[Shell Launched.]

[Avatar Launched.]

[Platform Launched.]

[Injecting subroutine AACSB.ab by Unknown to Platform.]

As the familiar red and gray node space melted into view around me I checked my platform to make sure that my new truncheon attack program was slotted correctly.

[VlvtWrM1.dae Loaded]

[PkAx_SkltnKy1.to Loaded]

[Trncn1.to Loaded.]

Alright, so I had both my programs and Sanctum’s program were loaded fine. Time to get to work.

According to the documentation there was a locked reinforced security door, a small security camera sub-grid and a pair of security turrets near a corp basement entrance that would need to be disabled. Any mess ups on their part would need to be handled as it popped up as well, alarms and calls for security from tripped sensors.

It shouldn’t be too hard to do but it really depended on the team and the guide. When I’d been the guide I’d worked closely with the netrunner even if they hadn’t spoken much, I’d taken the time to be friendly and keep communication open if need be. This gruff voiced guy didn’t seem too open to me, I hoped he wouldn’t be a problem.

I looked around for a moment, finding my feet in cyberspace and letting the space contort in whatever way it wanted for a moment. With that done I focused on the wall to the left of me and watched it resolve into a set of doorways, a quick double check of the documents told me I needed to jump two nodes spaces to reach the teams location so I started walking, picking the right most doorway among the eight squeezed into the small three doorway wide alcove.

Moving through the next node space I noticed this one had some running programs in it, looking like blank, hard hat wearing worker with a magnifying glass. They were just standing there holding it up to nothing, just blank node space. If I had to guess they were recording machine data from connected terminals or devices, if they were recording node data then I’d have either felt my platform being scanned or even received a connection request.

Ignoring the static programs I moved through and found another alcove, choosing the third from the left among the six I walked into the stretchy corridor that soon warped ahead and behind me and I was at the node I needed to be.

Once I walked into the middle of the room of unknown size I contacted the guide again, or at least the number of who I assumed was the guide.

“I’m starting now, you are clear to begin.” I said calmly. It felt weird being on an operation but standing alone in cyberspace.

“Confirmed. Moving.” The gruff voice responded.

Time for the actual work. Looking around the node carefully I watched the node warp freely as my gaze passed over different areas of blank room until a part of it resolved into a gap in the floor. I walked over to it and looked down into another albeit smaller room, I dropped down.

Landing painlessly on the floor below I looked around to see a similar room to the above but instead of blankness this one was populated with a bunch of security desks with a single vid screen monitor on them showing some camera feed. There were quite a few desks but I didn’t have time to walk around, luckily here I was a user.

I waved my arms from apart to together and willed the node to merge the desks and vid screens into a single point. Taking all the inputs onto a single panel that I could see the full camera feed collection in.

Sitting down at the now single desk I looked at the camera feeds cluttering up the little vid screen. I quick hand movement of intent scaled the screen larger and I pulled up a map of the area this sub-grid was covering along with the camera locations. Luckily this didn’t require security access as it was considered a maintenance function.

“Visual on a camera. Status?” The gruff voice called out.

I couldn’t see the team on the cameras which was good, but it also meant I didn’t know which camera to mess with specifically. Guess I’d have to hit them all.

“Hold. Status pending.” I said. If he was going to be a overly serious operator then I would humor him for now.

Turning around in the chair I summoned my truncheon and got up to my feet. I turned around and swung the thing down on the desk with abandon. Clunk! The desk shuddered and I felt my truncheon shift in my grasp as it teleported into the desk and back to my grasp in an instant.

I hit it again and again hoping for the code in the desk to break open or at least crash. Instead the desk glowed blue and then the glow vanished and then the whole desk and vid screen switched to a blue tint. It had become protected. But by what?

“External intrusion detected. Deploying security.” A neutral voice rang out around me.

I swung around as space near the desk became fixed and the effect of the space warping fled towards the area behind me. Standing there was a generic employee model wearing a hard hat but this one was wearing a blue, crystalline bulletproof vest and carrying a glass pistol in one hand.

Ah, my first real opponent then. Not expected for a grid this cheap, I was prepared though. It was time to break out the new tool.

I reached out with my free hand and loaded my new defensive program.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

[Dmnd_Chn1.tol by Mal Loaded to Platform.]

A faint fog ripple in around my hand that quickly coalesced into a chain link about the thickness of my finger, then another attached, then another. The process sped up quickly and I soon had a chain that hung down onto the floor and coiled around a little there. It was made of ice, because it ICE obviously.

I spun the chain around my arm quickly and stood there armed with my truncheon in my other hand. Defense and offense good to go.

“Surrender to inspection and detainment intruder. Compliance will lead to improved outcomes for you.” The program said… No, definitely a daemon. It was tightening it’s grip and balancing it’s weight.

“I refuse, obviously.” I said with a smile. My first actual cybercombat.

The security daemon raised it’s glass gun without a single sign of hesitation and opened fire. An explosion of red fire from the muzzle and time slowed down around me. I’d almost forgot about KDB beta.

I ran forward at an angle as the relatively slow bullet flew through the air and through where I had been a second prior. The security daemon was unconcerned and simply adjusted it’s aim smoothly, more bullets flying out at me but missing as they hit where I was instead of where I was going to be.

The daemon wasn’t a simple program though and after a small pause I saw it lead it’s shots even compensating for the slower time. I had to start dodging the still fast moving bullets with active avoidance movement, stopping and starting while shifting my weight. I was glad I’d improved my coordination at the gym recently.

Just as I was getting within a few steps of the daemon it started stepping back while keeping the gun aimed on me. It was trying to maintain it’s distance. I dashed straight at the daemon and caught a bullet on my chained arm causing it to shatter explosively and feeling the links shuffle as the later links rejoined the rest instead of falling to the floor.

Another bullet slammed into my chain, then another, then another. But I was in range now. The daemon for it’s credit shattered the gun in it’s hand and a glass truncheon reformed almost instantly from the shards. It wanted to fight me close quarters.

That wasn’t my plan though, I had other tricks. I triggered AA beta.

The node stopped as I took a step in my dash towards the daemon, now I was within striking range. I swung my truncheon back and the daemon had no option to do anything in this frozen time. I swung it hard against the daemon’s arm and watched as my truncheon teleported from my hand and into the daemon’s heart like a dagger but it didn’t come back to me. The code for it’s return was based on the node’s response so it was stuck there and waiting for it.

I was left in my frozen world without a weapon. A clear coding mistake on my part and a critical weakness to discover at a terrible time.

The node begin to creak back into motion so I reached back with my other fist and swung two quick punches with my left arm wrapped in my still regenerating chain.

As time returned to normal speed I jumped back from the daemon and found my truncheon back in my hand mid-jump. The daemon was totally surprised as it tried to adjust it’s programming to counter my actions while also dealing with my attacks.

The daemon stumbled back and to it’s left. It was still holding the glass truncheon though and clearly still had integrity left. It turned to look at me and although it’s face was blank it seemed calculating.

I ran forward the three steps needed to close the short distance and we both swung our truncheons at each other. Time slowed as the daemon’s attack came in but with my swing I couldn’t do a lot to do much in the time I had. I could get my other arm just in the way though.

Clang. Bash. The daemon struck my chain and I felt a link break but my truncheon rattled from the impact and the sudden flicker of teleportation as it struck the daemon across it’s head.

The simple hard hat went flying as the daemon fell over lifelessly. A total victory over my first foe. I reached down to it’s shimmering form and snapped off the nodes data for it by just blanking out the entries for it’s source so it couldn’t relaunch the daemon.

With the defeat of the security and the loss of the node’s connection to it the desk went back to it’s default red color. Unprotected. Nova.

Walking over to the desk I hit it with my truncheon one last time and saw a crack run along the surface and the whole thing started subtly vibrating as it struggled to keep itself in a single location on the node.

I pressed my hand against the crack and took the security administrator tag data the desk was expecting from it’s exposed files. When the desk flicked and relaunched it recognized me as an admin and immediately gave me access to all the settings and information on the cameras the subnet controlled.

A simple task to set them on a twenty second loop by just sending the data input to the footage already recorded from the last twenty seconds instead of live from the camera. Now it was just recording the same twenty seconds over and over. Marchand’s manuals coming in clutch again for best practices.

“Eyes are blind. You’re clear.” I said, quietly.

“What took so long? We’re exposed here.” The voice responded angrily.

“Unexpected measures. Keep me informed.” I responded with a bit of my own.

I just had a sniff of annoyance from the comm line before it switched off again. Gonk, if he wants to come do this he’s free to handle it. I’ve been in his shoes and I didn’t lose my cool with my team.

Switching the cameras to a secondary feed to my interface instead of the node I watched through the team move through the cameras. They were six people, five operator types with various bags and guns and a threadbare looking guy up front. Maybe mid twenties.

He was smoking on the job and walking through the secure tunnel with his hands in the pockets of his big long coat, looked like cheap pleather through the feed. He wasn’t even visibly armed but that could just be his thing, some operators just didn’t show their iron.

Total gonk from what I could see though. Who is even still doing tunnel escorts at his age? It’s kid work for a reason, it pays trash and it’s boring. Didn’t seem to be taking it very seriously either which was annoying to me, professionally. Who knew I’d come to be annoyed professionally by someone.

At least the other operators were checking corners, checking vectors, keeping their guns low but ready. They were equipped well for tunnel combat but had other weapons on them for whatever they were up to when they got through the sewers. An actual operator team at least. They seemed to be giving the guide annoyed glances when he wandered into the path of their guns or moved into crossroads without clearing them. Especially the red headed Latino looking girl, literally bright red short hair covered with a black hood.

This guy was going to get people killed some day. I’d have to say something to Marchand.

I followed the team on the cameras for a little while, just sitting in the sub-node on the office chair at the security desk as they moved through the tunnels. Eventually they got to a security checkpoint, an empty one fortunately but it had a big security door that was in the way. I was back up.

“We’re at the gate, status?” The voice of the guy came over the comm line again as I was hopping up from the sub-node to the main node.

I walked across the node to the wall and through a doorway and the tunnel to the node next door. Here I found a big digital and simple version of the door they were in front of.

“Working on it now. Status pending.” I said, checking the camera feed on my interface to see the guy get angry and punch the fercrete doorway he was standing in away from the others.

I stepped in front of the door and started looking over it for vulnerabilities. This wasn’t just a lock, it was an alarmed lock with a hardline to multiple grids to warm a wide area that it was breached.

Thick space warping lines of light threaded away from the door to the walls of the room where they faded from view. I’d have to be careful when opening this.