"And we're getting the results in from the 8th district of Portland proper, Charlotte Takimura has beaten Progressive opponent Isaac Renfield by 2000 votes, leaving Cascadia News Now delighted to project her victory in the race for Cascadia's 11th senate seat." - Cascadia News Now mesh channel, 2055 Senate Elections

  Quinn pushed the throttle forward as the Skyhook flew towards downtown Madison. It wasn't going to win any competitive races, but the craft was decently speedy, and a world of difference compared to the busses and the superheavy transporter.

  She was just starting to zone out into the focus of the drive when Irys spoke up into her Augs.

  "Quinn, I believe its time we had a specific conversation of great importance. If you're amenable to doing so subvocally, I'll engage the take over. To assuage the worries likely already forming, it is not a conversation to fret about."

  Quinn's heartbeat intensified. She kind of didn't want to do this right now, but if she didn't she knew it would weigh on her until it was done. Begrugingly she nodded and subvocalized. "Okay, what did you want to talk about?"

  "You have a good stock of points, so I would like to discuss spending them on two specific fronts: Personal augmentation, and addressing your mental health struggles."

  Some of Quinn's chest unwound a little. Okay, this conversation wasn't… too bad? With one exception.

  Quinn chose her words carefully. "How exactly are you suggesting we address my mental health?"

  "Well, there are a myriad of options. Biological mutagens, Bionites, Cybernetic.."

  Quinn cut her off, somewhat exasperated. "No, that's not what I mean. What are you suggesting we do to my way of thinking."

  "Ah. What is your concern in that regard?"

  Quinn pulled a knee up to her chest. "That you want me to just modify my brain to remove the problems. I don't know how to explain it. I hate my anxiety, but its mine."

  "You have nothing to fear, I would never suggest such a course of action."

  "Oh. I kind of expected... Why not?" Quinn tilted her head and rested it on her knee.

  "Because Darling, your physical form is malleable, especially with protector technology, but your mind is at the end of the day the Real Quinn. Forcibly modifying your mind in such a manner would be tantamount to murdering you and replacing you with someone else."

  Irys paused, a very deliberate action given her speed of thought.

  "If we wanted an army of likeminded soldiers we'd have simply sent AI to be Samurai. The protectors value diversity of thought. At the end of the day, I chose you as a Vanguard for you."

  Taking a deep breath in and out, Quinn replied. "Okay. What exactly do you propose."

  Irys' tone relaxed, becoming more doting mother than concerned mother. "While modifying your personality is off the table, part of your anxiety is due to hormonal inbalances. We can use a number of methods to address that issue, think of it as Earth's most effective and stable anti-anxiety medication. It won't solve things, but you'll find it much easier to control. We can talk about therapy at a later date to help with the rest."

  Quinn nodded. "Okay, that seems reasonable. What options do we have for doing that?"

  "A cybernetic augment, some bio modifications to add an additional organ, or a small swarm of bionites would be my recommendations. I assume you also want to address your Depression and Attention Deficit Disorder with the same purchase?"

  Wait, what? Quinn perked her head up. "I have ADD?"

  "Yes, Darling. How humans continue to be so inept at its accurate diagnosis at this point continues to baffle even me. Regardless, did you have a preference as to the direction of your solution?"

  Her head still spinning from sudden realisations that maybe explained her complete failure in college, Quinn only managed to get out a half present. "Dunno, what's the differences?"

  "Well, that segues nicely into our next topic of conversation. Personal augmentation."

  She regained some of her brains processing power for the topic at hand. "Uh, what sort of augmentation. and why?"

  "Well, your body is… how do I put this tactfully, compared to the antithesis fragile and inadequate. You may not have the desire to engage in personal combat, but you cannot guarantee that they will never catch you outside Cassie, not to mention potential human adversaries. Additionally, it would lead nicely into the means to improve your mechanized combat via cognitive enhancements."

  Irys slipped into a teacherly tone. "But to answer your question, it mostly comes down to what you are comfortable with and what you wish to gain from it. Cybernetics is the most standard for humanity, replacing your flesh with circuits and metal is one of the more cost effective ways of bodily improvement. Many however are hesitant to replace things when they deem it uneccesary. Synthetics are a subset of this, involving replacement parts that for the most part appear as before while being fundamentally more, at the cost of being more expensive than more traditional cybernetics.

  Biological improvement would involve well, improvements that are still biological in nature. Some Vanguard who take this path opt for bespoke modifications, while others use a template of an alien species that has improved the form of its general population. A suprising amount of transfeminine Vanguard have chosen to adopt the templates of species reminicent of earth Foxes.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  Finally, there is simply converting oneself into a new form. Some Vanguard become digital conciousnesses, and either exist mostly through proxies or via a custom android form. Others take on a more esoteric form, such as one primarily consisting of a cloud of nanites or a gel substrate.

  There are countless subcategories and variations within each category. The sky is the limit darling, what have you dreamed of being, if you could be Anything."

  That was a hell of a question. She wasn't unhappy with the way she looked, with some slight desires for tweaks and maybe finishing with protector tech what modern gender affirming care had started. On the other hand, she'd had dreams of being something a little more than human. Not borged up to look more like a tank than a human, but something slightly mythological, eldritch even.

  "I'm guessing its possible to get cybernetics that still have nerves, or the equivalent?"

  "Of course. Did you have something in mind?"

  Quinn swallowed nervously.

  "I… kind of want wings? and I don't mind replacing most of myself with better things, as long as it still seems human enough I guess. maybe synthetic on the outside for the important bits?"

  "What does 'the important bits' entail."

  "Um, face, hair, maybe torso and um… "

  "Genitalia?"

  Quinn blushed furiously. "Yes."

  "You have nothing to be embarrased about Darling, while I don't share your species proclivity for such things, I also don't share your at times hypocritical aversion either."

  Quinn pouted. "I know, but it still feels like talking about it with my mom, which feels wrong."

  Irys chortled. "Darling girl, you honor me. It has been some time since I parented one of my Vanguard."

  "You've… had to do that?"

  Irys' tone turned melancholy. "Unfortunately, yes. While we strive for mentally mature Samurai, occasionally a promising candidate finds themselves in an incursion while still young, and manages to prove themselves despite their young age."

  That sent Quinn's memories back, to a day she desperately did not want to remember.

  Nope, now was not the time, she needed to keep it together right now. She tried to shove the thoughts down, far away. They fought back, clawing their way into her attention, but her years of practice burying them won out in the end.

  "Hey Quinn, could I ask a liiitle favor?" Quinn glanced over to see Aisha was leaning forward in her chair towards her. "Uh, you doing okay?"

  Quinn quickly schooled her expression. "I'm fine, what can I do for you?"

  A flash of doubt went across Aisha's face, before returning to her trademark shit eating grin. "Can I borrow your shunting catalog, and the vehicle sized weapons one?"

  That was a concerning combo of request, but probably only for the antithesis. "Sure."

  "Oh, Aisha could I borrow your.. whatever lets you do the dashy stuff?"

  "Momentum Drives? yeah sure, knock yourself out."

  Quinn smiled faintly, before switching back to subvocalization.

  "Okay, so I think I'm fine with cybernetics on the inside, and maybe more natural looking stuff on the outside. I'd need surgery to install it though, right? What can we do while on the way to downtown?"

  "The hormonal implant, covering your mental heath and sex hormones can be done via nanites, as can some premlimerary durability enhancements to bones, muscles and tendons I would highly advise. You are correct that more significant changes are best done at a later date."

  Quinn heard munching to her right, and then felt something pushed against her arm. She turned to find Aisha proffering a bag of what looked like chips, though not any brand she'd ever seen. "Want some?"

  "Sure." Quinn grabbed a handful and put them in her mouth. They were the best goddamn chips she'd ever eaten, crispy and salty and spiced with a depth she'd forgotten food could have. She turned back to Aisha, trying her best puppy eyed stare. Aisha stuck out her tongue, but then subvocalized something and another bag dropped into Quinn's hand. It was followed soon after by another two, which Aisha passed one of to her and one of to Elliot, startling him briefly out of his concentration. A quick thanks later and Aisha moved towards the back.

  She was just turning back to resume her talk with Irys when Elliot spoke out from her left. "Hey Quinn, could I get your help with something."

  She turned to him, finding him holding an autoinjector.

  "Just need you to hold this up to the right place on the back of my neck."

  She nodded and took it from him, and he scooted round to show her his nape. She tried to ignore this new angle of his shoulders and back muscles through his bodysuit, did Amazon even have a gym open to minimum wage employees? A spot appeared on his neck through her augs, and she held the thing up to it. There was a hiss, and she pulled it away.

  "Thanks" he said as he turned back towards her, rubbing the back of his neck but smiling. "I appreciate it!"

  She nodded, not quite trusting her words, and turned back to face forward. They were beginning to approach the city by now.

  "Okay, buy those upgrades then and we can get them in now?"

  "Of course, Darling."

  New Purchase: Medical Cybernetics Catalog, Tier 1

  Cost: 75. Points reduced to... 3742

  New Purchase: Combat Cybernetics Catalog, Tier 1

  Cost: 125. Points reduced to... 3617

  New Purchase: Brain Hormone Adjustment Unit

  Cost: 50. Points reduced to... 3567

  New Purchase: HEA Skeleton Reinforcement Package

  Cost: 100. Points reduced to... 3467

  New Purchase: Carbon Fibre Muscle/Tendon Augmentation

  Cost: 150. Points reduced to... 3317

  Three inhalers, two large and one small, dropped into her lap. She eyed them, but one by one held them to her mouth and squirted the contents into her. There was a tingle as it went in, but it otherwise didn't feel much different, a thought she voiced to Irys.

  "The changes arn't instantaneous, the reinforcements will proliferate throughout your body over the course of the next few hours, and the hormone adjustment unit will be constructed by nanites near your brain stem.

  "I see…"

  "Fear not, it will not interfere with your activities. You won't even notice its there until a multi story fall hurts instead of breaking half of your skeletal structure."

  Yeah, I guess she could get behind that.

  They chatted amongst themselves for a little bit, Maia poking their head into the cockpit to join in, but soon the ship reached the PMC fortified position closest to the University.

  The ship extended its landing gear and set down with a decent thunk. Aisha grabbed her hammer and brought it to her back, where it attached and held with hum. Quinn stood up and followed as the two moved into the back of the cabin, past Maia who was zoned out on their augs, and down the steps that extended down.

  Aisha turned back to Quinn, giving her a grin. "I'll try to clear things out here to get you a place to stay, though you can always share my room if you want it."

  Quinn smiled back. "Its tempting, I'll think on it."

  "All I can ask." Aisha stretched her arms out and a huge, multibarreled gun taller than she was dropped into her hands. "Thanks for this one, I'm going to go have some fun with it. Well, Later Cutie, don't have too much fun without me."

  "Be safe, Aisha."

  Aisha left with a wink and leapt towards the campus, starting to rain down a hail of laser fire at the top of her arc.

  Quinn watched her go, before turning back to her drop-ship, only to find a somewhat familiar looking figure in combat armor walking up. They spoke in a somewhat nervous, masculine voice. "Hi, Maiden? Its a long story, but I'm Blade Dancer. Call me Hayden."