Chapter 163

Chapter 163

I woke up and slowly stretched out. I had decided to sleep after we got home last night, and now I was ready to start the day.

More importantly, I was ready to test out my new chrome!

Viks time limit was over.

I stood up and felt for the mental toggle for the Sandy.

I flipped it on, and winced as I felt my body react.

Nerves lit up on fire, adrenaline spiked. Biological, and mechanical responses activated and suddenly everything was slow.

I moved, running towards my bedroom wall, but it felt like I was moving through molasses.

Yet, I was still moving fast. Even faster than I could have before my movement felt slow, and I knew that this Sandy wasnt as good at letting me cut through the sense of slowed down time.

I nearly reached the wall and made to stop, only for my feet to slide a bit on the floor.

I blinked stars out of my eyes.

What the hell was that!? Jun demanded as he burst into my room.

Had I? I blinked again. Yep. I had slammed into the wall so hard I knocked myself silly.

Im okay! I called out arm up in the air from where I was laying on my back.

You dont look okay. Your nose is bleeding. Motoko, what the hell?

I uh, miscalculated my Sandy. I mentioned, and instantly Juns worry vanished.

Gonk! Dont practice new chrome in the house! Look at the wall!

I didnt want to look at the wall, thank you Jun. If I cant see the hole in the wall where my head smashed into it, it doesnt exist!

Jun looked down on me for a moment longer before sighing, and disappearing. I slowly rose up, and noticed my nose was bleeding. Groaning in annoyance, I was gonna go find something to clean it up but Jun walked in with a towel and a moment later he was gently holding my head and pressing the towel against my nose.

Ow.

I know it hurts, you might have broken your nose.

I dont think so. I muttered, it didnt hurt like I broke it.

Well thats good. He said and then glared at me. This was dumb.

Sorry.

He nodded at my apology, and that was that.

--

I huffed a Maxdox after Jun stopped fussing and I was fully healed. But I had learned my lesson.

Sandy are difficult to use.

I considered dropping my one stat point into it, but my neck was also still super stiff, and I was tempted to drop a point into that for comfort.

So instead I didnt do either. I got dressed for the day and left the apartment before Jun could notice my sudden healing.

I walked the streets for a bit. Heading down towards Jig Jig street. While I walked. I did some testing.

I activated the Sandy and just tried walking. I could feel the hitch in my step as everything grew slow and my steps had to be forced to keep pumping through the thick air.

I turned it off, and the feeling left my heart beating and a warmth in my neck.

I walked on. Just cataloging the feelings the Sandy left in its wake. I shivered a bit as the heat from its activation didnt really go away. A hand pressed onto the chrome on the back of my neck, right where the chip for the Sandy was, gave me a rather uncomfortable feeling in my stomach.The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))

There was no heat in the chrome left. The heat I was feeling was my nerves. Probably inflamed from the forced acceleration the Sandy caused. Needing to find out how long the effect lasted, I finished my walk to the Sakura Market, and ordered breakfast slurping down some nice Ramen.

Unfortunately I didnt really feel any better after my meal. My neck still felt hot and it was making me a little nervous. Yet before I went running to Viks to get checked out, I decided to pop another MaxDoc.

Instantly a sense of coolness ran down my spine and I stretched and adjusted myself. Throwing the used inhaler into a nearby trash can, I headed back home and once more cataloged the feeling.

I felt okay. No further heat or pain. But that didnt mean I wasnt going to look into this issue.

*Motoko: Hey Vik, not an emergency, but I activated my Sandy for the first time. Want to come in for a checkup.*

*Viktor Vector: If something is wrong come in kid, Im at my office now. Its a slow morning.*

*Motoko: Yeah, okay. Im on my way over. Im okay though, I just want a check up.*

And with that I had the first stop today.

--

And you said a Maxdoc removed the feeling?

Yeah. I thought the Sandy was just overheating at first, but after a few minutes the feeling didnt go away and the Sandy cooled off.

Not unusual. Probably just put a lot of unusual stress on your nervous system. He mumbled out as he set me up for a scan. A few minutes of him just mumbling to himself he came back to himself. Everything looks good. He determined looking to me.

Thats a relief. I exhaled shoulders slumping.

Well it looks fine now, so your healing obviously helped, but I would like to get a scan of you while you activate that Sandy of yours. He said, and I threw him a thumbs up.

Sure, just tell me when.

Go for it. He answered instantly, turning to look at a screen, and I activated the Sandy.

Instantly everything slowed down. I blinked my eyelids felt heavy and slow at the motion.

*Wha- Its not a d-* The call ended.

That cat is going to be trouble. I whispered to myself, suddenly feeling like I had just invited a stray cat into my home.

--

Plugged in, I dived into the net and landed in the casual atmosphere of my lobby, stretching my body. I took a moment to feel the slight differences that new chrome brought with.

Sure, my cyberdeck was the same, but a new neural link did make a difference.

My old one was a civilian model, something kids would get. My new one wasnt state of the art, but it was vastly improved.

But now wasnt the time to enjoy the slight difference in latency I could feel. I stepped out of my lobby and into a search engine and then I was across the city in a blaze, connection after connection, until I appeared in a blink on a busy digital street.

The server was somewhere in Charter Hill, and there was a ton of traffic through the streets. Mostly business traffic, large massive data streams that were more like trains to my senses than a normal user's connection demanded priority in the air above.

But I wasnt going up there. No, the IP that Sasha had given me tugged my attention down. I was at the top of a set of stairs that led down into darkness.

The IP matched, so I took a step, and then another. Deeper into the darkness. I came out upside down which was an irritating fact, stepping up out of what had been down a moment before until I was level, and then I stepped off the last step that ended in empty air.

I felt the world flip around, and I was right side up, landing on digital concrete. I was in an alley now. Faux trash cans, and dumpsters lined the sides, with fire escapes leading to nothing looming overhead. But it was a single difference that caught my eye. A warm yellow light, like from a lightbulb streaked across the alley from a small round window in a door, indented into the side of the alley.

I walked over and even as I approached I could hear laughter, and noises like you would expect before walking into a bar.

Someone went to a lot of work to get that track right. Digital as it was. I opened the door, and the noise changed, soft strobing electronic music, and another set of stairs.

This server Sasha invited me to was seriously deep in the net. Down again, this time into a warm burgundy carpeted entrance.

Welcome to Elysium. A woman greeted me, sitting behind the counter. Her eyes hidden behind a magazine. Like an actual paper magazine. A glance closer showed it was just a file she was reading, made to look like that, but it was still weird.

Thanks. Im here to-

Ah-ah-ah. She interrupted. Thats none of my bizz. Go on in. No trouble, or I introduce you to Elysiums darkest Black ICE. All the other rules should be self evident if you found the server.

I nodded in exchange and walked through the door, instantly I was blasted by heavy music, the entire server set up so the music felt like it was right there.

It was actually kind of overbearing, but I powered through it and looked around. The club actually looked less techno than what I would expect from a runners club. Instead everything was more old school. Hard wood and warm colors. The lights actually looked like lightbulbs giving the place a warm glow.

But it was obviously fake. The facade peeled and cracked in the dark corners. As data shone through.

The server was old. That was what I came to realize as I looked around. Unlike Yokos club, this was the sort of place that had been around for a long time.

But I shook that off and headed for the bar. I frowned when I realized there was no Sasha. Had I beat her here? I shrugged it off and took a chair. A bartender behind the counter wasnt actually a person, just a daemon watching over everything.

It would definitely agro the moment someone caused trouble.

I hadnt managed to sit down for more than a few moments before a back door of the bar opened and out came a giggly Sasha.

Yay! She cheered happily bouncing around. Her appearance and cheer caused a few of the netrunners sitting in booths around the bar to groan and feign outrage at her.

Kohai! She cheered, noticing me and bouncing over.

Instantly I realized the difference between Sasha in real life, and Sasha on the net.

She was happy here. Or at least faking it way better.

Sa-

Nenene! She demanded a finger hovering over my lips, not that her finger would have reached me anyways. Im Mysterious Neko-Nyan!

Shut up Sasha you gonk! A man called out from across the room and Sasha instantly zipped away to glare at the man.

Dont do that, you rusty pipe! She hissed very much like a cat but he just laughed at her.

Okay Neko. Wh-

Neko-Nyan

No. I said and she huffed a sigh, before looking pleased as punch and reaching out to fake poke at me.

Fine Kitten, we-

Ghost. On the net Im Ghost. I poked back right on her nose.

Eeee, Cringe! You and like fifty others! Whiskers is better! She denied and I huffed at her.

Its what I called myself before, and its what Im using. Ghost is cool I said ignoring the look of disgust she was giving me. But if I have to, Its Ghost in the Shell. I answered. Adding a bit more onto it so I wasnt just all the other Ghosts on the net.

Hmmm Less Cringe, but not very cute. Very 4/10. Not very Nova-Preem of you.

I visibly cringed in response, what else could I do. She had said that like some old out of touch lady trying to be cool.

Hehehe! She giggled at my obvious disgust.

Why are you like this?

Cause its fun, Duh! She chirped, before looking more serious. Okay so! Elysium isnt just a hangout, its a gambling den! We are here to make Sasha some eddies! And you! Dont worry Senpai wont cheat you!

I dont gamble.

Psh. Dont worry, it's not gambling when we will definitely win!

Said every gambling addict ever. I mumbled a little annoyed. What was up with this? Sasha hadnt mentioned gambling.

You are such a cute little kid! Dont worry so much! You dont have to do anything! I just need a second body so I can go into doubles. Single battles arent making me as much anymore, but you are fresh! Odds should be preem.

I just looked at her for a minute before feeling like I wanted to rub my nose. Sasha what is even going on. What double battles?

Oooh, you are so new! Like a shiny fresh Daemon just created and naive to the ways of the netrunner! Elysium is the number one Netrunner combat zone in NC.