Approaching the imminent confrontation my mind was a blur of panic, searching for any course of action that didn't end with me becoming a paint splatter once the door opened.
I had thought, and said, any activation codes that came to mind, praying the damn chip would cooperate. It might as well had been a pebble with how much I'd gotten back as a reaction.
"Activate, initiate, systems online, fuck um," it hit me, then I snapped my fingers at the metaphorical lightbulb. "Turn on please?"
Zilch, zero, zip, etc.
"Fucking cunt." I was really starting to feel the slow of the elevator now, the ground floor less than five floors up.
Not a lick of a reaction or response. Well not at first. Four deep violet lines of letters appeared in my vision startling the shit out of me and reading,
{DATA LOG RECOVERED}
{QH CATALOG ONLINE}
{Data log}
{********* ****}
Stalling the immense surprise and the dozens of questions I had now about this body, like why the fuck I had optics, I tried to touch the prompt for the catalog but it expanded before my good hand even left my side. 'It's connected to my brain stem why wouldn't it be able to do that, ' I shrugged, too panicked by the fact I would soon face armed men with nothing but tech wizardry I've never tried before.
I needed something useful and I doubt I would get that from the last one seeing the encryption. The small panel blossomed into seven of the same size stacked vertically in my peripheral.
The first of which read phantom which cost a total of three ram to use. I wasn't able to read the others as the elevator now sat just beneath the stopping point. Fuck it, the elevator was about to stop any moment now.
I couldn't hesitate, do or die , praying to any deity I could think of that this mystery chip wouldn't fry me inside out, I mentally initiated the quickhack. The feeling of it was weird yet calming as a subtle thrum, like a second heart beat began. It was steaming right from my neck where the chip lay. It honestly felt incredible like an internal bass guitar was being played through me.
{Daemon field uploaded}
{1:00}
{0:59}…
I didn't know what the chip was counting down for but I didn't have the time to worry about that either, it was the moment of truth. I could only grit my teeth and hope they were incapacitated or at the least distracted by whatever it was I had done.
The quiet shuffle of the door lifting filled me with an anxiety words would fail. Standing outside awaiting my arrival were four men, each armed with a SMG, a shotgun, and two ARs respectively. Two of whom being the security guards I thought I left behind downstairs. What type of hospital is packing this kinda fucking heat man? You guys the cartel or something? I love goku too if that helps.
The four were all posed with barrels aimed toward the corners of the box, where a smarter person would have hid.
However instead of the torturous assault of bullets they thought would assail me, I saw looks of utter befuddlement on the gangoons faces. Every shot had harmlessly dented the walls behind me, not one had brought the satisfaction of seeing the crimson plume they'd expected.
I was confused and they were just as lost, maybe more so, looking as if they had just stumbled upon a possessed lift.
"But," one started, the one with the shotgun specifically. "Didn't he say the only way out was…?" He motioned toward the elevator I thought would be my final destination.
What the fuck is going on?
All four scoured the lift and couldn't discern where I was, standing completely still in the middle as the timer ticked down in the corner of my vision.
{45, 44, 43…}
I don't know why the dumbasses couldn't see me right there, gawking in the middle of the room like a mannequin. But what I did know was I was running out of time for whatever the hell this was. It was like I was invisible or something.
I mean I had felt that way in life but to actually see people unable to visualize you was very different. Extremely so.
Extremely beneficial as well, I wasted no more time, darting out from the iron heavy area and into the greater mega building that contained it.
Running with all the effort I could muster I fled from the gangoons, remaining unseen to all I passed. My footsteps were kept light just in case I could still be heard, doubtful though due to the bustling noise of the daily crowd expected of a mega building.
My arm was back to leaking like a cracked bottle, leaving a trail of crimson that still seemed unnoticeable to the crowded shop plaza. Well to most.
Was I actually invisible? It seemed so but as I ran I saw glimpses of surprise on a few faces as I sprinted by, worry ? Not a chance, this was night city a bloody idiot running through was like a daily occurrence.
So not entirely invisible I guess? What was the caveat?
Once I get these bullets out of me I'll delve deeper into what this thing can do, but for now, I have thirty seconds left and a staircase ahead of me, one that opened up to a three way intersection. One that definitely had enough foot traffic for an 'invisible' man to get lost in.
{28, 27, 26, 25…}
My precious seconds counted down as I vaulted myself four steps at a time to the bottom. The whole thing hurt like hell feeling my arm jostle and jerk with the lead permeating it.
But at least I knew where I was now, Watson, right outside of the first mega building you inhabit in the game. That also gave me a relatively easy course of action.
Making headway down the familiar street, I could only be greatful the whole game was played in first person and I had played a run without maps before. I remembered where Misty's Esoterica was and by association, one of the few trust worthy rippers in night city.
Dr. Viktor Vector, the guy that gives you what's pretty much a twenty grand loan for your equipment without ever expecting you to actually pay it back at the start of the game. An all around great guy really, who did his best to mitigate the suffering of those around him. A saint in a city of sinners pretty much.
Hopefully some of that gracefulness extends to me too, otherwise I might bleed out on the streets before I even know what I want to do now that I'm here.
And so I trudged forth, with the adrenaline leaving my system I became noticeably more sluggish by the time the timer ran out.
{0:00}
{Daemon field down}
Now I hobbled passed pedestrians who acted like they didn't see me wounded and those that looked at me like vulture awaiting me to drop any minute now.
I was feeling incredibly ambivalent about their lack of action, half of me glad I wasn't being gunned down in the streets, another half worried I had missed someone lurking who would take action.
To my immense relief however, I made it here without getting flatlined. The cyan neon signage above read in a whimsical font, Misty's Esoterica.
Finally, a second to breathe.
I stumbled through the doorway and was greeted by…
————-
Sorry for being late guys here ya go
Toss them stones and drop a review, I'm thinking bout getting some chapters out early and opening a patreon but I wanna know how people feel about the story first.