Probably should have said this in my intro chapter, but I have not played Cyberpunk 2077. I am a console gamer, and all the news I heard about the game's bugs and glitches turned me off from buying it. I might try it out in the future, but for now, just know that the only events I intend to cover are from the anime. That might change in the future, but I'll let you all know.

As a reminder, I do not own Cyberpunk or Generator Rex. Both belong to their respective owners.

Enjoy!

Faraday was not a man who dealt in tall tales or outlandish ideas. He was a man who dealt with facts and eddies. It was one of the reasons he was able to become such a well-known fixer.

So it both fascinated and infuriated him to see the news from last night.

"As of yet, there have been no clues or traces as to where the mechanical beast came from. Investigators also have yet to pinpoint any of the manufactured weaponry inside it. Leading many to speculate that..."

Speculation. That was something that Faraday disliked having to do. His job required him to have and receive accurate, top-of-the-line information. And to be blunt, seeing something like this happen out of nowhere was rather offensive to the fixer. He had made a career out of learning the system of Night City like the back of his hand over decades. If something unexpected was going to happen, he liked to be among the first people to know about it.

But there was also fascination that Faraday could not shake. He shared many of the same questions that the rest of Night City was asking. What was that thing? Where had it come from? All the weaponry and mechanics inside it, where had they come from? These and other questions kept the aging fixer's mind running, and he couldn't help but smile as he pondered them.

His smile was also born from listing off random conspiracy theories about how the creature. Most of them were nonsense ranging from it being the result of a satanic cult, a scout for an alien invasion, or some runaway prisoner from another dimension. Absurd ramblings from junkies. But some of the information was useful.

Specifically, the first sightings of the monster came from a small clinic in Santo Domingo. A place he was already calling for some people of his to investigate.

David ran as fast as he could toward Doc's clinic. At certain points, he even used the Sandevistan to cover more distance. He did notice some destruction along the way, mostly torn-up cars, knocked-down streetlights, and even some tears in the pavement, but David ignored all of it. People working on those things already, and David had his own goal to reach. He didn't even know what he was looking for or what he would find there. He just had to get there.

But when he got there, whatever fears he may have been harboring began to come true.

There was an entire crowd of people at the clinic. There were never crowds here. Nobody ever wanted to get too close to the doc. Not unless they had to. So why would a bunch of strangers suddenly be interested in this place?"

Pushing his way through the crowd, David got his answer. And he didn't like it.

The entire clinic was shredded. The walls were torn open and the doors were gone. Actually, he could see one of the doors near the street, its edge jammed directly into the pavement. The inside of the clinic might have been worse, since everything that was in there was either shattered, cracked, or broken to oblivion. The shelves, equipment, and even the metal table David remembered laying down on were all ripped apart.

But the thing that shocked David the most was the shadow on the wall. The shadow was shaped like a man that he knew.

"Any idea what caused this?"

David could hear whispers all around him. He tried not to seem suspicious, even putting his hood down to make it look like he had nothing to hide. But he still made sure to listen.

"Lot of people are saying this is where that metal monster from last night came from. You think that creepy doctor was playing with something?"

"Maybe? I did hear he was into some freaky shit. But how would he even be able to make something like that thing?"

"No idea."

"You think maybe he stole some corpo shit?"

"That's enough. Everyone disperse. You'll hear about what happened when the news is on. Now get lost."

Not wanting any trouble with the NCPD, most of the crowd started to walk and move on with their days. None of them cared enough about the doc to stick around.

But David couldn't leave. Not yet. He only heard a bunch of rumors from some bystanders. He needed to know what actually happened. He needed something more conclusive. So he would have to take a risk.

David walked with the crowd that was moving toward the corner of the clinic. But David broke off soon. He knew that the Doc had a secret entrance by the vents. He had always talked about having some crazy patients in the past, so he liked to have a backup. A backup that David took advantage of.

He might have been made fun of for it sometimes, but David was glad at the moment for his short height. It made it easier for him to sneak over the yellow line, walk past the officers, and crawl inside the clinic vent through the large shaft in the back. Trying not to make too much noise, David crawled through the vent until he could see the main room through the blinds. He could see a lot of the cops "doing their jobs".

Most of them were just dicking around and waiting for the all-clear to leave the place. They didn't like being in Doc's clinic any more than his patients had.

"Jesus. Is all the stuff back here just porn mods?"

"Telling you that guy was a ripper. They're all a bunch of perverts with gore kinks."

"You're telling me. Can't even pretend to care that he's dead."

"Me either. Glad those C.S.I shmucks took that arm away already."

David's eyes widened as all that information began to register in his mind. Doc was dead. But if all that they found of him was the arm, what happened to the rest of him? Was it the monster from the news? Had that thing shown after David? But how? Unless...?

He had to keep listening. One of the cops was broaching the topic.

"Any idea what slashed him?"

"No idea. The only reason they sent us out here is that a lot of the first witness reports for that metal thing last night came from here. The locals saw whatever it was tearing through the front of the building. Some of them said they heard a scream, but it didn't last long."

"I heard that. Didn't some of them just think it was the perv being rough with a patient?"

"Honestly, it could have been that. But everyone thinks that the metal monster came from here. So we have to keep looking around for any clues."

David, on the other hand. Didn't stick around. He couldn't after what he had just heard. Doc was dead. And he might have been the cause.

breathing heavily, David crawled out the vent from the other way and ran. He knew that he went through the yellow line, and he was sure that the cops outside had seen him. But he didn't care.

All David could do was run. He ran further and further away from the clinic. He ran better and further than he ever had before. His mind was racing as fast as his feet, trying to make sense of all of this. There was only one question going through it.

"What the hell is going on?"

David didn't feel safe enough to go home. The school was closed, and he wouldn't want to go there anyway. All he could do was run through the streets and try to make sense of what he had just heard. He didn't even use the Sandevistan, suddenly fearful of what might happen if he did.

And while he ran, David could see more of the destruction in the streets. A squad car was bashed into the pavement. A small store had its windows shattered and its produce scattered. And there were so many holes in so many of the buildings. And all of that might have been caused by...

No. David wasn't going to think about that. He couldn't think about that. Not right now.

Eventually, David could feel his knees about to weaken. He wasn't an avid jogger, and he knew his legs were going to give out. But he couldn't fall in public. That was a dangerous thing to do in Night City, even during the day. So he found a public restroom and ran inside. It smelled like shit, but he made sure to lock himself inside anyway.

Once he was alone, David put his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath. He was tired and confused, and he hated the smell of where he was at. But at least he was alone. Alone so no one could hear the confession he would make.

"He's dead. Doc died because of me."

"Not exactly."

David immediately stood up when he heard the voice. He hadn't seen anyone inside the stall when he came in. Was someone hiding?

"Who's there?"

"Someone with as many questions as you. Though I may have more answers than you do at the moment, David Martinez."

"How do you know my name? Where are you?"

"I am exactly where you are standing."

"Look, I'm not in the mood for games. Just tell me who you are and what you want."

"You're rather impatient."

"No shit I'm impatient! I wake up and I learn I might have killed Doc, and now I'm hearing some weird-ass voice in my head! How do you expect me to react?!"

The voice was silent for a moment. It hadn't expected a reaction that large.

"Take a look in the mirror."

Suspicious but low on options, David did as the voice asked and took a look at the bathroom mirror. The closer he got to the glass, the less of anything substantial he could see. His own eyes had fewer bags than they did yesterday, but that wasn't helpful. He just didn't see anything important.

David was about to call out to the voice again, but his throat caught when he saw something begin to change in the mirror. His own reflection was starting to warp. Until it wasn't his own face he was looking at anymore.

It was even a human face. It looked like... like some kind of ghost made of red fire. It had white eyes, but everything else about the thing looked like a bunch of gas put into a humanoid shape.

"What are you?"

"What? Not who?"

"That's something I'd ask a person. Am I supposed to believe that's what you are?"

"No. And that fact that you recognize that means there may be some hope for you. I am the Alpha Nanite."

That name meant almost nothing to David. He hadn't heard of any company announcing any tech or project with that name. But he did understand the words that made up the name.

"Nanite? Do you mean a microscopic machine? And Alpha would mean you're the first, right?"

"Surprisingly astute. Tell me, David Martinez, do you have any knowledge about nanoscopic machinery?"

"Not really. One of the elective classes focused on theoretical sciences. I only took the class cause it sounded easy."

"I see. Then this world is not as advanced as I first believed."

"This world? What are you talking about?"

The red ghost, Alpha, was silent for a moment. He was considering the best way to explain this without delving too deeply into theoretical quantum physics.

"Suffice it to say that my creator, who I don't believe exists in this time and place, looked me away after I failed to reach his standards. I had no idea what the world outside my prison looked like."

David wasn't stupid. He had a feeling that Alpha was leaving details out. But this was the first time today he was getting any answers, and he didn't want to risk running Alpha off.

"Why would he lock you away though? Couldn't he have just sold you for a fortune? What kind of standard was he aiming for anyway?"

"The intent behind nanites was to have them enter the human body and enhance them. Cure disease, increase metabolism, deter metal degradation, etc. But I was the first batch, so my defects were punished the most."

"Defects?"

Another pause. "My creator was unable to stabilize me or the nanites that gave me form. Because of that, each attempt to merge with or create a body for me ended with the potential vessel being burned to ash. Until you last night."

David had been just about to freak out when he heard the "burned to ashes" part. But hearing that he himself was an anomaly got his attention.

"So I just... didn't burn? Why is that?"

"I am not certain. But if I were to wager a guess, I would say that the machine attached to your spine may have something to do with it."

David turned back. "The Sandevistan?"

"So that's what it's called. I had hidden inside the machine as a way to rest. I remained inside even as you were having it implanted. And somehow its activation created a... union, between the two of us."

"Union? Why are you making it sound like a marriage?"

"That is not the right word. A more appropriate description would be... symbiosis. You are somehow able to maintain me in a stable position, while it would seem that my nanites are improving your biological form."

"Improving?' David pondered. "Is that why the bags under my eyes are gone?"

"Among other things. Did you not notice how fast you were moving as you ran here? Even without activating the Sandevistan?"

David hadn't thought about that. He had been too busy running away from...

Doc.

"Hold on, you said earlier that I wasn't responsible for Doc dying. What did you mean? Are you responsible for what happened?"

"How could I be? Can either of us be responsible for a human that isn't dead?"

David's eyes widened. "He isn't dead?"

"No, he isn't. Though I suppose he might wish he were soon if my calculations are accurate."

"What are you...?"

Before David could finish his question he heard a scream nearby. Followed by more screams and something that sounded like breaking pavement.

"Interesting. David Martinez, I would suggest you listen to me and..."

It was too late, David had already run out of the bathroom and towards the screams.

Minutes Earlier...

Copper had been his name once. He couldn't remember if that was his birth name or if someone else had called him that. He couldn't remember his parents or any other family or friends, so Copper had been the only name he ever knew.

Copper was also the name of a form of metal. That may have been the start of his fascination with cyber implants. He had always liked the idea of taking out people's weak fleshy parts and replacing them with something stronger and harder. And when he got a medical license, it was like a sign of whatever god existed. He could pretend to be a surgeon by day, and spend his nights doing what made him happiest. Ripping open human bodies and putting metal in them.

Last night should have been a normal example. Some dumb kid wanted military hardware inside his spine, and he had been willing to oblige so long as he could keep the thing after the kid kicked the bucket.

But everything went wrong the moment it looked like it would go right. The exact moment he had turned on the machine was when the red light came out of the Sandevistan.

He had tried to turn it off, he knew he did. But something snapped at his hand the moment his fingers got too close to the Sandy. The next moment was when he noticed that his metal arm had been torn off.

That's when the bright red light emerged, blinding him and burning his skin. His back had been pressed against the wall, and that was when he thought he was going to die.

Instead, all he had heard were growls, roars, and destruction. He saw his clinic get destroyed. And that was when he lost consciousness.

And when his eyes opened, he didn't regain consciousness. Not really. Being conscious would entail being aware of his surroundings and actions, and having some control over his body. He had none. His hanging jaw, excessive drool, slow steps, and dangling single arm were proof of that.

He was aimlessly walking down the slummy streets of Night City like a zombie. Everywhere he went, people walked to the other side of the road to avoid getting too close to him. They were certain he was a junkie dealing with some form of cyberpsychosis. And in truth, there was something brewing in his body. Something that was born of metal and was altering his biology.

Of course, not everyone was afraid to confront the sluggish-moving ripper. After all, he had just entered the wrong territory.

"What do we got here?"

On the corner of one street, a group of Tiger Claws was playing some cards. One of them noticed the slobbering, one-armed mess heading their way. And they took his presence personally.

"Kinda looks like a doc. You think he got high off his own meds?"

"Does that matter? He's in our territory. So he's got to learn a lesson."

The gang member all got out of their game and walked up to confront the mindless cripple. But the doc didn't stop to acknowledge them.

"Hey! You mind stopping right there you old freak?" The head Claw warned. He had a reputation to keep among his pals, and the old man was making them look bad by sloppily breathing the same air.

"You're trespassing on our territory. Think you can pay the fee?"

The slumping zombie made no effort to stop. If the Tiger Claws hadn't grabbed him by his arm and his stump, he probably would have just walked right past them.

"Ignoring us, huh? See, that's not a good idea when dealing with Tiger Claws you old freak."

The main Claw took his switchblade out of his pocket. If the doc had any fear, none of it was shown. All he did was stare a thousand miles away and continue to drool.

"Not responding? Alright then. Let's see how many cuts it takes to get the message through to you."

To add cruelty to eventual injury, the head Claw, a beefy, bald, and brutish man decided to start with the doc's stump arm. He told his crony to hold the amputated limp up, and he slashed the round edge. The hope was for the creep to snap back to reality.

In a way, that's exactly what he got. Just not the way anyone anticipated. Or wanted.

Doc opened his mouth and screamed. The Tiger Claws might have been happy to hear it. If the scream had been a human one. Instead, what came out of the rippers was a guttural, high-pitched, monstrous cry that could not be described as human in any way. It was like a demonic vulture calling from hell. It shocked the gang members holding him, and it made them all step back.

That was a good call. For if they had remained static, they would be been too close to the resulting monstrosity.

Doc's body was beginning to morph. This was nothing like cybernetic upgrades, which could be gradual and mechanical. Whatever was happening now, it defied nature and was happening in an instant.

It started with Doc's loose mouth. His jaw extended further and further until it looked like an entire watermelon could fit through. The little hair on his head stood up and turned jagged and solid, resembling spikes more than hair. His torso extended to an unnatural length. His legs bent backward, and his feet grew talons. His one good metal arm began to mutate, turning into three clawed arms on his left side, the metal one in the center.

But the biggest change was where his arm used to be. The stump at the end began to grow in both size and circumference, while the skin on his shoulder and arm began to shrink and thin. The skin of the ball at the end began to harden, resembling scales more than skin now. And the thinning arm began to stretch and extend, much like a tentacle. His right side now resembled a ball and chain made of flesh.

The Tiger Claws were petrified. They knew how to deal with punks, mercs, and anyone who got in their way. But this... this wasn't like that. This wasn't something they could intimidate. This wasn't something they could throw a bunch of bullets and grenades at. This thing wasn't human.

And frankly, it didn't care they were.

The monster struck first, swinging its mace of a right arm. In one instant, it hit one of the Tiger Claws across the face. In the next instant, the man's head was rolling on the floor like a football.

"HOLY SHI-!"

An exclamation was cut off as the four-armed monster grabbed the gang member by the throat with the metal hand. The other two clawed hands, much stronger than a normal human, gripped the Claw's arms. In one swipe, the arms were ripped out of the sockets. But before the man could fully process the excruciating pain, the monster performed an ironic act of mercy. It crushed the man's neck like a grape in his metal hand, killing him instantly. And painting the sharp silver fingers red.

Having just killed two men, the monster was not done. The Doc's want to see human bodies changed had been perverted into something much worse. This creature existed purely on instinct and desire. A desire to see human bodies mutilated and shredded.

And as it turned its attention to the rest of the gang members, that was exactly what it intended to do.

Doc wasn't dead. And there were frightened screams coming from nearby. He didn't know if the two were related, but he had to check. He knew that Doc was alive, so he had to make sure.

Unfortunately, that didn't mean that the weird fire machine thing was done with him. It was floating right beside him like a flaming short.

"I'm hoping that you have a plan, David Martinez."

"I gotta find the doc."

"And then?"

"Gotta find the doc."

"That's not a plan David Martinez."

"Stop using my full name, it's weird. And shut up."

"Of course. I'll just float around your head and not say a word for all of eternity. That sounds marvelous."

David had no idea that machines, even A.I, were capable of being sarcastic. He also didn't care, because the sounds of terrified people were getting even closer. As soon as he made one turn to the edge of an old junkyard, he found the source.

And his eyes shot open at the sight before him.

"What The Fuck Is That Thing?!"

That was the question asked (yelled) by one of the pedestrians nearby. It was referring to something that David could only call a Lovecraftian horror made human-sized and dropped in the middle of a Santo Domingo street. It was over seven feet tall, had a head and jaw unnaturally long, and had three clawed hands on one side of its torso. Its right hand was some sort of mace weapon.

And it was using that weapon to kill anyone close.

David could only watch in fear as the monster used the mace to strike a man in the chest. The force of the blow was enough to literally rip the man in half.

"Wha... What is that?"

"An exponentially variegated organism. A consequence of a human body being infused with subpar nanites."

"An expo-what? How do you know any of this?"

"I know nanites, David Martinez."

"Well do you know how to fix... that?"

The people were all clearing out. None of them wanted to end up a victim like those that had already fallen. But the monster, despite having heavy feet, did not stop to let them go.

"There is a method by which he could be returned to his normal human state. But that is not a viable option."

"What the hell do you mean?" David put as much venom as he could into the whisper. He was still hiding in the corner to avoid being seen, but he could still see the carnage. "That thing is killing too many people. We have to stop it if we can."

"The deaths are unfortunate, but that should not be our corner. Our union is still new, and neither of us knows the extent of what we can do. Throwing ourselves into a fight against this creature would only be needless endangerment. Allowing the proper authorities to handle this would be the wisest course of action."

There was some wisdom to what Alpha was saying. Neither he nor David had any idea what being merged allowed them to do, and going into a fight without that sort of knowledge could be suicide.

But Alpha's plan to wait for the cops or corpos to fix this was something David could never agree with. He knew that corpos would never care about the people they saw as beneath them. And he knew that cops and the other services would only work whatever they were paid for. And the monster was only killing normal people right now. People that had to work for a living. People that had to struggle.

People like his mom.

"No! Please!"

David could see the next victims the monster had in its sights. A woman trying to help her kid that had fallen. A woman with saggy eyes and a desperate look.

Seeing that woman convinced David that he had to do something. If Alpha wasn't going to help him, he would do it himself. So he pulled up his hood and activated the Sandevistan.

"David Martinez, do not..."

It was too late. David had already started to move. And faster than the eye could see, he collided with the monster and pushed.

Both of them went over the railings and into the junkyard.

David had moments where he doubted his sanity. And within the last two days, two of those instances included Doc. The first was trusting the man's word that the upgrade would meet Academy standards.

The second, current, instant of possible psychosis was the fact that David had just pushed Doc over a ledge. They were both falling into a junkyard.

The impact hurt. David landed on top of an old busted car back-first. Whatever little glass that the car still had left broke off of the windows and windshield once David's body made contact. And there was now a sizable dent left on the top of it.

But David didn't feel the pain for very long. This was a feat that should have killed a person. He should have been bleeding out of his spine. But as David opened his eyes, he just felt a little sore.

"Are you actually insane David Martinez? Because if you are suicidal, I think I'd rather find a new host."

The voice reminded David that he was still alive. And when he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Alpha. The red fire ghost was floating right above him, scowling at him through white eyes.

"What exactly was your plan there?"

"Didn't have one," David admitted. "I just wanted to save that lady."

"Well, congratulations. The stranger is safe. And you may have just doomed us both."

Frowning, David started to get up. He was surprised by how easy it was. Aside from making sure he didn't get cut by the scrap metal, David was able to lift himself up and jump off the car.

But he wasn't the only one who survived the fall.

The sounds of metal being smashed drew David's attention away from Alpha. He turned to see the same monster from before smashing its way through the metal. It didn't have any intelligent thought, but it was aware that someone had pushed him over the ledge. And right now, he was looking at that person.

David turned to Alpha.

"You said there was a way to fix this, right?"

"There is."

Alpha didn't elaborate.

"Well? How do I do it?"

"We cannot proceed until the creature is either relaxed or incapacitated. Otherwise, it may fight the attempt."

That was a problem. As far as he could tell, David didn't have any method to do either of those things. He didn't have any anesthetic to put into the creature, and he doubted he was strong enough to hurt it. The only thing he could think of doing was using the Sandevistan to keep running and hopefully tire it out.

But as the monster began to pick up its pace and charge toward David, he began to doubt that idea. He also began to doubt he would even survive this.

"Shit."

Things will be getting interesting from here. The next chapter will mostly focus on David going through a trial by fire and getting to know the basics of his new abilities. It will also be the beginning stages of his and Alpha's partnership.

Just to let all of you guys know, it will be a while before Lucy and the rest of Maine's crew meet David, and I don't intend for it to be exactly like in the anime. Things have changed, and I want to reflect that.

That is also where an inquiry from me will be coming in. You see, someone mentioned in the last chapter that David should be able to replicate some of Rex's Omega builds due to the time Alpha had the Omega. But I don't want to just make David into a copy of Rex, so I was hoping to give him some new unique builds alongside some classics. So if anyone has some ideas for builds David could make himself, I'd be happy to hear them.

Anyway, please leave reviews, tell me what you all think, and I will see you all next time.

Bye!