David didn't think this was how he wanted to die. In truth, he never really gave the topic much thought. Even with his mom's recent death, his mortality wasn't a subject he liked to ponder.
But as the crazy-looking monster that used to be Doc charged toward him, David realized that he didn't want a junkyard to be his final resting place.
But since the crazy computer fire ghost that was living in his head didn't want to be helpful, David would have to save himself. So he activated his Sandevistan just as the monster was about to swing at him with its mace arm. By the time the monster's weapon armed had smashed against the ground, David was already hiding behind a pile of junk.
Unfortunately, Alpha wasn't done pestering him.
"Is this your plan David Martinez? To just run around in circles until the creature runs out of energy?"
David did not want to deal with this. A monster was bad enough to deal with. An annoying fire computer was not something that he wanted on top of that.
"Shut up Alpha. I need to find a way out of this."
"Oh, by all means. Find a way to fix this situation. Maybe you'll find a way to set this junkyard on fire. Or perhaps you'll be lucky enough to flood it."
David scowled at Alpha. "Are you saying this is my fault? Aren't you the reason he's got nanites in him in the first place? Why don't I blame this on you?"
Now it was Alpha's turn to scowl. "For your information, it's his fault for being too close. And unless you've forgotten, my suggestion was to sit back and let the officials deal with this."
David scoffed. "Well, you're not as smart as I thought you were. Everyone knows the cops don't do shit in Night City. Not unless the corpos call them to work."
"Regardless of ineffectual law enforcement, the fact still stands that you threw both of us into danger when I explicitly told you to do nothing."
"Well, maybe I wouldn't have done that if you were helpful. Why didn't you tell me that we needed to weaken it first?"
The two of them were yelling at each other now. And though the monster could only hear one of the voices, it was able to follow it fine.
"I'm a sentient machine David Martinez, not psychic. How am I supposed to understand the insanity that goes on in that head of yours?"
"Yeah? Well, how do I know...?"
The argument was cut short when the junkpile protecting David was torn apart. The monster let out a shriek as it finally found its prey. But the elation was short-lived, as David was able to react quickly and use the Sandevistan to move out of the way just as the mace hand was about to smash his head in.
Running to another corner of the yard, David stopped and leaned against some random metal hand that someone had dumped. He didn't think he was supposed to be this tired after only using the sandy a few times, but the adrenaline, fear, and sweat were messing with his head too much for him to stay straight.
"This tactic of constant evasion can only work for so long David Martinez. You will need to find another strategy."
"I'm open to suggestions asshole!"
Alpha didn't respond. And that was starting to worry David.
"You there?"
No response. Did... Did Alpha just bail on him?
David would have been angrier about the possibility if he had the opportunity. Unfortunately, the over-armed monster was still barreling toward him, so David had to move. The enhanced speed made it possible for him to fast crawl under the thing's legs and run behind it. Its mace hand got stuck inside the junk pile it struck, just under a table and some car engines.
Since Alpha didn't look like he was going to be helpful and running all day didn't sound appealing, David decided to take a risk. Since he was still moving fast, he decided to make the most of it. He ran to a corner, found a pretty big chunk of cinderblock used to keep a car in place, and ran back toward the monster. Once he was close enough, he chucked the block right at the monster's head. He slowed down to see the reaction.
It was not the one he was hoping for.
The block broke into dust and pieces the instant it made contact with its head. And the monster did take a step to the side while a cut of blood fell down its head. But that was all that happened. It wasn't even hurt. It was just even more pissed off now.
It took its mace out of the junk pile and aimed it directly at David. The teen tried to use the Sandevistan to get out of the way. But he partially succeeded.
As he was moving, the corner of the mace hit David in the arm. It hurt a lot, but the real damage was the fact that it threw him completely off balance, making his body twist. He lost his footing and ended up tripping and falling on the floor. Where he had to slow down to rub his injured shoulder.
He had about five seconds to do that before the monster came back. It already had its mace lifted. And since he didn't have enough time to activate the Sandy at that moment, David simply rolled out of the way. He was able to escape the mace that way. But he couldn't escape the other three arms in time.
Picked up by his neck and both shoulders, David was now face-to-face with the monster. It snarled in his face, letting David smell how bad its breath was and how sharp its teeth now were. Those teeth were getting closer and closer to David. They were just inches away from his nose now.
So he took another gamble.
He activated the Sandevistan. He knew that the monster's grip was too strong to break out of even with enhanced speed. But David's feet were still free, and he could still use those. So he started kicking at the monster's chest. Right where its lungs were.
He knew that one or two kicks weren't going to do anything. But dozens of kicks all coming at its lungs at speeds faster than the human eye? That was bound to do something.
And it did. Once David stopped and deactivated the sandy, the monster's grip loosened as he was able to slip out. He landed on his ass, but it didn't matter to him because he could see he did something to the monster. It staggered back and clutched its chest, trying to steady its breathing after the barrage it had just received.
But obviously good things couldn't last when David was involved, so the monster recovered just as David stood back up.
"Oh come on!"
Now more pissed than ever, the monster started to actually run. Its feet stomped on the ground with each step as it desired nothing more than to rip David apart. David was already backed up against a wall of junk, and he...
Actually, he had an idea.
Though it scared him and left him sweaty at his palms, David waited and let the monster get closer. He waited until it was close enough and then...
That was when he activated his Sandy again. But instead of running far away, David only moved a few feet to the side. And he stayed fast long enough to see the monster's face when it smashed against the junk pile.
David moved again when the pile began to rumble. It was a good thing he did because it was about to topple over. David was a safe distance away when all the junk fell over and buried the monster underneath.
But David knew better than to think that he was safe now. The monster was buried, but he could see some of the scrap moving. It was still alive under there.
"I am ready."
David's eyes widened. "You're still here?"
This time, the moment of silence was out of annoyance. "I live inside your subconscious David Martinez. Where else was I going to go?"
"Well, why'd you get all quiet all of a sudden?"
"You asked me for suggestions on how to deal with this threat. And I have an option now."
David was pretty elated. "Well? How do we do this?"
"I am not certain you are prepared for the enhancement."
And there it was. Was it too much to ask for a single problem in his life to have an easy answer?
"Why not?"
"What I am about to suggest is something I have only seen one person do. And if my understanding is correct, it took years for it to work properly. You have no such preparation."
David was getting tired of this. "Look, that doesn't matter. I know you can see the rubble shaking just like I do. That monster is about to jump about, and my only option right now is to run until it gets tired, which clearly isn't happening. So if you got something I can do, clearly I need to hear it!"
This was the last time Alpha took a moment before responding.
"Very well. But understand that the timing will have to be exact. And if you want to succeed, follow my directions without argument."
"Why the hell would I do that?"
"You said so yourself David Martinez. Your options here are survival and death. If you wish to avoid death, I will need you to listen to me."
This went against so many of David's instincts. He was never the type of person to just blindly follow orders. It was something that always got him in trouble, but it was what made him an individual. It's what made him who he was—the inability to be anyone's lapdog.
But Alpha had a point. His plan for dealing with the monster wasn't working, and Alpha was the only alternative. So for the time being, he was going to have to swallow his pride to live.
"...Fine. What do you need me to do?"
"Start by stretching out a hand, either one. Then focus on that hand and nothing else."
"How is that going to...?"
"Do it."
David didn't appreciate the tone, but he held out his hand anyway.
"You'd better be right about this."
It was at that moment that the monster broke out of the junk pile. Scraps and pieces flew around as the disoriented beast tried to find its prey. It took it only a moment to see David, who was no longer hiding or instead. Instead, he was putting his fate in the hands of an A.I. stuck inside his body.
"Alpha...?"
"The blueprint is complete. But the mechanics still need to be calculated."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Wait a little longer. This is untested for both of us. There is no room for error."
"Is there room for hurrying the fuck up?!"
The monster has shaken off the dirt and debris, and its eyes were dead set on David. It wasn't running anymore. It was taking its time to walk over to him. And since David wasn't able to move, it had plenty of time to walk.
"Alpha?"
"The mechanics are understood."
"Good. So can we...?"
"Biometric input being established. Please wait a bit longer."
"Are you kidding me?"
"Not in this situation."
The monster was swinging its mace arm like a pendulum. The closer it got, the more David could feel his throat sink into his stomach. He wanted to trust Alpha (kinda), but it was getting harder to do the more his impending death got closer and closer.
"Alpha, I swear to god..."
"Final calculations in progress. Attack patterns formulating."
David didn't know what that meant, but he seriously hoped it was a good thing.
"Schematics complete. Uploading now."
That had to be good. Right? David seriously wanted that to be a good thing. The monster was only a few feet away, and it was holding up its mace hand like a killer in a slasher film.
"Everything is ready David Martinez. Prepare to execute."
The monster jumped. It leaped towards David, hoping to finally kill this problematic prey.
"Execute what...?"
...
In one moment, David felt it.
His eyes felt dry as the design burned into his mind.
His right arm became hot as glowing red lines suddenly appeared on them, extending from his shoulders to his finger.
And David could hear the sounds of metal clanking and gears clicking as mounds of black and white materialized around his hand.
The very next second, the monster was sent flying across the junkyard. And though it wasn't buried this time, its back smashed against a scrap car.
As for David, his shock couldn't be described as he looked at his hand.
His giant, metal, black hand was dark as onyx with four bone-like sharp fingers attached. The fingers were dark gray, and there were glowing red lights powering near the wrists. The arm was twice as long as David's body and thrice as thick, but he had no trouble lifting it. He barely felt any weight from this mechanical contraption.
This was an arm came out of where his right arm was supposed to be. An arm that moved just like his, obeying his mental commands to open the fist and move the fingers.
"The design is rudimentary, but it will suffice."
Upon hearing the disembodied voice, David was snapped back to the current moment.
"What the hell is? How... the hell is this?"
"A machine I constructed based on a familiar design using the surplus nanites inside your body. You wanted me to help you defeat this monster. This weapon set will help you do that."
This was taking a moment to process inside David's mind. He knew that Alpha said he was the intelligence controlling a bunch of tiny machines that were inside David's body now. But he never actually considered what those machines could do. He certainly never expected anything like this.
And he wouldn't have the time to think about it right now. The monster was just as stubborn as it was ugly, so David wasn't done with it. It was already standing and running toward David again. It was tired of having its kill denied, and it wanted recompense.
"This arm is but one in a set. Activate the other David Martinez."
Without thinking about it, David did just that. He allowed the burning feeling from before to spread into his left arm, and he watched as another mound of metal grew into a second gauntlet arm. Another weapon for him to use.
And as the monster got closer to David, he held them up. Like a boxer. An amateur.
He genuinely hoped these arms would help him survive this fight.
Elsewhere...
"Damm. What the corpos fuck up this time?"
Sitting on his favorite couch, Maine was bored when he decided to check out the news. He certainly hadn't been expecting to see a story about a monster attack. On every channel.
"Hey boss, how much do you think we could make for killing that thing?"
"Pretty sure we'd have to find it first," Pilar interjected.
"No one asked you dumbass," Rebecca retorted.
Before they could devolve into their usual arguments, Maine made sure to cut them off.
"If we get a call about a bounty on that thing, then we'll figure it out. Until then, why aren't you two out there looking for my sandy like the rest of the crew?"
Rebecca, being the chaotic little gremlin she was, shrugged while sitting upside down on a chair.
"Isn't Kiwi searching the net for any signs of it? I mean, the best Pilar and I can do is go around and ask random gonks if they've seen it."
"While pointing a gun at them to ensure honesty," Pilar reminded his sister.
"Right. That too."
Maine sighed as he realized he couldn't hold that against them. But it still didn't relieve his frustration about getting screwed over.
It didn't make any sense. Why wouldn't Gloria show up and hand him the Sandevistan as they had agreed? Did she want to back out of the deal? Doubtful, they knew each other for too long. She knew she could trust him to keep his word. Did she get attacked or robbed? Honestly, he didn't know. He hoped she was fine, but Gloria kept her privacy from him. He didn't even know where she lived. They only met to make trades.
So his best bet was to wait for Kiwi to try and track his shit down. Especially since Lucy was pretty insistent on being a backup runner only. She was out stealing some chips for them.
Lighting a smoke, Maine stood up to find Dorio. While Rebecca and Pilar started going off on one of their weird arguments (something about cats), Maine was hoping to get some stress relief in before his frustration got the better of him.
He really hoped they would find the Sandevistan soon. He had plans on how to use that thing.
Junkyard...
The fight was going better than David feared and worse than he'd hoped.
The giant arms that Alpha had made out of his body were even more helpful than he thought they would be. Not only did they let him get a few hits in on the monster, but they also worked pretty well for blocking. So every time the monster tried to grab, slash, or hit him with the mace, David could just hold up his gauntlets and keep the attack from getting to him.
But this wasn't going to last very long. Just like David's original running plan, it fell apart because the monster just wouldn't stop. It kept attacking, and there were scratches and chunks being taken out of the gauntlets. So David really couldn't afford to mess around.
Unfortunately, knowing he should do something often made David less inclined to do it.
"What's the matter ugly? Not so tough now that we're level?"
Angered, the monster tried to swing and rip off David's head. The teen responded by ducking and using his giant hands to backhand the monster. The force of the hit was enough to make the monster around and stagger.
David had to admit, he was really liking these arms.
"Do not get overconfident David Martinez. The arms are not indestructible."
"Hey, we're winning aren't we?"
"I did not think that was the point."
"It wasn't until we started winning."
Pushing forward with his advantage, David started using his new hands to unleash a barrage on the monster. He aimed for its chest, its legs, all three of its arms, and anything else he could reach. The metal knuckles were having an obvious impact. Each time David hit, it had a harder time getting back up.
"You are wasting time David Martinez. Your intention was to 'fix' this situation, was it not?"
"Come on Alpha. I haven't had this much fun in a long time. Can't I just enjoy it?"
"This is not supposed to be fun."
"Doesn't mean it can't be."
No longer interested in arguing with Alpha, David threw another punch at the monster. If it helped calm the living computer down, David would try to make this the last hit.
Unfortunately, the monster had a similar idea.
As the big fist came barreling towards it, the monster managed to move out of the way enough to avoid a direct hit. Its stomach was slashed, but it didn't care. Because it lifted up its mace and bought it down.
David's eyes widened in fear as the giant arm weapon was turned mostly into scrap by the mace. The monster struck down two more times, breaking the gauntlet completely.
David had to pull his arm out of the arm to avoid getting his flesh smashed. Bits and pieces of metal all were left on the ground as David only had one big arm left. The monster pressed on that advantage, lifting up its mace and raining down blows on David's remaining gauntlet. David could only block as the beast kept throwing blow after blow. And it was chipping away piece after piece of the arm.
With one well-timed blow, the monster was able to break the arm in half with one swipe of its mace. Leaving David without a defense.
The monster returned a previous favor by backhanding David with its mace.
The blow drew a trickle of blood from David's mouth and sent him flying back several feet. He landed on his back, groaning, and sore.
"Are you willing to listen to my advice now?"
Scowling, David forced his eyes open and saw Alpha floating above his face. The fiery computer ghost didn't look any happier than he was.
"Fine. What do you suggest I do?"
"First. Move."
David was confused for a moment, but then he saw the monster lifting up its mace again. So David used the Sandevistan to get out of the way and stand up behind the monster.
"Now what?"
"Rebuild the arms. Call upon the power again."
David recalled the warm feeling that had gone through his arms a while ago. The same red circuits covered his sleeves like before, and in moments he had the same gauntlets that he had previously. David was glad to see that they weren't a one-time thing.
He was also glad that they were still as powerful as he needed. He punched the monster in the back, sending it spiraling into the ground. And once it was down, David grabbed one of its legs.
Lifting the creature over his head, David bought it back down and slammed it face-first into the ground. He repeated the process, slamming it on its back this time. Then on its side. Then on its face again. Then he threw it in the air, grabbed it in his bony sharp fingers by the head, and slammed it on its chest and feet.
For his final move, David tossed the monster like a baseball. The creature's body crushed against the wall of the junkyard, leaving a crater in the brick wall. And when it fell to the ground, it didn't get back up.
Relaxed, David felt the metal go back inside his body as the arms materialized. He had a pretty good feeling the fight was over. And while he was stunned and happy to have won, there was something else he had to do.
"You said there was a fix Alpha?"
"Indeed. And it's simple. All you need to do is press your hands against the creature."
"Seriously? What's that gonna do?"
"Just do what I tell you and you'll find out."
David was not a big fan of Alpha's attitude. "Only cause you're the only option I have."
David walked over to the monster and did as Alpha instructed. He placed his hands on the monster's chest.
"Now what?"
"Now watch."
For a moment, David felt nothing. But before he could complain, a familiar warmth spread through his arms onto his fingertips, accompanied by the same glowing red circuits from before. But unlike before, there were no giant weapons growing out of his arms. Instead, the red circuits spread onto the monster's body, glowing on its chest.
And that's when the change began to occur. The monster began to shrink in size. The three arms turned back into one. The torso and head were reduced to a normal length. The legs got shorter. And the mace arm mutated back into a normal organic hand with fingers.
In less than a minute, the monster that David had been fighting turned back into a person that he recognized.
"Doc."
He was unconscious, but David would recognize the white-haired perv anywhere. Though there was one thing that caught his notice.
"Why does he have his arm back? It's supposed to be cyberware."
"Nanites were designed to heal human bodies and minds. Before I deactivated them, they seem to have fallen back on their original programming and healed the injury."
They helped Doc regrow an arm? Just how powerful were the nanites? David wasn't sure he wanted to question how powerful that would make him, since Alpha apparently controlled the ones inside his body.
He also didn't get a chance to think about too hard thanks to Alpha.
"I suggest we leave now. Law enforcement will doubtless be called here soon, and it would be inconvenient for them to see you here."
They might think that David was responsible for what happened. And even if that wasn't entirely wrong, the last thing David wanted to do was deal with the NCPD. So he quickly put Doc's arm over his shoulders and started to move.
"What are you doing? His weight will slow you down."
"I'm not gonna leave him here to get caught."
Alpha seemed like he wanted to argue, but he didn't.
"Fine, but before you leave, place your hand on the wall."
"Why?"
"I'll explain later. But do it quickly."
Confused, David nonetheless did as Alpha asked. He placed his palm against the wall. He saw the red circuits go through his arm and into the wall, but the retracted quickly.
Not bothering to ask what that was about, David used the Sandevistan to run out of the junkyard and head back to the clinic.
Later...
David couldn't leave Doc at the junkyard. He didn't see anyone there, but he wouldn't be surprised if there were a bunch of freaks living there. And as creepy a bastard as Doc was, David was kinda sorta responsible for him turning into a monster. So taking him back home to his clinic was the least he could do for the ripper.
The police had left a while ago, and they hadn't left anything behind. Not even any signs or tape. Probably didn't want to waste time on a place almost no one went to. That worked fine for David since it made it easy for him to just bring Doc in and dump the man on his chair.
As he put him down, David couldn't help but look at Doc's right hand. Just yesterday, he had seen Doc switch out one metal hand for another to perform the surgery. But now he had a fully organic hand in its place. It was like he had never even removed it. Every part of it looked natural.
"I still can't believe it."
"There are many things that the nanites are capable of David Martinez. You saw that yourself today."
"Yeah. Yeah, I did."
Staring down at his own hand, David could still faintly recall the sensation he had felt when the machine had formed around his arm. The strange mix of burning skin and cold metal fused together to make a weapon. A weapon he could control like it was a part of his body. It was different from the Sandevistan, that was something he had attached. Whatever that big hand had been, it felt... right. It came out of his body, and it felt like it fit.
Kinda.
it was hard to explain, and David didn't really have time to ponder it too much. He had already left Doc somewhere he could rest, and Alpha was making good points.
"The perverted doctor is safe now. I suggest you leave before anyone comes by and sees you. If you are questioned, I doubt it will end well."
And he certainly couldn't explain the situation without sounding like he was too hopped up on some really bad glitter. So after checking once more to be sure that Doc was safe and sound, he ran as far away from the clinic as he could.
But once David was gone, Doc was defenseless. He wasn't going to wake up anytime soon. Which meant that he could do nothing once the bribed NCPD came to the clinic.
Midnight...
David, using the Sandevistan, ran inside his house and locked the door. He threw his hoodie on the couch, hastily grabbed and chugged some water, and then... sat.
Not on the couch. Not in his room. Not in the kitchen. David found a corner of the living room and simply sat down on the floor. His energy was depleted, and his eyes become motionless as his mind began to process his experiences. Everything from the car crash to what had just happened at the junkyard.
"Holy fuck."
There was no response from inside his head, so David momentarily wondered if this whole experience hadn't just been some sort of bad dream. But he knew that wasn't the case. He could see his mother's urn on the table. The hoodie he had left on the couch still had scratches on it. And David could still vividly recall the sensation he had felt when the massive metal arms had grown over his normal ones. And the TV, which still turned on every time someone entered the room, was still discussing the metal beast attack from last night. They were talking about David.
Well, David and his new... roommate.
"That was us?"
"Yes. An unfortunate development. My current theory is that the sudden activation and merging of our beings activated that transformation. The shock of the experience coupled with the response of law enforcement kept us, as humans would say, on edge. Like an animal desperate not to return to its cage."
"So what stopped us? How did I even get back home."
"That was actually all me," Alpha explained. "The surgery had already weakened you, and the resulting change rendered you unconscious. But once we hid from the police, I was able to regain enough sense to come here. I managed to drop our form into the bed just as you were changing back."
That... kinda made sense. David couldn't really remember anything about last, so he couldn't exactly make an argument against Alpha there. But there were still other questions.
"How did you know I lived here?"
"I was able to analyze you while you were inside the mechanized creature we formed. The wallet inside your pocket supplied me with some rudimentary information, such as your address. It's also how I learned your name."
David's hand instinctively went to his pocket. In all the chaos of the day, he had forgotten about his money. Thankfully though, he still had it.
"So what now?"
"Now you rest."
It was at that moment that David's foot began to tap on the floor.
"You expect me to sleep? I still got too many questions on my mind. And I don't even really know what you are yet."
"Your mind and body are too agitated to accept my explanation. Once you are rested, we can properly have that conversation. And besides, the adrenaline in your veins is the only reason you are still conscious."
"What makes you say that?"
"I will prove it. Place your head on a pillow and see what happens."
Hoping to prove Alpha wrong, David did just that. What actually ended up happening was that the energy seemed to get sapped out of his body the moment his head felt the softness of the sofa's pillow. And before he could muster any energy to curse or bite at Alpha, his eyes got too heavy to keep open.
Once David was asleep, Alpha was able to do what he had wanted to do since he had awakened earlier that day. Using the nanites to form a cable of the boy's Sandevistan, Alpha extended the cable all the way to the portable computer left on the table. Alpha connected himself to the net through the device.
So while David rested, Alpha learned.
This is where I will stop for now. I had a lot of fun writing David and Alpha's first time fighting together, and I am looking forward to writing more of it in the future.
For anyone curious about Alpha's reasoning and hesitancy to tell David how to use the machines, try to remember how difficult it was for Rex. The show doesn't give any exact details, but it seems pretty clear that it took time for Rex to learn how to build his machines properly and apply them in combat. In David's case here, the situation was do-or-die, and he chose to act. Not to mention having Alpha around for support.
Giving you all a heads-up, the next couple of chapters might come out a bit slower just because I will need some time to structure and plan the story. I have a general idea of what I want to do, but I need to make it more concrete. But I'll try not to take too long.
When I publish again, the next two or three chapters will focus more on David and Alpha getting used to being stuck together and figuring out what else they can do.
Anyway, please leave reviews, tell me what you all think, and I will see you all next time.
Bye!
