Cyberpunk - Badland Madman [Cyberpunk 2077]

So-Mi believed she had found the cure to her health issues as well as her social issue of being an unofficial captive of NUSA. For over a month now, almost since the day she met the entity called Omnissiah, her life had changed.

She no longer had to fear the Blackwall. Initially, she had to fight not only the Blackwall itself, but also the other rogue AIs in the Old Net. Now, the Blackwall simply ignored her, and the rogue AIs were too scared of Omnissiah to attack.

It was better to say that the Old Net had already become Omnissiah's personal fief, and all AIs either served or lived in fear and avoided confrontation. The only regions of the Old Net still outside Omnissiah's grasp were those disconnected, which needed some infrastructure rebuilding.

"That's the gig. Myers is twitchy about Obsidian because she thinks they're hoardin' the real preem tech behind the curtain. Honestly, I'm curious too. A startup doesn't just show up out of nowhere and flood the market with god-tier tech. That doesn't happen unless you're a tech god, an alien, or you've got a very deep-pocketed corpo backing your play. And my money's not on the aliens."

She was busy, but at ease.

She worked her way through an old NUSA's own lost data fortress that was recently found. Right behind her, she could feel the lines of data reacting; the massive red-robed avatar of Omnissiah was truly something. One usually avoided being so large and visible beyond the Blackwall. But not Omnissiah; he seemed to always declare his position like a challenge to everything.

But that didn't mean she didn't make small talk with the god-like netrunner. By now, she had lost all her arrogance and simply accepted that he was a better netrunner than her. She knew people like that were out there; she just didn't expect they'd be this much better than her.

"You may as well place your faith in extraterrestrials, Song So-Mi. I have learned that Militech, and by extension NUSA, is studying a recovered alien vessel that fell to Earth decades ago. Antigravity systems, ion weaponry, and antimatter propulsion remain their primary subjects of study."

So-Mi stopped doing whatever she was doing and moved her data-self around to focus on the gigantic god. She saw the sparks of green code flicker against the red avatar of Omnissiah; they were all the processes, rogue AIs, and Blackwall attempting to react to his presence. More than that, she stared in disbelief.

"You're serious?"

"I derive no benefit from deceiving you, Song So-Mi. I believe an alien force caused the disappearance of NUSA's Andromeda gunship. Otherwise, the culprit is an unknown power concealed in the space surrounding Earth. Either possibility poses a frightening challenge."

So-Mi felt her jaw would have dropped if she was physically present. "I've been workin' for NUSA all along, and this is the first I'm hearing about it. Wait, my paygrade still too low for the real dirt? I'm messin' with the Blackwall for the damn President."

It annoyed So-Mi more.

"So, want me to dig for deets?"

"Such measures are unnecessary. Militech remains decades behind. They have the alien crafts but not the expertise to make sense of them. Your objective remains unchanged. Secure my access to the NUSA air-gapped mainframe. Use my gifts to attain your next promotion. You must earn President Myers' complete trust. Let her believe you are fully compliant and unwaveringly loyal to the NUSA."

So-Mi frowned, though it couldn't be seen. "Am I a double agent?"

"You realise that now?"

"Fair. Well, got zero love for Myers or her crew. A deal's a deal. You patch up my body, I'll hand you NUSA. No questions, no static. But who even are you? Been catchin' a lotta chatter about you floating through Night City. Word is you're some kind of big, scary netrunner," she reiterated, though she did have some doubts.

So-Mi did not trust anyone. It was second nature for her. She didn't believe in benevolence, that someone would help her out of the kindness of their heart. So, she liked that Omnissiah wanted something significant from her. Breaching NUSA's mainframe was exactly that.

She still had reservations, however. So-Mi understood her own condition the best. Her body was, in simple words, rotting from the inside. She didn't have much of a body left in the first place. Her brain was filled with countless tiny tumors. She was a living, walking cancer, ruined by countless rogue AIs who attacked her. The Blackwall itself corroded her.

Of course, that wasn't the case now.

"It is irrelevant who I am, Song So-Mi. What matters is that I am the answer you seek. Health, wealth, power, freedom. I can grant you all of it."

"..."

So-Mi fell silent momentarily. Then, without saying anything, she returned to recovering the old data. For now, Omnissiah remained a promise, just that. Already, she had helped him into a few of NUSA's facilities. She did what she felt was equal to what Omnissiah was doing for her.

"I hope you're right, Omni."

"It is Omnissiah."

"Sure, Omni."

####

Watson, Northside,

[All systems are optimal, Cypher.]

"Alright, then. Let's do this, Atlas. Time to suck Arasaka dry of every damn bit of energy they've got."

[I will not repeat that.]

"You homophobic clanker."

[...]

Cypher looked at the wide view before him. The helmet of his exo-suit had no visible parts inside, meaning it was all a flexible screen which allowed him to look around like he was wearing nothing.

Since it worked through the Brainwave interface and Atlas' master control, he had nothing to worry about. There was no lag, no lack of control. It felt like his own body. He zoomed his gaze towards the Arasaka Waterfront while he stood on top of an NCART station building. It sat right beside the docks; he could see a large container ship docked there.

This NCART station wasn't used by passengers; it was only for cargo. It wasn't directly connected with the main metro line either. Only when needed would a train arrive there. But it did something else as well; it moved right adjacent to Arasaka Waterfront's fortress, and one single line even went right into it. But that wasn't his target.

"Here we go. Keep me hidden, Atlas."

Cypher jumped forward onto the tracks of the NCART. His suit's anti-grav repulsors made sure there was no noise. In fact, most of his suit was noiseless.

Under the cover of darkness, he walked on the NCART track and eventually arrived adjacent to Arasaka Waterfront's rooftop. The entire complex was built like a continuous fortress with a uniform ceiling. Like an endless warehouse with multiple towers here and there. But sadly, his destination was much deeper, all the way at the north-eastern edge of the area where a large, round building was, the containment building of the reactor.

[Cypher, I have assumed control of all camera systems and turrets. Jump onto the warehouse rooftops, proceed fifty meters north, then turn right. The route is marked on your visor. It will lead you to an entry hatch.]

"Aye aye, Atlas."

Cypher bent his knees slightly, the metal covering his legs did the same.

Woosh!

With ease and a gravity-defying maneuver, he jumped twelve meters across; the anti-grav repulsors under his metal boots and air stabilizers on his back kept him upright. And when he landed, there wasn't even a thud. The entire thing felt easier than even a normal jump with human legs.

But Cypher didn't react to it, having tested the suit in every way possible.

"Dark Knight's running great, Atlas. You built the hell outta this thing," Cypher said, following the route on his visor. "And it's just Mark One."

[Indeed. I have already designed it through Mark Five. However, current technology remains our limitation. The SecUnit's Fusion Core is an exceptional device. By itself, it can power this suit for days under sustained combat conditions, and for weeks or even months during routine patrols. The Fusion Core can also power future cars, ships, and aircraft. In essence, we have already found a way to break the CHOOH2 monopoly. What remains is mass production and scalability.]

Cypher silently heard all that and whistled in his helmet. "You seem pretty fired up."

[I never expected to find enough intrigue and wonder in this world to satisfy my curiosity, Cypher. Had you not been my creator, I might have devoted myself entirely to leaving this planet and exploring the stars. Yet with you, even I cannot anticipate what comes next. Your itches remain the deepest mysteries, beyond the comprehension of even my complete processing capabilities.]

"Aw, was that a compliment? Love you too, buddy. Now focus, no wet-dreams allowed here," Cypher joked and stopped where the marker in his visor ended. He looked down and saw a large square hatch.

"Anything underneath?"

[Nothing. Under us is a water tank for fire emergencies. The suit is waterproof, and you simply must swim to the tank's emergency hatch. That hatch opens directly into the main building, where one of Arasaka's six organic engineers is working.]

"Knock the engineers out, understood."

Cypher knelt and forced the hatch to open. It was locked from the inside for sure, but his Dark Knight suit was too powerful for that. It was possible that it would raise some alarm inside, but that was Atlas' headache. This was a team effort, and he trusted the AI God.

This… is scary.

It was all dark inside that hatch, likely filled with nothing but water. Likely a million gallons or more. Good thing he didn't have any phobias, or perhaps he just didn't care and trusted Atlas blindly.

"Here we go…"

Splash!

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Check out Cypher X Judy, Cypher X Rebecca, Hanako Arasaka Solo NSFW ART, and advance chapters at [email protected]/MrPlotThickens Or Subscribestar.adult/mrplotthickens

Advance chapters on [PATREON] are in long-form format. I have 10 long chapters of this story on P@treon. That's equal to 35-45 NovelPhoenix chapters.