I saw the marble pedestal in front of me it was a bit far away I would need to walk to it.
No! I’m not done yet! I looked around and saw the edges were fuzzy unlike last time when they were pure white. The box floated over to me.
Box: “Touch the pedestal when you give up on waiting for resuscitation.”
So, I’m not dead yet? My body was racked with pain. It flowed through me like ice and fire. every second that I held on I would feel pain from avoiding death with willpower. Me being alive would make pressure healing work making this pain heal me faster. I would power though. I’m does not brain dead so my heart will still pump. I will survive this.
Box: “while we wait would you like to spend your points? they will no longer be added to final life score if used.
1. Max Colson, Life 2. Seare: lives lived: 1
point balance: 124 points “after every life you get :121 points: for your gained achievements”
body: 0 (+) “determines raw physical power”
Sub stats body:
Athletics: 0 (1+) “determines your durability and speed”
Annihilation: 0 (+) “determines speed and control for large weapons”
Street brawler: 0 (+) “increase speed and control with hand weapons”
Reflexes: 0 (+) “determines evasion and speed”
Sub stats body:
Handguns: 0 (+) “better at reloading and firing faster”
Blades: 0 (+) “quicker and better at handling”
Assault: 0 (+) “better fighting in and around cover”
Technical ability: 0 (2+) “represents technical knowledge, and ability to handle cyberware”
Sub stats body:
Crafting: 0 (2+) “how to find, use, and make things”
Engineering: 0 (2+) “ability to see loot and materials you can use”
Thought speed: 0 (+) “determines Netrunning ability”
Sub stats body:
Breach protocol: 0 (+) “ability to hack people and things, and make hacking daemons”
Quick hacking: 0 (+) “how many and strength of your hacks on people and things”
Cool: 0 (+) “resilience and composure and control over yourself”
Sub stats body:
Stealth: 0 (1+) “understanding of how to hide sneak and avoid.”
Cold Blood: 0 (1+) “ability to handle killing”
Bought ability’s:
“artists hands” you have complete control over your fingers and hands. “increased effectiveness with reflexes”
"keep pumping” your heart doesn’t stop unless you are braindead or mentally unstable, even if its removed blood will keep flowing through your body. Warning can be painful.
"numbness” you can control what pain gates are open with your thoughts instead of massaging them.
“fast hands” when working you can move your hands at double speed.
"remember recipe” remember all cooking recipes you have made.
“maker” know how to change recipes to fit the stuff you have on hand.
Wait… I am in between life and death, and I can only use my points in death. So this counts I can spend them part way through. But I wont have them at the end to give a boost.
I already know I’m not getting a high enough grade in this life because its not possible so yes I will spend every point I can.
shop?
List of buyable ability’s that are good:
Intelligence: most expensive to least.
5,000 points “remember past” with this you can recall all knowledge you learned in previous lives after a minute of concentration.
600 points “Handywork” ability to make a perfect copy of anything you have physically made in the past.
300 points “constant thinker” you continue thinking while you sleep.
50 points “debug” see and what is wrong with any writing.
30 points: “disassemble” you are able to know how to disassemble whatever your hands touches
Vitality: most to least expensive.
300 points: “surgeons hands” you have complete control over your fingers and hands.
200 points “body remembers” increases your body at its weakest point, your body never losses muscle mass or gets fat.
100 points: “better sleep” you heal faster in your sleep from deadly wounds.
80 points: “pressure healing” the more pressure you feel the faster you heal.
25 points: “adjustment” you can adjust how your body fits together, your body doesn’t get sore from being uncomfortable.
Art: most to least expensive.
500 points: “Handywork” ability to make a perfect copy of anything you have artistically made in the past.
Defense: most to least expensive.
200 points: “touch muscles” your muscles can tighten to be hard as rock thrown in your face by a car.
100 points: "fast hand” you automatically know where to move your hands to block a knife punch, or sword.
50 points: “Shut down” stop feeling one emotion for a limited time.
50 points: "cold” cold doesn’t bother you as much
Warning’s
1. these are available with the stats page and can be cheaper, but you don’t know where they are or how much they cost.
2. the ones on this page get cheaper when if your learned them better in your pervious life.”
3. All bought abilities are at level one, currently cant increase above one.
Wait so the perks I got in this life can now be bought for future life’s. That’s awesome. My legs lit on fire as I stood their heat permeating my whole being. After is subsided I continued being able to think. And the underlined ones are new. I don’t need more abilities I need better strengths. So I wont but more than one ability for now. I want debug, its way more important in this world. Ok now I have 74 points to spend on myself improvement.
What would have happened if I had a better ability with different stats, I spent awhile deciding the ended with this. Street brawl 4 for twenty points 54 points left, my Monowire saved my ass in that fight I want it to be amazing. Athletics 2 for five points if I could dodge, I wouldn’t have been shot as bad. 49 points left. cool, if I had been able to control myself better, I could have killed the girl the moment I saw her and been able to get away more silently the tv would have masked the sound. 9 points left. cold blood lastly, being able to use shut down better was my savior. With four points left I was done and I waited letting the pain slowly go away as I healed. Then the area around me slowly shatter as I wasn’t considered near death anymore. I looked at my new stats page.
1. Max Colson 2. Seare: lives lived: 1
point balance: 4 points “at the start every life you get :121 points: for your gained achievements”
body: 4 (+) “determines raw physical power”
Sub stats body:
Athletics: 2 (2+) “determines your durability and speed”
Annihilation: 0 (+) “determines speed and control for large weapons”
Street brawler: 2 (4+) “increase speed and control with hand weapons”
Reflexes: 3 (+) “determines evasion and speed”
Sub stats body:
Handguns: 1 (+) “better at reloading and firing faster”
Blades: 0 (+) “quicker and better at handling”
Assault: 0 (+) “better fighting in and around cover”
Technical ability: 4 (2+) “represents technical knowledge, and ability to handle cyberware”
Sub stats body:
Crafting: 1 (2+) “how to find, use, and make things”
Engineering: 1 (2+) “ability to see loot and materials you can use”
Thought speed: 3 (+) “determines Netrunning ability”
Sub stats body:
Breach protocol: 0 (+) “ability to hack people and things, and make hacking daemons”
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Quick hacking: 0 (+) “how many and strength of your hacks on people and things”
Cool: 4 (1+) “resilience and composure and control over yourself”
Sub stats body:
Stealth: 0 (1+) “understanding of how to hide sneak and avoid.”
Cold Blood: 2 (2+) “ability to handle killing”
Bought ability’s:
“artists hands” you have complete control over your fingers and hands.
"keep pumping” your heart doesn’t stop unless you are braindead or mentally unstable, even if its removed blood will keep flowing through your body. Warning can be painful.
"numbness” you can control what pain gates are open with your thoughts instead of massaging them.
“fast hands” when working you can move your hands at double speed.
“debug” see and what is wrong with any writing.
"remember recipe” remember all cooking recipes you have made.
“maker” know how to change recipes to fit the stuff you have on hand.
Skill abilities:
“disassemble” you are able to know how to disassemble whatever your hands touches.
“shut down” stop feeling one emotion for a limited time.
“pressure healing” the more pressure you feel the faster you heal.
Cyberware: Monowire, interface plug.
I was laying down in a chair. I tried to move and all that came out was a groan of pain my body felt like shit. I opened my eyes to see I was in Vic’s office, he was sleeping at his computer. I turned my head, sore. I saw my mom sleeping in a seat. She shivered slightly as I watched.
Gotta get up. I got up and almost screamed at the pain my arm felt when I put pressure on it. I looked and saw it was in a caste. Oh yeah, the bone shattered. I got out again not using that arm. I grabbed a blanket off another chair and put it on my mom. I sat down in her lap and fell asleep again. I woke to my mom brushing my hair.
My arm felt fine now.
Seare: “Hey mom. Are you ok?”
She was screaming as I fell unconscious last time.
Vic laughed out loud at that.
Vic: “Seriously Siri, I am woken up at 4 am with a kid full of shotgun shells. And your body healing at a way higher rate than anyone I’ve seen before. So I had to cut you open and then pull the bullets out. the close them up.”
Shit.
Seare: “you know how kids are we bounce back. I mean 14-year-olds.”
He laughed again
Vic: “glad you’re ok. You gave me a scare.”
I looked at my good arm at the Monowire
Seare: “thanks for helping me learn how to use this it saved my life, twice.”
He smiled and turned away and I looked at my mom.
Seare: “thanks for trusting me when I texted you. if things didn’t go wrong then I would have escaped quietly. Do you know why they came after me?”
Kiri looked down.
Seare: “its fine, I’m just want to know I don’t care that it’s about you.”
Kiri: “I’m currently the one denying Militech from another loan they won’t pay off. they are in huge debt with every bank but because they have some of the biggest weapons they can just keep asking for more. But seriously I can’t even say yes to them no matter what, I’d loss my job for saying yes to them. They are little lying assholes who”
I cut her off she was going to start rambling again. I kissed her cheek.
Seare: “let’s go home.”
When we arrived the corpse of the girl was still on the apartment floor. We ignored it something for tomorrow. Aah, I have school tomorrow. So only two hours of sleep, I guess.
I walked to school in a haze. In mechanics I sat with V, we learned about different car engines and how they worked. Then I went to Netrunning 101 and sat and listened to her talk about the net and assigned our computers. Then coding, we were taught that anything was possible with enough work. Then it was lunch.
I walked ahead of everyone again and sat in the same seat as last time. people filed through the doors and started getting food. I pulled out my noodles and was eating them when V came over and started eating some cheap copy apples. After a minute three guys walk over one of them puts his hand on her shoulder.
Guy 1: ”That’s some shitty food, why not give it to your seniors?“
Guy 2: “Hey it’s her, the wuss that delta’ ed at the party.”
I scanned them mentally weak bratty kids with a bit of muscle. I put down my chopsticks and turned towards them.
V: “shove off asshole.”
Guy 3: “but you ran when all we were all about to have ‘fun’ at the bullpen together.”
Guy 1: “come to the fight club after school and hang with us.”
She brushed his hand away. And he raised his hand to hit her. I flicked my arm three times. The nonlethal wire shot out and flicked his hand right before he hit her. Making it red. All three turned to me.
Guy 1: “This doesn’t have anything to do with you shorty stay quiet like a good brat.”
I used the mental commands to make it wrap around his neck.
Seare: “you interrupted my meal.”
I tapped my finger.
Seare: “you attempted to hit my friend.”
I started tapping faster
Seare: “Called my shorty and brat.”
I tapped even faster as his face started turning blue.
Seare: “I am one flick of the wrist from cutting your head off. Just a flick of the wrist and your blood would be sprayed across the floor. Your buddy’s covered in blood and screaming in fear. With the only reason was you were an ass at the wrong time.”
I stopped taping quiet surrounded us, I used shut down to get rid of my all my emotions but anger and annoyance for a few seconds, staring straight into the man’s eyes, he was terrified. I flicked my wrist, and it went back into my arm without killing him.
Seare: “Now, do as she said, and shove off asshole.”
They all quickly ran away to another table. I could see the man’s neck was red with how tight I held it. my hand started twitching. Sam got arrived and sat down.
Sam: “That was Nova to watch. Please add me.”
He was smiling and sended me his number I added him. Then I put my hand in my pocket I couldn’t stop it from shaking. I looked and saw V watching me carefully. I turned off
Seare: “thanks.”
Stop shaking DAMMIT! My hand wouldn’t stop I put it below the table. My heart was racing overpowering my ability to have a steady beat because my mind was a mess.
V: “thanks.”
She sounded slightly sad at that.
Seare: “are you ok?”
V: “kinda no one really sticks up for me much so its new. Are you ok. Also, here.”
She send my phone her number. I added her and looked back at her.
Seare: “not really… glad I could help you with my own problems.”
Didn’t Jackie always have her back? wasn’t she top of the class? Always best around her promise showing more every day? Right, this is a real world of course its not the same as the game, some things are different and there are things that are wrongs I can fix someday. I need to find out where she is living then.
I kept my hand in my pocket and ate with one hand I was getting good at using chopsticks.
Next is editing. I finished eating and started walking on my own before lunch stopped, my noodles weren’t making me happy right now. Why am I so emotional. I need to level cool actually scratch that I would need to kill more to level cool and I don’t want to go out to kill just for levels. I’d be a monster, and I am here to do good, and help whatever gave me a second life. I wonder when I will be given a task by the box?
I entered the video class and sat at my seat the teach looked me over she was getting the finished lesson ready and looked away as I put my head on my desk. I’m so tired, I closed my eyes I didn’t hear the bell ring but Luckly Sam woke me up.
Sam: “wake up class is starting,”
Seare: “thanks.”
I dived into class putting my full focus on the lesson, I saw Sam mess up and quickly helped him before the teacher saw his mistake. I dived into the videos no longer me just the person in the db I watched changing the emotions to what they should be listening to every word she said. Then the bell rang, and school was over, I went home, mom had to go to work in the morning so she couldn’t clean up the mess.
Of a person on the floor. Actually, it wasn’t too messy just blood from their neck. I went to the staircase and saw that the body’s there were cleaned up. so, after taking her gun and its holster and her hat, it looked good, black with a star shape on the front. I dumped her into the staircase and went back to mine and moms home. I then cleaned the blood this world learned way better ways of cleaning blood than my old one, so it was easy. I resized the holster to fit me and put it on, it felt large but would work well enough I put the gun in it twelve shots left. they didn’t have extra ammo on them almost like they didn’t expect to fight for their lives.
Afterwards I sent a text to V then to Sam saying this is Seare so they can add a name to my number. Then went to bed no school tomorrow so and I needed a relaxing day.
So I slept the next day I watched tv and tried to put my thousand pieces of wreath back together. Man did I take that apart it was a puzzle now I had all the pieces and was learning through all my classes what they each were so I could slowly put it back together without trial and error.
Mom was staying overtime to make up for leaving work to help me yesterday, so I was alone watching tv. And I finally decompressed everything’s ok, I’m not in danger I can be ok. Yes, its ok killing wasn’t something I ever thought I would do but it happened, and I’m still me. The slight twitching of my hand faded away.
The next four weeks were fine I worked out and went to school spent time with mom and tried to build things. Classes were getting harder, and it was nice we had a big paper due in a few days list all 300 different parts of the specific car and what they do. We started it a while ago and I finished it and turned it in two days after it was assigned. That’s just who I am.
I was in class with V and Sam when he handed me mine back.
Carlos: “how the hell you did this so well I don’t know, but I know you didn’t cheat I confiscated tapes of you at lunch doing it.”
The paper said 300/300 ah perfect the feeling of being the best washed over me. I didn’t gloat overtly. But put it in my backpack. Everyone else still had another week to finish while I had it done. Me V and Sam had hung out outside of school a few times mostly walking around or watching a movie, but it was fun.
While sitting at home on my one free day a week I got a text.
V: “hey can you help me with our project?”
Seare: “sure thing, where should we meet up?”
There was a pause. And no answer. Where did she live? With her parents, no didn’t they die? Next to Jackie wasn’t it with her uncle.
Seare: “my place works of that’s ok?”
V: “yeah what’s the address?”
I sent her the location and the door code. And half an hour later she was here. I had made sure to clean up. I let her in and sat down at the table.
Seare: “so what you need help with?”
V took out her paper. And I saw only the first page of fifty was done. I closed my eyes.
Seare: “are you asking me to do it for you?”
V: “NO!”
But she got quiet a moment later.
V: “I just can’t read words well.”
Right, she had cybernetic eyes in the game, she has a sight disability, I think.
Seare: “Good, let’s do this properly then.”
I grabbed out my computer mom got it for school purposes. And pulled up the car we were studying.
Seare: “I will read what it says you write it down in your own words.”
So, we spent the next two hour doing the assignment she got to number one fifty halfway done in total but only done a fourth today.
Seare: “let’s take a break, want some noodles or a fake apple?”
I opened the mostly empty cabinet and the fridge with dehydrated noodles. She nodded at the apple. I tossed it to her and grabbed noodles for myself. While eating I looked over what she wrote so far mostly good, I erased whatever was false, we would fix that when I finished eating. I am good at one handed eating, I can use a pencil while.
V: “thanks a lot for helping me with this.”
Seare: “no problem I was just going to sit on the couch watch tv and do my impossible puzzle.”
V: “no puzzle is impossible.”
I laughed and grabbed my two boxes of parts and slowly put them out on the floor.
Seare: “it was a wreath before in a haze I disassembled it and now I’m trying to put it back together on my own.”
She looked and laughed.
V: “Get a new one.”
Seare: “sorry rich girl I can’t afford another one.”
She looked around the apartment.
Seare: “me and my mom live here.”
She looked into my moms room.
V: “where’s your room?”
I pointed at the couch’s. And my stuff in the closet I pulled the boxes out of.
Seare: “I got the preem’est bed in the city!”
I patted the couch cushions. And made a voice of a believer.
Seare: “they were heavenly sent to give me comfort.”
I couldn’t hold it in and started laughing. She smiled. I went back to a normal voice.
Seare: “moms stays overnight at work normally, so I sleep in her bed most nights. Other than that, it’s the couch’s for me.”
She looked surprised. Was this normal in this is more than childhood me had in my previous life only one person in your space and not then to twenty, until you move out. its like living the dream. But she is from a dead was rich compared to most people family.
Seare: “what’s wrong?”
V: “I’ve just never seen someone else who is poor go to Arisaka’s fine school. You weren’t kidding about killing the bullies that were after me if they annoyed you enough.”
Seare: “I try my best to be truthful. But not many people think my killing intent matches up to my lower frame.”
She scoffed at that.
V: “I guess I call you if I need help killing someone.”
Seare: “Yep. Never go alone killing or you’ll be the one mopped off the floor.”
We laughed for a moment.
Seare: “but I’m serious, don’t try to kill someone without backup or you’ll get a shotgun to the chest.”
She sobered at that. Night city is dangerous you never know who has the biggest gun in their body.
Seare: “also to loop back were not poor, everyone else is just extremely rich and 90% of people are poor I’m in the 5% making over even. Anyway, let’s get back to your project.”
She groaned at that.
We spent the next three hours finishing it. then I looked through and okayed it.
Seare: “nice its done. Want to watch a movie?”
V: “sure what do you got?”
We started a movie and about halfway through, the door rattled I grabbed my gun from my holster V looked at the gun eyes wide then my mom entered so I put it back.
Seare: “Hey mom, I’m watching a movie with a friend right now so talk to you later?”
Her eyebrows raised at that then she saw V, nodded.
Kiri: “Alright, it’s pretty late make sure they stay over or have me give them a ride home.”
She left the room, and we continued the movie. An hour later it ended.
V: “that was fun.”
Seare: “thanks for hanging with me.”
V: “your slang is so weird, not bad weird but different.”
Seare: “of course it is nothing about me will be normal. Anyway, you want a ride home or, sleep here then go to school?”
She bit her lip.
V: “it’s pretty late I am not supposed to arrive this late if I’m going there.”
She was tapping her foot.
Seare: “great, stay here.”
I grabbed another pillow and blanket. Smelled them they were fresh and tossed them to the further couch. Then got a copy banana went over and handed it to V.
Seare: “want to go to bed now or watch another movie?”
The next morning, I made pancakes I learned that they didn’t have them here, so I asked mom for the ingredients I’ve made them for breakfast every day since. Sure, the syrup tastes wrong not bad but different. After that I cut up the banana into a smile, I saw that my cooking had woken up V and she was watching me intently. I made some for her me and my mom, she wakes up later today so I but it in the fridge for her to eat later.
I put V’s on the table and sat down.
Seare: “They are pancakes, enjoy.”
I started eating after a few seconds she joined me. Her face lit up. it was kinda cute, probably the first time someone ate pancakes in this day in age.
V: “these are great.”
In the day of packaged single fruits, meats, bars. All not real copy’s fake, I have made real food.
Seare: “I’m going to get changed for school.”
V: “don’t look in here I need to change too.”
I went into the shower and closed the sheet that stopped me from being seen I got changed and waited for her to finish, we left for the school, got to class and she turned it in. Carlos put it at the top of his pile of homework to grade.
End of chapter: five