City-21 “Kyiv”, UNSA Protectorate, Avril Dominion

The Palace of Sports

Maksim Chernykh’s Team, August 12, 2049, 1:13 PM

Meanwhile, Maksim finished diagnosing the leg, and he seemed to come to a decision. Turning to Nikola, he said, “Alright, Red, time is short, and I need to get between your legs as soon as possible! C’mon, spread ‘em wide!”

“So funny, Max. I’ve got only one leg left, good thing I can move it now thanks to Dasha.”

“Perv!” a blushing Dasha cut in. “A flirt and a jerk!”

“It was just a joke! Lightening the mood.”

“Sounds like a normal healthy male to me.” Nika smiled suddenly, deciding to defend him.

“Well,” the guy said, smiling in kind, “you’ve asked for it. And honestly, I am indeed interested in your legs, though only in a practical sense right now. Okay, here: did they wipe your service utilities?”

“I don’t think so,” Nika answered simultaneously with Dasha. “They didn’t touch them.”

“Great. In sports limbs like blades, there’s a function to redistribute power between two legs if one fuel element fails, correct?”

“Well, there is such a thing, but I don’t have it installed. These blades were purely for trainings, a lightweight model.” Redhead sighed.

“Guys, we need to reboot,” Dasha said insistently. “Nikola, make sure you’re stable because you'll briefly lose consciousness this time.”

“Okay, give me a sec.” Nikola turned sideways to Maksim, draped her leg over the manipulator arm, and carefully laid back.

“Dasha, just a moment,” Max chimed in. “Nika, too bad the straightforward the easy route didn’t pan out. Let’s switch to plan B then. As you lie down, cut the power to your remaining leg, like you would when changing the fuel element.”

“Max, the leg deactivated. You can remove the element now. Dasha, I’m ready to reboot,” Nikola reported, and added after a brief pause while glancing at the guy, “Please make sure I don't fall. I’m counting on you.”

“Of course.”

“Starting the reboot now.”

While Nikola was temporarily unconscious, Maksim swiftly grabbed a screwdriver. Carefully rotating her leg, he removed the protective casing, and extracted the fuel element.

Moments later, Redhead stirred back to consciousness.

“Phew… seems I’m alive.”

“Welcome back,” Dasha saluted as she removed her VR helmet, and took out her vape. “Nikola, the main part is done – I’ve completely re-flashed the OS of your core, removed all Watson’s tracking and control modules. Your core will now register under Cthulhu OS version 0.1. If you decide to reinstall the old software packages, I’ll need to manually prepare them. No unilateral actions, please.”

Daria theatrically wiped nonexistent sweat off her forehead, took a deep inhale from her vape, and exhaled with a slow relief.

“We’ll sort out the necessary programs later. For now, I’ve uploaded a T2 universal assistant for you. A cracked one, to prevent unsolicited network access – not just an extra precaution. Because you can’t afford to appear on the Protectorate’s networks anymore, nor can I forge an official signature. So welcome to the illegal world!”

“Well, I was ready for that, all in all.” Nikola laughed and quickly added, “For the illegal world, I mean. Not for what happened today.”

“Then I’ll wrap this up soon.” Dasha reassumed her VR helmet. “But we’ll have to hard reboot you. This is the finisher, but, afterward, you’ll have a fully working cyber core.”

Meanwhile, the young man approached the workbench area, fuel element in hand. He flicked a switch and started the robotic assembly complex, which could operate manually if needed, equipped with all the necessary soldering attachments. Nikola carefully propped herself up on an elbow, watching Max’s actions intently. He noticed her gaze:

“You got lucky three times today. First, your fuel cell took the blow. Most of the thigh’s synth-muscles are intact, even though it’s pierced right through…”

“What’re the second and third?” Nikola asked, setting more comfortable on the workbench.

“Second, damaged fuel cell didn’t explode – the leg got detached automatically in time…”

“Uh-huh… Lucky, my ass…”

“And the third, I found a pretty detailed manual. No use for delicate repairs – it’s not maintenance documentation after all. But it helped to figure out what to do in this situation.”

“So, what’s the prognosis, doctor?”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Huh, what kind of doctor you think I am?”

“A charming one.” Nika smiled. “And, what’s the status?”

“Actually, it's quite simple. I’m gonna solder a quick circuit, rig up an external power line to divert energy across both legs. We’ll secure the wires externally with just some duct tape to keep them in place. It’s not the prettiest solution, but it’ll allow you to move. Though, honestly, you’re going to need a new set of legs soon.”

“New legs, or rather the old ones back at the hotel.” Nikola mused. “There’s a decent station there too... if only we could retrieve all that.”

“We’ll figure something out, and get them. I wouldn’t mind getting home myself; I’ve got a couple of pistols, a good stockpile of ammo, and a full med-kit – you could use that right now. But for now, let’s make do with what we have. Remember how much power was left in the leg?”

“Before the fight, it was over ninety percent. I lost access to the diagnostics after that, and I had to do some heavy jumping,” Nikola shrugged. “But I reckon it’s still around seventy percent, at least.”

“Great. There’s not much left to do, actually.” Maksim reassessed the circuit in his hand. “We’ll ditch the damaged fuel element entirely, but keep the control unit. It will distribute power across the leg as if the cell was still connected. Just remember, the remaining source will now bear double the load, which is crucial if you end up in a fight.”

“Thanks, Max. I’ll keep that in mind. The power lines and cooling system should handle it.”

“That’s it then. Dasha, how are we doing with the reboot prep?”

“Just a few more minutes and we’ll start,” the girl replied, unmoving, as she remained immersed in VR.

“Should I not connect the second leg yet?”

“No.” Dasha even raised her hand for emphasis, still not raising her head. “Get everything ready, and we’ll handle it together during the reboot. Just make sure to secure Nikola well – and I mean really well. You can verify with her; it’s no joke!”

“Maybe I should just lie down now,” Nikola suggested, lowering herself back. “Why is it such a rotten day, huh? Rhetorical question, don’t bother answering.”

“The day will be real shitty when you can’t ask that question anymore,” Dasha unexpectedly commented as she removed her VR helmet. “Code’s done. It’s compiling now, then I’ll upload, and we’ll reboot.”

That meant time was pressing. Maksim circled around the workbench yet again. He meticulously realigned the leg and secured the fuel element into its place. Then ensured the locking bars were properly engaged. The next challenge was the circuit board he’d soldered hastily and affixed with double-sided tape and duct tape; it jutted out awkwardly, preventing the protective cover from fitting properly. Once more, he resorted to duct tape – not a time for aesthetics. Max located a suitable power cable in the workbench, attached it to the board’s socket, and laid out the power line with enough slack to ensure freedom of movement.

The last task was securing Nikola for the reboot.

“Hmm, what if…” He adjusted the main manipulator arm of the workbench, folding it down and pressing it against the edge. That made an improvised barrier, which would prevent the legs from falling, especially since they weren’t connected. Now, the crucial part – securing the torso firmly in place.

“Is a full reboot always this brutal, Nika? Do we really need to tie you down for it?”

“Yeah,” Nika replied, adjusting her position. “The core system reboots entirely. There are two critical moments – the neural connection severs and then it reestablishes. The involuntary spasms of the biological muscles in the torso make it dangerous. That’s why we never attempt a full reboot in the field.”

“Sounds pretty intense.”

“In some cases,” Nikola said with a sigh, “respiratory and heart failure may occur, and ears may curl up. But only for elves.”

“Good thing you’re not an elf then.” The guy chuckled. “Your ears are pretty cute, no need for curling.”

“I appreciate your support, Max.”

“I’ll secure the torso as best I can with cable scraps. Wish there was something more useful here, like ropes…”

“Leather straps, nipple clamps, latex…” Nika pondered aloud.

“I’ll note down those preferences,” Maksim responded calmly, a hint of amusement in his voice. “Might come in handy when we go on that date.”

“Hey, wait! I’m the dominant one here!”

“Sure, you were. But too late now! You’ve already given yourself away!”

“I wouldn’t mind… to be your sub… Max…” Dasha whispered so softly that no one heard. She sighed deeply, then raised her voice, commanding attention, “Max, Nika, only minute to go. Cut your damn jokes, the reboot’s starting!”

“Okay, okay!” The guy hurried, securing the cable swiftly, passing it to Nika. “Throw it over the bracket to your left, I can't get up from the chair to reach it. See it? Near the belt?”

“All right... done.”

“Mm-hmm… good. One more time… catch it back!”

Nika threaded the cable back and handed the free end to Maksim.

“Perfect,” he affirmed, securing the knot firmly. “Nika, can you manage to fasten your left wrist with a plastic tie on the other side?”

“I can manage, give it here.”

Max handed her the widest plastic tie he could find, fortunate for the abundance at the workshop.

“Secured.”

“Now, your right hand.”

He took her hand, wrapped the tie around her wrist, and secured it tightly to the bracket to prevent any movement.

“All set?” he asked the now bound girl.

“Yes. You can start.”

“Nika, hang in there. You can do this!” Daria said clearly. “Starting now!”

The cyborg’s body arched violently, the cables she was tied down with dug into her skin, but they still held. Redhead slammed back against the workbench with force and froze.

“Dasha, her breathing stopped, I think,” Maksim said nervously, placing his hand on Nika’s chest. “I think we need to check the pulse?”

“Calm down, Max, she won’t die in twenty seconds. The database will reboot, the med-monitor will activate, and we’ll see everything. She has implants that will kickstart her heart and breathing if necessary. Everything will be fine. Just go ahead and connect the leg. Once the neural link reconnects, the system will engage, and she’ll function if all is well.”

“Understood, working on it.”

The method of manually connecting limbs without using a service station was written in the manual in detail, so there were no problems. They only had to manage without the strip of artificial skin that was supposed to cover the joint. It was torn off when the automatic system shot off her leg. However, it seems that this strip was purely decorative.

“Monitor is up, heart’s working, the breathing will resume now…”

Nika let out a loud, sharp wheeze and started gasping for air.

“Okay, final stage. Neural connection,” Dasha announced, and Nikola started twitching, though less violently than before. “Hmm… success. Next, the system will install updates and boot up normally. Nika will come around soon.”

“How’s her leg? Can you see the diagnostics?”

“Give me a second… Everything's functioning. And your hellish makeshift wiring job is holding up, too. The power cell in the right leg is fine, sixty-seven percent charge. Looks like our patient will be both walking and running just fine... hopefully.”

“You were great, Dashka. Good job!”

“I…” The girl blushed. “I did my best!”

“We'll decide our next steps once Nika is fully conscious. Can we disconnect her from the cables now, or do you need more time?”

“Just a moment more. I’m setting up a connection with TACTA network for her. Using full access, I signed a contract on her behalf. They’ve already pushed the software updates, so she’s now officially a ‘partner,’ whatever that means.”