated? I just wanted to have fun and do cool shit.

But life was more complicated than that, and a Cyberpunk life more complicated still.

I would talk to Vik, I did still owe him a night where he would check on my healing. He had been nice enough to only say I was due for a checkup rather than the truth in his texts that I got every few days.

Stupid Dad Vik, making me feel bad for not seeing him. I was just so busy! I looked around at the multiple projects that surrounded me and sighed.

At least I had a few days before I would see Regina about payment for killing Jotaro. She was going to send me a text in a few days to fake an initial meetup. I guess I would be able to start taking gigs from two Fixers after that.

It was a step up. In a good direction even.

Maybe it was time to do some upgrades…

I pulled up my phone system.

*Ringing*

*Ringing*

*Motoko? What is it? You okay?” Jun’s voice picked up quickly, sounding concerned.

*I’m okay Jun! I just had a thought… I’m thinking I might get a new Netdeck… I’m just… Should I? Is that okay? Is it too much too fast? I’m still recovering from my arms and I just-*

*Whoa, Whoa slow down. Hey hey. It’s okay just, breathe… Do I think you getting a new Netdeck is okay? Yeah I think it would be good for you. You’ve been practicing a lot, and it’s not like you really have enough chrome anyways. I would feel safer if you had an upgrade… Are you really still worried about your arms?*

*Jun… I was literally going crazy after! All I could think about was killing the Maelstrom. I wasn’t me. I’m still not feeling 100%. Of course I’m worried! It’s like you! You were one step into some form of Cyberpsychosis when you rescued me.*

*I wasn’t!* He denied instantly, and I had to breathe to not say something instantly, and end up snapping at Jun.

*You kinda were Jun. You’re better now though. But I was really worried.*

*Talk… Talk to your ripper. He was a good guy. He’ll make sure you’re ready for new chrome before giving it to you… I guess I don’t know when enough is enough.*

*Jun?*

*I… Haven’t thought about how it must have looked… No how it was. I was stupid… I’m sorry. I must have scared you.*

*You did, but I wasn’t scared of you Jun. I was scared for you.*

*I see.* He said in a voice that told me he very much didn’t see.

*Alright… I’ll talk to Vik. I owe him a checkup anyways.*

*What? Go get your checkup you gonk! If your ripper says you need to be checked out then get moving!* He yelled into the line at me making me jump.

*Alright alright! I’m going! Yeesh.*

I grumbled as I ended the call and rose up. I guess I was visiting Vik.

—-

“Misty!” I called out as I entered the Esoterica and the fluffy haired blonde looked up from her digital magazine.

“Motoko! How are you?” She asked as she rose up and actually pulled me into a hug for a moment. “Vik is in, are you hurt?”

“No no, and it’s not a rush, what are you doing, anything fun?” I asked as she perked up at me asking about her.

I guess I had been a little rude just passing through to Vik. Misty was good people after all.

“Reading about Buddhism at the moment, come sit with me!” she called pulling me over to the two chairs she had set up where she plopped me down. “How have you been?” She asked instantly and I smiled at her genuine interest.

“I’ve been okay. I had a talk with someone that… Well she’d been forcefully chipped chrome as well. Rita’s preem… Anyway she talked with me, and reminded me to actually do something for my spiritual needs that didn’t just lead to violence… I uh… started playing music, I bought a guitar…”

“That’s great Motoko! Music an amazing spiritual relief! You should play something!”

“I uh.. Didn’t bring my guitar, and I don’t think I’m ready for that… It’s embarrassing. Only Jun has heard me play so far. I’m still making mistakes and it’s kinda-”

“It sounds like you are having fun, no need to stress out about it.” She said gently reaching out and taking my hand to stop me from rambling a bit. Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ ɴovᴇlꜰirᴇ.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

“Thanks Misty.”

It was all I could offer, and we both smiled a bit as we settled in to chat. I mostly listened as Misty discussed her interest in esoterica, and spiritualism. It was fun, soothing, and had nothing to do with the crazy Night City stuff.

So I spent a good hour just listening to her talk, and before I realized it she had even tricked me into a meditative stay with her lighting incense and walking me through my breathing.

I pretty much knew all of it thanks to Cool, and Ninjutsu, but it was kinda nice to do it outside of controlling myself for combat.

—--

“Hey Vik!” I called out after Misty finally let me go from her constant desire to worry about my spiritual and mental health.

She was fun.

“Motoko! Glad to see you kid, you’ve been dodging me.”

“Not purposefully! I’ve just been kinda… Busy… Sorry that’s not really a good excuse.” I offered in the end, actually pretty contrite. Vik was just trying to look out for me.

“Ah, you aren’t the first of my patients that are hard to get in for a checkup, c’mon take a seat I want to check on your arms, and you can tell me what finally brought you by.”

“You are way too sharp, Vik.” I mumble as I did as I was ordered and let Vik start checking out my shoulders and arms. Even popping open a hatch on the arms to diagnose them.

“So what brings you in kid?”

“I’ve been thinking about an upgrade… Upgrades… I’m just not sure I’m ready.” I admit quietly feeling a little uncomfortable mentioning it to Vik. “I want a new CyberDeck… But my arms messed me up pretty bad. I’m not sure I’m really ready for them. Even if I really do need an upgrade.”

“I see.” Vik murmured soothingly as he spent another moment staring at my screen. “Motoko, it’s very rare I get a customer that actually worries about too much chrome, even with all my warnings. I would definitely be worried about you for most things. If you wanted to get something big I would do my best to stop you. You aren’t ready for that.” He said and I couldn’t help but exhale as a tension left me.

Vik had said it. I wasn’t ready. So I could stop thinking about it. I didn’t have to keep wondering if I was being stupid for not chroming up even a little more.

I wasn’t David level stupid, but there were times I wish I had some Subdermal armor, or maybe Optical Camo.

But I could just let that go for now. I wasn’t ready. Doc Vik said so.

“But changing out a Deck isn’t difficult. I’ve never seen anyone have any issues from a simple swap. Do you have a deck in mind?”

I had to open my mouth and then close it and then answer with a bit of a blush. “Not really…”

“Heh. Well kid you’re at the right place, let me pull up some options for you. I don’t have much, especially anything that would interest you, but I can see if I can find something, or at least send you to another ripper that I know will.”

“Cool. Thanks Vik.”

“Anytime kid. Now about that sleep study.” He said with a grin and I couldn’t help but laugh as he was teasing me more than anything. But it was a thing I needed to do.

“Fiiine. How about now? I would rather get it done now, than keep putting it off.”

“Well that I can do.” He said with a smile as he started pulling down different pieces of tech around the ripper chair.

Interestingly enough. I was able to recognize most of it. That one was a X-ray machine, or more accurately a modern MRI machine. That one was a metabolic scanner, that one a mechanical sensor, it would keep an eye on my chrome and tell Vik if they did anything weird.

Cool.

After that we settled in and Vik went through a catalog of options for a netdeck. It was pretty comprehensive. Every Netdeck Vik had probably ever come across was on the list. As we searched through it.

The problem was cost to benefit. Of course I wanted a Tetratronic Rippler. But that was an ultra rare, and pricey piece of chrome.

So I set my price range, even if I couldn’t afford it right now, Regina would be paying me a pretty penny for Jotaro and I could afford it then.

Eventually I picked one that had Vik laughing at me. “Planning on breaking and entering are we?” He eventually asked as I pouted at him.

“I’m an infiltration specialist!” I whined but then pouted because I had to add in. “And I do break and enter a bit more than I think is right. I blame Wakako.” I added because the Seacho Electronics Mk. 2 Cyberdeck was a good deck.

Plenty of Ram. Four times what I had with my current Paraline. More Buffer, which means I could breach into better systems, and more Program Slots, for Quick Hacks.

But the real reason is because it had the honor of being the most commonly used Cyberdeck for Break-ins. It was built for stealth hacks, and even had an overclocked CPU so it could scan, connect, and upload a Quickhack much faster than its competitors.

It’s ten grand price tag hurt, but I would have enough that the cost wouldn’t hurt once Regina came through.

“Alright kid. I know a guy that should have one, I’ll put in some calls.”

“Perfect! Then I’ll take a nap. Ready?”

“One sec, I want to make sure I get this instant sleep function of yours. You don’t have any cyberware that should allow it, so I want to see what happens.”

“Sure Vik, oh actually I should do this too.” I mentioned whipping out my knife and giving myself a cut on my hip where my leotard and pants failed to quite match up.

“Motoko! Don’t do… Jesus kid you’re gonna give me a heart attack. Hold on.” He muttered grabbing some supplies and then to my amusement disinfected the cut and even put a loose bandage on it.

“I’ll keep an eye on it during the day, but really kid you shouldn’t hurt yourself like that. Alright sit back, scan is ready. Night night.”

I laughed at him as I set my sleep for eight hours and I was out.

—--

I blinked awake. Everything was slightly different. Vik wasn’t standing over me, but instead across the room.

And as always I was crystal clear and awake.

“Hey Vik.” I called out getting his attention as he looked away from the boxing match he was focused on.

“Hey Kid. How’d ya sleep?” He asked rolling back over and fussing over me as he started moving the scanners and things from around me letting me sit up.

“Fine, good as always. What’s the verdict?”

“I have no idea. I can tell you, that it took me a while to narrow down something. You got some Nano-machines in you. Not unusual, we all do at this point, but yours were elusive, couldn’t get a scan, couldn’t collect one. They would disappear the moment I tried. I can tell you that your healthy as an ox, and I don’t see any issues popping up. Whoever designed them? They are out of my league. It’s a shame. Could help a lot of people if we could figure out how to make them.”

I nodded along as Vik spoke. I expected most of that. It was a shame in some ways that he couldn’t figure out the sleep healing.

But I also felt relieved. The idea of other people becoming gamers in Night City? That was an apocalypse waiting to happen.

“Sorry Vik. I know you were kinda hoping.”

“It’s fine kid. I got lots of scans while you were sleeping, and at least… The cut is gone.”

“Hmm? Yeah I slept for eight hours.”

“But kid I’ve been checking on that cut every twenty minutes. It was still there not long ago.” He grumbled as he started checking his stuff spinning nobs, and putting a VR style interface over his eyes.

“Looks like about five minutes before you woke up, suddenly all the nanomachines I had been tracking around the wound, nearly instantly repaired the damage… Incredible. I have no idea how they did that…”

“Yeah I have to wait eight hours and then I heal. If I don’t sleep that long I don’t get any healing.”

“That doesn’t… Make a damn lick of sense.” He grumbled but nodded as he took off the headset. “Well with this I’ll be busy for the next while… Maybe I can get something out of these scans. Even if your nanomachines don’t like to be recorded.”

“Thanks Vik. Just make sure you keep this quiet okay? I trust you, but really I don’t want to end up on some corps experiment lab because of it.”

Instead of taking my joking request for a laugh he went very serious and nodded, reaching out and putting a hand on my shoulder.

“I promise kid. This stuff’ll be on my private server, No one will know about it.”

“That’s all I can ask Vik.” I said fully trusting the older man. “Did you happen to find a seller?”

“Hmm? Oh for your Deck? Yeah I called around a bit. Found a Ripper that has one. I’ll send you the details. Go on kid. I can practically see how antsy you are to get out of that chair. Feel free to bring the deck around when you want it installed.” He said without actually saying he didn’t trust the ripper to do it right.

I grinned as I hopped off the chair and did indeed rush out of there.

The eight hours may have passed in a flash, but it was still time I wanted to do stuff with! I had grinding to do! Playing music to do! I whistled a Foo Fighters song on my way upstairs. Time to get back to work!

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