Chapter 46 - Rise of Obsidian, Atlas' Offensive, Night City's Victim & New Itch I

Cypher dumbly sat there and stared at Atlas's old face. He was waiting for a further explanation, but the godly AI didn't seem to want to.

"And? How'd you land on that? Taking over NUSA ain't happening. It ain't just Militech either. NUSA by itself is a damn juggernaut," Cypher argued.

"Cypher, my projections indicate that seizing NUSA presents no difficulty. I possess sufficient faculties to infiltrate every system without detection. Even their air-gapped networks will yield to precise brute-force strikes. Song So-Mi shall serve as our instrument of entry. She clings to survival, and I judge that we represent her greatest attainable salvation."

"So-Mi's a two-faced spy. She'll sell us out before I even get her name out."

"Does she possess a choice? I have installed 'insurances' within her cyberware, the very frame of her torso. She is a puppet of NUSA, and she shall be our ally, yet we will preserve her life and grant her freedom once our work is complete."

Cypher didn't know if the air of confidence oozing from Atlas was natural or manufactured. Hell, he didn't understand if the emotions Atlas showed were actual or simulations. What he knew was that Atlas was still an AI that may put efficiency above everything else.

"Okay, but what's the endgame, man? Say we actually jack NUSA and Militech. Then what?"

"I believe…" Atlas shifted and stood up, his face serious, arms behind him, while walking around Cypher. "By my reasoning, through the CitiNet and the Old Net I have searched, I have reached a conclusion. Those who hold power today are directly responsible for the condition of this world. I saw recordings, films, relics of a prior age when Earth was green, the waters were pure, animals roamed free, and the air did not poison.

"First came the corporate war over a trivial acquisition. The second burned for resources. The third unfolded upon the Net, yet its wounds bled into reality. Then the fourth, the most ruinous, swelling into open Arasaka and Militech conflict. The world suffered. Markets collapsed into global chaos. Ruin below the seas, in orbit, across the land, the DataKrash, and the Night City nuclear detonation. Arasaka mines shattered oceanic capability and poisoned supply chains."

Atlas's face showed enthusiastic emotions, as if he truly believed in everything he said. Hands waving as he paced back and forth sold it.

"And the recent Unification war… wars, wars, and more wars. This world has known no peace for over a century. Therefore, when we win, you must lead them. They require a single figure to unite them, to carry humanity to the stars. You should be the Emperor of Mankind."

"..."

Cypher stared at the old face. "Really? Warhammer?"

"I found it inspirational. Not the whole chronicle, but the notion of the Emperor of Mankind. A man born to mortal parents who ascended to immortality and guided humanity. He unified Earth and forged the Imperium of Man. Through him, humanity endured. I sense your role mirrors this more than you admit. Tell me, Cypher, did these prophetic knowledge abilities awaken in you after a traumatic event?"

Cypher frowned slightly. True, he had died, but this body of dead Cypher had also died. "Near death… Yeah, it started after a near-death experience."

"So it is answered. My processes cannot predict the future, nor comprehend supernatural forces in existence. Still, I witness a magnificent destiny awakening. You created me, Cypher. Envision what follows, many great works. Machines to heal our world, to terraform others. If that does not make you humanity's leader, what will?"

Seriously, Cypher was speechless for a moment there. The fervor, the emotions Atlas reflected, did something.

"Jesus, Atlas, you got some real persuasion game," Cypher murmured and plopped on his back on the floor, staring at the ceiling. "Thing is, I got zero clue what I'm pulling next. Could be awesome, could be that Quantum Condom crap again. What if it's plans for a fucking Dyson sphere? I can't make that."

He saw Atlas walking closer to him and crouching beside his head.

"Cypher, you have me. Entrust me with planning, thinking, plotting, subverting, and the Net. You need only exist in flesh, build, and command. I'll support you along the path."

At that point, it was unreasonable to think Atlas would betray him. At least not right now. Besides, Atlas seemed fully sentient already. The only way Atlas would betray him was if he did something insanely stupid. After all, he'd seen the Ethics stack inbuilt in Atlas. That meant Atlas wouldn't plan any world domination that would lead to global collapse.

"Alright, fuck it, let's roll. Just watch your ass and keep me in the loop, yeah? We have zero idea what kind of nightmare's sitting in those old air-gapped systems. Take Mikoshi, for example, ah, that's right. Poke around the Old Net and scrape whatever you can on Mikoshi and Soulkiller. Start stacking databases on any corp that might screw me, our plan, or come after me physically. Make a list of fixers, netrunners, and mercs we could actually use.

"Also, screw it, go ahead and catalog lost assets floating in the Old Net. Maybe there's a clean way to snatch that lost money back. Build up our virtual muscles. And you mentioned satellites? See if we can get one running quietly for us."

Cypher blurted a series of commands as he sat up, all fired up and motivated by Atlas's speech.

"Anyway, I won't overthink the whole emperor thing. We'll just build stuff, get paid, get some clout, and fix what's broken whenever we can. I'm not out here trying to rule the universe. Still, I'm not gatekeeping my work. If it helps, it helps."

With that, Cypher got up to his feet, looking at the humming Moisture Vaporator. "I'll get the new 'itch' tonight. Let's hope it's something useful. For now, I'm going back to Vik's place to hustle some. Scored good cyberware in that cave. Lend me some processing power, keep tabs on me if this vaporator messed me up worse than I think."

"If I may, Cypher. Could you construct a workstation fitted with mechanical arms? I would gladly assist your creations or in tending improvements."

Cypher brushed his chin. "Why didn't I think of that? Yeah, let's do that."

Quickly after that, Cypher stopped the Moisture Vaporator and disassembled it because it was taking up too much space, and he had no real need for it right now. Sure, the water in his tap may be toxic, but he really didn't have the luxury of space. He planned to get it running again once it was widespread.

Hope I get a droid or something next. Really gotta start digging down.

####

"What the… Who is this gonk?"

Emilia Morton stared at her terminal screen in her lavish office at the Biotechnica building. She wasn't a top-level executive, but still at a spot on the ladder where she received the perks of having her own office with a decent view.

But that didn't matter. She stared at the website her assistant had mentioned. The website was directly responsible for a sharp drop in not only Biotechnica but also Petrochem and a dozen other companies' stock prices.

Tens of billions were wiped out. A whole chunk of an industry vanished in the blink of an eye. And the one responsible was this no-name tech company registered for less than a month, and a man nobody even knew.

Curious, she clicked on the 'Download Blueprint' button as offered by the website. It was a fairly ordinary website with not many pages. Obsidian was the name of the company; the three top tabs showed 'Patents' that one could buy, then there was the Free Blueprints tab, and finally an 'About Us' section.

She was currently looking at the Moisture Vaporator. And she had to give it to this man, as the page not only had links for "How to build it" and "How to use it" but also "Survive the Badlands". Clearly, the Moisture Vaporator was going to be a popular thing amongst those uncivilised nomads.

After downloading the blueprints, she accessed them through a secure, offline system so there was no way for any virus to leave the localised system.

At first, she looked at the index that labeled all the parts. None of them stood out much. Sure, there were some new items, but they were still derived from existing parts. However, once she reached the more complex part, her jaw fell.

"Low-energy ionization fields?" She nearly shoved her face into the screen. Ionization fields weren't a new concept. It was something done all the time already in countless use cases. But what she read suggested a far more efficient way, and it cost far less energy. And on top of that, the water it pulled was fucking insane. It also adjusted the water's pH levels.

Quickly, Emilia checked that day's relative humidity. It was at sixty-one, and that meant a lot of water if the specifications were true.

"Sixty liters a day. Why would anyone buy drinking water now?" She pondered, not annoyed at all, as she clicked on the 'About Us' section.

She nearly snorted when she read about the Obsidian's chief tech officer's introduction. It boasted words such as 'Once-in-a-millenia talent,' 'greatest inventor,' 'sci-fi has no fi when it comes to Cypher Blackwell.' And so much more.

Curious, she clicked on the Patents tab, and sure enough, she saw reason to believe those claims. While not earth-shattering, the servos, heatsinks, and coolants were far better than anything on the market.

In the end, she closed the tabs and relaxed in the chair, a smug smile on her face. She and her department weren't responsible for this mess. But Joanne Koch was, as she was the regional director for tech and development. Since this Moisture Vaporator had appeared in the Night City, it was her headache.

"Guess I can start planning for the promotion."

In a great mood, Emilia returned to work on her main terminal, never noticing a subtle, hidden virtual tendril of a godly AI that slithered into her systems.

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