Cyberpunk - Badland Madman [Cyberpunk 2077]

"Atlas, I fucking hate this place. See them staring at me like I'm fresh meat on a plate."

[They admire and desire you.]

"Not me, Atlas. My tech... and my cock, I guess. Well, some of 'em look like that. Anyway, let's get this shit over with. New itch's rolling in tonight, and the headache's gone full migraine. Meds ain't doing a damn thing."

[Understood. I will guide you to the key guests. However, you should assign a hotel concierge soon, as you cannot be here forever.]

"Any suggestions? My network ain't that wide. It's barely there."

[I suggest a SecUnit if you cannot find someone eventually.]

Ting!

Right then, the elevator chimed, and the door opened.

Armed guards stood outside of it, and they bobbed their heads as he walked past them. A turn later, he entered the largest hall in the building's hotel floors, big enough to not only have a long ramp for the fashion show but also tables and walkable areas for the party to go on. The fashion show was only an excuse to get the so-called high-society snobs to visit. Heck, the fashion show had ended long ago, all of Obsidian Fashion's latest designs had been showcased, including the bulletproof line.

Now, the lights had been dimmed, the music was smooth, and only eating, drinking, and chatting were going on. The food was the best part, of course, as most of it was high quality, and much of it was real.

"How much did this cost? This is real fucking sushi."

[Each costs three thousand eurodollars.]

"..."

Cypher stared at the plate he had devoured. It had six pieces of sushi.

He decided not to think about it and quickly grabbed a glass of champagne, finally ready to meet the guests. He could already feel dozens of eyes on him, many eager to meet him. He particularly noticed Lizzy Wizzy, a woman who… he found attractive in a strange way. She was closer to a borg than a human, but somehow still hot, shiny, and shapely.

"Mr. Blackwell, it's an amazing party. I'll make sure to recommend this place to my board members."

Cypher focused on the woman who had just spoken. She was shorter than him, with short black hair. She was in an elegant, black dress, tight around her hips, a deep neck that showed too much skin. Her one arm was entirely chrome. He liked her face, in particular.

Cute.

[All but her face is cyberware.]

It was as if Atlas read his thoughts.

"It's alright, I don't mind hearing clank-clank instead of plap-plap."

[...]

Leaving Atlas speechless, he smiled and shook the woman's hand. "Glad you could make it, Ms. Hidalgo."

"Atlas, dig her. I've heard rumors that they do transhumanist experimentations."

The woman was the CEO and the owner of Rocklin Augmentics, a powerful cyberware corporation. While on the surface they seemed a mostly clean firm, Cypher could smell dirt from a mile away. Still, he considered them better than most.

"I had to, Mr. Blackwell." She smiled warmly. "You are the talk of the city these days. And I am quite interested in your new fashion line. As you know, Rocklin specializes in merging fashion with cyberware."

Cypher nodded. "And I'm aware nomads played a part in Rocklin's success back during the Time of the Red. Pretty damn interesting story. Let's grab lunch sometime and talk business there."

"Anytime, Mr. Blackwell."

[Atlas, the Chairman of Biotechnica is approaching from behind.]

Shifting away from Jacinda Hidalgo, Cypher turned and walked towards the big fish himself. The only reason he held that party was to meet all of them, gather them under his roof, and give Atlas all the time needed in the world to infect their cyberware. It wouldn't be enough to control them, but through these powerful people, Atlas would strike their corporations' core systems.

Besides, Biotechnica was his next target.

"Mr. Loggagia." Cypher forced a smile and extended a hand. The man was and looked really old with white hair and white beard, but a skin too young, which was clearly not organic skin. Furthermore, the man was short.

"It's a pleasure to meet a great mind like you, Mr. Blackwell." Nicolo Loggagia greeted back, "Any interest in biochemistry?"

"Yeah, actually, I do." Cypher shrugged and took a sip of champagne. "We should grab lunch sometime so I can run some of my ideas by you. What do you think?"

"It would be my honest pleasure, Mr. Blackwell."

Cypher just nodded and walked. His one hand massaged his forehead, not feeling well. The closer it got to midnight, the worse the headache became. It felt like a throbbing tumor inside his head.

[Cyph, the CEO of Fourth Wall Studios is walking towards you from the left.]

Cypher groaned, smiled, and met the man. There was a woman as well, a BD producer for the studio. Her name was Rachel Casich, a cute one. But Cypher couldn't appreciate the beauty with a headache. Though he did speak with Lizzy Wizzy and suggested she become a model for Obsidian Fashion. She seemed more than interested. Money usually did that.

[Cyph, the second largest shareholder of Petrochem is approaching.]

"Man, when's this shit gonna end? Fuck this, I'm out as soon as this wraps up. Hit up Del and have 'em send an AV. I wanna get home and jam that Fusion Core into the SecUnit ASAP. This new itch's probably gonna leave me with permanent brain damage."

[Understood, Cypher.]

So, Cypher met the old man named Trenton Parker, once upon a time the CEO of Petrochem, but then the third-largest shareholder married the woman who was the largest holder, and took control of the board. Now, Trenton wasn't as powerful in Petrochem.

After that, there were more. Executives from Arasaka, who seemed somewhat anxious the entire time. There were Executives of Militech, who looked equally anxious. A Director of Kang-Tao was also there.

It was a party of the rich and famous, unashamedly.

"I'm done."

Finally, with thirty minutes left till the party's end, Cypher decided to leave. He shook hands, said goodnight, and got into the elevator.

[Cypher, I advise waiting a little longer. Michiko Sanderson, granddaughter of Yorinobu Arasaka, has just arrived through the main entrance. The probability that she is here to meet you is high. Records further indicate a history of anti-Arasaka activity.]

"Tempted, yeah, but she can find me again. I gotta make it through this first. I can barely walk in a straight line, Atlas. This headache's getting worse by the damn second."

Thud!

Cypher fell against the nearest wall of the elevator, groaning, rubbing his temples.

[Should I summon the Microbots to form a suit around you?]

"No, I can move."

The elevator bell chimed, and a gush of air hit him as he stepped out into the open. The lavish AV was right there, its door open. Grumbling to himself, he shoved himself inside, falling onto the carpeted floor instead of the seat.

"Are you all right, Mr. Blackwell? Should I take you to—Lake Farm?"

Cypher said nothing. It was likely Atlas ordering Delamain. The AV moved harsher than usual, faster and louder. It was unknown if Delamain still had control of it. Atlas was the sort to take matters into his hands in such cases.

Fuck! What's this?

Cypher groaned on the floor, rolling left and right in agony, clutching his head with his hands. But other than the pain, he saw memories. Old memories of the dead Cypher. Memory of an attack on the camp… by Raffen Shiv. It was bloody, and… he saw Cypher's parents die… and sister…

Thud!

[We have arrived, Cyph. I am deploying the Microbots to assist you. The SecUnit is ready in the living room. The Fusion Core is aligned with the SecUnit's slot. You need only push it into place.]

"T-Thanks… Atlas."

Cypher felt drunk, his vision too blurry. Two itches had arrived since the SecUnit, and the third one was arriving in minutes. He knew it now, not resolving an itch in less than nine days would do this. Would it kill him? He didn't know yet… he'd have to die for it.

He didn't have words to describe how much he loved Atlas for everything. The little microbots formed a literal swarm around the lower half of his body and took him into the house like he was surfing. He didn't have to exert any effort.

Before long, he was brought in front of the SecUnit, which was placed sitting on his living room's coffee table. Its chest was open, and the Fusion Core was held in the air by a few Microbots forming an arm.

"Cypher, push the core." Atlas sounded rushed, his old holographic form on a knee beside him.

With a trembling hand, Cypher lifted his arm. Once again, Atlas helped and let Microbots make support to his elbow, leaving the rest of his hand naked.

"Atlas... don't let that thing fully wake up. No point firing that thing up without a steady power source."

Snap!

Finally, Cypher's hand pressed flat on the Fusion Core, and it got pushed straight into the SecUnit's chest. A quick, snappy sound came, and then it moved. The SecUnit's fingers moved, and the head turned.

"It's gone!" Cypher roared, jumping to his feet, still a bit unsteady. "Ugh… I got no energy."

"Five minutes to the next itch, Cypher." Atlas reminded him while powering the SecUnit down again.

Cypher slumped onto the couch, still feeling the phantom pain left behind by the headache. He closed his eyes, letting his head dip backwards.

"If this next itch ends up being a damn power source, I'm gonna start lookin' for a third life, Atlas."

Atlas smiled and lounged beside him. "It would indeed seem like a cosmic joke."

For those minutes, Cypher kept his fingers crossed and inhaled deep breaths. He hoped for something good, but not something too good.

"Next itch in ten…"

Cypher listened to Atlas's old voice.

"Three… two… one!"

It arrived with a snap. Not substantial like the previous few. Nothing related to energy either. In fact, it confused Cypher because this one didn't feel like tech but more… raw material, just like that time before.

"Guess the tech gods want us to dip into the construction industry ." He muttered, "It's Durasteel, Atlas."

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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.