V seemed to relax more around me, and we worked together in class instead of her silently focused on the lecture. It was better during coding also I made a image of a duck quack at her every time she passed over the lens of the computer camera. She couldn’t stop giggling until the teach walked over I turned off the program and acted like nothing was wrong.
Netrunning was the most interesting so far today. We finally stopped talking about the theory’s about the net and our computers given by the school would surf it enter and walk around. It scanned your brain to build how you would preserve the world best and for me it was a hand drawn world, where every image was drawn as I looked left on the screen, I could see the pencil marks of of the world smudging as I turned faster than it could “load” on a school computer. Most others had mostly similar worlds lines of code blank distances the code for me was written on paper in the air highlighted, the different internet wires going from place to place were pencil drawn. My mind showing my differences from everyone else all the time. I like it though, I am more a draw my ideas down than a hard dark room where I write down one line of code at a time.
People were confused at mine because it had a parallax effect to it I liked it it felt like me not everything moves around when I turn. The teacher had once said it was similar to a mind palace and I do have one not a good one but its like this, I hold every memory drawn on a piece of paper in different boxes in my mind. This was like walking around it.
When class ended, we met up with Sam and ate lunch.
V: “why don’t you bring those pancakes to lunch they are way better than noodles?”
Seare: “because they are a breakfast food. And they crumble if left out to long, they wouldn’t last tell lunch.”
V: “Seal them like you do the noodles!”
Seare: “I like my noodles thank you. and you just want me to bring you more.”
V: “you could do that as well?”
I laughed at that.
Sam: “I’m missing something choom what are pancakes.”
Seare: “some food I like to make.”
V: “the most delicious food I’ve eaten in years, and I had real steak about seven years ago.”
Sam: “when did you get to eat them? I got to now?”
Seare: “I helped V with her home and she stayed for a meal. fine I’ll make you some. Come over to my house after school, you can walk with me Sam.”
V looked at me.
Seare: “join us after class?”
She nodded and left as the bell rang.
Sam: “So… you said you eat it at breakfast? When did she eat it?”
Seare: “this morning before school.”
Sam: “are you guys dating.”
Fist off I’m 5, but have lived for 29 years total now and she is 14 I don’t know how any of that would work for my sanity.
Seare: “no, were just friends. I was helping V with the project.”
I did not mention that she spent the night watching movies.
Sam: “Oh yeah I heard you got one hundred percent, fist time someone got that will you look over mine before I turn it in.”
Seare: “sure.”
H pumped his fist. And we sat down. When class ended, I walked with Sam saw V in the hall and we all walked to my house together.
Sam: “How do you get the fear right, the teach keeps saying to two high? But never says your wrong?”
I do something I learned in video edit high school class in my first life.
Seare: “three points is a noticeable difference and ten is a major difference. If three isn’t enough you go ten. But when we get to really wrong ones that won’t work. But the teacher doesn’t want us throwing up in class so its fine.”
He wrote it down in a notes app on his phone.
Then we entered the building. Went up the elevator and entered my house.
I made pancakes in front of them, man I miss waffles. I saw that the one I made mom was gone, she ate that’s good. Then I cut up apple and bananas the apple slices were the eyes and the banana slices as the smile. Then I poured the syrup on it. and handed them plates.
I loved cooking the abilities I bought helping with the ingredient changes.
Seare: “there you go.”
Sam looked amazed and ate it with me and V after seeing how I ate it.
Sam: “this is delicious, you could sell this.”
Seare: “can’t it crumbles after a while.”
Seare: “if you guys like it so much, keep eating what do you guys want to watch?”
We decided on a movie and when it was over Sam had to go so did V.
Seare: “by guys. I actually have to go shopping for something so I’m leaving to.”
Mom had given me a monthly allowance it was small but enough for my next project making a waffle iron. Those I could seal in bags and not have them crumble while I’m at school.
So I wave Sam goodbye as his attendant road him home. forgot he’s rich.
Seare: “got a ride home?”
V: “no, I’m going to walk.”
Right I wanted to find out where she’s lives in this multiverse because.
Seare: “I’ll walk you, my mom would attack me for not making sure a friend got home safe.”
She looked like she wanted to say no.
Seare: “which way?”
She pointed left I grabbed her and started walking. After a minute she regained herself and I let go of her shirt and put my hands behind my head and walked in silence. after a bit she stopped when we were about to enter pacifica it was walled off but not officially, I could see the spikes in the ground they were putting up but didn’t have the time to finish.
V: “you probably don’t want to go further.”
Seare: “why not?”
V: “this is a combat zone, I stay with the voodoo boys gang.”
Voodoo boys a gang so that’s where she gets housing in this world.
Seare: “and?”
V: “there are many different gangs if you’re not part the gang a member sees then you get shot.”
She was pulling a hat out of her backpack with a voodoo boys symbol on the front.
Seare: “I’m not afraid of a fight but if it’s your flat mates that you don’t want me killing then I’ll go further.”
V: “yeah.”
Seare: “call me if you’re in trouble. Were friends, right?”
She nodded.
V: “can you keep it a secret from Sam?”
Seare: “sure. Hey if it’s not safe anytime like when a the NCPD comes through you can crash at my place.”
I waved to her and walked away. Lost in my own thoughts not about V’s secret but about what the system told me. An error would be after people in this timeline that I need to save protect or help from the error. If its V then I’ve got some work ahead of me, she doesn’t have Jackie who the big man with bigger guns that had her back every time they saw each other she lived in a more dangerous neighborhood, and is part of a gang for housing because her uncle for some reason isn’t housing her. I hope she does call me if she’s in trouble.
I went to the stores and bought what I needed for my project all secondhand stuff and went home. I worked away at my troubles, making the first version of a waffle iron in three hours then the finished project in five hours total. It was well past midnight now, so I went to bed. Mom probably did overtime again.
V Point of view
This has been the worst and weirdest year of my life.
I walk through the dirt covered streets blood and graffiti covered walls. I heard footsteps coming from around a corner, I dived into an alleyway and into a trash can, outside of a base it’s a free for all here. They passes by my heart pumping sweat furrowing my brow as I close my eyes tight.
Three four five. Breath in for three hold for four and breath out for five seconds. I was ok. My heartbeat calmed down. I wouldn’t get lucky here like I did back then. I brief moment of remembering the men walk over me pretending I was killed flashing my mind. Their boots kicking over my parents body. Three four five. Think of something else.
And what is with Siri? Where did he come from? I’ve been to every school and never heard of a short genius that’s nice but crazy?
I arrived at the hideout. A base for the Voodoo boys, I wasn’t late yet so I would be able to get in fine. I walked in the guard snickering at me. I hated that look, they all think I’m just some small girl, and I hate that their right. I cant stand up to a person a year older than me like Siri did. Kinda, wish I accepted his offer to let him come with me.
No that’s stupid you are being protected by these people stop being so skittish. I passed one of my bosses bodyguards he looked at me.
Guy: “Skitterleaf the boss wants to have a checkup.”
I hate that nickname at least they didn’t call me something worse it sounded cool if you didn’t know the meaning. I ran to bosses room, he was sitting in his throne like chair and smoking something.
Boss: “how far are we along already I want to tell my boss that hiring you was worth it.”
He looked at me lazily.
V: “I have gotten all the first-floor computers. Next year I will be able to enter the second floor and can get those ones too.”
He nodded, my signal to leave. But spoke as I left.
Boss: “Tomorrow, plug this into the building somewhere on the first floor.”
One of his minions handed me a card.
I went to my room, my job was secret enough that I got a room so no one could pry.
Shit what is on this, I cant look but what if I get caught? They would drop me like a brick. Ok, deal with it. I went to bed early today worried about what tomorrow would bring.
Seare Point of view
I got up and went to school. V look so nervous she was tapping her foot through the entire first period, I wanted to ask but she looked like she would break. I tried smiling at her and she calmed slightly.
Then as we walked into coding the world went black and white text appeared in front of me.
Box: “Error has moved, first attempt at timeline derailment started. Protect “V” they will affect the timeline at some point to derail their future.”
Then everything went back to normal, and I almost slipped and fell. I got ahold of myself and sat in my seat V still looked terrified but like she decided something. Something bad was going to happen.
Seare: “don’t do it.”
V jumped and looked at me.
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V: “do what!”
Seare: “whatever is making you fearful and worried. Tell me what’s happening.”
She bit her lip hesitating and handing me a link chip.
V: “my boss told me to plug it into the building.”
I need to look at this, I unplugged my computer from the system and plugged in the chip. My computer shut down instantly.
Seare: “it’s a blackout chip, it would make everything connected turn off. a virus, it would make everyone with cybernetics useless until they turned them back on.”
I unplugged the chip, and restarted my computer. V looked tired as well probably didn’t sleep last night.
Seare: “what happens if you don’t do this.”
V: “they kick me out, without my head attached.”
Seare: “why are they against Arasaka?”
V: “they want to get passed the nets black wall and befriend ai.”
The black wall, I remember that from the anime, it was a wall nothing, but specialized tech could get through, they probably wanted to rob Arasaka to get tools for net diving. Shit, ok I don’t particularly care about Arasaka but making an enemy of them is a bad really bad.
Seare: “could you tell them the mission was a bust?”
V: “not without reason.”
Seare: “shit.”
How. I scanned my abilities.
Debug disassemble and fast hands, I went back to my rebooted computer, if I could alter the code, I put the chip in its own server on the computer, that server went down but the code was still their I could edit it. I wrote code to add a delay reran the program it didn’t work trial and error but with fast hands it I could type fast, I used disassemble to pick apart the code and debug to put it back together how I wanted. I made it so the code would also wipe all camera data for the last week for both optic cameras and security cameras.
V: “they set a time for me to do it. lunch bell”
The teach was busy yelling a a student who messed up with a mistake that was taught in the second day of class. But the class was flying by. I finished with twelve minutes left then I pled my neural wire into the computer and added new commands. At eight minutes I set the delay to eight minutes and pugged it into the floorboard plug in.
Seare: “now we wait and act natural.”
While I could get rid of my emotion of worry with numbness V couldn’t.
Seare: “I got something very important to show you on my computer.”
I pulled up my program. And pressed start, as she looked at the screen a middle finger popped up and moved wherever her eyes went. she held in the laugh barely.
Seare: “see everything is fine, were just messing around.”
Her shoulders relaxed and we waited when the bell rang a second later everything went dark, I had kicked my elf off their system so I wouldn’t be given the virus.
Sisley: “everyone stay calm and Don’t move! You are not allowed to leave the room or move until a search has been done. This is a lockdown.”
They are a mega Corp they probably have plans for this type of thing. I flicked my wrist three times in the dark slowly so no one would see my unlit Monowire go to the floor, then with mental commands grab the chip with it and retracted my wire until it was in my hand then I with a mental command opened the wires casing, and had the wire put the chip inside its casing. Then retracted all the way. Done, now act natural.
V who was next to me could see and was shocked.
Ok nothing will lead back to us, the cameras were destroyed the evidence was secured now just act natural and we’ll be fine.
I felt it again I got to level four in thought speed. I while we waited in class, I looked over the skills and chose.
“eyes in the sky” know were camera are around you and be able to breach them faster.
And didn’t feel any they were all still down. I leveled a lot of things since I last looked at my stats, I pulled them up.
Max Colson, 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: 3 (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: 3 (2+) “how to find, use, and make things”
Engineering: 2 (2+) “ability to see loot and materials you can use”
Thought speed: 4 (+) “determines Netrunning ability”
Sub stats body:
Breach protocol: 1 (+) “ability to hack people and things, and make hacking daemons”
Quick hacking: 1 (+) “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.
“eyes in the sky” know where camera's are around you and be able to breach them faster.
Cyberware: Monowire, interface plug.
Nice I’m glad to be able to see my improvements.
The lights turned back on and we were held there for another three hours as they searched each person I acted like I was in an airport, and security had flagged me. And after awhile they let us go. And V tired to get away but I dragged her to my house.
And got her in a seat at my house.
Seare: “what are your plans.”
V: “what?”
Seare: “for the future, are you going to join that gang or Arasaka or some competitor or are you cruising through your life.”
After a pause.
Seare: “ok tell me what you don’t want. Do you want to join a gang?”
V: “not really.”
I thought over her choices.
Seare: “you could become a nomad then or join a corporation, but living where you are will make that impossible.”
V: “What Was I Supposed To Do!”
I waited.
Seare: “stop thinking like that. That’s one thing, stop having the first thought be there is no other choice.”
I handed her my newest food, French toast. And honey. Not from the original ingredience but tasted the same.
Seare: “eat. you should think on a full stomach. Sorry I am just worried.”
She ate the toast, and her eyes lit up again, sugar not a well-used item in the future all foods are either to eat fast and compact, to show off price, or to forget. Not pleasure like the food I make.
V: ”you should really sell your food.”
Seare: “thank you. but to make a single eddy of profit I would have to sell it for thirty eddies. ok let’s get back to our conversation. Do they know your name?”
V: “no, they have a nickname for me.”
Ok good, sure they can find that info if they try and look for it.
Seare: “do you have any other missions to do.”
V: “no, I have one lined up if I graduate this year’s classes and get into higher ones.”
With Arasaka being robbed all gangs are going to go quiet for a while until they calm down, killing whoever they think is responsible. If anything went wrong during the heist then Arasaka will be at the gangs already prying info from them, but they are an established gang pretty new but not so new that they wouldn’t have gone deep into hiding after this job. V isn’t a full member just a person under their protection, they don’t have more jobs for her, so they won’t protect her.
Seare: “you can’t go back, they won’t protect a used asset. You just finished your currant worth to them.”
I opened my phone and texted mom.
Seare: “gonna have a friend sleep over.”
I turned back to V.
Seare: “stay here, the base you were at has already been abandoned probably. And all you’ll find is a Arasaka kill squad.”
She isn’t affiliated.
Seare: “what other jobs have you done for them.”
She closed her mouth. Come on I already know enough.
Seare: “ok, is there any way for them to tie you to the Voodoo boys.”
She thought for a moment.
V: “maybe.”
Seare: “HOW.”
She didn’t want to speak.
Seare: “I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on.”
I the error can affect the world into getting her killed then they will find this and get her killed. i haven’t had the box tell me anything so the danger hasn’t passed for me.
My hand started twitching, I tried to calm it down and gave up who cares. I laid down on the couch. Hands covering my eyes still twitching out. I deflate.
Seare: “stay here tonight. It’s safer than the empty base.”
V: “thank you.”
I went into my moms room and screamed into the pillow for a minute making sure the door was locked beforehand. I have never been one for danger, back home I got out of it as soon as I saw it. I could tell liabilities and tried my best to deal with them. And V made my brain feel like it was on overdrive, FUCK. I threw an alarm clock at the wall, and it shattered. My eyes were twitching, my hand wouldn’t stay STILL. My heart started beating faster the I could hear the pumping in my ears.
I just wanted to do good, do something in my next life help someone, but I cant. This world is fucked. Where greed and fear are two base instincts that no one can get rid of but me, I’m not from here I wasn’t apart of all the history of this world I don’t see people and think any one of them is someone that could kill me if I’m unlucky.
My heart burned wanting to keep a steady pace but my mental anguish keeping it racing. Numb cold entered my body as I turned on numbness. Turning off all emotions for a few seconds, it helped me think. I need to calm down.
I grabbed the broken clock and went back into the living room where V was looking at the door with fear.
Seare: “I’m not going to hurt you.”
I went to the couch and set the pieces on the ground and grabbed my toolkit. I tossed V the remote and started fixing the clock. A few hours had passed, V sitting on the couch thinking, while I toiled away at the clock. It was hard with my hand twitching and my eyes randomly closing not when I wanted them to but at least my heart rate went back to normal. I got a text from mom saying she is going to stay overtime because work increased and would come home tomorrow night.
Seare: “my mom isn’t coming home tonight. You can sleep in the bed if you want.”
V: “why not you?”
Seare: “I’m not sleeping tonight, I can’t keep my eyes closed,”
The twitching was getting really annoying.
Seare: “and I need to think, calm down.”
V: “sorry.”
Seare: “goodnight. Please if you can bring yourself to trust me tell me, I need to know. Sleep for now and think on it.”
I waved her away, and she went to my moms room to sleep. After fixing the clock I started coding my Monowire, instead of the flicking my wrist three times, I made it so if I turned my wrist in a counterclockwise motion then it would come out nonlethal cutting power and if I did it clockwise it would be lethal cutting power. Then I spent the rest of the night to make it, so it moved where my hand pointed making it have fine motor control if I do a mental command.
Eventually V woke up and came unto the living room to see me coding.
My artists hand coming in handy to stop the trembling in my hands as I typed.
Seare: “morning, in the cupboard is apples. I not done so I’m not making breakfast.”
I turned on the new to see them talking about the attack and how the Voodoo boys did it, they were all asking how they turned off the building. Apparently, the Runner that made the code was found by Arasaka Netrunners and they destroyed themselves and their stuff before they were killed by Arasaka, but they were connected to the Voodoo boys that had all gone into hiding like most other gangs, but they were the first.
Huh, so I’m the only one with the actual program code. I opened my Monowires casing and pulled out the chip. This is probably very valuable, I put it back in the casing I don’t have a cyberdeck and it would kill me without one.
As I ate an apple watching to see if anything new came on the news I got a text.
Kiri: “Militech is coming to the building, this time with more people, you should get out of there.”
Seare: “Shit.”
V: “what? What!”
Seare: “nothing to do with you, we need to leave the building Now.”
I went to the window and opened it. I had made this escape passage after the first attack, with my Monowire I could grab on jump one floor at a time until I was at the street. I looked and saw V. shit she can’t leave that way.
Seare: “Militech regularly come to kidnap me, so we need to go just got the text. Last time they caught me they shot me with a shotgun.”
V: “WTF.”
Seare: “come on lets go.”
I grab her arm and pull her into the hallway and to the stairs. Flick my wrist the Monowire bright and dangerous, I pulled out my gun the one I stole from the lady that tried to kill me. I look down the stairs and see people running up them far below, the elevator in the hall says floor ten going up I’m on floor fifteen. Shit. Ok we go to floor thirteen. And hide around the corner waiting until I hear them run past the door. Not long until they find out I ran. I signal V and we enter the stairs as they enter floor fifteen. We run down the stairs, but I stop at floor five.
Seare: “V, you should enter that floor, they are after me not you, and I am going to need to fight through whatever is waiting at the first floor.”
I open the door and shove her through up above I see the men back in the staircase.
Guy 1: “there he is!”
They started jumping down the flights of stairs. One person jumped down the middle using his Cyberarms to grab ahold of each of the bars each level down. Shit, I point my gun and shoot at him, but I only have one level in handguns. He’s too far away for my level. So, I stop and continue running down the stairs and burst through the lobby floor and see four guys with guns they immediately start shooting my artist hand start working with my handgun level and athletic to dive and shot a hole through one man neck. Three I dive behind cover, I flick my wire making it a normal wire and wrap it around a large stone and through the stone with cybernetic strength at them. Theye dive behind cover giving me time to get outside the building. The outside there is a large car with a man inside with a gun he shoots at me, and I take a bullet in the arm. My brain is fine it’ll heal. I ignore the shot in my chest and dive under his car six people come out the door the fast ones from the stairs and the ones from the lobby. I pull out the chip and plug it into the card and unplugged it. I started running, I had to make it eight minutes then the car would stop.
I run to another car and disassemble the door dropping my gun and using all my skills. It drops and I jump in and disassemble the wheel and use my technical knowledge I learned in class to hotwire the car and start driving. I was shot in the back again twice.
The car equal in speed to their truck. They were shooting at me as I rode its been five years since I last drove, and I’m being shot at too. So, I may have hit every sign on the next two streets.
BAM, I got shot in the arm a ricochet from the dashboard. I use numbness to not feel fear and pain. Just focus I drove onto the highway they would have better shots at me but when their car stopped running randomly, I would get away faster and they would crash. V was calling me.
Seare: “Hey V What up.”
Shots blaring through the speaker on my end me swearing when I get hit twice.
V: “I’m on my phones map traffic is coming up you need to get off the freeway.”
Thank god. I turn the wheel and the car rides of the edge and falls five feet onto another street below and I start, I see a small fire in the trunk.
V: “let me have your location I can tell you where to go.”
Seare: “to minutes until their car turns off.”
I sent my location.
V: “left in three seconds”
While I turned left a burst round of msg shots went through my windshield and bounced off the inside of the car and hit my left leg three times, I couldn’t reach the brake lever anymore. Not that I was going to.
Then as I turned three more corners, I heard yelling yes, their car turned off, I rode another mile before ditching this car. my leg not responding how I wanted.
Seare: “thanks V. would you call misty store and tell her that Siri is coming for Vic and needs help?”
V: “yeah. Will do that.”
I texted my mom.
Seare: “I got out mom, I’m going to Vic so I can get the bullets out of me. Wont be able to respond for a while.”
I turned of find my location on my phone and limped into an alleyway flipped my jacket inside out and waited for my healing to make it so I could walk. Then looked at a map and went to Misty’s shop. When I arrived misty looked horrified by my bloody appearance.
Seare: “did you get a call for me?”
Missty: “yeah! Vic is downstairs.”
I walked down their and sat in at the operating table.
Seare: “Hey Vic I need some help.”
He looked me over and whistled.
Vic: “you’re a different one Siri that’s for sure. Eat this”
It was a pill to make me sleep. Before that I texted V a thanks. Then swallowed the pill.
Seare: “thanks.”
After a few seconds I was asleep.
End of chapter: six