CyberGene: Anyone need a Cyberhand?

Chapter 10: A Childhood Friend

7:12 PM June 4th

Diana

I walked through my station, the First Precinct’s, towering floors until I reached the bustling floor of my workspace. My feet paced the floor, polished plastic-ceramic designed to be durable but worn down after decades of heavy boots and nerve-wracking activity. As I packed in some of my equipment from my office, a small cubicle jabbed in with all the others, I stood nervously and almost definitely aware that everyone was staring at me. From behind holographic boxes streaming out of cuboidal computers, their gazes followed me like I had killed someone they knew. Could they tell what my Implant was? Were my eyes glowing? A stray spark latching into the air, or maybe the electric current was lifting my hair. No. Calm down Diana, it was because I was one of four survivors out of the eighteen police present on June 2nd at the Toxin Club. Now, they could clearly see I'd been recognized for that.

The only one without an Implant, and hopefully they continued to believe that. Until I got my promotion certified and that Silver Implant updated to my name... as soon as I could figure out a way to get my future geneticist to agree to lie about my Implant. I wasn't eager to commit Implant Fraud but what choice did I have? The last thing I especially wanted was for Brian Ulrich to figure out I had Gold. Nothing would stop him from twisting that to his advantage, touting around a Gold SIMmed daughter like I was a floating attraction at The Pleasure Lanes.

He'd tried to make me an actress to get me out in the public sphere, to bring him fame and likability that would've won him the 2495 election to become mayor of New California. I'd gotten out of his hands by then and he lost to Johan Trask, now I was going to cut those gloves off so he would never have the chance to mold others into doing his bidding like I'd been forced into. This Gold would give me the ability to climb the ranks, to build a power and reputation that would one day grow equal to him and then I'd make sure the castle of cards he'd built over the course of his life tumbled down. That was what he deserved.

And after that... maybe even before it, I'd meet with my real father. Even if he had... changed the direction of his life. Maybe I'd get some answers, even if I didn't like them, at least the question would be gone.

Why did you give me up?

For now, I had to look for Yvette, she was the first and only person I wanted to talk to right now. And I had a lot to talk about. I'd decided I'd keep the true nature of my Gold Implant a secret, otherwise she'd only have a target painted on her. Otherwise, I'd let her know about my promotion and my false status as a Silver -- she'd be genuinely happy, unlike many others. If I was allowed to feel proud of it, and I was, I'd been someone who constantly received recognition from my higher ups and climbed the ranks with skill and grace. Those were my goals, and I'd held myself to keep my integrity throughout it.

Even if the rumors could be nasty and claimed the opposite. Honestly, I was thinking that being chosen for The Toxin Club was almost a taunt from my superiors... I just had to use their own fallacies against them.

I just had to... forget everything I'd caused to happen that night. But over the last two days, I'd been obsessing as the list of names of those who'd died only grew larger. It had no purpose but... I couldn't stop myself. At the very least, there was now a distraction in the form of my Implant.

I had been given the rest of the week off, to acclimate with my ‘Silver’ Implant before an official ceremony would be held for the passing of the former Lieutenant as the Precinct adjusted with promotions and transfers between departments. I just hoped there wasn’t some mystical sensation my body gave off like a spotlight bathed in gold once my genes developed further.

I hoped as I always had, wishing that I was invisible to those around me yet recognized the way I wanted to. Maybe I could find a Mutation to do that for me, selective invisibility? How much would Mutagen like that cost? My luck ran out when an Officer Holmes approached me, Second Rank.

“Hey there Officer Jones.” He waved, friendly enough but I knew on the field that the last person you could trust were your police ‘pals’. “Looking good today, heard that your bust on the MAL has all but secured your promotion. See you packed your stuff in.”

I responded in my practiced tone, a light smile and a pleasant but firm voice. “Well, you thought right. Let’s just say you can start calling me Investigator Jones now. And to be honest, that bust…”

Went wrong in every way.

My voice dropped at the end as I saw the mangled bodies. Twisted and half-eaten, and it was all my fault. My breathing stilled as a lens issued a release of endorphins, thankfully the police-issued Neuroframes used what was called a Post-Traumatic Stress Negator to prevent cases of PTSD… its effectiveness was debatable. Sometimes, it just made more issues, so I kept its threshold lower than the recommended level.

Maybe that was why it continued to play out in my head like my lens' feed was on repeat, neon lights reflecting across shallow crimson pools. That was a common enough scene in this city -- it's glamor casting an effulgent glow to mask the lives it cut down -- but to that extent? I took a deep breath, then a deeper one, then I couldn’t stop breathing. Everything played out slow, each shot I landed only for the MAL to continue feeding in the end.

I heard the crunch of Archangel’s back with the spear, I’ve been hearing it ever since.

“Hey, you okay Jones?” Holmes propped a supportive hand on my shoulder, I was honestly thankful for the unprompted touch for once. “MAL cases are the worst, believe me, but they happen. There’s one thing about seeing a human monster, but encountering an actual one… they’re forces of nature we can’t stop. So do yourself a favor and stop thinking you could have done better. NeoCore arrived and prevented that thing from going into the streets — it would’ve been a wild one if you hadn’t caught it.”

Another voice came to my side, one I was familiar with and grateful to be on my side. She took over, holding my weight on her body. “I’ll take her from here, Holmes. Get you some coffee later on as thanks for finding her.”

“Thank you, Yvette.” I hushed as she hurried me to a quieter corner of the station, a long balcony overlooking the tall towers that silently judged the mortals beneath them, a place we often hung around during our year in training.

“C’mon, Diana, look at me.” Yvette placed a hand on mine, her dark-olive skin a clear contrast with my own. I looked, brown eyes and curly hair dyed red falling down both sides of her head.

“I’m looking.” I responded blankly, my body numb.

“How does it feel?”

“Like lead’s inside my stomach. From a gun.”

“Shit… won’t ask the details, but I’ve been worried sick. You disappeared for two days, and people said that you carried a blank stare ever since. Would saying what happened help?” She lent a caring touch over my hand, holding it tightly as warmth bled into the cold numbness that had been growing within me.

It gave me the strength to confront what had happened. “I got evidence of the raid. Then STRIKE showed up… some guy opened the box in the process of everything and… it all happened so quickly. I- I know I shouldn’t, but I feel guilty for all those deaths.”

Yvette’s face softened. “And that’s why you’re a better cop than half the other people here.”

“You know,” I trailed on, “that place was like it came from a slice of hell anyway. Their manager spoke to me about selling a girl’s body that night after she had just gotten a Neuroframe… I then met her, she was so sweet but she didn’t even know what was going to happen to her later on. Then that monster woke up.”

“Fuck… sounds just like how they sold us back when were in the Cradle. Never knew if who was going to get you would see you as a child or a trophy.”

“I don’t know which is worse.” I choked my words out. “Is it worse to be physically engineered from birth to be paraded by the rich, or to be so desperate you have your mind altered so you can stomach them. Personality Editors, Yvette -- I doubt half of the workers there even knew what was happening.”

Yvette’s grip grew tighter. “The club is gone, good riddance.”

“People died.” I shuddered. “And now… I’ve been thinking. About what I would’ve done if you hadn’t been there all the way back then, would I have been like those working at the club? Would I have been so desperate as to actually… take that job? Only to end up dying like…”

“Hey, hey… you're not trapped in that hell anymore.” Yvette stiffened, before breaking a joke out. “After all, when I saw a cute girl begging on the streets, how could I not bring her back to my place and show her a good time?”

“You jackass.” I managed to laugh despite the echoes of guilt within me. “Though, having a proper dinner for once was a good time.”

Yvette moved closer to hug me, her curly hair absorbing the moisture leaking from my face. “Dig yourself deep as you want, my ass is there to extend a rope. Your bio dad, homeless, MAL attack — you can pull yourself out better than anyone I know. Just take your time.”

She just held me, until I found the strength, or despairing weakness, for my words to come out.

“I just don’t know how I should be feeling.” I really didn’t, when I touched the thawing warmth of that light within me it was like that night never happened, even though the source of that warming light came from that night. It was a hypocritical eclipse.

My body was now taking from the very monster that caused so much suffering.

“Hey, hey, don’t you let any of the others catch you crying! You’re lucky I’m so nice, but if word gets around then they’ll toss you around.” Yvette rubbed my tears with her sleeve, I didn’t even feel them dripping.

I tried to mask the sorrow in my voice with a hint of pride, but I know I failed. “Thanks… anyway, guess what… I’m officially going to be a Silver-grade soon.”

“Oh- oh shit girl!” She stammered. “You should have started with that! Since when?”

“Since like… twenty minutes ago… got it strapped where no one can find it.”

“Daaamn girl, you freaky! You know those things turn into insects!” She punched me.

“N-no, you pervert!” I punched her back. Harder. “Just stuffed it down into my pockets.”

Yvette rubbed her arm, clearly pained but she was used to it. “Boring ass.”

I laughed as she somehow she broke me out of my spell — she always had been the one to drag me out from tough spots I put myself in. I wiped my tears myself, and an idea sprung to mind. “Want to help me get some Mutagen? Heard they offer one free to every Investigator upon promotion at the Gene-Clinic here.”

Yvette dragged me up. “Lead the way, Invesitgator. Mazhyr’s tits, it's hard to believe you’re my senior now.”

“I’ve always been your senior.” I said with a dead-pan face. “I was sworn in as a Second Rank officer, you were stuck as a boring old Third Rank.”

“Yeah but now it’s like… official official, you know? I’m a Second Officer and you’re now in a whole other spectrum.” She rasped.

“Yeah, I know. Get used to it, you bitch.” We laughed, and we strode towards the clinic.

———

I tried to stop Yvette from shouting at the clinician, but failed miserably. “The fuck you mean she can only get an Iron Grade Mutagen? You’re looking at one of the youngest Investigators the precinct has ever seen, she’s going to be a S-“

I covered her mouth before she could spill more, Silver might not be as rare as Gold… but it was still incredibly rare to find. “What my friend means is, surely there’s some Bronze Mutagen here. I’m willing to use my merits to get some, even pay with cash for them.”

The clinician held a tired gaze, the poor guy honestly did look overworked. “Yes, Tier 0 Bronze Mutagen is available… but only to Second Rank Investigators and above. Rules are rules, however, if you want something higher than Iron, you've got to look at private clinics.”

“Then that’s where we’ll go!” Yvette had already tried spinning me around but it was a good thing I was the stronger one, I stood still like a pillar of concrete undeterred by her antics.

“Just show me what’s available.” I smiled politely, while glaring daggers at Yvette.

He propped up a screen, and I looked at my options of Mutagen. The exact Mutation developed wouldn't be what was labeled on the vial, but it would be close enough -- that was another benefit of working for the police, our stuff was legit.

[Iron] Imperium Muscle Endurance

[Iron] Yuzhou Skin Conditioning

[Iron] Mazhyr Reflexive Eyesight

[Iron] SynTec Quick Sleeper

“Reflexive Eyesight.” I made my choice quickly before Yvette could butt her opinion in. I could already see her mouth opening before I spoke again. “Fuck it! Use my merit to get all the other ones… except quick sleeper.”

“That’s the most important one! You always stay up late!” Of course she would say that when her breakup venting is half the reason I’m up so late, grabbing my hand and pulling it to swipe on the option.

“Then get that one too!” I screamed at the poor clinician.

He grumbled, pushed a few buttons and a few minutes later I left the clinic with four vials of Iron Mutagen and absolutely nothing to spend my merits on once I was transferred to the Intelligence Department. Yvette always complained that I was hoarding them anyway. I would have to wait a while before consuming them, maybe weeks after my current Mutations had finished developing before I could use them. From what I knew, I had to occupy another four Tier 0 Mutagen to finish getting to Tier I.

“So…” Yvette began. “I was wondering if you’d like to use your Investigator salary on a quick shopping trip. Janel just released a new handbag that-“

Incoming call: Ripley

I raised my hand at her, my eyes fixated on the name like a missile. Ripley was calling? I accepted it with a quick tap on my temple, moving aside as Yvette already started spouting nonsense. “Who’s that? Don’t tell me you’ve met someone and you’re not telling me.”

I hushed her as Ripley’s voice came echoing in my head.

“H-hey… I t-think we should talk about our s-situation.”