Night City Legend Chapter 8 (Patreon)

With Sasha's situation dealt with... Now it was time for me to deal with my own situation. It was high time for my organic ass to embrace the Omnissiah and lose a good chunk of my weak inner fleshy bits.

As the more 'weak' fleshy bits I had in my body that were very fragile, the less I could truly use my Mass Effect fields and other bits of space magic. Either way it was time to move on up in the world. 

Getting back into my apartment went without issue and seeing that Commander White's formatting mind was going to take another twenty minutes or something probably. I looked over at 2B and said. "Alright 2B, you can handle-"

2B cut me off with a wry smile and said. "Jake stop right there... How do you think Commander White or another android will react seeing you being cut apart by a machine and having things stuffed into you, and replacing your organs."

I paused at that. And after a moment of thought I sunk in place a bit. "Dammit. She would lose her mind probably." I muttered as I just wanted to get in the Auto Doc as I had a whole damned list of shit I needed stuffed into myself after all.

So I just settled in for one more major social interaction before I got a dozen something implants stuffed into myself. 'Hmm, would it have been a good or terrible idea to have made Popola and Devola before I did this surgery?' I mused to myself as 2B called out.

"Would you care for a drink Jake? You haven't had anything since you woke up previously." 

"Yeah I appreciate it 2B." 

So while 2B relaxed after getting my drink, I got onto my laptop and synched into my camera's connected to the recycling factory I made outside of the city, and as I looked into it. I smiled as the factory had done what I wanted previously and had dug out the fifteen-meter-thick trash and e-waste surrounding the factory.

Allowing the factory itself to almost sink out of sight of the surrounding trash sea, and allow my constructors to work like tiny mud crabs, making literal tunnels as they mined through the ten to thirty meters tall piles of trash and electronic waste.

'If it wasn't for how the Night City government would try to fuck me with trying to charge me for the right to the trash that was endlessly piling up. I would be almost proud of making a dent in the fucking endless trash of this city.' I mused.

But the most important part was the fact that my factory was still secured, and with that I got into the funds collected by 2B who had hacked into some unsecured criminal accounts and then using the state database I did some mental math as I tried to plan my next move.

"2B, in the information you have collected, how well do you scale against a Super Mutant Behemoth." As a Super Mutant Behemoth wasn't subtle in any way whether it was being controlled by Vault Tech or not.

2B gave a heavy exhale and said frankly. "I am much faster than it from the information I have gathered online so I can hamstring and cut it down without too much issue if its a wild one... But if it's in Tesla Power Armor, I may not be able to deal with it." 

Ah yes... The latest in Vault Tech's fuck you to Umbrella they were working on and its existence got leaked onto the web. A massive Super Mutant Behemoth which was wearing Tesla Power Armor which had a self-contained nuclear power core, and arced with so much lightning while on the field.

That bullets with a copper coating would melt, missiles would have their detonators melted and electronic internals fried... Those bastards were only being hinted at being under Vault Tech's control and I didn't want to imagine what Umbrella was going to unleash to counter such a monster.

Either way, this all came back to the very large property out in the badlands that was completely isolated from all sources of water, any nature, and everything else that I was looking into buying from the Night City Government.

"I am buying a massive plot of land out in the badlands, as we need a heavily... Stupidly heavily fortified position where I can put up the Space Elevator." I said firmly as Cyberpunk was filled with assholes.

And this world had Vault Tech and Umbrella... The two mega corporations that looked at human rights violations and decided it was a fucking to-do list.

So I wanted my own impossible-to-breach fortress where I couldn't be fucked with frankly.

"Once again, we will need D-Unit's and Commander White leading them if you want an automated and protected site Jake." 2B said patiently making my lips twitch with irritation as she was totally correct.

I needed a small army of YoRHa units on stand-by for the simple reason of needing a bunch of androids that could shred any attempts to physically hack into my own systems as I sure as hell wasn't going to allow any wifi or other remote access near by technology.

But just as I finished buying the property anyway that was dirt cheap due to it being nothing but sand and badlands that didn't have a lick of oil or any other minerals of note. A soft buzzing rang out and I stood up.

"White is coming online," I said as I made my way over to my tiny workshop that was in my walk-in closet.

And as 2B opened up the closet I watched 2B pause as Commander White was already sitting upright. And much like herself, had not a single iota of care for her nudity.

"2E?" White spoke in some confusion and then her eyes snapped to me and she stopped... Literally stopped in complete motion with her mouth falling open at the sight of myself.

"Are... Are you human?" Commander White asked in confusion while looking between me and 2B quickly.

Though, I did very much notice Commander White's slip-up calling 2B by her 'true' name as an Executioner model.

Commander White stood up, and my eyes were drawn to her very lovely large breasts that bounced with the motion as she closed in on me. But then 2B stuck an arm in front of White stopping her at the door of my workshop.

"Commander, I believe you need to calm down and properly process an information packet I will be sending you. You are being irrational." 2B said calmly.

And 2B calm but firm words combined with her arm blocking Commander White from going any further made the Operator unit pause before she nodded and I saw as Commander White's eyes flash as her highly advanced systems connected to 2B's and took the data package.

Then 2B looked back to me and said calmly. "I sent a copy of all the data, I collected from the web, and the information you have given me and the relevant proof of how humanity has degraded in this world line and needs to be... Corrected."

'Did I accidentally make my own Skynet... No I maybe made Skynut as androids would much rather pamper humans than eradicate us.' I mused with a nervous laugh bubbling up that I pushed down.

But even with my thoughts whirling inside my mind, I still took a breath and said. "Well 2B, tell White to put on her clothes after she is done... Processing." I finished with a wry smile at just seeing Commander White standing there naked and seemingly staring into the void.

But in reality, I knew she was reviewing the data/memories that 2B had collected over the last few days.

So with that, I just went over to the Auto-Doc and began checking all the cyberware that would be getting put into my body.

Sandevistan/Sub Dermal Armor/Fireproof Coating/Cyberdeck/ and finally Optics. Those were all the major hard/cyberware I was getting that would majorly change my body on the outside.

But I was far deeper in the Bioware side of cyberware that I was getting and planned to get as already from all the Maelstrom I had 2B butcher I had samples and created better forms of various bioforms of cyberware that was for sure being implanted within myself.

Such as the Organ Augmentation which would surround various organs with a nanomachine netting weave that would enhance, heal, and protect all my organs inside my chest and help should I desire to replace the organs in general.

And a whole other list of things as well. The Haemastamen, Stem Cells, Bioengineered Muscles, Bone Augmentation, Melanochrome, Carbon Skinweave, Internal Subdermal Mesh. All things with fancy names but all very much would make my body a lot stronger and more resilient.

But all of those things were bio-engineered super organs with biotechnology that allowed for me to pass for a human to 2B at least. As she very much wasn't happy with me going the route of getting the anti-gravity exo-suits grafted to my body.

After a few minutes of White processing all the data she demanded bluntly. "Why is the humanity of this world so terrible?" 

I actually cackled at that and said with some false cheer. "It's not that humanity is terrible. It's simply that the leading members of humanity who killed, suppressed or otherwise got rid of all the other competition is now the leaders." 

My words struck deep into Commander White's mind and she just stared at me for a long while. Before she took on her clothes that matched what she used to wear as Commander White in her home universe. 

And then after she calmly and efficiently got dressed she stood firm with a fist being placed over her core in her chest and she said. "Glory to Humanity!" With 2B matching and speaking the slogan of YoRHa.

With that however Commander White semi-relaxed but look at me and asked clearly. "This Batarian race of slavers... You are mostly focused on that and I respect focusing on the alien threat."

"I respect that, and I have decided that YoRHa will stand behind you as we will protect and serve your will leading to the release of humanity."

I raised an eyebrow and I said with an honest bit of teasing. "And the fact I am the only one who can make more Android models also plays a part in that right." 

2B's face pinched at that little reminder but I just shrugged and seeing the unflappable Commander White who only nodded genially. I was about to say something but White spoke before I could.

"That does play a part to be fair. But you have clearly been given... A far greater purpose with your skills and abilities. So following your leadership when you know the threats at hand, the threats in the future, and have the abilities to deal with those threats should you have a good enough foundation is just common sense." 

A fair point at that. So I nodded and said. "Very well, then as the Commander of YoRHa, I will need your help organizing a base I will be building out in the badlands. The goal is for me to make a super-sized space elevator and I believe the top of the space elevator in orbit would make a perfect new YoRHa space station."

"2B's data transfer already shared your general plans in creating an orbital defence network. However, have you considered the fact that many governments and the various mega-corporations would feel highly threatened at the thought of one person having so much power?" Commander White asked me bluntly.

To which I took a deep breath and said. "That's why I need YoRHa, to staff and protect my work site. And to counteract the retaliation that will come for me for having committed the crime of having the biggest stick in the room."

Commander White nodded calmly and she clapped her hands together as she said with a small smile. "Good! You have the will to do what needs to be done. That is very important for a leader, so let us begin this great work." 

With that we worked to hammer out the details, but it all boiled down to now three main issues with my plans.

1- Manpower, for all that I could set my technology to streamline and automate everything, People needed to be there to still move some stuff around.

2-Materials moved to the site. My spatial ring was useful, but it couldn't carry literally an entire space elevator's worth of building materials at a time.

3- Security for the Space Elevator site. The site needed the best security possible frankly.

"The first and last point can be taken care of by mostly automatic defenses, and of course YoRHa itself." White pointed out but then said.

"I assume the bigger issue is the bandits and monsters in the badlands that will be an issue for us if we are making a lot of noise sending a stream of resources to the building site." 

I nodded, and taking a breath I said. "I already have a bit of an automated factory that is recycling the literal mountains of electronic waste the city is throwing away daily. So I have a decent stream of resources even if I need to change the factory's outputs from machines to more raw resources and drones." 

With that I looked at White and 2B before I took a breath. "Alright, 2B now that Commander White is stable, you can fill her in on the details we might have glossed over. I have my implants to take care of." 

I had spent a couple hours speaking with 2B and White going over my plans for the future, dealing with the Batarian's and of course the other issues. But now it was time... 

Time for me to get chromed up and fit in with the rest of this world.

So I pulled the curtain around the Auto Doc that was already pre-loaded up with all the implants I wanted, and then I checked the Auto Doc's store of stimpack's medi-gel and other things to make sure I wasn't going to die from this hyper invasive series of surgeries and seeing everything was good to go.

I called out. "I will likely be out for a few days with everything I am doing. Make sure to have my nutrient shots here in the Auto Doc replaced every day 2B. Alright wish me luck." I finished as I stripped down and walked into the large metal tube that held all the operating equipment.

And I could faintly hear 2B and Commander White talking outside of the metal coffin as it pivoted in the air and came up so I was laying on my back in the Auto Doc just before a dozen needles shot into my body in the dark making me go night-night.

-

Three days later, I awoke to the feeling of my new synthetic nervous system coming to life. My synthetic Kiroshi Eyes night vision kicking in allowing me to see the inside of my Auto Doc with my right fist gently knocking the opening button as I took a deep breath with my new lungs.

The Auto Doc shifted, as it went from laying backwards to going upright so I would be on my feet, and I could feel as my feet hit the bottom of the auto doc that I weighed a good bit more.

'Hmm the muscle and bone weave implantations have done a good bit to make me stronger. But I may need to consider cyber joints as well.' I mused as the front of the Auto Doc opened with dimmed flourescant light filling my eyes.

But then I blinked as a door on the wall that wasn't there before my surgery opened up and in walked Commander White with her walking with her signature crop in hand. "Jake, I am glad you are awake now." 

I took a deep breath and I could feel my synthetic lungs expanding powerfully as oxygen was quickly proccessed by far more efficent mechanical and biologically engineered processors expelled the unwanted gases from my breath which was accounted in the cyberdeck that was docked in the back of my head.

"I am alright, the implantations went well." I spoke with my voice even being changed to be a more velvet tone due to my voice box also being tuned up due to the muscle nanoweave.

Everything was just so much clearer it wasn't even funny... I went from literally normal human eye sight to 8k ultra HD eyesight with my Kiroshi Eye's synching up to the Cyderdeck and Neural Dock I had implanted in my brain allowing me to process everything so much better.

And that wasn't even getting into the neural nanomesh that was also weaved between my brains wrinkles and folds that would would conduct information and electric pulses far swifter to account for my multiple implants.

"So... I see you guys bought out the empty apartment on the side. I hope you didn't rid of my other neighbors though." I said as I took in my apartment and ended up raising an eyebrow.

As much of the amenties had been removed and instead multiple fallout style laser turrets had been setup facing the doors and my window had been completely closed with what looked like a three inch thick tungsten alloy plate welded over it.

Commander White's expression tightened before she said calmly. "We will need to move out of here soon Jake. Umbrella, Militech, Arasaka, and Vault tech are currently having their cold war. Become rather... Heated. There have been bioweapons attacking Arasaka and Militech assets in bright daylight." 

I groaned as I pulled my hand across my face. "Of fucking course they decide to just get bloody. Alright, where is 2B?" I asked.

White's tilted her head to the other room and said simply. "She is watching the humans that came to your apartment looking to talk to you a few minutes ago in fact. Sasha told Maine about meeting David, and Maine met up with Gloria and came up here to speak with you." 

Exhaling in annoyance I nodded before taking a deep breath and saying. "Alright, let me get dressed. And I will meet them in like five minutes, tell them I did some surgery on myself and just came out of the anesthetic, they will understand."

-

A couple of minutes later I went into the next room well armed with my Mass Effect pistol, and my energy shield providing jacket providing me a good bit of protection should things go awry.

And as I came into the room, I quickly saw how the whole crew was here. Maine himself the huge man, Dorio who was Maine's girlfriend or 'Input'. The brothers and sisters in Pilar and the gremlin Rebecca. And three netrunners in Sasha, Kiwi, and the silver haired Lucy.

"Well well, you got a sizable crew Maine." I said with a raised eyebrow as I also noticed how the room's laser turrets although at low power. Were very much active and online, ready in case Maine's crew take out their guns.

Maine himself was like seven and a half feet tall it looked like as he had clearly jacked himself up with Cyberware that had replaced his spine and other bones with military-based combat Cyberware that would allow him to protect his squishy organ's inside of himself.

"Hmm. Yeah and I somehow made a couple friends in getting your Cyberware for fixing up one of our own." Maine said gruffly as he made a hand motion towards a couple cases on a table between us.

I came over and as I put my hand on the case I met Maine's eyes and he nodded as though to say 'Go ahead.' So I opened up the case. And opening up the case I wolf whistled as he got literally everything I asked for... Except for the Gorilla Arms but with how he got a Sandevistan and literally everything else on my shopping list, I was happy.

Though I wouldn't be able to slot in the Sandy and other stuff for a couple weeks at least. I needed to let my body recover and acclimate to the hardware interfacing with my body.

"Pity about the Gorilla Arm's. But you got everything else within three days of Sasha returning to you all. So I am more than willing to write that off for the expediency." I said as I carefully closed the case and then looked up to Maine.

"So... What's with having your entire crew here Maine? Having all your netrunners in one place is a bit of an interesting thing to do?"

Maine grinned and said rhetorically. "Eh? Why would it be a bad thing, little man. We aren't hostile in any way. I paid for your services and frankly leaving anyone alone in the city is a bad idea you dig?" 

I was silent for a moment before nodding in agreement before shrugging with me taking in the rest of the crew before saying. "That is a fair point. In either case, my name is Jake Bariss, scientist and engineer is my trade would you all care to introduce yourself."

The short little Gremlin who I knew to be Rebecca snorted and said flatly while waving her hands around wildly. "What like you don't already know us, you know it all!" 

My lips twitched as Rebecca's wild movements made the turrets in the room silently track her movements and I saw how Maine's cocky smile stiffen at the sight.

But I just took a breath and said in a more easy going tone. "Alright alright, I know your names, you like to go by anyway." I said throwing a look at Lucy who stiffened but I either way I looked back to Maine and said.

"So Maine, I am curious. What's the rates for your crew to do a series of escort missions, escorting some convoy's from the Garbage Sea into the Badlands like forty miles away from Night City?" 

Maine hearing my question raised an eyebrow before he sat up more upright and said gruffly. "Depends on what kind of shit we are escorting. I don't deal in trafficking or flesh Jake, and if we are dealing with some high-end super technology I need to know so I know what kind of bullshit might be after ya." 

I nodded as that was a fair point, but I continued as Commander White brought me over a drink and a stool for me to sit on seeing as we were going to be talking for a while.

"They would be large convoys of mostly processing machines and raw materials to the site in the badlands. Though I will be having the convoy also protected by automated turrets, and several robots on the convoy." I explained.

Maine chewed on his inner cheek and after a moment of looking across his crew he shrugged and said. "You want a human element watching your shit as well. I get that, and having my crew watch your convoy's will be... Let's say forty thousand eddies per day for my crew to watch your back per day." 

I would have wolf-whistled and rejected the price at first glance... But in reality, it honestly wasn't a bad fucking price. As Maine needed to split the payment seven ways to pay his crew in himself, Dorio, Rebecca, Pilar, Sasha, Lucy, and finally Kiwi. 

Having the services of three skilled Netrunners also very much wasn't cheap and if my convoy got hit by a bunch of bandits or nomads I wanted all the guns available.

So seeing my total balance of a hundred thousand Eddies that had obviously swelled a bit from 2B and Commander White doing their own 'netrunning'. To steal money from the scavs and other gangers.

I nodded and said. "Alright, I got enough scratch on hand to pay for a couple days of your crews help. Let's say tomorrow afternoon when people are hiding away we do our first delivery as I need to make sure all my trucks and such are in order." 

Maine gave me a long look before he nodded and then stood up with his tall frame towering over me before he held out a hand for me to obviously shake in agreement of the deal as he said. "Alright choom. That's a deal." 

And as our hands shook, I pinged his neural port as our hands connected with his own system accepting so I sent over the first forty thousand eddies to cement our deal.

"Heh, payment upfront. I like that in a man." He said giving my hand a firm shake, but not in any way crashing with his giant Gorilla Arm's cyberware.

As our hands left I said calmly. "I got a job for you, I know you aren't going to stiff me and be a no show with how you are alreadly welcome in the Afterlife. So just paying you for at least the first day of work is just the smart thing to do."

"Wow! I wish the rest of the shithead fixer's understood that haha!" Rebecca howled with laughter as she kicked her feet up in the air from her position on my couch. And I watched as Pilar likewise held in his own snickering.

But I just shrugged and said, "Alright then, guys. I will see you all tomorrow. You all be safe tonight, then."