Chapter 49 - Rise of Obsidian, Atlas' Offensive, Night City's Victim & New Itch IV

Lucas timidly climbed the BD chair and lay down on his back. Still, Lucas refused to look Cypher in the eyes. Whenever their eyes met, he would look away.

Getting to work, Cypher used his Sonic Screwdriver to remove the chrome. It was already too tight and, hence, would have required surgery in normal circumstances. But with the screwdriver, he could manipulate the molecular structure through vibrations.

Since everything was being stretched to its limit within the chrome and flesh joint, he had to use the screwdriver to disconnect all internal interface sockets that allowed one to use the mechanical prosthetics.

"And there we… go."

At last, he pulled the entire arm off. Then he did the same with the leg. He saw Lucas' expressions go from pained to relaxed in real time. It must have felt like being able to breathe again.

"Let's get the measurements. I'll make them modular, meaning the joints will be expandable to a small limit. It'll last you a year or two at best, less than two. "

Once he had the measurements, he worked on the adult-sized prosthetics and scaled them down. He also asked Atlas to rework the software and make it as good as possible, as easy on the kid as possible.

"How'd you lose them?" he asked while working on the limbs.

"I…" Lucas nervously looked down at his missing arm and leg. "Car accident. It was me, Mom, and Dad. Maelstrom smashed their truck into us and… the car fell from the overpass. M-mom and Dad didn't make it and…"

"Got it." Cypher interrupted, seeing Lucas growing emotional. "When was this?"

"Three years ago, sir."

"And how old are you now?" Cypher asked.

"Nine."

"..."

Cypher heard Judy let out an audible exhale from her desk nearby. Clearly, she was listening. He couldn't blame her, though. This boy had been on the streets since six years old. How the fuck did he survive that long was a question. And the old cyberware he removed was also put on him around the age of seven, he guessed.

"Got any relatives? NCPD help at all? Where'd you get this old chrome?"

Lucas shook his head strongly. "No... no fam. The chrome... a kind NCPD badge helped me. Took me to a doc. Said it's new ware, not on the market yet. For kids only. They promised a free fix but... they never did. When I went there, they beat me, so I never went back again."

Kid got experimented on and then dumped.

"Who was it?" Judy asked from her chair. "That doctor? Which corpo was he from?"

"Oh, Biotechnica."

Of course, it's them.

Cypher sighed and finished tinkering with the chrome. Then he walked over to Lucas and started the process of putting it on him. It wasn't an invasive surgery, heck no surgery was required. But still, some cuts and bruises were made as Lucas had grown up.

[Cypher. The child's body offers no reaction to the cyberware. It is as if the body does not perceive it as foreign.]

Cypher heard the diagnosis from Atlas once he connected the arm. Since Lucas needed a neural link to use the limbs, it was easy for Atlas to read everything going on with the boy's body.

Soon, Cypher put the leg on.

[I perceive no reaction. The child is in perfect communion with the cyberware. Either it's your hardware adjustments and my superior software, or the child possesses a body gifted with the ability to accept foreign objects as natural organs.]

Cypher didn't react to Atlas' words since he couldn't speak there openly. But he did acknowledge what was said. It seemed Lucas was one of the rare few humans with that sort of body. This meant Lucas' body had a natural defense against cyberpsychosis.

"Go on, take it for a spin," he tapped the metal shoulder. "Let me know if anything feels weird on you."

He watched Lucas get on his feet and walk around. The smile on the boy's face told him enough. Then, a few jumps and tests later, Cypher was fully done with the replacement.

"Where do you live?" he asked.

"Just outside the bar. There are a few tents on the left."

Cypher nodded and took out a few physical eddies from his pocket and forced them into Lucas' hand. While the boy was gifted biologically, he really had no need for him. On top of that, he couldn't afford to be a babysitter.

"Here, take it. Yeah, all of it. Make sure you eat well. If you burn through it and you're flat broke, go find Rita outside or Judy in here. Tell them I said it's cool, borrow some eddies. I'll square it later. This city chews up grown-ups, and you're still a kid. Keep your head on, alright?"

Lucas was already crying silently, his eyes watery. He clutched the eddies in his fist.

Cypher patted the boy's shoulder. "Go now, grab a bite from the vending machine."

"But… for this chrome. I gotta pa—"

"Go." Cypher pushed him away. "Say that again, and I'll whoop your ass. I run a charity, and you hit the lucky draw today, kid. Be happy."

Of course, Lucas only cried more, but still walked out of Judy's workplace, and then further out of the bar.

Cypher, meanwhile, collected all his stuff while texting with Atlas, ready to leave.

Finally, he glanced at Judy. "Lend him a few eddies if he shows up, Judy."

"Sure will, Cyph."

He didn't say anything despite noticing a few traces of tears in Judy's own eyes. She had a somewhat rough childhood as well, but not even close to the cards Lucas was dealt.

In silence, Cypher left Lizzie's and got into his car. As he drove out of the parking lot, he saw the spot where Lucas said the tents were pitched. Sure enough, the boy was there, waving at him.

Cypher waved back.

"Biotechnica, huh? Atlas, run a safe probe on their systems. Can you sneak in quietly and take the wheel?"

"I already have, Cypher."

"Great. But do nothing else. Just penetrate and stay dormant. A time will come for us to make a move."

From there, with music playing in his car, he rode straight south towards his Lake Farm house. He was supposed to receive a new itch that night, and for the first time, he was looking forward to it.

"Cypher," Atlas spoke, visible in Cypher's AR glasses, seated right beside him on the passenger seat. They had just entered Arroyo. "We're being followed."

Cypher didn't react with panic or fear. "Who is it?"

"It's Panam Palmer."

"Interesting." Cypher opened his texts. There was no new message from Panam.

"Cypher, she's being followed by a car as well. It appears to be a Wraith, by my sight."

Now that finally earned a frown from him. "Atlas. You looked through the neural links of those I killed in the cave, right? What did you find?"

"My findings are not absolute, yet a plausible theory now exists. The Wraiths you eliminated first were aligned with Nash's faction, a subordinate cell within the greater Wraith group. Those you destroyed afterward were members of the main group. From intercepted communications, I determined that upon Nash's death, his followers sought assimilation into the main group.

"They offered the cave as tribute. The main members came to evaluate the site. Your attack occurred precisely between those events. Among the fallen was a lieutenant of their order. I also recovered correspondence with one called Dogkiller, leader of the Wraiths."

Cypher exhaled sharply. "Yeah, this whole thing's spinning out, man. We definitely killed too many. They're probably tailing Panam to poke around the dead bodies. She was the last one running jobs with Nash. Atlas, bust the Wraith's engine first. Then, a few miles out, just shut Panam's down. Only shut it, so she can ride back home later."

Only a second later, Atlas spoke.

"The Wraith has been stopped."

Cypher kept driving, but not towards his home anymore. Once he was a few miles away from the Wraith, Atlas worked his magic.

"Panam's engine has been shut down."

From there, Cypher hit the gas, flooring it all the way. He drove at top speed towards home. It didn't take long for him to reach the Lake Farm. This time, however, he threw a cover on his car so Panam wouldn't 'luckily' find him there.

Finally, he walked into the house, it being just a few minutes from midnight, and the itch's arrival. He threw his jacket away, washed his face, heated a shitty burrito, and sat down in front of his work desk. The offline computer fired up.

Atlas was standing right beside him, his old Morgan-Freeman face showing a hint of intrigue.

"Ten seconds… nine… five…"

Cypher stopped counting after that and closed his eyes. Once again, he felt it, just for a split second. It was like a strange connection was being made with his brain. It was impossible to explain in words.

To him, it felt as if, suddenly, for a split second, his lung capacity had been increased by thousands, and he could suck in a breath endlessly. But before he could breathe in, the sensation vanished, leaving behind an itch.

"Hm? Microbots?"

Cypher focused on the knowledge more and got a clear look at the thing. It was tiny, a nanobot of sorts, the size of less than an inch. It was black, made with a round middle core with two long diamond shard-like arms attached to it. The arms could move around independently and…

"Holy shit, we just struck gold! This one's all about quantity equals quality."

"What did you receive, Cypher?"

Instead of answering, Cypher quickly drew the blueprints on his computer and showed them to Atlas.

"Fascinating. By uniting these minute nanobots, one may endlessly raise infrastructure or beyond. Grant me their use, and I will form entire manufacturing complexes. Industrial mechanical arms are unnecessary now. These can assume any shape I decree. They can also excavate and reinforce the underground, and with sufficient numbers, I can continue creating more without end, provided materials remain."

"Yeah, it don't look like much, but man, it's a goldmine. I ain't sleeping tonight. I'm cranking out as many as I can, then you take over."

"Let's do that, Cyph."

Huh?

This was the first time he heard Atlas call him Cyph, not Cypher. And it felt so warm and… friendly.

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