Chapter — 26
Going on the tram, snaking between highrises as it hung from a rail, was a new but pleasant experience for Rei. Each side of the tram had basic benches set against expansive windows that gave a great view over the megacity in all its glory and decadence. The midday sun shone through the now dispersed mists and glinted off shiny metal and reflective plexiglass, making the otherwise dystopian landscape sparkle.
The future isn't all bad, Rei thought as she watched a cloudy trail streak into the atmosphere far off in the distance, well outside megacity limits. It was the first rocket she'd seen leave Earth, and she wondered what type of cargo it carried.
Passengers perhaps? Going off to Luna and beyond...
Rei knew rockets and spaceships came and went continuously from the spaceport, but so far into the megacity, it was rare to spot one. The highrises often got in the way, and visibility was even poorer at ground level, with skyways above and buildings all around.
A second after she'd spotted it, it was gone from view, a building flashing past Rei's face as the tram tilted to the side on a fast swerve along the rail. It only made Rei sway slightly as she held onto a strap above her, her fellow passengers doing the same if they didn't sit at the provided benches.
None of her fellows batted an eye toward Rei's weapons on full display, as she wasn't the only one armed. Most people probably were, if less so — a simple gun hidden in a bag or a taser in their back pocket.
Miyo wasn't with her, even if she wanted to come along. She had seen the reasoning behind only Rei going, though, as she was woefully incapable of defending herself against real threats, and threats may be in the path toward her destination.
Taking a cab would have minimized some of the danger, but neither Miyo nor Rei could afford to keep taking cabs. Not many could. It was the sole reason most people used public trams.
Rei'd had to walk for about five minutes to reach an elevator that took her to the closest tram station. There, she'd paid the autonomous system 20 credits to be allowed passage along four stops. It was only 5 credits per stop, making it affordable to anyone with a job or those using it sporadically with nothing more than their UBI.
Rei felt the pinch to her balance but didn't even try to splice herself past the barrier without paying. Perhaps she could break past whatever ICE hindered such behavior, but what's to say that a Meshmagi wasn't always looking at their whole transport system and would pick up on it?
It wasn't the same as stealing from isolated vending machines, where Rei could just run away if someone had an issue with it.
The trip itself took only twenty-five minutes, and soon enough, Rei was back in what was previously Cyber Fang territory. She stepped off the tram with a few others, and those waiting on the platform pushed past to get on. The doors began to beep after only ten seconds and then shut, the tram speeding off toward its next stop with barely a whisper of sound.
The platform was inserted on the side of a highrise many levels above ground. Checking her map, Rei saw that most floors above her were for apartments, no doubt more expensive than elsewhere. Those below were mainly filled with shops, bars, and other locals to entertain the bored masses.
Joining most of her fellows, Rei took an elevator down, the elevator occasionally pausing as some stepped off on floors dedicated to shopping malls, strip clubs, or casinos.
Rei kept her head down the whole time, her hood hiding her upper face while the scarf around her neck hid her cheeks. She didn't think her pursuer had access to every camera in the entirety of Zone 8, as even its overlord, Memtech, couldn't boast of such things. All the same, it was prudent to be cautious when back on soil that The Pistons were actively scouring.
At one of the elevator's walls, a plethora of screens showed adverts for various venues and their offered vices, and Rei raised her head slightly as the iconic 'ding ding ding' of an arena match being won rang out from one of them.
It was footage of a match between combatants, the arena's logo plastered in the corner but remaining obnoxiously large to prevent anyone from enjoying free entertainment without knowing where to seek out more.
I should probably check something like that out when I've acquired some more physically oriented cyberware. It would be excellent training and might even allow me to earn some credits for participating.
She didn't even consider joining another gang to get some of that training, as all gangs could go flatline themselves for all she cared — or get flatlined by her if they stood in her way.
This time, Rei felt the coldness envelop her thoughts without her express input to trigger the perk, and she looked inward at her status sheet in confusion.
「Takeda Rei:
Level: 3 [2250 / 4000 Experience]
Body: 7
Mind: 11
Ego: 9
Perks:
[Merciless]
[Parallel Thoughts #1]
[Self-Repair]
Skills:
[Strong Will, Level 8]
[Deception, Level 5]
[Athleticism, Level 4]
[Cybernetic Adaptation, Level 4]
[Breach, Level 10]
[Splice, Level 10]
[Data Analytics, Level 9]
[Programming, Level 8]
[Parkour, Level 2]
[Pain Tolerance, Level 6]
[Melee Mastery, Level 1]
[First Aid, Level 1]
Implants: [...]
Perk Points: [1 Mind]
Skill Points: 2」
She'd added some skills, and a few had also increased in level since the last time she took a deeper look at it. However, nothing among her skills or perks hinted at what could be going on.
Is it perhaps [Ego]? I've reached 9 in that attribute, and it seems to give me increased control over the nanites. Is that what's responsible?
Her goal had always been to make [Merciless] part of her in a way a toggleable perk just didn't do, but perhaps a more instinctual command over the Samurai System and the nanites composing it would give her that.
Rei wondered how this would impact her other perks and skills in the long run.
I also have that [Mind] perk point to spend on something. I'll have to do that soon. After I've returned to Miyo's new apartment should be a good time to do it.
She'd given the choice of perk a great deal of thought. There were some great picks among the offerings, and hence, it was a hard decision to make. Still, she thought she'd narrowed it down enough that picking soon wouldn't be an issue. The recent conflicts had given her some ideas.
I should also start training my [Melee Mastery] skill now that Derek isn't around. I have no idea how rapidly I'll improve, but I hope to reach a sufficient level of skill with daggers soon.
She also had to work on other skills, like [Parkour] and all her mesh magic skills.
But to do that I'll need equipment.
No, perhaps not.
[Parkour] isn't meant to be used on a carefully curated track, after all, and I can't let my mesh magic be hampered entirely by something like lacking a dive chamber to fully enter the mesh safely. There are ways to train them — if mostly illegal or inconvenient ones.
She also needed to raise her body attribute further, but she had a plan for that.
Reminded of her plan to get a gym membership, she breached the closest vending machine as she stepped out of the elevator. Picking up her ill-gotten goods, she started munching down on them.
Rei had noticed that she could eat a lot more and process the food faster with each recalibration, meaning that as fast as she was losing weight during each one, she had an equally easy time regaining it.
Now, which direction was it?
Checking her map, she began making her way toward 'The River Clinic' — her face toward the ground while her glowing orange eyes took in her environment and everyone around her.
She didn't want The Pistons to find her. Not yet.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
She'd come for them on her own when she was ready.
***
Rei had begun to grow moderately concerned as she ventured closer to her destination. As she did, her surroundings became increasingly rundown and dirty, and there was no real street in sight. She'd had to exercise her [Parkour] skill somewhat just to navigate the debris-filled alleys and dodge suspicious-looking individuals and addicts as she moved.
The environment grew increasingly darker and decrepit as the usually prominent holo ads and neon signage diminished rapidly, giving the very air a suffocating quality.
Ichiro trusts a ripper who has his clinic in a location like this? Is he insane? Was I, for that matter? Who'd allow anyone living in a place like this to cut up their flesh while unconscious or at least paralyzed?
This sort of place suited Franklin in Rei's mind, and she had to suppress a shiver at the thought of him lurking behind a corner, just waiting for her to walk past with that creepy smile of his.
Scavers — thieves who scavenged cyberware from their kidnapped or killed victims — and Harvers — bioware harvesters doing the same as their counterparts but with a different target — were often found in places like the one Rei was traversing. They liked the dark and obscure, where they could hunt for prey and earn credits by stripping corpses for parts.
As much as Rei abhorred the idea of reselling scavenged cyberware herself from people she'd killed — no matter how irrational it seemed to some while arguing that cyberware were only tools like a gun or blade — she also recognized that it was an efficient way to raise one's income.
Harvers, though? They seem even more hated for some reason, even though I can't personally see the difference. Whether my body is made of metal or organic material won't matter if someone wants to cut me up and sell the pieces.
There was other nasty shit going on in the darker places in megacities like Tokyo, as how couldn't there be with nearly a billion people living in such close confines? Tokyo was vast, yes, unimaginably so compared to cities back in the early 21st century, but the number of people alive and kicking in the year 2285 after the numerous disasters that had struck still impressed Rei on its own.
Instead of birth rates declining further as it had started doing in the early 21st century, it had instead increased. It wasn't due to a lack of contraceptives, but Rei hadn't figured out yet why anyone would bring kids into a world like this.
It has absolutely nothing to do with me personally disliking the puke and shit factory shrieklings. Not at all.
Rei nodded, satisfied with her moral superiority and ability to not let biases cloud her judgment.
Then there's the undercity I've heard rumors about on the public mesh...
The most horrific things the human mind, desperation, and greed could conjure were apparently not commonly found in the megacities themselves but beneath.
Clandestine corporate outposts, Scaver and Harver hives processing corpses, deranged scientists doing illicit human experimentation, and nJoy factories where the most horrific of those drugs were programmed and replicated, to name a few.
Not to mention the still-living consequences of all those actions roaming the abandoned subway tunnels and forgotten structures.
It wasn't high on Rei's list of places to visit for a vacation. Or visit at all.
Seeing increased light in the distance past her current alley through piles of reeking trash and waste, Rei began to speed up. She halted her steps when exiting the alley, coming to a walkway going along a river with mostly broken-down wire fencing keeping anyone from falling in.
In Rei's opinion, it was an excellent idea to keep it isolated, as the river reeked even worse than the trash she'd navigated — the 'water' was murky and filled with oily liquids.
At least the lighting is better here.
A few neon billboards high above were doing their best to show advertisements but mostly functioning as free spotlights, and the few LEDs she saw pinned to the fence along the river were either flickering or entirely broken.
Charming...
It was a mystery why a place as downtrodden as this was present so far into Zone 8, as it wasn't one of the zones anyone would classify as a slum.
Zone 8 was somewhere in the middle regarding the quality of life for the general populace.
Yep, it's official. The old Rei and present Ichiro are insane.
Moving along the 'river' — more of a waste canal, truth be told — Rei soon came to her destination.
The area around the clinic looked mostly free of trash and litter, which raised Rei's estimations of the place considerably when compared to everywhere else she could see. The outside was also better illuminated with a non-flickering white neon sign simply declaring 'Ripper' and nothing else.
Okay, this is starting to become ridiculous. This has to be a play for anonymity.
Perhaps he, like Rei, had enemies he had to hide from but still needed to make a living. If that was the case, it was admirable that he hadn't turned Scaver, as that's how many rippers falling from grace turn out.
Stepping into the clinic, she saw no one. It was evidently a waiting room, but the spartan furniture didn't invite anyone to linger.
At least it's clean.
Seeing a camera in the corner, she waved at it while standing still near the entrance, waiting. Rei flinched in surprise only a few seconds later as a turret ejected from the ceiling and fixed its barrel at her.
Rei froze.
What?
Instinctively pulling on [Merciless], her eyes flashed a scan across the room before she began breaching the turret's defenses. She tore through it with only triple the difficulty a vending machine would give her and spliced its internal programming, beginning to shut it down.
Before she'd even completed the action, the turret retracted back into the ceiling, leaving her just as confused.
"It seems it's really you. I had my doubts, but it's good to see you, little panda."
A man walked out of the door in the back, his ice-blue square eyes set into a face that was nothing but cybernetics. His whole head was cybernetic, as a matter of fact, and Rei wondered if the only thing organic inside was his brain. There wasn't even hair on his head, merely data ports and blinking or pulsating white LEDs.
Seeing his face caused static to buzz in her mind, resulting from bits and pieces of shredded memories.
He wore a long-sleeved white shirt with some minor bloodstains on it. Sticking out of each sleeve were hands as cybernetic as his head. Black work pants with many pockets hung loosely on his waist, and on his feet were boots worn to the degree that metallic toes stuck out in holes at the front.
How is this guy still sane with so much cyberware? He must have adapted to it for decades, and not a few of them. How old is he?
It was impossible to tell with the only things that could have given it away now replaced with plasteel, plastic, rubber, and silicone.
"I wasn't sure, you see," The man who could only be 'River the Ripper' said. "It isn't particularly noticeable, but the Rei I knew would never have undergone facial reconstructive surgery. No, she was way too vain and narcissistic when it came to her appearance."
Rei immediately felt her guard go up even as she let go of [Merciless] — the look in her eyes becoming more human.
"What do you mean? I haven't done anything like that."
"Really? Then why is your bone structure different? It isn't something that 'just happens.'" River said in his deep voice, fingers quoting the air at the last two words.
Who the fuck is this guy? How could he even tell?
Leaning on [Deception], Rei shook her head, doing her best to appear bewildered. "Fuck if I know why it happened, but this is how I woke up after the coma. If you even heard about that."
"I did hear. Ichiro told me shortly after you went into one." His metallic face and silicone lips conveyed emotions eerily easily, and he seemed genuinely sad about it.
"So what? You pointed a turret my way because you weren't sure it was me since my cheekbones are slightly higher?" Rei had no issue injecting snark into her tone.
River shrugged. "Well, it was an easy way to see if it was really you. A slight difference in bone structure? Might be an impostor.
"Slightly different bone structure but still a terrifyingly proficient Magi? Much less likely to be an impostor," He smiled. "And seeing as Ichiro told me you'd be coming by and that attitude of yours fit you to a T, well, I'm glad to see you again, little panda."
"Whatever," Rei muttered.
"Come, Ichiro is just inside," River said, moving back through the door as he motioned for her to follow.
That nickname... If he calls me that so casually, I guess he really must be my old ripper.
Rei wondered how long he'd known her; as for the nickname 'little panda' to take root, she must have been very young when they first met.
Young and carrying Mr. Nibbles, no doubt, as that was the same thing WolfMosh...
Rei shook off the thought as she went through a dimly lit yet likewise clean corridor and took a right. She walked through another open door and saw Ichiro lying on a chair.
"Brother!" Rei cried, running over while ignoring the many surgeon tools and machines placed haphazardly in the small room.
She noticed a person sitting in the corner but ignored him, going straight for Ichiro before embracing him.
He wasn't confined to the chair by clasps, but as she held him tight, he seemed to have some issue getting his new limbs to cooperate. He managed to squeeze her back after only a few seconds, though.
Rei was confused as to why he didn't respond, but then she got a message in her agent, causing her to remember. She pulled up his text message.
"I'm glad to see you, Imouto," Ichiro texted.
"Let up on your brother, little panda. He's still healing."
Letting go as if suddenly scalded by Ichiro's touch upon getting reminded by River, she stood back up while looking her brother over with more scrutiny.
What she saw certainly wasn't anything good, but he was at least whole, even if parts of him weren't the correct parts. Many muscles also looked somewhat bruised, hinting at internal damage either sustained during the battle he was a casualty of or from River's work.
"How long until he's fit to be discharged, doc? And how much do we owe?" Rei asked River, not taking her eyes off Ichiro.
River stepped up next to her, also critically taking him in while following in Rei's footsteps and ignoring the fourth person in the room who was trying to get her attention.
"He should stay for at least one more day. The damage is extensive, and moving before that could have some adverse effects, especially on his new and inferior cyberware. As to how much you owe? Well, Ichiro has already covered it and the cost of a new voice box. I don't have anything fancy stored here, but a civilian-grade model should work fine."
"Will he still sound the same?"
"Sure, if that's what he wants."
Ichiro looked at Rei, and she nodded, conveying that his natural voice was fine. Her brother sounding different wouldn't be a dealbreaker or anything, but she selfishly wanted some things to stay the same now that so much else had changed.
Seeing his Imouto's response, he too nodded but at River.
"Alright, the same voice it is."
"Oi! Stop ignoring me, Rei," The fourth person in the room said, finally having had enough of the trio acting as if he wasn't there, stepping up to the other side of Ichiro as he looked at her.
"And who are you?"
The man looked as if she'd slapped him, his eyes widening.
By the almost physical effect my words just had, I'm surprised I didn't get a [Verbal Kinesis] skill or something.