The subway train rubbled along the line. I didn’t know if there were meant to be lights in the subways by design or not but there weren’t any there to see anymore.

Sanctum it’ll be pitch black down there for the most part and I don’t like going that deep when I know there’s some hostiles wandering around. Especially hostiles that might not even be able to speak or know what they are looking at because the scratch has burned their mind out. Do you have anything that can help with that? Something like a skill or an ability I can try and slot in now that could solve some problems? Night vision eyes or an echolocation skill or something?

[The User is advised to secure a set of cybereyes at the first convenience, this will allow rudimentary Sanctum intervention that could drastically increase vision capabilities in darkness even without built-in specialized functions although advanced changes would require a medical suite.]

[Sanctum cannot make the modification to the User’s existing organic eyes to allow low light vision or vision in complete darkness without at least a mid-grade medical suite cyberware or similar.]

[The User is still recovering from the integration of the Kinetic Dispersion ability. Additional Ability integration is not advised until User pattern is fully established.]

[Skills that allow the user to operate in darkness as a primary function do not exist in Sanctum’s database. Increasing the Perception Attribute can achieve the desired effects once it reaches a higher threshold and there are myriad approaches to solving the problem using cyberware.]

I don’t have the time or money to get cyberware sorted Sanctum, you say this every time. I don’t have time to get perception way up either. I need a quick fix to the current situation with what I can get my hands on right now.

Wait, Sanctum. You said I’m still healing or whatever from the ability choice and should wait right? But you didn’t say it wasn’t possible, just that it wasn’t a good idea. What are the downsides of going with another ability right now, ignoring safety?

[Sanctum is currently aiding the establishment of the Kinetic Dispersion into the User’s pattern and widespread biological responses at the fastest speed it can that your body’s metabolic healing rate can handle without applying stress to the User’s body and mind.]

[If the User overrides safety advice they will enter into an untested scenario within the Sanctum testing protocol with humans. The only estimates Sanctum has available from animal testing are widespread damage to neurotransmission systems and possible brain scarring. Both of these effects are mitigated by brain plasticity but the data is limited here. Overall the risks are estimated as extreme to deadly.]

I sat there in silence as the train rumbled under me. The other people in my compartment were also quiet in their own little worlds.

Give me a list of the ones that you think will have the lowest risk to them, you talked about compatibility before. What are the most compatible ones I can pick right now?

[User is advised to not choose any of the following but they are the most compatible with the User as they are now: Omnidexterity, Instinctual Kinematometry, Cerebellumic Intervention, Perfect Proprioception.]

There’s new ones there. What are those?

[Cerebellumic Intervention rebuilds the User’s cerebellum with a more optimized micro-layout that alters or mutes several human instinctual behaviors, emotional responses and reflexive movements that are not optimal for the situation during times of high external stress.]

[Perfect Proprioception The micro-structure of the User’s cerebrum to make the User permanently aware of the precise location and resistance of their entire body.]

Whole lot of words there that I’m drawing blank on Sanctum. Is there a biology skill or something that could tell me what I’m doing to myself when I say okay to these things?

[The User is correct, there is the Biology Skill and several derived specializations. The User’s health is prioritized in all functions and is never allowed to be effected below specific thresholds of cognition, physical ability or survivability.]

Well the old ones on offer are good and all but not what I need, the new ones aren’t quite a fit either. The first one might stop me from being bumbling idiot in a fight but it won’t stop my head from splattering against a wall. The second might make it so I’m really sure how exactly my head is being splattered.

Are you sure you don’t have anything else? Something actually defensive like skin hardening or laser eyes.

[Laser eyes are not a defensive measure. Cybereyes would be required also as a minimum.]

Whatever do you have something that can work in the dark, something that can protect me?

[There are a number of Abilities among Sanctum databases that the User is outside the compatibility minimum to be selectable but are very close to being at the minimum standard.]

[There is one applicable ability that the User does not currently reach minimum compatibility to select that could fit the requisite parameters. The User could ignore safety procedures and select it while still reaching minimum life preservation codes within Sanctum.]

[The selection would come with costs to the User’s body though. Integration would likely be traumatic and it’s effects in use would likely damage the User’s body as the User does not reach the minimum Attribute values either.]

So it’ll hurt when I select it, likely more because that’ll be two abilities melting into my brain at once now. And when I use it in the field I’ll likely hurt myself with it. What is the ability?

[The ability being discussed is: Amygdala Adrenal Bypass. It allows the User to react to perceived threats immediately even before they are consciously aware of them.]

[This is accomplished by building a prioritized micro-scale adrenal network from the amygdala to the adrenal medulla with supporting connections and structures to nearby parts of the adrenal cortex.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

This allows defensive actions to entirely skip over the conscious part of the User’s brain and thus the fight or flight response which makes the defensive reaction near instantaneous similar to a jerk or twitch. The Sanctum handles threat assessment and priority faster than human thought to prevent unneeded actions.]

[Unfortunately with the User’s current Attributes the User is not physically capable of using the Ability without damaging their muscles with each use with the increased strain such high intensity and less regulated movements demand.]

That ability sounds more or less what I need, something that could save my life in a moment of danger. You often don’t get more than a moment, especially in the dark. Put it in Sanctum, I’ll just have to tough it out. You’ll be able to get some of that data on ability synergy you wanted as well.

[User does not need to attempt to appease the Sanctum, it’s primary function is to aid the User.]

[User profile updated.]

[Acquired Ability: Amygdala Adrenal Bypass.]

[Errors detected. Ability integration in progress. Overriding…]

I almost fell from my seat as my head suddenly felt like it was on fire, I felt shooting pains running through me for a moment before I passed out.

Coming to I briefly panicked thinking I’d been out for a while and missed my stop or just been laying open for robbing in the subway. All the people around were the same ones though and seemed like they were paying my antics no attention.

I looked out of the window to see the train still moving through the dark subway tunnels.

[User lost consciousness for six seconds during primary integration. The process was an overwhelming success. The expected scarring is minimal and should heal quickly, Sanctum will likely be able to remove the scar tissue of such a small scale without the use of a medical suite.]

My head hurt like hell and my eyes were watering. My skin felt weird too, like everything was touching me a bit even though it was far away.

[Sanctum is currently creating a logical white list for User sensations to prevent unnecessary autonomous defensive reactions. The User will likely experience tactile interference during this process.]

[User is also reminded that should they react to a hostile action to defend themselves they are likely to cause harm to themselves in carrying out the action. Estimated injuries range from bruises to muscle tears to broken bones. Preparation for retreat from the potential danger to allow for recovery is advised.]

Urgh, I felt terrible. Feeling like a fish underwater with a headache. I don’t think I’ll be able to get away to heal right away put hopefully it can save my life down there in the dark and let me take care of the danger before limping away.

Will it work with the kinetic ability right away or will I need to practice or something?

[They should work together immediately, although User’s body is still too weak to prevent many physical impact within average parameters such as a trained adult’s deliberate strike.]

Yeah, I remember. Don’t get punched because noodle arms aren’t a good defensive strategy. Even automatic noodle arms, I guess. Now I’m just picturing myself with cyberarms that extend into long noodles and slap people. I could go for some of those heavy starch-powder noodles, the ones made with little bits of cooked crunchies in them, the little grains of garlic flavor ones.

[Sanctum is now testing for deep tissue damage to the User’s brain following early integration of second Ability. User is incoherent.]

Sanctum, I’m fine. I’m just a bit nervous about the job and now I have a headache. Give me some leeway to be weird right now.

I saw a light up ahead of the train and watched as it pulled into the platform. I got up and headed out as it was my stop although I had to cope with a mother and her kids acting as a sort of human whirlwind that slowed me down as they got in the way.

Stepping onto the platform I noticed the lighting was damaged leaving half the platform in shadows. The vending machines casting a crazed set of flashes into their surroundings with them being the only strong light source.

I walked through the darkened subway quickly, mostly just wanting to get out of the populated area and into the industrial sector below quickly. Whatever Sanctum was doing to my skin or whatever was freaking me out, it was like I could taste the air through my arms whenever I walked vaguely near someone.

Wandering around wondering if my hands were going to slap a passerby for being too hostile looking was a bit too stressful.

The subway was a bit smaller than the one near my home though and I got out of there quickly into what looked a little like a low cost promenade. Very fancy considering this was still the water district. There were even little hologram statues around mixed among the advertising boards. Most of them even worked properly.

I considered buying a replacement drinks can from the every present vending machines but the last one had turned me off them for now so I headed off towards the nearest maintenance hub. There

I’d find a staircase down to the lower level maintenance tunnels and then a way down all the way to the pipe ways.

All the pipe ways were just a load of well… pipes that made up the majority of the infrastructure for the city. There were three big features down there: the pipes themselves which were usually clustered around skinny walkways so that bots or sometimes people could access them while the pipes traveled around the city, the junction areas where myriad pipe networks got their pressures equalized by sharing outputs with other networks or whatever they did but I knew they were usually large, loud and made up of multiple rooms filled with pumps and readouts, then there was the darkness.

The darkness was ever present with no maintenance lights down that low, bots didn’t need them and workers brought their own. So you’d be walking around totally dark and cramped tunnels filled with the loud echoing sounds of the pumps in the junctions in the distance and the constant breathing noises of the ventilation systems which were the only things keeping you breathing that far down.

I’d grown up in the water district, I got used to darkness before I could even talk. By now I’m completely at ease even in constant gloom, likely every water district resident is. They could probably thread a needle with no more than a lighter to see by.

But the dark down there was clinging and disorienting. If you threw a normal city dweller into those tunnels, someone from above ground, they’d likely go insane in less than an hour.

Now I had to wander around down there in that dark knowing theres some scratch users wandering around. Scratch was a pretty rare drug to find around because of it’s reputation, the first time you use it is great and zones you way out for hours. Something in your head changes when you come down though, something burns out or something because after that you start getting up and doing dumb stuff half way through the high.

Then a quarter of the way through the high or shorter and then shorter again. Before you know it you’re out of your mind crazy the moment you take it and it just gets worse until you’re trying to bite your choom’s arm off because he’s stolen your arms and keeping them in his own arms or something.

Scratchers were crazy, even when sober they’d barely be able to focus long enough to eat or drink. And when high they split into two camps, the explorers who were harmless but just wandered around discovering things had textures for hours.

The ones that became violent, paranoid and delirious. They’d wander about similar to the explorers but instead they’d lock onto movement and fight without thought of self preservation, often hurting themselves and their perceived enemy almost the same amount. More often they’d just kill an explorer friend of theirs on accident but that was just the reality of it. Some of my info might be mixed up as I’d only seen two before but it was still worrying.

So I had a signet light pistol to protect myself from a load of pain resistant scratcher gangers in complete darkness and tight tunnels with the only benefits I had to my name right now being a night vision scope I had to hold in one hand, a pencil light on my gun that was more likely to just give my position away than help and a defensive ability that might break both my arms.

It was going to be a long night to find that damn package.