“Sayonara…”
Jackie… J-Jackie… I’m sorry…
“Faster.”
Mom… Please… Please don’t be mad…
I never meant to… Shinden… I’m sorry…
“Why are you fighting?”
“Mom? What do you mean…?”
“It is a simple question.”
“B-because, I… I don’t… I don’t know…”
“Put it down.”
“What?”
“Swordplay and swordfighting are two different things. Put it down.”
“I… I can’t…”
Jackie…?
“This job will be the death of you…”
“I know, you said that…”
Jackie, please… Please, stay…
“Where’d you even get that sword, anyway… You said it has a name?…”
“Shinden – Magnificent Lightning…”
“Heh, gotta admit, you either got the biggest balls I ever seen, or you’re dumber than I thought to bring that thing into battle with ya…”
Johnny, stop…!
“Not like that!…”
“Johnny…!”
“Stick some iron in your mouth and pull the trigger!…”
–
“GNN–SH–SHINDEN!” My body convulsed and seized as I shot back to reality, my hand clutching onto something as the world faded back into existence… I– “Auuggh…” I… I can’t… move… I can’t move right… “G-ah…”
“And now, ladies and gentlemen, we’ve entered the closing stages, please give a warm round of applause,” Johnny said sarcastically from somewhere above me… That smell… salt water? I’m… where am I?
“That smell’s the sea breeze,” he said, almost reading my mind… “Get up. Pacific’s beautiful this time of day.”
My world began to come back into focus… What is… Wait… am I holding the red pills? Those pills that Misty gave me, the accelerants?! “Johnny…?” I muttered, “What have you done…?!”
“Drove your pale, clammy ass back to the city, that’s what,” he told me matter-of-factly, “Had to take one of Misty’s pills to make it back here ‘fore you flatlined. Figured we could use a roof over our heads that wasn’t falling apart at the seams.”
I struggled to get up… my whole body was… painful… aching… and tired. My arms felt like they were made of concrete… My sword was – my – my sword?! “Johnny…” I mumbled, now really pissed off, “Did you leave Izanami at the airport?!”
“The ‘Saka plant? Nah, took it with us,” he replied dismissively, “It’s inside. Tracker and all.”
“What? What tracker?”
“Come on, can’t be that naive, of course they’re gonna put a tracker on that shit,” he rolled his eyes, “We’ll deal with that later. Now come on, got a nice view and room for two.”
“Mmmh…” I groaned and slowly rose up, the sun utterly blinding me at first, “How long was I out…?”
“About 18 hours, enough for the sun to start setting,” he replied, eyeballing the ground behind me, “You pasted yourself right there for most of it. Man, I dunno how you do it with those fuckin’ implants of yours. Your arms feel like boat anchors.”
“Thanks, Johnny, that’s – that’s real kind of you…” I said sarcastically, blinking until my eyes adjusted, “We’re in… Pacifica?”
Johnny’s eyes were visible behind his sunglasses, analyzing the horizon as we stared out together. “Mm. Hotel Pistis Sophia. We’re her sole guests right now.”
“Hotel Pistis Sophia…” I repeated, trailing off as I glimpsed the city in the distance, “You’re right… it is a beautiful view…”
The air was unusually quiet today. Everything was still, as if the world had been captured in a painting. The sun shone a bright kaleidoscope of color shown over the horizon, streaking the sky in stains of yellow and orange. I could just barely make out the spaceport through the haze – while the light pollution blocked out the stars at night, it did display a near-perfect rainbow of cascading beauty at this hour. “Why’d you take me here…?” I whispered, almost as if I didn’t want to scare the sunset away, like it was an elusive animal.
“Want to show you somethin’,” he replied softly, “It’s inside.”
“I’ll be there, just… give me a minute,” I breathed out, resting my head on my interlocked hands as I leaned on the balcony.
Johnny scootched a little closer to me, studying my expression carefully. “Something on your mind…?”
“Mm…” I mumbled under my breath, “Thinking about my family… They’re somewhere over there, you know. My mother and father… I… I was thinking about what they would say about me… the War, Shinden, Jackie, the heist, all this Arasaka bullshit, just… everything… And I… I feel ashamed of myself… I mean, a lot of wonderful things happened, too – Judy, uh… uhm… yeah, Judy,” I chuckled.
“Heh, and where do I fit into all that?”
It took me a cool ten seconds to formulate an answer. “I… I don’t know, Johnny… I guess it changes, you know? One day, we’re at each other’s throats. The next, you’re picking me up off the ground and bringing me somewhere safe, I– I just… I don’t know. But I guess that’s the nature of any friendship, right?”
Johnny shook his head and took out a cigarette. “You have a weird concept of friendship, then,” he said sarcastically.
“So they tell me…”
The sun’s rays danced merrily as I finally leaned away from the balcony, stretching out my neck and arms. My body was still sore, as if I’d just finished some tremendous battle and didn’t have anything to eat… I guess Johnny wasn’t courteous enough to stop for food…
“Mmrrgh…” I groaned as I leaned on boxes for support.
“Oh, stop being such a drama queen and come on,” Johnny ushered me around the corner.
“Thanks… for taking care of me…” I muttered, pocketing the pill bottle to put in my backpack again later.
“Hey, what’re imaginary friends for?” he replied with a hint of laughter, “Come on, just through here.”
“What is…?”
“You’ll see.” Man, if this fucking guy led me to a drug den or something…
“I’ll return the favor… for helping me, by the way,” I said reassuringly, “Samurai always keep their word, you know…”
“Hah, yet you’re such a fuckin’ terrible liar,” he laughed cheekily, “But I’ll hold you to that. Now come on, headed inside of this room here.”
“Yeah, yeah…” I complained, “You know, I’m surprised you didn’t try and sleep with me or something… Heheh…”
“Well technically it’d be jackin’ off. But nah, you got Judy, ain’t signin’ off on that ‘thout her consent. ‘Sides, you’re not my type. Not interested in prissy, sleazeball corpo types.”
“And I’m not interested in demented rockerboys with hard drugs falling from their assholes, so I guess we’re even.”
“Bah, keep tellin’ yourself that,” he said after a brief pause, “Now come on, hop in.”
“Alright… nnnmm-GUH…” Yeah, I’m checking for broken glass before I fall onto the floor next time… Big mistake on my part… “Okay… I’m in…”
“Come on into the kitchen,” Johnny instructed, “There’s a vent beneath the sink. Open it, take out what’s inside.”
“Johnny… Okay, where’s my sword. Sword first, then whatever’s in there,” I said insistently.
He rolled his head in contempt and frustration. “Fine… sword’s under the mattress.”
“Good boy,” I grinned, reaching down and prying open the vent. Alright, let’s see what we’ve… we’ve… “Johnny…?”
“You showed me yours, I show you mine.” This… this wasn’t a joke. Johnny’s giving me his dog tags…
“You realize the significance of this action for me, right?” I asked him incredulously, sitting down beside the vent and observing the light reflecting off the tags… “Robert John Linder… Born November 16, 1988… Heh, we have the same blood type, how about that…”
“I do. Also know you have a thing for names,” he replied somberly, sitting on a chair opposite me, “Tags are from the Mexican conflict. A friend of mine held ‘em, just as you’re holding ‘em now.”
“Wait, Mexico?” I interrupted him, “No no, the Second Central American War was further south… Columbia, Ecuador, Nicaragua… Ring any bells?”
“V, please, I–”
“No no, I think you’re misremembering again,” I quickly stopped him once more.
“Know what? Fine, put the fucking things back, then,” he sneered in frustration, storming off, “Why do I even fuckin’ bother…”
“I… I'm sorry…” I said weakly, “I didn’t mean to insult you, I just got confused, and–”
“Yeah, kind of a common trend for you…” he brushed the air behind him before turning back around and sitting down again, “Let me tell you a story. Back then, I was a pissbrained little corpo scop like you. And – like you – I enlisted, hopin’ I could do some good in the world. A purpose – something to live for, or something to die for.”
“Johnny…”
“Lemme ask you somethin’, V, and I want you to be honest,” he leaned in and stared directly at me as the dog tags clattered in my hand, “Would you take a bullet for me?”
“Ee–…” I stuttered… I had to think long and hard about what to say… “I, uh… I think that, if you asked me that question a couple of months ago, my answer would’ve been something like, ‘What’s the difference? I’m dying for you anyway, a bullet would just make it happen faster.’”
“Mhm. And now?”
“Now… yes, Johnny. Yeah, I’d take a bullet for you.” It took some effort to admit that… I had to swallow a bit, looking again at the dog tags.
“Way I see it, we’re two soldiers fightin’ side by side, day in, day out,” Johnny mused out-loud, “Been thinkin’ about our predicament…”
“Oh? What about it?”
He took off his glasses and idly played with them a bit before continuing. “I wanna make one thing clear – I will do you no wrong. When the time comes, if it’s one or the other, I’m gettin’ wiped. End of discussion. Tags’re proof of my promise.”
I held the weight of the tags up against crushing gravity. “Johnny… I… I don’t know what to say…” I stuttered, “I’d do the same for you. A-and I’ll try my best to see to it that neither of us will need to make that choice…”
“Yeah, thanks,” he passively nodded, staring off into space, “You seriously considering Yorinobu’s offer?”
“For a renewed purpose? I am,” I admitted, “It’s an interesting proposal, I… I’d like to leave the world better than the one I joined, you know?”
“Yeah…” he sighed, “But it doesn’t address the problem of you leavin’ the world.”
I shook my head and bit my lip, losing myself in thought. “No… no, it doesn’t. But if he can’t do anything, then neither can Hanako. Or anyone else, for that matter.”
“So where does that leave us?”
“I… I guess we all gotta die someday,” I frowned, taking off Jackie’s pendant, “I should be dead, you know. With Jackie. A-and I… gotta make my peace with that…”
Johnny leaned back in his seat, idly twiddling his thumbs. “Then we go with Alt.”
“What? No…” I shot back, “No, there’s gotta be something we’re missing…”
“V…”
“Hang on – I mean, some way to, I dunno, freeze the program, short-circuit it, o-or maybe I could get Judy to–”
“V,” he said insistently.
“What?!”
Johnny tapped his foot against the ripped, cheap linoleum tile, shaking his head at me. “V, we’re done. You know it, and I know it.”
“I–… Yeah…” I mumbled, my eyes watering up a little, “…Yeah.”
“Was in the Second Corpo War that I learned that the corps always win,” he continued, his voice returning to a normal volume, “Ordinary people – nobles included – we always lose.”
I sniffled a bit, cracking a slight smile upon hearing his usual diatribe. “Heh… That why you became a musician?”
“Nah, but it is why I deserted,” he quickly retorted, “Wound up here. Locked in this room. Laid on the bed and stared at the ceiling fan for a good month.”
“Honestly…” I sighed, “I wouldn’t mind doing the same right now.”
Johnny eyeballed the ceiling fan in the middle of the room, “Yeah, well, we don’t have that kinda time, not when the last attack almost flatlined you.”
“True…” I muttered, getting up and walking over to the bed, “I just don’t know anymore, Johnny… I’m tired…”
“Look, Alt’s your best shot whether you like it or not… I just have one final request.”
“Sure, anything.”
“Adam Smasher – Yorinobu gave you that sword for a reason. Thing’s practically designed to take out an FBC,” Johnny pointed under the mattress where he hid the blade, “I want him zero’d. Gone. And I want Rogue to be there when it happens.”
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I had to do a double-take – what the fuck? “What?! O-okay, first of all, what’s Rogue got to do with any of this?!”
“Trust me, she’s got just as much skin in this game as me.”
I closed my eyes, trying to process just what the fuck he was on about… “Johnny, Rogue doesn’t give a fuck. She’s Queen of the Afterlife, what the hell are you talking about?”
“She used to work with Smasher, that’s what,” he shot back, “Did a little reading of my own while you were out cold.”
“What?! Where’d you read– Know what, why am I even asking…” I dramatically breathed out before collapsing on the busted-up mattress, sagging into the rock-hard bed springs. "Fuck, I'm so tired…"
Johnny stood by the window, his glasses reflecting patches of light into the room. “Okay. Think of it like this. We’ll have to deal with Smasher either way. Least this way, Rogue can help us get one step ahead. Figure out where the bastard lives. Can kill ‘im in his sleep.”
“Sleep… or… plugged into a wall outlet, or whatever the fuck he does…” I said with a chuckle, sitting up and facing him, “Heh… Alright, fine, I can work with that. But I doubt that she’ll go for that. Trying to get intel on Adam Smasher’s a good way to disappear permanently.”
“Fair point…” Johnny glared down at the floor, “Alright, I got an idea. I’ll jog her memory. Steer the ship a bit.”
I… what?! What the hell is he talking about now?! “Johnny, wait… I don’t like this…”
“You don’t like plenty o’shit, what’s the difference?” he retorted, “Look, this’s gotta work both ways. You have complete control all the time. All I wanna do’s see an old friend before I bite the dust. Is that really too much to ask?”
“And what’s your plan, exactly? Just stroll in to the Afterlife and sit down next to Rogue like, ‘Hey, it’s Johnny, I swear. Check out my new rack.’ Please.”
Johnny rolled his head in amusement. “Funny as it’d be to shake those D’s of yours in her face, I got a better idea. Go in there, talk to her, then I’m out. Simple as that.”
“And then what, stop by your local nuke store, see if they do same-day delivery to Arasaka?”
“For the last time,” he stopped me, “No. Secret. Plan.”
I rested my head in the palm of my hand, considering his angle. “I… You know what? Fine…” The dog tags rustled in my pocket as I fished them out, “You bought yourself some time with these. But on one condition.”
“Oh?”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do…” I sighed deeply, “Please.”
“Cross my heart,” he said quietly as I got up and stretched my legs out, “Let’s get goin’.”
“Oh no, you’re forgetting…” I sneered, reaching under the mattress and grabbing Izanami.
“Tch…” Johnny mumbled, “Okay, even I’ll admit, it does look pretty fuckin’ cool.” You’re goddamn right, it does… Now keep kissing my ass and I might even let you borrow it for a few hours.
–
“Vik…” I greeted him with a long sigh as I walked in, “How’re things?”
Vik quickly rose up out of his chair, his face painted with worry, “Better’n you. Fucking hell, V, you really need to learn the definition of the word ‘subtlety,’ you know that?” he quipped, “Seriously, though, how are ya, kid?”
He was the one person I could never hold back from. “Could be better…” I admitted, “Could be worse, I guess…”
“So I’ve seen,” he glared back to the TV, “Between that and someone callin’ me in the wee hours of the morning asking about you. Girl named Judy.”
I laughed a little, not expecting that. “Heh… yeah, she’s, uh… my girlfriend.”
“Oh?” he smiled, “Guess congratulations are in order. New sword, too?”
“Yeah, it’s a bit longer than Shinden…” I mumbled, “Shinden, uh… Well…”
“I know, I know, I saw on the news…” he took a long, deep breath, “I’m sorry, V.”
“Thanks… I mean, I still have it, just… well…”
“It’s alright, you don’t need to elaborate if you don’t want to,” he gave me a sincere smile, “And what’s this? Standard-issue katana?”
“Not… uh, not exactly.”
“Pff, figured with you,” he sat back down, putting his glove back on and screwing it in place, “So you gonna keep me in suspense, or what?”
“Actually I was hoping you’d take a look at it for me,” I said humbly, “If you don’t mind?”
Vik looked back over with an inquisitive eyebrow raised. “Oh? Heh, what could I do? Why don’t you take it to a bladesmith instead? I mean, I know you assign sentimental value to ‘em, but katana are katana, V.”
“Not like this one, they’re not,” my voice was stern and demanding.
Vik got up and eyeballed the sword again. “Mm… Well, first thing’s first, let’s get to work on you. Willing to bet your nanosurgeons are shot to shit.” He’s not wrong…
–
“…So he gave me his dog tags.”
“Heh… Robert John Linder… Never knew his real name,” Vik muttered, removing his glove and placing it in the sterilizing bath.
“Yeah, but I think he just prefers Johnny… Anyway, what’s the butcher’s bill this time?” I asked him as he washed his hands behind me.
“Best guess before I ring you up is, a lot,” Vik said frankly, coming over to me as I put my gloves and shoes back on, “Most of your carpals and metacarpals had cracks in ‘em, had to fill those in. Shards of your sword and your gloves’ magnetic coating are embedded in your bones now – you try and grab a doorknob yet?”
“Yeah… it’s sorta… sticky?”
“Mhm, that’s because your hands are magnetized now,” he continued, “Can’t dig any of that out without replacing whole sections of bone with fresh material, gotta send out for that. But I wouldn’t, if I were you.”
“Oh? Why?”
“I’ll get to that – also your nerves are deadened. Permanently. Nothing I can do. Seems that your hands were so badly burned that you won’t be able to feel much of anything ‘sides texture and temperature with ‘em.”
“My right hand is worse…” I noted, “I can’t feel anything at all in three fingers…”
“Nor will you ever again,” he shook his head and frowned, “What happened?!”
I explained everything to him – the thermal Mantis Blades, the battle, my sword self-immolating before it was destroyed… “And… well, yeah, that’s the story.”
Vik paused, taking a second to absorb what I was telling him. “Shit… Well it’s no wonder you had basically no nanosurgeons left. You burned them all out.”
“I’ll… try to remember that the next time my sword catches fire,” I laughed at myself, “Thanks, Vik.”
“Course, anytime,” he replied reassuringly, “Now, let’s check out this sword of yours…”
“Mhm, it’s an Arasaka prototype. Izanami, it’s called,” I told him, setting the shard down on the table next to it, “Named after the–”
“The creation myth, yeah, Misty’s rambled on about stuff like that for years, heh,” Vik interrupted with a chuckle.
“P-heh,” I snickered, “Right, well, it’s actually equipped with an optical camouflage. Looks like any ordinary sword, but it can change colors or even turn invisible if I wanted. Same with the saya.”
“What?” Vik recoiled back a little, “Lemme see this shard…”
He collected the device off the table, heading back over to the computer and quickly scanning it. “Well?” I asked after a few minutes of seeing him feverishly read through diagrams and schematics.
“Where’d you say this thing came from?”
“I’m not sure, I– the previous owner wasn’t exactly forthcoming when he gave it to me,” I admitted.
“Someone gave it to you?”
“Mhm.”
“V, this isn’t something a person gives you without expecting something else in return,” he said insistently, “This thing’s loaded with enough tech to make President Myers herself blush with envy. Who the hell gave it to you?”
“You, uh… wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
Vik got back up from his seat and walked towards me. “Try me, V.”
“Alright…” I sighed, “Yorinobu Arasaka.”
“Whoa, whoa, wait–” he stammered in response, “You mean to tell me that Yorinobu Arasaka himself came down from Arasaka Tower and personally delivered you this sword?”
…Okay, when he says it like that, it does sound pretty far-fetched. “…Yeah.”
“Shi-it… well I couldn’t say I’d believe it unless you had some evidence to back it up,” he glanced back down at the sword, “But there it is, I guess.”
“Johnny says he thinks it has a tracker on it.”
“No, no tracker,” Vik replied reassuringly, “Scans would’ve picked it up. Learned my lesson after what’s-his-name put that tracker in your shoulder.”
“Takemura.”
“Yeah, that’s the guy,” he nodded, “Anyway, sword’s clean. Just… alarming.”
“What? Why?”
Vik got up and paced around the room a little, evidently thinking long and hard about the sword. “Mm, here, you hungry?”
“Uhm…”
“C’mon, just ordered some Chinese and it’s festerin’ in the back. Helps me think,” he replied earnestly.
“Oh… uh, thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Vik led me behind the office to where I assume he… lives. Wow, his place is actually kind of nice, too. Garage filled with tools, a comfortable couch, really nova computer setup – not as nice as Judy’s, obviously, but nobody’s perfect. And a couple of containers filled with chow mein that I wolfed down in about two minutes. “Good?” he asked me as he took back the empty boxes.
“So good… I needed the energy.”
“Heh, I figured,” he chuckled, tossing them in the garbage along with the chopsticks, “Anything for my favorite customer.”
“Not to mention the customer who just paid you.”
“Hey now, I’m not a scummy neo-capitalist, but everyone’s gotta keep the lights on,” Vik shook his head with a hint of sarcasm, “Anyway, the sword…”
“Yeah, you mentioned it was alarming.”
The former boxer-turned-ripperdoc looked around the room, seemingly searching for the right words. “I’m gonna put this as simply as I can – this weapon represents a generational leap in terms of communication tech.”
“Oh? How so?”
His foot idly tapped on the metal flooring as he spoke. “All electronic devices come in generations – take your phone, for example. At one point, all phones had a physical cable which linked them into the telephone lines. Then some bright sparks figured out how to communicate wirelessly – your sword’s not quite there yet, but it’s only about one step behind.” Vik pointed to my hand, drawing my attention as he continued. “Those magnets in your hands. I’m willing to bet that if we sent a wire to ‘em, connecting them to some sorta power supply…”
“What? What’re you talking about, Vik?”
Viktor paused mid-thought. “Okay, Cyberware 101. How do you get an implant like, I dunno… Mantis Blades to work?”
“You wire it directly to the nerves, run it off a battery?”
“Mhm. This sword, though – it ‘talks’ to the magnets in your hand. Almost like a cellphone getting a signal. It’s connecting to you, but you can’t feed it any inputs because those magnets are just… well, magnets. What you need – what the sword needs, is power.”
“Oh… Hmm…” I deliberated, “So… what you’re proposing is we run an electric current through the magnets–”
“At varying intensities,” he finished my statement, “Plus we could modulate the output with amplifiers and resistors, charge it with a dynamo that’ll run off your body movement… Hell, I bet you can make the damn thing dance if you wanted.” That sounds tantalizing… And frightening.
“So you want to… uh… electrify me?”
“Well, as they say, there’s an implant for that,” he said surprisingly calmly, “It’s the same thing that’s used to power electric blades, Gorilla Arms, exoskeleton interfaces, that sorta thing – basically just a small, really dense battery with some insulated wires. Runs off the heat your body generates when you exert yourself.”
“Vik… I…” I stammered, my face sullen, “I don’t know… That’s… That’s a lot…”
“Mmh…” he mumbled, sitting down next to me, “It scares you, doesn’t it? The sword.”
“I mean… yeah. Yeah, it does.”
“Why?”
“Because… bah…” my head loosely hung down from my neck as I breathed out, eyes darting around the floor, “It’s a thermal blade, Vik. And I don’t want to see people in that kind of pain… I-I just…”
“No need to elaborate, I get it…” he said somberly, “Funny thing… I think you’d actually make a fantastic boxer.”
“What?” I looked over at him with a confused expression.
“Mhm. You always said you wanted to be a dancer, right? ‘S exactly what you do in the ring. Plus, with your implants, you’ll be able to cheap-shot people like there’s no tomorrow. And you got the heart for it.”
“Hah, thanks, I think…” I smiled a bit, “Maybe I’ll consider it the next time I look for a change of pace.”
“Now now, hang on, lemme finish,” he stopped me, “Here’s the problem with a lotta boxers these days – they’re just rich kids who buy the best implants. Hell, it’s more of an exhibition between chrome manufacturers than anything. Same goes for a lotta sports. Football, baseball, you name it. Passion only gets ya so far these days. The rest, well, that’s all chrome.”
“Says the guy who came in second place in the Heavyweight Finals despite being natural.”
“Different times, V, but here’s my point,” he interrupted, “You’ve got basically no cyberware connected to your brain at all. Heh, hell, you don’t even have a pain editor or biomon or anything. Frankly I’m shocked that you didn’t ask me to get rid of your neural link yet.”
“Wait, you can get rid of that?!” Why did that never occur to me… I guess I couldn’t really do my job without it, though.
“Hah, I rest my case… Anyway, look. It doesn’t matter what you put into your body. All you gotta do is make sure you don’t take anything out.”
“Meaning?”
“Your heart, V. You can have as much or as little cyberware as you want. But that spirit that lives inside you… That’s what makes you, you. Not some wires or whatever.”
I took my gloves off and twiddled my thumbs… I never thought I’d actually consider something like this… “What… uh… what’ll it do? If I get this, what’ll it do with my sword?”
“Your sword? Well, it seems to react based on intensity,” Vik elaborated, “Put simply, the more power you feed it, the hotter it’ll get. All I’d do is give it a power source, nothing more.”
“And then what, I think about the sword getting hotter…”
“And the sword does it, pretty much,” he continued, his hands dancing around while he was talking, “From what I can gleam, it also reacts to your emotions, like any other part of your body. When you’re angry, your face goes red. When you’re sad, your eyes tear up. The sword’s no different.”
“So… what if I just… never use it? As a thermal sword.”
“I mean, if you want,” he shrugged, “But if you want my two eds, I say just do whatever makes you comfortable. You got along nice with your other sword, right? So what’s the difference in terms of your fighting style?”
“Mm… but forego all of that extra utility because I’m stubborn…” I muttered, “A fact that Johnny reminds me of pretty much constantly.”
“Sure, there’s utility in it. But it’s still your body,” he reiterated, “I won’t do any work that you’re not comfortable with. I’m just tellin’ ya the limitations. And the fact is, well – if you’re thinkin’ of going toe-to-toe with Adam Smasher… I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but a regular sword just ain’t gonna cut it. No pun intended. Yorinobu gave you this thing for a reason, ‘s all I’m saying.”
“Right…” I nodded pensively, my jaw idly dancing from left to right.
“Listen, V. You’ve done alright for yourself,” he muttered, leaning towards me, “But if I were you, I’d like to have an insurance policy in case that bastard decides to roll up on your door. Otherwise, ain’t no way you’re comin’ back into this office except in a very small body bag.”
“Hmmph…” I mulled, letting my breath idly leave my mouth, weighing my options. What he’s suggesting goes against every value I’ve ever taken pride in… I’ve made it this far on my own. Jackie begged me for years to get some better tech, to actually get properly chipped instead of ‘just half-assing it all the time,’ as he would say. Hell, even my mother had synthetic muscle fibers, last time we spoke, and she was the pinnacle of traditionalism.
“Hey,” Johnny appeared, “Just get the goddamn implant already.”
“Johnny… I…”
“No, V,” he interrupted, “There’s a difference between confidence and vanity. Fuck me, it ain’t even a real chip, you’re implanting yourself with a fuckin’ power supply. Might as well just swallow a double-A battery, be the same fuckin’ thing. Cry me a goddamn river with this bullshit.”
“Wow, you really know how to inspire a girl, don’t you?” I growled at him. But… and I hated to admit it… Johnny was right. I’d have to face Smasher at some point. It could be today, it could be when we go after Mikoshi. Either way, it’s prudent to be ready. And it's literally just a power unit and some wires.
Samurai are known for adaptive tactics within our rigid structure. Sure, we still practice a lot that people might see as ‘archaic.’ But we were killing each other with guns for the best part of five centuries. There’s a difference between being proud of one’s traditions and being so wrapped up technophobia that it becomes paralyzing. Use what’s effective, period. Don’t forget why you’re here, V.
“Okay,” I turned to Vik, “Do it.”
“You sure?” he got up and asked me one last time.
“And money is no object.”
Vik carefully studied me, probably to make sure I wasn’t going insane. “For a woman carrying around a sword that’d command seven figures without breaking a sweat? Heh, I expect nothing less. But what you're askin' for, take me about ten minutes and a few hundred eds. Buckle up…”
–
“Alright, now you’re gonna feel a slight tingle in your arms, that’s normal…” he explained, showing the computer screen to me, “Movement charges the dynamo, so you’ll produce more power when you’re active. And for God’s sake, don’t touch the conductors to your head and discharge ‘em, unless you wanna flash-boil your brain into dust.”
“Heh, I’ll keep that in mind,” I chuckled, “Man, that feels… weird.” The charged grating running along my forearms gave me goosebumps… I reached over and gently hovered my fingers over the skin and–OW!
“Yeah, electricity arcs, you’ll learn to control ‘em over time,” he winced, “Careful, you can easily burn yourself that way. Or worse. Those suckers are insanely overpowered for someone with no power draw.” Oh, great… “Normally these are fitted to people with advanced cyberarms as power sources. In your case, well… with your weapon’s demand, you might get around two minutes of full-tilt heat with that. Should be more than sufficient, though, especially since you're chargin' it up whenever you move.”
"How… overpowered, exactly…?"
"Enough that it'll be lethal to someone if you held on long enough with the thing activated," he elaborated.
“Man, this is bizarre…” I mumbled to myself. It felt like… I couldn’t even describe it. How would I describe it? Learning that I have a new organ? “Is this what it feels like to have a cyberarm…?”
“Not really, you're just not used to it, so it feels like a bigger deal than it actually is,” he shrugged, "Just think of it like an extension of the sword, as opposed to an extension of your body - not that there's much difference between those two at this point."
“Heh, of course,” I smiled at him before getting up and stretching my legs. I’ll always be grateful to have such an accommodating ripperdoc. He truly was the gem of this city, him and Misty. “Thanks, Vik. Really.”
“Sure, sure,” he replied reassuringly, handing me my gloves, and sword, “Now, I know it might seem excessive, but that's genuinely the base-level tech you got. Ultra-high density battery mesh and the best insulation money can buy. Purely functional. No frills, no compromises, and everything's easy to remove, so if you have second thoughts or it gets damaged–”
“I’ll know just who to call,” I finished his statement with a beaming grin on my face. I never thought I’d actually be excited for something like this… It just feels so… unique. I set my sword down and reached out for a hug, but he instinctively backed off.
“C’mon, you really wanna give me a heart attack?” he laughed, nodding to my arms. Crap… right.
“Bah! Sorry…”
Vik, the saint of a man, sat back down on his chair and looked up at me with the expression of a kind, caring gentleman. “Ah, it’s okay. Just take your immunosuppressants and be careful until you get used to ‘em. And remember, it’s not what you put inside you, it’s what you take out.”
“I’ll try…” I shakily nodded, still super giddy, “Oh, and what about my brain scan?”
“Ah, right, the biochip, how could we ever forget that…” he rolled his eyes sarcastically and glanced over to the monitor, “Let’s see… hmph.”
“What, what’s wrong?”
“Seems like it’s reached the cortex… probably why you blacked out so hard. That Hellman guy you mentioned wasn’t lyin’ – your brain’s comin’ under new management.”
“What?!” I felt an arc suddenly fire from my arm and hit my leg, “Gah! God… fuck.”
“Yeah, like I said, they’ll take some gettin’ used to,” he said with a hint of laughter, “Ahem… sorry. Look, I, uh… if I’m reading this right, then you don’t have a lotta time left. I know you’ve beaten the clock so far, but it’s not stopping…”
“I know, Vik, I…” I frowned, rubbing my temple with my hand before immediately lowering it in case I shocked myself again, “Fuck…”
“Sorry, Cap… Whatever you're planning on doing, better do it fast, cause this is it… Just the way it is…”
“Yeah, I…” I frowned and kicked the floor, “Yeah…”
I didn’t know what I was expecting. God dammit… Hopefully Yorinobu enacts his plan soon, otherwise neither of us will make it out of any of this mess alive… “Can I do anything…?” Vik asked me with sincerity in his voice.
“I-I don’t know…” I replied with a stutter, “I gotta go pick up my car.”
“Where is it? I’ll drive you,” Vik got up from his chair and started towards me without so much as a second thought.
Izanami and its saya instantly turned translucent as I clipped it to my side, a helpful party trick… Still have to get used to literally feeling my sword, but I guess exotics do it with their ears and tails, so what’s the difference, really…
Still… those intrusive thoughts started returning… Making me think I’m weak as shit because of all this. What’s sad is that these implants are effectively mandatory, and I should know that. Hell, these aren’t even anything major, they’re just batteries and conductive elements. So why, then, do I just feel like a fucking abomination right now…
I turned around and headed to the grate that locked his office up. “No, it’s… it’s pretty far. Just… text my girlfriend, let her know I’m okay, if you wouldn’t mind? Also could you tell Misty to collect my things and throw them in her van? I'm probably gonna have to move soon… And tell her to feed my cat.”
“Pff, and you have a cat now? What next, gonna splurge on more fish, too?” he laughed, “Don't worry, we got you covered. Just be careful, Cap. And get a damn haircut soon, yeah?” Heh, I needed some of his dry humor…
“Thanks, Vik…”
Part of me is terrified by all this… The pulsing, the rhythmic humming in my arms… the way the static electricity leapt to the gate as I slammed it behind me… The arcs themselves were invisible, yet I felt them like someone pulling at a hair, just not pulling hard enough to yank it out… I just… I think I need some space…
---
Produced: 2063-2070 (project discontinued)
Blade length: 92cm
Blade profile: Thermal element, curved, single-edged
Hilt type: 1.5 to 2-handed, without tsuba
Blade composition: Compressed tungsten core with nitrogen-infused ceramic heating elements surrounded by liquid platinum. Experimental monocrystalline M80 ultra-high speed tool steel cutting edge.
Saya/sheath: Electrified simple sleeve painted in flat-black, composed of 99.99% pure tungsten with hafnium carbonitride interior
Power: Advanced supercapacitor bank storing 48mW, discharged over two seconds for fast heat, repurposed Gorilla Arm battery pack for maintaining temperature. Both sources recharged through kinetic and heat recovery systems.
Thermal properties: 2,500C limited combat temperature, 4,000C-plus maximum temperature (NOT ADVISABLE: Blade geometry may be compromised when reaching temperatures exceeding 4,000C)
