February 25, 2011
I found myself in the warehouse's rear entrance, watching a white van roll in with dead fish eyes. Had I been the more introspective sort, I would have tried to make a comparison to worm's version of the illuminati. But, I didn't have it within me to do so. The twisting vortex in my stomach making me too queasy.
The backdoor of the van opened, as I put on a forced smile. A Chinese man dragged a woman out by a leash, a black sack over her head. Though, despite that, I felt myself linger on her far longer than I needed to.
She wore a leather jacket that barely even clung to her shoulders. A shirt that could only be considered tatters due to the number of holes littering it. And a pair of booty shorts that left little to the imagination.
I let out an audible gulp, my hormone addled brain springing to life as a voice at the back of my head told me to push her down and fuck her right this instant. But refrained from acting, my fists clenching as I shook my head.
It irked me. To feel even an ounce of emotion for someone who I would be "killing". I already resolved myself to action. And yet, it felt like I myself was stopping me from going any further.
Inwardly. I grimaced. Pushing the emotion away from the surface. Besides, there was no time to let my thoughts wander. I still had a job to do.
Taking in a deep breath, my hands suddenly found themselves clutching the girl's leash like she was a dog, as the ABB mook waved me off. My brows furrowed as I tried to replay the interaction.
"Don't think I caught any of that…" I muttered under my breath. Frowning slightly, I turned towards the girl, letting go of the leash. "Now, what to do with you?"
The mechanical whirring of the warehouse doors blared in the background as I stared at her. She scurried back a few steps, but quickly discovered there was no escape for here. Not while I was so close.
My eyes blinked, a sigh passing between my lips. My head tilted to the side, looking at her one more time. She quivered under my gaze, shaking like a leaf in the wind. It was almost like she could feel it. Or maybe it was because of the cold winter air.
Probably the latter.
Having deliberated long enough, I took a step towards her. The girl stood still in an instant, her arms wrapped tightly around her lithe frame as she let in an audible inhale. A frown gradually formed on my face as I took the next step, then another.
Each felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders, my chest growing tight despite my clothes being as loose as I could make them.
"The rag just won't do," I noted, a click sounding from my mouth as I stood just a step away from her. "Take. It. Off," The words and tone felt foreign to me. And nevertheless, I push on. "And make it slow. Don't want you trying to get any funny thoughts."
She did as she was told, raising both of her hands up to the sack over her head, spools of gold peeking out.
Tufts of blonde hair revealed themselves, reaching no farther than the base of her neck. But, I didn't think that was important. No, for some odd reason, I was drawn to her face of all things.
'You could do better than this,' A voice not my own spat.
It was a mess of blemishes and imperfections. Various gashes and bruises dusted her face, barely hidden by hastily applied make-up. Though, there was a big one that I don't think she'd ever be able to hide.
A long scar ran down her lips, starting from her chin, and ending at her left cheek. All this while looking the same age as me.
Without a thought, my hand moved to trace the corners of her face. Her body not even twitching as she allowed me to trace her scar with my thumb. Stopping at her chin, I picked her up, twisting it left and right as she continued to do nothing.
Finally, I stopped, my shard feeding me the necessary knowledge on how to proceed. Then I froze. Simply stunned at what it sent me.
Hmmm. There seemed to be a few more options than I thought. Focusing more on the bio than the machine, I could graph synthetic skin onto her, change everything that was 'wrong' on the surface. Hell, I could switch out each of her organs for better ones.
I could tear every fiber of muscle inside the girl. Replacing it with synthetic flesh that would be better in every way. Give her a low brute rating, add subdermal plates to make her bulletproof.
But I ignored them for now. Cyberware was more important than whatever brute rating I'd be able to give her.
"Your name. What's your name?" I asked the girl, prodding for a response that never came.
Frowning, I decided to repeat the question, trying to seem as amiable as possible. "Please, give me your name. It'll be one of the only things that will be left of you once we're done."
Once again, silence. She didn't speak a word. Not even a peep.
I hummed to myself, my foot tapping against the ground as thoughts whirled around my head. If she didn't have a name, then she didn't have anything to leave behind. That would just be one less thing attaching her to the world. Things would be easier that way.
Nodding to myself, I felt a slow breath pass through my lips, my heart beating in my ears as I trailed my hand down to hers, holding her palm. It was sluggish, but oddly graceful for me. However, I paid it no mind.
"Before we go into my workshop, I want to ask one thing." It was now or never, Lester. Just say the words, and ease some off your conscience. Maybe then you can stop being a bitch. "Do you want to forget everything? Do you want to live a new life?"
The blonde hesitated, her body weirdly still. She didn't move a muscle, almost afraid that I'd do something because of it. Though, it was somewhat understandable. I did upturn her life, and now, all of a sudden, she was being given choices that seemed almost out of reach for her. Something that people could only dream of.
Though, just as easily, that look could also mean apprehension. Even if I didn't know her that well, it was the most likely emotion running through her mind. To be given a choice between death, in a new life, or a continued hell… it almost felt like she wasn't winning either of them.
But what did it matter? It was all to ease what little conscience I had left.
"I mean, you don't have to, if you don't want to. You could also remember everything. Become something better. An aide at my side who will help me to further my own goal…" I was grasping at straws, trying to make things as appealing as possible. "You would be at my side. Respected by the ABB. Respect by everyone. No one would be able to so much as touch you"
If I could hear myself, there was no doubt I'd sound like a man desperate for water. Sweetening the deal more and more like I lacked the means to just take it from her. I could, it would be so easy. And I'd resolved myself to do so. I was just trying to help myself.
A shaky smile formed across her lips, her cheeks quivering as a single tear fell from her eye. Then, what sounded like a raspy groan echoed throughout the warehouse. But to me, a bomb might as well have exploded right next to my ear.
"Are-..Are you-?" I blinked. Once, twice, and a third. For a moment, reality made no sense, and the world was upside down.
My arm fell to my side, shoulders unconsciously slumping as I turned back to look at her face. Her imperfect face. Maybe I would keep some semblance of her. It might only be in spirit, but it would be enough.
A hand found itself in my pocket, as it grabbed onto an inhaler, a weight pressing down on my chest as I stared back at the girl. "Sad say, but that was the wrong choice. And unfortunately, you can't try again."
I didn't give her time to react as I pounced on her, pinning the blonde onto the wall as I pressed the device into her mouth, pressing the button a moment later. "And to think, I might have actually had a heart there for a sec."
{--}
Running water trickled down my arms, as I blankly gazed into the bathroom's ceramic tiles. It was the only place that was even decorated in the building. Probably something left by the previous owners now that I thought about it.
But, it was enough to keep me company. Ease my mind off things before I got started.
Though, despite giving her a choice, it still felt wrong, in some way…. I mean, it was fucked up. However, it was for my sake, so did it really matt-
"You say that, but you keep coming back to this point," The voice in my head whispered. "You keep coming back to this point like a toxic ex. Just let it go already, damn it. Fuck's sake, you've already bitched around for an hour. Any more, and I might just barf."
I stayed silent. Forcing down my thoughts as I looked at the mirror. Only to find the face of an imposter.
"Without me, you would be nothing. Still a mopey piece of shit because you can't move the fuck on. Just get it over with already! I've waited long enough!" It demanded, growing louder with each syllable.
And still, I held my tongue. Biting down on it as I splashed myself with another handful of water. Then another. Then a third. Still, the face stared back at me, a cocky grin on its face as I groaned.
"You wouldn't be shit without me. Always the honor student. Always trying to make mommy and daddy proud. I gave our power meaning. It would have been squandered in your han-"
"Just shuuuut up!" I shouted back, teeth gritting as my fists balled up. "Shut up, shut up, shut up! I don't want to hear any of it. Not another fucking word. Just shut the fuck up already! You keep going on and on like a damn d-tier villain, monologuing about how great you are."
My chest heaved, harshly rising and falling as I slammed my hands into the sink. "I don't care! I don't care about how useful you are. I don't care about anything you say. I don't want to hear it from a useless sack of shit that did nothing for himself!"
My voice echoed in the cramped bathroom, making the subsequent silence even louder. It was deafening, with a droning buzz that sounded like television static turned up to eleven.
"Save it for someone who actually cares, yeah?" My voice sounded tired. Drained despite having done nothing to show for it. "Maybe, you'll find someone who'll listen to you next time. Just, not me. I don't think I'm the right person."
I trailed off, a finger tracing the edges of my cheeks as my shard flashed with blueprints. Blueprints on how to make my body better. Perfect. But I pushed them off to the side. Ignoring them for a better time.
Splashing my face with water, I looked once more at the mirror to find my face where it was supposed to be. No longer that of the fake. It was me. That was me. The long strands of shaggy and unkempt black hair, the pale white skin that hadn't seen the sun in so long, and the slightly pudgy face. Right, that was me.
Pausing, I looked myself over once again, wincing slightly as I pulled at my cheeks. I really let myself go, didn't I? Things hadn't been the same since they left me alone.
My throat tightened at the thought. Twisting as I felt myself choke up. But I didn't allow the emotions to take hold of me. No. I had a job to do. There wasn't a point in delaying it any longer.
Opening the bathroom door, I was immediately greeted by an operating table, the nameless girl laying down on her belly. Near her was a table with everything I needed. Surgical tools, tools specifically catered to cyberware, the cyberware itself, a pair of Kiroshi Mk.3 Optics, and, most importantly, a modified laptop that served to house the AI until I could stuff it into a chip.
Putting on a pair of white gloves, and a face mask, I brushed both of my hands together as I pulled on the knowledge given by my shard. Slowly, I picked up a scalpel, and aimed it at her neck, a finger guiding me at exactly where I needed to slice.
Dragging it along the stem of her neck up until the base, I felt my lunch bubble up to my throat as I did my best to swallow it down. A bitter horrid taste stunk the back of my throat as I grimaced. It was disgusting, unclean, and would stain if I didn't make this quick.
With a heavy heart, I pushed onward, opening up more and more of her flesh until everything was set. I quickly found myself faced with muscle and blood, the ichor dripping down the flaps as I did my best to ignore them.
A quick incision here would give me some room, though, that meant I'd tear through too much if I didn't cut through there. Conflicting knowledge and procedures flowed into my mind. Had I been none the wiser, I would have waited until there was only one method left and chose it. But that would lead to the method's quality diminished as more time passed.
Settling upon a style that was quick as it was reckless, I did my best to keep damages to a minimum. I knew I didn't just have the one shot and I could try again, but that was a waste of time. Not only that, it also meant I worried over nothing.
I felt my teeth grit at the thought, focus reigned solely on what was in front of me instead of anything else. I still had a job to do.
Slipping into a trance, I allowed the knowledge and experience of the shard to guide me through the actions. It was like putting a jig-saw puzzle back together from memory, and you only had a limited amount of time. It wasn't exactly perfect, and I made more than a few mistakes along the way. But in the end, it was finished, and I could only feel proud at what I had done.
Finishing with the basic systems and OS, I looked back down at the table. Finding a pair of mechanical eyes staring back at me.
'Would it be wise to use both?' I asked myself, my thoughts divided on the matter.
It wasn't that I couldn't make more. I knew for a fact I could crank out ten in a day with enough materials. But instead, practicality. I didn't want her to be entirely reliant on her cyberware. Things could fail, either by damage in battle, or by another thinker. If all else failed, at least she could do something about it instead of standing still, blind because I never thought someone could crack my ICE, or thought that someone wouldn't to bring an EMP against a tinker.
Not that anyone could crack through my ICE. Or that those would work for long.
Still, as my parents used to say, better safe than sorry.
Flipping the girl on her back, I suddenly froze at how to proceed. It wasn't exactly every day I got to scoop out someone's eyes. Never got the chance to practice.
Humming to myself, I turned my sights to one of the tools off on the table. Looking like an elaborate desk pen, it stood on four thin legs, and had a big red button on top. Picking it up, I looked at it for a good few seconds before ultimately shrugging. It was weird, but if it got the job done, then who was I to complain?
Hovering it just above her eye, I peeled it back to reveal her cold black irises staring back at me, almost telling me something. Normally, I would have dug deeper, sticking my nose where it didn't need to be, and allowing my mind to come to its own conclusion. But something told me it was a bad idea. My hand tightening around the button.
It happened in an instant, the legs extended and severed the small thin muscles that attached the eye to the brain. I couldn't even blink before it finished, and before I knew it, I was already attaching the optics
It was surprisingly simple for such a delicate organ. Though, most of the work came in how so much as a twitch could ruin everything. Keeping my hands steady was a bitch and a half. And even still, I could only hope I stuck it on the right way.
With any luck, the girl would only need to perform a few diagnostic procedures to make sure everything worked. Although, I probably wouldn't be awake to see it happen. Frankly, my head was throbbing after all was said and done.
Taking off the gloves, I felt more than one bead of sweat trail down my face. A wave of exhaustion washed over me like a tsunami as I blinked. My eyes felt heavy, arms feeling sluggish after working for so long without rest. And for a long moment, I could hear the call of sleep beckoning for my rest. The calls becoming louder with ea-
My eyes snapped open, a cold chill returning my focus as everything became clear again. It was a momentary thing. But it brought enough clarity for me to understand what I needed to do next.
Blindly waving my hand, I soon found myself staring at my laptop, eyes drawn to the never-ending lines of code crawling down the screen. Blinking, I drew my sights towards the long cord linked up to it. And with half a mind, I wobbly stuck the thing into the newly installed port at the back of the girl's neck.
All the while my eyes began to drift off once more.
"You'll be my personal bot. Mine, and mine alone. You will be the shield that protects me and the sword that will fight my battles." A goofy smile crossed my lips, a distant memory flashing in my mind. Of a game I could barely remember after so 'many' years.
"Aigis. Your designation is Aiiii- Aigis." I fought off the yawn, a tear pooling at the corner of my eyes, trying to keep me awake. "Because you never told me yours~."
Everything went dark, as the control I had over my body quickly slipped. Only for a jolt to snap me out of it not a moment later.
Groggily, my eyes opened, heart beating in my ears. Shit, it was too fucking early for any of this shit. A groan leapt from my lips, sounding raspy and hoarse. The world felt like it was in a haze, my movements sluggish as I turned my head from side to side, each movement shooting a spike of pain up my back and neck, both stiff from how I slept.
I found nothing, eliciting yet another groan. However, it was stopped before I could finish, a hand touching mine. "Aigis, that's my name." The voice of an angel greeted my ears like a balm for my aching soul.
"But, don't you think it would be a bit confusing, creator? There's already someone named Aigis in this very city. Are you sure you don't want to name me 'Aigis1'? Maybe even 'Z_Aigis'? It would go a long way to differentiate me from the Protectorate Ward, sir."
"Oh," Was all I had to say for that, my brain still in the midst of rebooting. "Whoops, I guess? Look, don't know what you want me to do-"
Blurring through the fog, the scarred face of the girl appeared in my vision once more, a small smile on their face as they held me tight. "No, it's okay, creator. I think the name suits me."
It was hard not to smile, even through the daze of sleep. Despite my vision being glassy, I still found the scarred visage of the girl I willingly requested staring back at me, sharing the same expression as mine.
'Imperfect' My shard fed me, a chuckle bubbling from my gut, laughing as though it were the funniest joke in the world. Marred with blemishes, and more than a few scars, for some odd reason, I found myself more entranced by her appearance more than any beauty model off the front page of vogue or playboy.
There was just nothing like it.
"Aigis. My name. It means shield, does it not?" The girl asked, earning a nod from me in return. Though, as I parted my lips to continue, she cut me off. "But that wasn't what you were going for. No, you weren't even thinking about it."
Her other hand traced her jawline, a knowing grin on her face. "No. You were thinking of a fictional character. One that looked eerily similar to the body I am inhabiting. It's quite the stroke of luck to find someone that looks like this, isn't it? For someone to look just like the machine who slowly became human."
She giggled, deftly moving her hand to cover her face. And for just a moment, everything in the world was right. Like the world wasn't about to implode. Like I wasn't living in Brockton. Like my parents were back.
I snapped out of it, leaning back onto my chair. I wasn't able to get far as her other hand clasped like a vice around me, her eyes widening in an almost manic way. "Don't worry, creator. Despite the high expectations you've set for me, I'll make sure to blow them out of the water, make your mark on history, and outshine everyone else. I guarantee it."
She was quite enthusiastic. I expected nothing less. If things were to go the way I wanted them, then that meant there was nothing that would stop me now. It was going to be full steam ahead at this point.
I just needed a way to plan around the explosive buzz ball that was Bakuda. If she was even being recruited anyway.
A/N: A lot of revisions. Like, a ton. Did it in whatever off time I had. next chapter might come out a bit later than usual. busy as hell. Shit happens. Read worm up to where shit goes down, so that's fun.
Anyways, if you have any complaints, likes, dislikes, anything, please comment them. They're appreciated as it helps improves my writing and the quality of the fic moving forward. your ideas are also appreciated, they may be used to write future scenes that don't exist yet. Very neat.
I'm mainly active on 2 discord servers, you can find me on them when I have the time. Come and chat, I like interaction a lot. Channel name is #ball's pit for the servers that aren't mine.
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Mine: Join the balls Discord Server!
I'm not telling you to join it, but it would be nice.
With that being said, I'm going to do my homework.