Outrun – Cyberpunk LitRPG
Chappie 265

I suppressed a yawn and rubbed at my eyes. My entire body felt sluggish thanks to whatever drugs Nael used on me. Other than that, though, I felt great. Back to normal, almost. I shifted, and glanced toward Nael. He stood over by the door, talking to some guy. 

I groaned lightly as I stretched out, feeling my flesh pull uncomfortably around the new chrome. Specifically, around the new Jacks. Unlike the last ones, these were slightly larger to accommodate built-in charging ports. It’d take some getting used to before it’d feel like just another part of my body. Desync was such an annoyance.

Nael cut off whatever conversation he was having and moved to me. “You feel okay, kid?”

”Like I got hit by a bus?” I sat up, rubbing at the new jack ports at my wrist. It took all I had in me to stop scratching at it before I tore the synth-skin apart. “Super itchy.”

“Right.” Nael moved to the far side of the room and came back with a small spray bottle. “Just your wrists?”

“Chek.” The Neural Link and Neural System Interface felt fine enough. A little tightness in the back of my head, but nothing too insane. “No HUD?”

”Disabled for the moment.” Nael sprayed my wrists with the liquid. Almost immediately, the uncomfortable itchiness faded away. “I’ll flip it on in a little bit.”

”Who’s that?” I nodded my head to the man on the other side of the room. He didn’t seem like a patient. If anything, more like a supermodel? And Nael seemed super annoyed by his presence. Another goon from Medtech?

The guy stood there, leaning against the wall. Thick black hair framed his face in curtain bangs, which softened his angular features somewhat. His jawline was V shaped with smooth, yet defined cheekbones. A straight, high-bridged nose pulled the look together. He was maybe mid to late twenties?

The man shifted, noticing my gaze. An oddly warm smile, one filed with kindness, sprung to his lips. His almond eyes crinkled, lessening the serious look on his face. Nael stepped between us, shooting a glare back toward the model-level beauty. “A nuisance.”

”I just want to help.” The man’s voice matched his appearance. It was a deep baritone, holding an almost smoky quality to it. A natural rasp and breathiness lay under the baritone, adding an emotional depth.

Ugh- definitely some kind of gene mod. No way someone could be so perfect naturally, chek? Just not possible. Still, his offer to help caught my attention. “With?”

”With Medtech’s attempted takeover of every clinic this side of the Corporate Quarter.” His eyes crinkled in worry as he looked at Nael. “If you could-“

Nael immediately cut him off, activating scanners and starting my final checkup. “And I told you: no.”

Although Nael hid it well, he couldn’t completely hide all of his cues. He put on a prideful, uncaring persona, but underneath it all? Worry. Worry for the man that was trying to dig deeper into this whole situation. Nael used to work for Medtech, right? He must've seen what they did to people that dug too deep.

The guy sighed deeply, his expressive face giving off deep disappointment. Not at Nael, though. At the situation. He pulled a business card from his pocket and set it on the counter. “If you change your mind, give me a call?”

I watched the man leave, staying silent for a moment. Medtech was here last time I dropped by, and now this? “Are they… still giving you trouble?”

Nael sighed, running a hand through his hair. He slumped back in his chair and swayed side to side in it. Hmm… was his hair thinning? Now that I took a deeper look at the old man, he wasn’t looking so good. Stress? “Look… I don’t really want to talk about it.”

“Chek chek…” I looked around the clinic, noticing a few details I missed. It wasn’t just him that looked a little worse for wear. Dust was starting to collect on some things as if they hadn’t been used in a long time. Business should never be slow given this place’s location and his rates. He was litterally AC’s best Medek.

Nael offered a smile, and then walked me through some exercises and checks. Eventually, I was all good to go. “Just a moment…”

My vision distorted for a moment. I felt a pleasant electrical buzz against the back of my head, like a warm massage needing into my brain. It unfortunately faded away and my vision righted itself, this time with a simple overlay on it. Date and time was it for now. I hadn’t had time to code much else for the HUD, but that could be fixed later with ease. I blinked a few times, getting used to it once more. So weird having it on flesh eyes.

”How’s that feel?” Nael glanced over the readings from his sensors. “Looks good here.”

I tilted my head this way and that. The tightness in my neck was slowly loosening. ”Like I need to update the software.”

He laughed, some of his tension fading away. ”Can’t help with that one… remember, if you feel any hints of paranoia, dysphoria, or any overwhelming emotions, come to me straight away. Can’t have you Glitching across the city again.”

”Ugh- don’t remind me.” I rubbed a hand down my face. That was a black mark on my memory, one I’d rather forget.

Nael dropped a couple bottles of pills onto the table. “Take this one twice a day for the next week. Probably won’t need it with your kinetic ability supercharging your natural healing, but just in case. And this one before you go to sleep for the next two weeks.”

“Thanks, Nael.” I slid to the edge of the seat and snagged the bottles. Unfortunately, my legs dangled without being able to touch the ground. I should’ve gotten some height boosting chrome chipped in while I was at it. “How much do I owe you?”

”Don’t worry about it.” He sighed, the mirth fading somewhat. “I won’t need Rayn much in a few weeks anyway.”

I looked around the clinic, my eyes catching on that business card. It hurt seeing the man so down. He was my rock for so long, always offering treatment and comfort when I staggered into this place bloody and injured. “Have faith, mikata. Maybe something will change soon?”

”Maybe.” He shrugged. “Till then I’ll keep helping anyone who stumbled through my door, just as I’ve always done.”

He didn’t deserve this. Not after all the people he’s saved and helped. Medtech- Medtech didn’t realize just whose hand they were biting. I wasn’t sure how, but I’d make them back off one way or another. Preferably from the shadows, but I had enough evidence to ‘find’ that I could cause a lot of trouble.

”You can keep the spare chrome.” I nodded my head to the leftovers I brought. Even just one of the mil-spec NSI’s was probably enough to pay off the cost of treatment.

Nael just about refused on habit, though froze when he met my serious gaze. ”You sure, kid?”

”I won’t need them.” I stood up, stretching out once more. I flicked my hand when I passed by the counter. The flesh faded into shadows thanks to Illusive obscuring my movements. Hidden Hands made it so even I had some trouble tracking myself as I swept the card off the counter and slid it into my pocket. “Cya, Nael.”

”Yeah, yeah. Stay safe kid.” Nael waved me off and he headed for the back of the clinic.

Wind whipped at me as I pulled out onto the streets. It was freezing out, making me bundle up inside my poncho. The climate control feature kicked in with a quick manipulation of my wrist pad, forcing the chill back significantly. The warm bursts of air from my poncho made my cozy further into its embrace.

Winter was coming soon. It was only a matter of time till the rain turned to snow and the streets clogged with slush. That was fine, though. I liked the city in the winter more. The mostly white layers were really pretty before the city contaminated them. I just hoped there wasn’t any Blood Snow this year. That stuff wore on my bike hard.

Neal… what should I even do about him? I couldn’t leave him to just sink after all he’d done for me. No clue how to fix this though. Assassinate Medtech Execs? It wouldn’t even work in the first place, nor would I be able to survive afterward… probably.

Could I do something from the Crusade’s angle? No- not against Medtech. I saw back with Sentinel that they were hesitant about going against the Big 7 without an adamant reason. It’d have to be a major violation for the Blue Crusade to make a move… though I could try to get Ligh to do me a favor. Or- ugh- try to politic my way through.

None of those options felt right. I drove across the city’s streets back to the speakeasy, my mind wandering everywhere. I messed up the combo to enter the hidden facility three times before I focused enough. Once I got back to my workshop, I zeroed in on the finished Aether Jumping Tech.

I tossed the finished drone into the air. Its fans kicked on, easily keeping its altitude. Hmm… what should I call it? Jumper? That sounded nice if a bit on the nose… how about… Transporter? Chek, I liked that. Transporter it was. I looked over my Transporter, giving it one last check with a pulse of Technical Expertise. It had a hollow space inside of it to keep tethers and an anchor, but otherwise was ready to go.

I connected it to my deck. I had yet to write the code to allow interfacing with my wrist pad, or even interfacing directly. That was coming soon though. I hadn’t exactly had the time to get all of that stuff sorted out.

With a command, the drone hovered gently, stabilizing. The bottom side opened up and an old-timey film projector popped out. After a few moments and presses of a button, it started working its magic. Light flashed and the Aether seemed to condense inside the room over the next few minutes. I eagerly watched the whole thing with Aetherial Perception. A rift slowly opened up, connected to the Aether directly.

The process was incredibly slow though. It took just about ten minutes for the thing to open a breach through the veil. I dropped Aetherial Perception when the portal solidified fully. Now, even without it, I could see the dark rip in space. I watched it for a moment longer and then activated an anchor on the side of my workshop.

I grabbed a small orb from a nearby table and easily linked it up with the Anchor. The Tether’s internals flashed and spun erratically, creating a permanent connection to the Anchor. I felt a slight pull, almost as if the Tether was magnetized to the side of the Anchor. 

I repeated the process again, this time sticking an Anchor directly into the hollow spot on the backside of the Transporter. I likewise stuff both Tethers into slots on the projector itself. There were two other Tether spots remaining inside of the drone. 

I grabbed a bunch of backup equipment, including several spare anchors and tethers, and then stepped through the portal.

— — —

An intense bout of vertigo hit me. My guts felt like they surged up through my nose, and my brain itched like it was connected to my foot. The vertigo faded, leaving me in a random space somewhere in the Aether.

Maybe I was just lucky? My immediate surroundings held nothing except the portal heading back. It was litterally a void of nonexistence, forcing an odd dread onto every fabric of my being. The ground itself was some kind of unobservable mass, but it felt solid enough underfoot.

Void. It was basically a section of the Aether that was ‘unformed’. I’d read about it extensively when doing prep work. It was likewise the ideal place to set up a stash point since no one and nothing was out here. I was worried I’d be tossed into somewhere dangerous. I could've ended up anywhere literally anywhere. Probably should've scouted with a drone first, in hindsight.

All around, specks and spots of color popped up in the distance, swirling around and twisting like the stars in the sky. Some were closer than others, allowing me to pick out scenes and biomes that didn’t make any sense by conventional biology. It was all a confusing mess, one that started an almost immediate headache. Those would be the Biomes. Basically, ‘formed’ sections of the Aether.

I looked away and dropped an Anchor down, powering it on. A bit of finagling and I linked a third Tether to it. The Aether seemed to thrum in resonance with the Anchor. All around me, the swirling mass of unobservable material solidified. It slowly took shape, losing its chaos as the Anchor took hold and forced the space to stabilize. 

Cement spread out below me, forming a solid floor around the portal. Walls grew from the floor, covering the confusing mass of chaos beyond. A roof, really far up, took shape above me and a small concrete bunker formed. A metal door on the far side of the Anchor shifted into existence, leading out into the rest of the Void and the Aether beyond.

In mere moments, a bunker was created from seemingly nothing. I watched in amazement throughout the whole process. I knew the theoretical of how it all worked, but actually watching it happen? That was something else. It was all so magical. Anchors were true the peak of human Aether-tech. Or Aethek? Hmm…

The bunker was Raijin's design. I could've manually manipulated what I wanted the Anchor to form, I guess, but that was super complicated and got into some really confusing aetherial physics and pseudosciences I didn't understand. Not to mention all the magical theory that went right over my head. It didn’t matter too much, though. This was perfect for what I wanted.

I now had my own private store room in the Aether. I’d just have to start actually bringing over stuff to store and make another drone for this side. If something happened to my Transporter in the other dimension while I was here, the portal might close. And if that happened? There was a high chance I’d get stuck without a way back.

It was a concerning enough thought that I immediately backed away toward the portal. Or, at least, I tried to. The Aether churned with authority, pressing down on me slightly. I felt countless eyes across my skin, making my skin itch in discomfort. Insight gave subtle ringing warnings, though I didn’t feel necessarily in danger.

The boxes popped up into my vision. They looked like old messenger chats?

[Fox: Congratulations, Shiro! Welcome to the Aether! ＼(^o^)／]

[Crow: We were picked as the welcoming committee…]

”Hello?” I called out uncertainty after reading the messages.

No way this was talking with the eidolons themselves? This- if this got out, surely I’d be stabbed in the back by thousands of jealous and zealous Magi? A shiver went down my spine. Not to mention I’d been looking up at these beings for months, and now to just casually chat with them? It felt so very weird.

[Crow: Welcome, I guess…]

[Fox: Oh! I got a gift! Come visit me sometime! ^^]

The Aether vibrated. The weight on my shoulders increased sevenfold. Out of nowhere, a crystal slowly started to form in the middle of the space. It was silver, with streaks of blue flashing within. I caught it just before it could hit the ground. 

[Crow: Why go so far? …]

[Fox: Because I wanted to! Butt out, stupid bird. (¬`‸´¬)]

I hesitantly held the crystal. It pulled on my hand, similar to the Tether. Holding it, and a tether in the other hand? The Tether felt like a pale immigration of the crystal. “What is this?”

[Fox: Return Crystal! Works similar to the Tether, connected to my realm. Leave it in the Aether though. It’ll make a mess if you take it with you. ˗ˏˋ ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ˎˊ˗]

[Crow: Or do? It might be funny…]

Did that mean it’d explode? My mind flashed back to every explosion I’d heard about connected to Aether Jumping tech. There was that one that completely wiped out a city, wasn’t there. I hastily stashed the Return Crystal on the far side of the room. “Thanks for the warning. Um… can I come when I have more time? Being here… it feels weird.”

My stomach was starting to churn. There was so much raw chaos in this dimension. I was rapidly becoming uncomfortable just being here. I could feel it pressing into my skin like a sharp blade. Is this what Adepts felt like all the time? 

[Fox: ✺◟(＾∇＾)◞✺ No rush! You should probably head back soon. Aether Sickness is a big issue for first-timers.]

Right, right. Aether Sickness was mentioned in all the stuff about Aether Jumping. A bit like radiation sickness, now that I thought about it. Unlike radiation sickness, though, I could develop resistance for it over time without any negative side effects. At least, as long as I kept coming back into the Aether.

I cast one last look around the small bunker and then backed out through the portal. 

— — —

I returned, staggering out of the Aether. Nausea hit me hard. It lasted longer than I thought it would, almost completely incapacitating me for a few minutes. I stuffed the Tether linked to the bunker into my Transporter, allowing the drone to connect at any time I needed it to.

I slowly and steadily loaded the small bunker up with gear via extremely short trips. Not all of my stuff—doing that much felt stupid. Especially since I was still just testing this all out. I put in just enough that I could get a few restocks if I ever needed it. 

In the future, if this worked out as I hoped it would, I could store everything from mechs to heavy weapons in there and never really have to worry about not having what I needed. A private storage space that could be accessed from anywhere was far too appealing to give up on.

While I worked, I thought more and more about Nael’s position. Every single one of my ideas had glaring flaws in them. There were more than a few routes I could take, but nothing felt like it’d have the kind of effect I wanted.

That guy from earlier seemed like he had a plan though. I pulled out the card and took a break. No name. Only SOS in big bold and a phone number. I hesitated for a moment. Was this right? What if that guy wasn’t even actually trying to help?

Ugh- I didn’t have any other ideas at the moment. I could always back out later if I needed to. I dialed up the phone number. I summoned the canteen and took a deep drink to cool the raging headache still pounding at my skull.

In hindsight, probably wasn’t the best idea to go diving into the Aether litterally the same day I got a bunch of new chrome… Jee, I really am smart, aren’t I? My brain must just be throbbing thanks to how swole it was with intelligents- intelligence.

After a few rings, a deep voice answered. “Hello?”

”You’re looking into clinic takeovers, chek?” I hopped up onto my work table, idly toying with a finished Dragonfly. 

Wariness was clear in his voice. ”Who’s asking?”

I set the Dragonfly to the side and leaned back against the wall, closing my eyes. “A friend with a similar mindset… Do you have a plan?”

”Hmm…” The silence stretched on for a while. “I do. I just need some more information and evidence.”

Should be easy enough to get. Assuming his plan was actually viable in the first place, that is. ”I can help.”

”I don’t-“ The man cut himself off. “Fine. This isn’t just any corporation, though… we can meet up. See if we’ll be able to help each other out. You have a place?” 

It’d been a while since I’d been there, but- “Big Mikes. Small burger joint near Ichiban street in Bukicho.” 

“I know it. I’ll be there in an hour.”

”See you then.” I hung up, tossing my phone into my pocket. An hour… more than enough time to finish up here and gear up. Maybe fetch some headache medicine?