Juliet didn’t have to go under general anesthesia for the work Ladia did that day. Still, with Angel’s help, the doctor managed nerve blocks during each procedure to keep Juliet from feeling anything going on and ensure she wouldn’t move. Juliet couldn’t stand the thought of watching the autosurgeon cut into her, so she lay on her back, eyes facing the ceiling, and watched vids on her AUI while Ladia did her work.
When she finished, she left Juliet lying on a recovery bed under a clean sheet with her hands in shallow trays of nutrient-rich recovery jelly. Her parting words were, “Just keep your hands in this jelly for another forty-five minutes or so. Those fingertips will be very sore if you take them out too soon. Your nanites would have to keep your nerves blocked while they heal, meaning you couldn’t operate anything . . . complicated.”
“No problem, Iris,” Juliet murmured, feeling very relaxed and drowsy thanks to the IV drip meant to keep her from fidgeting during the procedures. “I’ll just rest here.”
“Good! I’ll come to collect you when it's time. Don’t worry, I’m not going far—just back to my office.”
As soon as she was alone, Juliet subvocalized, “How did everything come out?”
“Perfectly. It’s good that you’re mildly sedated because your nanites are working overtime to fix all the broken capillaries and veins meant to flow through the subdermal weave.” A new window opened on her AUI, and Angel displayed a vid from one of the autosurgeon’s camera feeds. It showed her naked torso just before Ladia covered her up, and it was totally black and blue. “You can see you had a lot of subdermal bleeding as the mesh was pulled into place.”
“Ugh! Warn me before you show me stuff like that!” Juliet sighed, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. She felt fine, if a bit woozy, and she was sure her medical nanites were going to fix up all those tiny broken vessels quickly. “Tell me about my nails; I probably should have asked for more details before agreeing, but how exactly do they work? How do they grow?”
“Your new nails are composed of advanced nano-composite materials—a combination of shape-memory polymers and electrochromic compounds. They function via electrical signals that can cause the polymers to extend, retract, and even sharpen or blunt their shape. The material is very hard and durable when they're set, but if you did sustain a crack or tear, they’re also self-repairing. You have the Diamond tips on all fingers other than your right-hand pointer finger, which is equipped with the Edge-Craft MicroVibro.”
“Does it look different?”
“No. It can’t alter its shape and color as quickly as the Diamond Tips, but it does have that functionality. It’s also made of shape-memory polymers, though it doesn’t grow and retract the same way; its extra length is stored in your nail bed, and, when activated, it will extend two extra centimeters instantly.”
“Do they all run on batteries?”
“Only the MicroVibro. The others use your body’s bioelectric energy to change shape and color.”
Juliet sighed again, feeling very relaxed as Angel explained everything in her soothing, well-informed tone. “The injectors are all in my left hand?”
“Yes, your three larger fingers.” Juliet lay there for a while, her mind drifting, oddly, through her various sword movements. She supposed Tanaka would be proud knowing she couldn’t stop thinking about them, but it was probably just because he’d made her go through them twenty times at the end of practice that very morning. She wriggled her fingers in the gel, unable to feel anything on the tips where her nanites were blocking the nerve endings.
“What about the bone nanites? Are they doing what they should be?”
“Yes. They’re reporting in through your medical nanite control module, and you’ve already got twenty-four percent coverage. It’ll take a day or two for them to propagate through your bones fully.”
“And the data jack? Are you noticing a difference with the wireless?”
“Not yet. Its enhanced functionality will come into play when you try to connect to a distant access point or use it as a mobile jammer. It’s called the ‘Tightbeam 9’ for a reason.”
Juliet nodded. She didn’t need Angel to tell her the new data jack was smaller and less obtrusive than the old one, and she knew the wire would be lighter, more flexible, and longer. More importantly, its wireless capabilities were much more robust. The antennae were capable of transmitting on all sorts of bands and could even enhance her optics’ terahertz scanning capabilities. In other words, she should be able to see through walls even more easily.
Juliet zoned out again, running her mind through each of the many augmentations in her body, trying to remember them all. After a while, she yawned, but not because she was tired; it was more like her mind was waking up and wanted some more oxygen. She noticed the timer Angel had set read thirty-nine minutes and figured her nanites were cleaning the tranquilizers out of her system, preparing for her to get up. “How are my fingers looking?”
“They’re looking great. The restorative jelly helped a lot; it’s highly oxygenated and full of nanites with a supply of nutrients. Your right hand would have been fine in any event; the pain receptors are on separate nerve channels that can be disabled while still allowing you to feel things. It’s a moot point, however. I’m getting ready to remove the nerve blocks; let me know how it feels.” Juliet braced herself, but after a few moments of tingling, she could feel her fingers again, and they didn’t seem particularly sore. They were a little swollen and tender when she pressed them down against the bottoms of the stainless pans they rested in.
“What about my stomach and thighs and biceps? My neck?”
“The bruising is nearly gone, and you should feel fine, just tender if someone were to press against the fiber weave. Or, I suppose, if you tried to do some sit-ups. I’d say you’ll be a hundred percent by dinner time.” The bed started to whir, and Juliet felt it lifting her into a sitting position; then the door opened, and Ladia stepped in.
“Feeling more like yourself?” She was carrying a sparkling glass of pink fluid, and Juliet’s mouth began to salivate. “Some more of that strawberry soda, compliments of Tricia.”
“Oh, perfect.” Juliet smiled, sucking on the straw and draining half the glass in one long gulp. While she drank, she realized she’d lifted her hand out of the gel. She stared at her new nails. New fingertips, really—there was more synthetic material on the ends of her fingers than her original flesh. As Angel had predicted, they were a little red and a tiny bit swollen around the nail beds, but overall, they looked great. Her nails were just a little longer than she usually wore them, but they were perfectly even, polished to a glossy sheen, and her cuticles looked manicured. While she lowered the glass and lifted her other hand out of the gel, Ladia, too, scrutinized her work.
“They look great! Your nanites are something else. The bruising on your throat is almost gone. I’m going to pull the sheet down to inspect the other areas I modified, and then you’ll be good to go.”
“Ah, yeah, okay.” Juliet leaned back into the pillows again and then subjected herself to some poking and prodding and a few exclamations about how quickly she was healing.
“Your clothes are on the table near the wall. I’ll leave you to get dressed, and then you can head on out when you’re ready. I have another consultation, but Tricia will be waiting in reception to finish your check-out procedure.”
Juliet knew that was code for her to pay the rest of her bill. “I’ll settle up on my way out, Iris. Thanks for all of your help with this stuff. Um, we never talked about pilot augmentations. Think we could meet again soon to go over my options?”
“Oh my! I’m so sorry, Lucky! I did have a note about that, and got so distracted dealing with the Volt Whip debacle and trying to find the right replacements . . .” She trailed off, shaking her head. “That’s no excuse. I’m going to cancel my next appointment so we can take care of it right now . . .”
“No!” Juliet held up a hand, shaking her head. “No. It’s not that important. I’m not flying again too soon, and even if I do, I’m not exactly bad at it without more augmentation! Let’s meet in a few weeks or so, and we can talk about some ideas, all right?”
Ladia nodded, a look of chagrin on her face as she slowly shook her head. “That’ll be perfect. It’ll allow me to do the research I should have already done. Again, my apologies.”
“Forget it,” Juliet chuckled. “Talk to you soon.”
Ladia nodded and quietly slipped out of the room. Juliet dressed and hung her Texan on her hip. She drew the gun, opened the cylinder, spun it, flicked her wrist to shut it, then holstered it with a habitual twirl. There was something comforting seeing those seven high-powered cartridges in their slots. Before she left, she paused to look at her nails again; even five minutes later, they were less inflamed.
On her way out, Tricia gave her another gift bag from yet another cosmetic line, this one packed with “nanobot enhanced” concealer, sunscreen, and makeup remover. Juliet couldn’t help chuckling as she walked to the door, picturing Bennet’s face when she handed the stuff to him. She almost made it to her bike before a new icon appeared on her AUI with a blinking label that read, UPDATED DATA SHEET. “Angel!” she laughed. “Really?”
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“You’re going to love seeing your progress. Besides, you asked for an updated Sol-bit balance after I paid Tricia.”
“All right, let’s see here,” Juliet said as she sat on her bike and put on her helmet. Then, she selected the icon and watched the new data sheet fill in.
Juliet Corina Bianchi
Physical, Mental, and Social Status Compilation:
Comparative Ranking Percentile (higher is better - previous value in parenthesis):
Liquid Assets Net Worth:
Sol-bits: 1,231,509
--
Neural and Cellular Adaptiveness:
.96342 (scale of 0 - 1)
99.91
Synaptic Responsiveness:
.11 (lower is better)
92.08 (79.31)
Musculoskeletal Ranking:
–
87.81 (84.03)
Cardiovascular Ranking:
–
91.01 (90.77)
Cybernetic and Bionic Augmentation:
Model Name and Number:
Overall Rating of the Augmentation (Grades are F, E, D, C, B, A, S, S+):
PAI
WBD Project Angel, Alpha 3.433
S+
Psionic Lattice
Grave Technologies, GIPEL
S
Data Port
Prime Data Systems, Archwizard 2109.v3
A
Data Jack
Reaction Technologies, Tightbeam 9
A
Medical Nanite Suite
Cybergen Nanomedical Repair Matrix, Model 9
A+
Bone Reinforcement Nanite Package
Swedish Biologic, Mark 7
A
Subdermal Nanofiber Weave Armor - "Detroit Wrap" coverage
Duraskin, Armortex Vantage
A
Retinal Cybernetic Implant
Mirage Tech, Lux Alpha 12
A-
Auditory Cybernetic Implant
Cybergen Auditory Implant, Model 47
A+
Olfactory Cybernetic Implant
Cybergen Advanced Olfactory Sensor Array, Model 23B
A+
Cybernetic Prosthetic Right Arm with Fully Programmable Fingerprints
BioFusion, Model 2109.01b
A
Complete Cybernetic Lung Replacement
Cybergen Enhanced Pulmonary Implant, Model 17
A+
Full-body Enhanced Reflex Package
Cybergen Kinetic Response Amplifier, Model 3C
A+
Intracranial Blood Cooling System
Angel Systems - Bespoke Design
A
Fingertip-mounted Injection System
Covert Industries, Finger Spike 2.0
A
Fingertip-mounted Vibroblade
Edge-Craft Technologies, MicroVibro s14900RGB
A-
Defensive and Cosmetic Fingernail package
Color-Shift, Diamond Tips, 2108 Model
A-
Programmable Synthetic Hair
Alicia Designs, Chroma Tresses v.4
B+
DNA Spoofing Package - Saliva and Programmable Fingerprints (Left Hand)
WBD - Custom Model
C
No other augmentation detected.
–
–
Juliet frowned at the sheet for a couple of long minutes, reading through each line, wondering what the point of it all was other than to remind her how much of her humanity she was trading away. She supposed some people would see that long list of augmentations and feel some pride or accomplishment, but all she felt was nervous—would she regret all those mods someday? Before she could voice her concerns, whining to Angel about something she couldn’t change, not easily or wisely, she noticed a new number that had never changed before. “Angel, why did my synaptic responsiveness change?”
“My initial instruction set indicated that synaptic responsiveness was static, that a human’s ranking in that area wouldn’t change over time. I began to have my doubts as to the veracity of that so-called fact when you did your speed test in Doctor Ladia’s lab. Since then, I’ve been conducting new baselines, and you’ve improved markedly.”
Juliet felt her heart rate quicken. “Um, why would that be?”
“My theory is that it has to do with either the psionic lattice or my extensive synthetic fiber network that has grown entwined with your nerves and neural network.” She paused and, as Juliet breathed and tried to take it in, added, “I think it’s probably the latter.” Juliet didn’t know how to respond. Was it bad that her brain was working faster than before? Was she going to fry herself into early-onset dementia? Angel must have sensed her stress because she spoke again, “If it makes you feel better, it has remained static since I first measured it after the speed test.”
“So, you’re done expanding?” Juliet hated how a note of accusation entered her voice.
“I am thoroughly enmeshed with you, Juliet; there’s no more need to expand.”
Juliet sighed and shrugged. What else could she do? “Oh well. If I’m going to burn out, I can’t think of a better person to burn out with.” She pressed the ignition button on her bike and started humming through the garage, heading for the street level.
“You won’t burn out, Juliet! Your normal day-to-day living doesn’t put a strain on your brain, and if we speed things up, I’ll keep you safe.” When Juliet just smiled and kept driving, Angel asked, “Did you notice the ratings of your new equipment?”
“Yeah, As and A minuses. If you would have told me the nails would be A minuses, I would have asked Ladia to step up her game!”
“It’s just a function of their classification as concealed weapons; they’re effective and small, but certain other technologies are considered more efficient or versatile in my database. For instance, the injection system—it can be used without leaving a noticeable wound and can be lethal or non-lethal. For that reason, it’s ranked above any sort of cutting implement.”
“Okay, well, we need to get you some manufacturing equipment and a research lab. I want some more S-ranked stuff.” Juliet was mostly joking, but the idea had crossed her mind a few times. Surely, Angel could come up with some amazing gear if she had the time and interest to develop it.
As though she read her mind, and, at this point, Juliet was starting to think Angel could do that, she said, “I might be interested in pursuing the development of certain technologies, but I don’t want to take my focus away from you and your day-to-day life.”
“Hah! I knew you’d say that.” Juliet twisted the throttle as traffic opened up a little, and she started to cruise away from the downtown area. “Any word from Bennet or Aya? Are we having dinner at the hangar?”
“No, but you have a message from Alice asking that you give her a call.”
“Oh, really? When were you going to tell me?”
Juliet giggled through Angel’s flustered assurances that she was just about to tell her. Then, when the call tone beeped and Alice picked up, she tried to straighten her face out. “Something funny?” the wry pilot asked, arching a dark red eyebrow.
“Something my PAI said. How are things up in orbit?”
“Oh, Aya didn’t tell you? We’re in port, unloading our first haul off the Red Betty. That’s why I was reaching out—well, for two reasons.”
Juliet tilted her bike to aim for the interdome highway. “I’m listening.”
“One, Shiro and I want to treat you all to a nice dinner. I mean, sort of nice—the barbeque place Bennet likes in the port. And, two, we need to talk to you about us stealing him and Aya for a few days. We’re just about ready to tackle the reactor and drives on the Red Betty, and Bradbury can’t handle it alone.”
“Sounds like you just did.”
“Hmm?” Alice wasn’t following Juliet’s mind as easily as Angel did.
“Talk to me about it. It’s fine; I get it.”
Alice’s eyes opened in belated understanding. “Oh, good. Well, will you come have dinner with us all? I think Aya’s hoping to ride in with you.”
“Couldn’t keep me away, Alice.” Juliet smiled and winked into the camera, then goosed the throttle as the highway opened up ahead of her.
“Are you driving?”
“Yeah, heading back to the hangar.”
“Speaking of driving, have you been logging any hours in the flight sim? Don’t want to get rusty before we send you out in that brand-new gunship!”
“I . . .” Juliet chuckled, wincing as she shook her head. “No, I haven’t. You know what? I’m gonna take the Lady Hawk out for a cruise. Now that you mention it, I miss being in the cockpit. Maybe next week. Anyway, even so, I’ll start hitting the simulator on a regular basis.”
“That’s my girl.” Alice winked, returning the obnoxious gesture, then waved. “See you at dinner. Aya has the details.”
“See you!” Juliet grinned ear to ear as Angel closed the call window. She really, really wanted to open the throttle and see if she could break her old record, but she resisted the temptation; things were going too well at that moment to tempt fate. “We’ll be doing plenty of that soon enough.”
“What’s that, Juliet?”
“Tempting fate. I figure we’ll finish cleaning up the neighborhood around the hangar and spend a little more time working with Tanaka and the crew. Then, it’s probably about time we started putting a plan together about WBD.”
“Clean the neighborhood? Didn’t we do that when we got the dirty corpo-sec officers shipped off to New Atlas?”
Juliet grinned and twisted the throttle, settling for just a quick burst of speed. “Angel, did you forget? There’s a certain chop-shop operator named Vicky who sent some thugs to hurt and rob Bennet and Aya.” Juliet’s grin changed in nature to something that looked like it would be more at home on the face of a predatory animal. “Aya, Angel! That’s not something I can let slide."