That night laying on the couch without the will to do anything but stare at the ceiling with the radio playing quietly, I opened my stat menu and checked out my new perks.

I started with Street Brawler. Looking through plenty of options that didn’t interest me. Most of them were only useful for just fist fighting. If I was ever in a fist fight, I had screwed up. Bad. I would rather focus on more synergistic perks. So I kept scrolling.

Unfortunately, like Athletics, Street Brawler was pretty focused. All the perks were about fighting in some way better. So I started browsing through the grayed out perks, the ones that needed pre-reqs. Maybe I could find something there.

I did.

Gun-Fu. I blinked. You would think that would be under Handguns, but since it applied to all guns, it was in Street Brawler. I looked it over. Sighing in relief that it wasn’t flashy Gun-Fu, but actually useful stuff.

Gun-Fu. Use martial arts, and firearms as a coherent whole ensuring your bullets will hit their mark.

I needed two other perks for it though.

Grappling. Your hands and body lock your enemy into place.

Improvised Weapon. Sometimes in a brawl anything you can grab needs to be used, know the best way to fight with day to day items.

So I would need three perks in Street Brawler to get it. So far I only knew I got a perk at level 2. So I would just have to see where I ended up.

I took Grappling for now. That could be useful I guess. Instantly I knew how to do joint locks, or arm bars. And all sorts of other things.

Interesting.

Then I went over to driving, and while some of the perks were interesting. There was one that popped out instantly that I wanted.

Drive by. Shooting from a vehicle is an instinctual act. Leaving you capable of shooting and driving at the same time without issue.

That could be useful. I remember there were a few car chases in the game. I might not have a Jacky Wells to drive for me when it happens. Best if I know how to do both.

I closed my eyes after. Just for a few moments and then I felt that need. The burning desire, to be doing something. So I sat up from the couch unwilling to spend the night just feeling sorry for myself. Instead I grabbed the box of Netrunner stuff. The netrunning guide slotted in. There wasn’t much point in trying to exercise here at home. I wasn’t getting much XP from it, so I might as well do something productive.

I looked over at the radio that was playing some quiet music. My eyes shifted as I scanned and with a twitch of my mind I started breaching the system.

*100 Breach Protocol XP Gained.*

*100 Intelligence XP Gained*

—--

I was starting to get kinda pissed.

Jun wasn’t responding to me. I spent the morning at the Gym hammering out another level of Street Brawler on the punch machine, thankfully the increased difficulty settings let me keep the XP consistent.

But I would send him a text asking him how he was. Nothing. I tried calling. Didn’t pick up. Sent another text much more concerned.

Nothing.

The worst part? I didn’t know enough about Jun, about his friends, to even start hunting him down.

So I literally couldn’t go find my stupid brother who was doing something stupid.

So I was forced to putter around, not able to make any decisions on what I should do.

I was literally screaming into a pillow in frustration when I was interrupted.

*Ringing*

I looked at it in hope, but it wasn’t Jun.

*Hey Hiromi.* I answered with a sigh. She had popped back into contact the day before without much of an explanation, but I had at least told her about my Jun troubles.

*Hey! How’s things? Jun still missing?*

*Yeah. No word. Complete communication blackout.* I answered.

*Damn choom. Any way to find him?*

*No… I don’t really know who his friends are or anything… Dammit I should have tried to learn more about what Jun does outside the apartment. I don’t even know if he has friends.*

*Nah, it’s not like that. You told me Jun was busy. He probably wouldn’t have answered much anyways.* Hiromi said, actually trying to be comforting.

*Yeah. I guess.* I grumbled rolling over so I was staring at the ceiling again.

*It’ll be okay Motoko. Jun is a reliable guy, yeah?*

*He is also a hothead, and Maelstrom killed his choom.* The line was quiet for a while, just the two of us sitting on the phone together.

*I don’t know what to say Motoko.* Hiromi whispered sounding a little lost.

*I don’t either Hiromi. I don’t either.*

I needed something to occupy myself with. Something to do. That urge for quick power was knocking on the back of my mind again.

And it was so tempting. Go kill some scavs. Level up. Gain the power to do something.

Rushing in before I was ready is how I would die. I knew that.

So instead I pulled up my stat page. What skill should I focus on for a while. Something to take my mind off things.

I browsed through nothing jumping out at me, until I remembered who I was on the call with.

*Hey Hiromi. You are pretty good with a sword right?*

*Yeah? I go to a dojo and stuff.*

*Want to meet up and practice? I could use some sword work.*

*Wait, really? Okay. Sure! Why don’t you come on over. We have an exercise room at my place we can use, and my parents are both at work.*

*Perfect. On my way.* I jumped up. Something to do. Something to take my mind off my helplessness.

—--

“So you hold the sword like… Well like that.” Hiromi tells me as I grab the Bokken and face her.

“C’mon.” I tell her my Blades knowledge already giving me the basics.

“Huh. Not bad. Alright!” Hiromi chirped as she grinned at me, her Mohawk pointing towards me just like her own Bokken.

And I rushed her to see what she would do.

Casually she blocked, knocking my sword aside and striking forward.

I barely managed to avoid it by leaping back but now she was on me, and I struggled to get the blocks in place of her strikes.

Unlike her, I wasn’t able to knock her sword aside. Forced to keep using my strength to stop her blows.

“Not bad!” She chirped, but then she shifted and she moved even faster and a thrust slipped through my blocks hitting my stomach.

“Oof!” I grunted as I fell to the floor and looked up at the smiling girl.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Sorry! Didn’t mean to hit you so hard.” She said but I could tell her blood was up. Huh Hiromi was a bit of a hothead with her blade too huh.

“It’s fine.” and it was.

*100 Blades XP Gained.*

“Again.” I demanded as I rose, and she smiled happily as we went at it again. Hiromi hadn’t been kidding. She was definitely trained, and to my surprise she must be pretty consistent with her training. Because she was good.

Yet even as the XP alerts kept coming in. Even as she kept winning. The difference between the two of us became apparent.

“Tired?” I asked as she was left panting after our third bout resting on her bokken as she sweated and gasped for air.

“No fair. How are you still not tired?”

“I exercise every day.”

“Disgusting.” She muttered before waving me off and taking an actual seat. “Okay I’m done. Need a break.” She said and I chuckled as I put the bokken away and sat beside her.

“Thanks. For helping to distract me.” I tell her as I flash her a happy smile.

“Not for very long if you are talking about it again.” She said bluntly.

“Kinda hard not to. I think Jun is going to attack Maelstrom.”

“Yeah.” Himori added quietly. “But the Tygers will probably be planning an attack so he might be taking part in that.”

“I… I hope so.”

Hiromi threw an arm over my shoulder and we hung out for a minute before I sighed and decided I had to do something.

Just… Keep doing something.

“Want to show me what I was doing wrong?” I asked her wiggling the bokken.

“Hah. Sure!” She spent the next twenty minutes showing me some moves and how she kept knocking my sword away.

*100 Blades XP Gained.*

—--

*Jun-Nii: Sorry. Been busy. I’m fine. Everything alright? You need anything?*

I jerked awake when the text message came through from Jun. I had been sort of dozing on the couch unable to really sleep because I just didn’t want time to disappear through my fingers.

I instantly tried to call him but that was bounced just like all my attempts had been. So I sent him a message.

*I’m fine! Don’t be stupid! You can’t just stop responding to me for days! I thought you were dead! Where are you?*

*Jun-Nii: With the Claws. I’m all patched up. Had to take care of some stuff. Won’t be home for a while. You got enough eddies?*

*No! You don’t get to disappear. Details Jun! Or I will start jumping every Tyger Claw I can find to start tracking you down.*

*Jun-Nii: Sorry Motoko. I can’t. Security reasons. I had to talk them into even letting me do this. I’m fine. I’ll message you again as soon as I can.*

I kept messaging him after but no response came.

“Dammit!” I cursed smashing my pillow. I got up. Getting dressed as I headed out into the city on foot. I had to move. To do something. So I ran. I parkoured up buildings, I hid in dark shadow corners as people talked. I just… Did something. Anything to keep my brain from thinking.

Just moved. Until I was lost. Until I had no idea where I was, but that I knew I could keep going.

*Athletics skill level up!*

*1 Perk Point Gained.*

I blinked a little shocked out of my rampage by what just happened. Level 5 gave me a second Perk huh? I considered it. I wasn’t in the mood to stop and look through a perk list so I put it out of my mind. I kept going, sneaking through dirty alleys, or unused fields. Just anything to move.

Until sweat dripped down my forehead and my endurance was hitting its limit.

I was resting, catching my breath against an old metal fence when I heard it.

A scream. A gunshot. Closeby.

I rose up. That nagging urge. That feeling to do something. Well this time I couldn’t resist it.

I broke out into a light jog heading towards where I heard the shot. Before sneaking when I started hearing voices. Dropping into a crouch I moved. Shadow to shadow as I came closer and closer.

As I crept closer I noticed them. Three people. Two on the floor, and a third standing over them.

Red optics glowing in the darkness.

Maelstrom.

The two on the ground I could see were still breathing. Or at least one was. The girl was cowering holding the second. A guy. Who was bleeding.

The fact the two were in a state of undress told me part of the story. Two people looking for a dark corner to get frisky, Strom Borg notices and… Decides to rob them? I wasn’t sure yet. I crept closer. Glad that his optics were all focused on the two.

As I got closer I could start hearing the voices the Maelstrom guy wasn’t happy.

“--Thinkin’ you’re going to take it from me? You gonks broke into my shit! Mine! You can’t have it!” He growled sounding deranged as this was literally a back alley between a couple of buildings that looked like a dirty lot.

Fuckin Psycho.

I zoned him out. Using his noise and obvious fixation to move closer. I just had to reach him without him noticing. Easy.

It wasn’t easy. He was pacing frantically.

Erratic.

My knife slipped out of the sheath as I stalked closer. Closer.

“The fuck?” he scowled turning to look directly at me. His fucking eyes. He must have a much wider vision than a normal person!

Even as he started raising his gun I leapt.

Knife aimed at his throat. He fumbled the gun dropping it to grab at the knife aiming for him, and unfortunately for me, he did it. His chromed hand grabbing my wrist and halting my stab in its tracks. I crashed partly into him, but he didn’t even shift.

The fucker was borged out.

“Fuckin little thief!” He shrieked in his synthetic voice as he yanked on my wrist, Bones creaked forcing me to let go before he kicked me in the chest.

Bones broke.

But he hadn’t let me go. He was still holding my wrist. I hung there unable to even gasp as he shattered my ribs.

Ow.

And then I was on the ground. A horrible gasping noise coming from my throat.

“The fuck is this? This is mine! They always take my home from me! They’re after me again!” He shrieked absolutely out of his mind.

Probably a Cyber Psycho.

Ah. I guess I was gonna die. Sorry Jun. Man. That was a fuck up. I grunted exhaling.

How could I exhale if I couldn’t breathe? I gasped quietly, oxygen working as normal. Even if my ribs felt like ice, but the pain was not quite fading, but not as bad as it should be. I could still tell my ribs were broken. That I was injured, but the pain was fading. An ache reminding me it existed but not interfering in my thoughts.

I forgot.

I’m a Gamer. What kind of Gamer would I be if I just died when I hit 1 HP? No as long as I had that 1 HP I was still just as deadly as I would be at 100.

“Hey.” I called out then getting him to turn to me in surprise.

My Unity was in my hand Quick Drawn to make sure this fucker died.

I opened up. My unity rapid fired into his face only for nothing to happen. The bullets sparked as they bounced off his chromed head. I stared in fucking horror.

“Mine! It’s mine! You can’t have it!” He shrieked and reached for me.

Hello no. I threw myself to the side, wincing at the return of pain into my ribs for a moment as I grabbed the big ass Revolver he had dropped to catch me earlier.

A Burya my Gun Nut perk told me. Rough condition, safety was already off. The gun was ready to fire.

I fired, instantly screaming a bit in pain as it felt like my wrist and elbow just broke, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. Not when this Terminator was reaching down towards me.

I fired again. Hitting his chest a second time, and these didn’t bounce. Big holes were opening up, as I fired again and again four rounds echoing, until the gun clicked empty. Then I lay there as he loomed over me.

As slowly his optics seemed to dim.

The fucker died on his feet. I lay shivering under his shadow, but my mind was cool as ice.

*1000 XP Gained.*

*Cool Leveled up!*

*Handguns skill level up!*

*Cold Blood skill level up!*

*1 Perk Point Gained.*

I lay there for a moment catching my breath before I slowly sat up. The victims. I turned to look at them. The woman was staring in horror at what she had just seen.

The man?

Damn. I don’t think he was breathing.

I slowly rose up, managing to get to my feet. The woman flinched as I did so.

“You alright?”

She slowly nodded her head.

“Him?” I prompted her and she flinched badly this time turning to the guy. Yeah. I realized. He was dead.

I sighed, turning to the Pyscho. He was… Most of his chrome looked in bad condition. Wear and tear, his clothes were dirty. I think this guy had gone Cyberpyscho and just set up in this alley.

Damn. I could already see he didn’t have much. Nothing worth looting. Just his Burya that made my wrist ache again just thinking about it.

“You should probably call the NCPD.” I tell the girl as I turn and walk away.

Damn my ribs hurt, and my arm hurt, and my wrist hurt. I started walking. Opening up my map just to turn on the GPS function so I could find out where I was. I had a long painful walk back home to get through.

—--

I limped painfully into the apartment. I had been way too far out on the edges of the city in Maelstrom territory. Fuck that was stupid.

I dropped the big ass Revolver off on the living room table along with my other gear and just walked into my room and gently laid down.

Sleep.

I blinked awake. I stretched and it was only as I stood and walked into the living room and saw the revolver that I remembered my ribs had been shattered just before. I did a few tests checking my chest, but everything seemed normal. No pain. I could feel my ribs and they felt normal.

“Thank god.” I said with a big sigh. I flopped onto the couch and looked over at the reddish revolver. It was a mess. I would have to clean it up if I wanted to use it.

I probably should. My normal handgun hadn’t done a single thing against a Borg.

I would need something with a bit more power in this city.

It kinda scared me just how strong he had been. That was the power of Cyberware. He wasn’t even someone crazy like Adam Smasher. Or even Maine. He was just some Maelstrom member.

Fuck.

I was once again reminded that people were terrified of CyberPsychos. That there was a reason for that.

I sighed as I stood up grabbing the big revolver. I started checking it over. Only thanks to Gun Nut did I even know what to check over. I knew that it was dirty, dirt and grime in every function of the gun. I was lucky it was a miserable russian piece of engineering that didn’t care.

I started cleaning it anyway. Taking it apart and cleaning each part. It was meditative. Then I was done. Gun Nut helped a lot and a still rather worn Burya was resting on my table.

“I’ll need to pick up some ammo for it.” I muttered as I realized I didn’t have any. I sent a text to Jun just because even if I didn’t think he would respond.

And then.

There I was. In my apartment. What do I do? I had murdered someone again. Even if I think it was a good thing. I had saved that lady. But… I liked it.

My fingers started tapping on my knee as I thought it over. I don’t know if it was Cold Blood or what, but I felt… Good.

It felt good. Like… Doing a mission or completing an objective. Or solving a NCPD mission in the game. It was satisfying. I even got a reward for it. A massive pistol.

My finger was tapping like crazy. I shouldn’t like this. I shouldn’t want to murder people.

Right?

Right?

I had to let it go for a while. So I did what I could. I opened my stat menu.

“Two Perks.” I reminded myself. Athletics hit level 5. Giving me my second Perk for the skill, and Cold Blood had given me a perk.

I sighed before opening Athletics first. The options hadn’t really changed. Parkour did have a second perk level, but instead of a straight upgrade to Parkour I decided to do a side grade.

Cat-like. Fall from greater heights before taking damage, and take less damage when you do.

I could still fall while doing Parkour. Best to keep myself from snapping my back or something.

Then. I had another Perk… Cold Blood. I shivered as I picked the Perk.

As I read through them I sighed. Almost all of them had something to do with combat, or murder. I found one that at least didn’t remind me of murder.

Cool Nerves. Your body no longer suffers shakes or muscle twitches in combat.

I figured if nothing else, it will help my aim if I am in a tense situation.

Okay. Done. I laid back… Before wondering where Jun was again.