Without me Becky would be alone, In my second life the thing that needed fixing was V’s death from Jackey never meeting her. Becky needs me.

We walked home, and I had her wait outside mom might have gotten more booze and would be bad to deal with.

When I entered mom had torn apart the rooms looking for any drink or drugs she could take. And didn’t find any by the looks of it.

Shin: “mom, I have important news.”

I went to her room and saw her sleeping in her chair. I woke her up and she seemed ok. ‘considering its her’

Shin: “dads dead. He died while working. I don’t know what happened, but I got the new today.”

She looked at me the raced to the wall phone. She dialed his number then the NCPD and asked them. They confirmed it. she sat down in her chair. Blank eyed. After a while she left the room I followed her to the garage she grabbed a gun off the table. Oh no. I ran forward, what was I going to do I don’t know but I was to late. She shot herself in the head with a giant shotgun

Blood prayed everywhere. She fell to the ground.

Becky: “WHAT HAPPED!”

Shin: “Nothing important, stay out there!”

Ok ok ok ok ok. My hands were shaking I was drenched in blood. My shoes stepping in the stick red paste. I wanted to scream but Becky would hear. I went and locked the garage. Went back into the house and into the shower.

Shin: “I need to shower the blood off my forehead you can come in and eat in the kitchen now.”

I took off all my cloths and washed myself. Every plan has gone to shit. Were leaving this house, where do we go. Dads buddy’s wouldn’t take us, I looked at the money in my account. I need the Monowire. That’s second first we need a new home, this place is for four adults not two kids. So, get a cheap place, and take all dads stuff there. We don’t have his car. I can hotwire a new one for that. Ok one step at a time. I got dressed.

I went to and sat with Becky. I’ll do it while she sleeps.

Shin: “mom left, don’t worry well be fine. We need to move out of here though. I find us a place. You can just relax.”

She seemed worried but as I held her, she calmed, and I picked her up and brought her to bed. Laid her down.

Shin: “I need to do some stuff, find a new house and pack. So just sleep.”

Becky: “you won’t leave right?”

I could see the fear in her eyes, olive green shining.

Shin: “never gonna.”

I kiss her forehead and close her eyes. Put the blanket on her.

Shin: “goodnight, sleep tight.”

Becky: “goodnight.”

I went to work I packed all her clothes, my clothes, the cutlery, bathroom supplies, food, and other essentials into four crates. Then I went into the garage where the pool of blood had spread. But it was all dry now and I walked over her and almost grabbed the shotgun but couldn’t stop my hands from shaking. Dad had his pistols, but it took the five packs of ammo, all in the bin then I put four knifes and two katana swords. I can use those ok dad taught me how to use them. Then in a sixth box I packed the grenades six of them one vest three on each side, good I would need them. Then I packed with those all his tool kits. He worked on his own car thankfully. I put all the boxes by the door. I looked up the rent for this place and saw only two days left, dad was on this job to pay for the next few payments. Sad, they didn’t pay his corpse.

Ok step one done part one done, get packed. Still had to wait for the pillows and blankets. Need to sleep right? I looked into the place my mom and me had in our previous life. Cant go there turns out only important Arasaka employees can live there. I looked and looked and nothing that didn’t sound really bad showed up. gangs would rob us blind a nine-year-old and a three-year-old. All that was left was the badlands I’ll decide with Becky tomorrow.

So, I went to sleep left I note to wake me when she did because we needed to talk.

When she rubbed my shoulder awake, I almost jumped. But held me back and looked over at her and smiled.

Shin: “good morning. Have you eaten?”

Becky: “no.”

I opened one of the bins and pulled out a copy apple. Gave it to her she ate gratefully. We needed to eat the stuff that would go bad first if we were going to the desert.

Shin: “ok, we have few choices, enter child protective services they split us up with new parents. Or we could go to the badlands desert. There are other options than those, but they are worse.”

Becky: “I want to stay with you. I don’t care what else. Just tell me what to do.”

I hugged her. I wanted to cry I’m so worthless, how can I help us. ok we are going into the badlands. That means we will need me to get a cyberdeck next we have two days left on the house so we can leave our stuff here for now.

Shin: “first we go to Vic and get a cyberdeck for me.”

That’s first. We searched for a vehicle I could barrow, and the car from before hadn’t been moved so we took it again. Misty looked us over again.

Shin: “Hi, I’m here to see Vic.”

Misty: “Alright? Go on ahead?”

I walked passed her Becky less scared than last time. Vic was working on his computer he was so young i forgot that it is thirty years earlier for a moment and stood there shocked.

Vic: “what are you doing back here so soon? Are you hurt again?”

Shin: “no, I wanted to but something from you, I saw it here last time and now have the money to pay for it.”

Vic looked surprised.

Vic: “what do you want to buy?”

I look at dust covered Monowire and almost point at it.

Shin: “a cyberdeck and optics, Basic Kiroshi Optics, Militech Paraline cyberdeck. How much does it cost.”

He walked over and dusted it off looking at it then at me.

Vic: “its 20,000 eddies.”

Shin: “That’s a bold-faced lie, that one at most is worth 10 thousand eddies”

He chuckled.

Vic: “If you’re sure about this then I’ll give it to you for 8 thousand.”

I instantly send him the money. I looked at the money left. 2 thousand. ok. I turned to Becky.

Shin: “I’m going to go under for a while here’s my phone you can play games while you wait.”

She took the phone, and I sat in the chair.

Shin: “the person who put in the plug did it wrong how much for you to fix it up?”

Vic: “1 hundred.”

I paid him and he handed me a pill and some water. I swallowed and was asleep in seconds.

When I woke, I felt right, my neck didn’t burn but felt hot and the back of my head was ok, I could feel the opening and my eyes felt correct again. But felt cold from the metal touching my skin, it felt right having it on me was the correct thing.

Vic: “does everything feel ok?”

Shin: “Amazing, thank you.”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I got up and looked around Becky was sleeping on a couch in the corner of the room.

Vic: “its three o’clock just so you know.”

Shin: “can I use your computer to make my own firewall for a minute?”

Vic: “sure?”

After I made it I notice that I got level 4 in thought ability.

I looked through the commands and picked car hacker.

“Car hacker” You can hack into cars and remotely control them, explode them, or set off their alarms.

It’s good for the badlands where cars are few, and all very powerful. I am glad to be able to hack them.

I looked at the time and saw it was five am. Yeah, I coded for a long time. I tested my deck out for a minute Vic had gone to bed at some point I don’t know when I was to focused on typing. My body is so low level and street brawl even lower my bonuses do great. Things to work on.

Ok step two on my list done. Now need to buy supplies for step one to be finished. I’m bad at steps. We need a car. I had been thinking it for a while, but a Scav nest will have one available for me to take if I kill them all? And I would get money for supplies. I remember going on Scav killing spree with V, so I know a location. I mark it on my phones map. What to do with beck while I do this… she won’t wake for a few more hours. I leave a thank you note for Vic and carefully bring Becky to the car. I put earmuffs on her and wrap her in many layers of blankets she could get out, but it would make the ride easier for her.

We drove to a location. I snuck in feeling where the cameras would see me. Ducking and crawling at some portions and had to hide in a pile of ripped apart cybernetic limbs that the Scavs tore off people the disgusting inhuman creatures. I kept sneaking until I was in the room with their Netrunner, I walked up behind them as quiet as I could cut their head clean off with a knife.

I plug into the system and see the ice its to good to beat without an alarm being sprung and I didn’t have any attacks other than a weaker version of blackout made.

So, I just dismantled the whole Netrunner chair. I looked at the Scavs Netrunning deck but didn’t try and plug in, it probable had some black ice on it. black ice melts an opposing users brain. I put it in my bag it could have viruses I don’t know, I looked at the cameras and saw where everyone was, three on this floor seven on the next and four around the building two guarding the front and back entrance.

I snuck back into the ripping room, it was empty they were taking a break watching tv I still sneaked around what if someone moved while I was going to them. They were watching tv on the couch three of them.

Ok how do I kill them silently gag order let me think of many ideas. I snuck up behind the one in a side chair slightly out of sight from the others I stabbed a dagger in his neck at a point that would stop sound from coming out. then I grabbed his hands while he died so he wouldn’t thrash. I crouched back down neither of the others had noticed.

I hacked the other one of the two and got blackout ready, I killed one, the one I was unable to see their cybereye’s turned off they let out a screamed, but it was to late now that I had them, I stabbed him. the one I stabbed fell to the floor dead. I set them up on the couch, so it looked like they were still watching the show.

Ok, eleven left. I gaged at the blood around me, but numbness got rid of my disgust and discomfort. I would do what I have to, but I wouldn’t feel good about it. I was a little consoled at the fact I was killing Scavs and not people. I don’t consider Scavs human.

I went up a floor there was seven on this floor. As I walked up the stairs, I felt vision coming around the corner. I jumped up grabbing a pipe in the ceiling and pulled myself up a true test of my strength holding myself up. the guy walked under me. I dropped onto him. Knife plunging into his head. The knife broke, shit. I shoved and he fell down the stairs. Loudly! The guy was starting to get up I could hear yells behind me asking what’s wrong. I cant win a one vs 7. I jump down the flight of stairs pulling out another knife. And stab him in the back he screams out. I check his pockets he had a pistol. good I have a gun, I heard running. I pulled him out of the way from the stairs so that all that could be seen was a liquid at the bottom of the stairs. Then around the corner and under the stairs pointed the gun up. and waited for them to come down the stairs. I heard footsteps and waited for them to be right above me. Then fired three shots. My twelve-mag having nine shots left. The guy tumbled down the stairs the others couldn’t see where I shot from and waited at the top of the stairs. probably waiting for their Netrunner to stop me.

Feel their sight looking at the bullet holes in the floor the angle of their sight tells me were to point my next shot. I shot one bullet the feeling decreases as one more falls dead down the stairs.

Five left. eight shots. I move from my spot, and they shoot into the floor. The people outside are probably coming. I shoot my last five shots at them keeping them at the stairs ad I go back into the Netrunning room. the disassembled parts are on the ground. I grabbed and stuffed all the pieces in my bag.

I am abandoning this mission, I would need a team to full clear this place yes, I have special powers but I’m not immortal I died twice. The first time to a rock. The second to a shotgun and car accident.

These materials are worth a lot. The guys built up the courage to go down the stairs after their buddy’s outside told them no one was at the stairs. Outsides open now. I opened the window. Only one floor off the ground. That’s one tall floor. I jump, I slam onto a parked car. ha-ha that Hurts. I definitely dislocated my arm, but I did what I remember go limp that’s why drunk people don’t die in crashes they can’t tighten preparing for the crash they go floppy while the other person goes solid and breaks. It still hurts but I didn’t die. I roll off the car its alarm going off. I plug myself into the door lock port and use car hacker bypassing the cars security ice instantly I tell the car to drive straight forward and don’t stop and explode engine after one minute. I dove under another car watching as the now nine Scavs run after the car as it hits a wall down the street and explodes.

They all yell in surprise and run over. Good my distraction worked. I look at the cars and see one truck with large desert wheels ok. I ran overusing my skill again to bypass the cars locks. Get in and turn it on silently. I make it drive away fast above its speed cap it revs the Scavs look and see the car race past them they shoot at it but my too far away now.

I go to where I left the beaten down car and carefully lift sleeping Becky into it, it’s hard because of how high it was, and I couldn’t use the grab handles because I was lifting Becky carefully.

I noticed that I was still bloody from the fight. I needed to get a different set of cloths that were ok with blood, it’s so hard to clean off. when we get back to the house, I put her in bed then went to the car changing its locks, wiping its previous data after storing it on my phone if I need it later. Then I changed my cloths washed my old ones then washed the blood from where I was sitting in the car. ok good day. I felt it inside, I leveled reflexes to four, I always level fastest in a fight. I looked over the skills and chose slippery.

“Slippery” you are difficult to hit while moving better at dodging.

It went well with my parkour ability.

I packed our bins into the car. step one done, now step three procure everything we want before leaving the city. We need bullets the hand cannon pistol bullets wouldn’t fit into my new gun, and it would be cheaper to get bullets for this gun than buy a new hand cannon pistol. Plus, my body can’t handle that pistol anyway. I want a phone for Becky so we can keep in contact while farther away. Lots of preservable foods and water lots of water, first aid kits also. A printer so I could make my supplies, and material for that. What else… a computer for programing. I could use my port but that overheats my brain my skills counteract but it’s still painful. That’s all I can think of. I’ll go tonight so Becky can wake up and we go. I left a note telling her I’m buying stuff for us and would be back if she woke up before I got back.

The next day we were on the road. In the badlands. We need a home, where can we find one. I pulled out my map and saw a gas station that was decommissioned years ago the one I did a job for Saul in my last life Codey said that it was abandoned for thirty years before that and it is twenty years. It would work. When we arrived, it was empty I checked it twice before letting Becky inside.

Shin: “this is where we will be staying for the foreseeable future.”

I raised my hands at the decrepit building, covered in sand. I brought in the mattress we stole and put it in the back room where the office was. It had space and then some. I kept the other mattress in the car didn’t want to when we needed to leave quickly to abandon both beds. The office had a window that I secured and packed my car next to we could shove the window open and jump into the car. I added a tarp over the car that I covered in sand the car in sand and made it so the car truly turned off when not in use no one with a radar would see our car now. We had about four months of food and water. I could make stuff and sell it then buy more food and stuff we could do this. The city was seven-hour drive from us so we selling would be a major task, maybe we could make the stuff then spend a few days in the city then leave that sounds good. I have made a lot of things in my previous life, what sells the best? With coding it was new Netrunner programs. For physical building things it was a lot of things. My low level in tech is pushing me down so I cant make the best stuff, but I can still make some things. Alright my first thing I will make is my signature grenades and bomb code for Netrunners.

I looked to Becky.

Shin: “I need to work now.”

Becky: “can I watch?”

Shin: “sure.”

I start the printer make my signature brick looking grenade casing where with the image of bomber man with a black hat on the face. then started making the insides then when the case finished, then I made the pepper spray. After cutting the peppers and adding vinegar, I looked for a fridge… no fridge, ok I search and found it a drink vending machine, empty probably for years but it would work I hacked it and turned it on it started cooling the would have been drinks now pepper spray.

This worlds peppers the copy they made was a lot powerfuller than from my first world. At the concentration I made it would melt the skin slightly not the eyes though. Acid grenade more like but non-permanent so it would heal with this worlds advanced tech.

I made a batch of 40, and only put ten in the car, I gave Becky a spray bottle of pepper spray she could use, in liquid form if you hit the eyes they would melt.

Shin: “this, is dangerous Becky. It’s for if someone attacks you. because its small they won’t notice it ok.”

She nodded.

Becky: “ok I will.”

I showed her how to use it pretty simple, but she almost pointed it at herself, so it was needed. Ok it has been three days so far, we have eaten and slept made these, but before I sell, I want to be able to defend myself. I got on my computer and started making an attack. I noticed it when I was dying last life, I could only stop people not kill. So, I looked it up what attack code looked like, they wouldn’t tell me the code for free but knowing what an attack was called and what it did in general let me find out how to make it myself.

Burnout: Causes the brain to suffer from a stroke.

Probably not as effective or as lethal but it would work. Next I needed to get Dos worm back it would go great with burnout not letting them use there stuff without my authorization while suffering from a stroke would be a grate combo in fighting and no blood if they died that way. No sticky warm blood coming up my throat me guts spilling out my leg sever-

Becky hugged me.

Becky: “I love you. we should just sit here.”

I stopped coding for a bit hugging my Becky, I worried her I need to stop doing that. My hand was twitching behind her back I stopped it with artists hands, taking a deep breath. I can do this.

Shin: “thanks. Your amazing you know?”

She smiled at that.

Becky: “of course I am.”

She so small. I tuck her into bed its late I coded all day, but I wasn’t done. I made Dos attack again, it took less time than I thought it would. So I got to sleep that night.

End of chapter: twelve