The Brink and Back - Tinker of Fiction

When Sam and I returned, we found the two ALEO units sitting down inside the side room, waiting for us. Stepping into the room with the armored unit was an interesting feeling. I could only imagine that it must have been just the barest sliver of what the scavs and 6th Street gangers went through during our last two gigs.

The warden armor cut an intimidating figure, and even if it only added several inches in height, the effect it had seemed to make the ALEO unit tower over us. Still, I knew they were friendly, so I easily brushed off the intimidating feeling. When Samwise and I sat across from them, the room was quiet for a moment before I leaned in.

"Before we start, I want to make something clear to you two, and you as well, Sam," I started, making sure to look at each of them in their sensor units. "I built you three for an express purpose. Sam, you're my building assistant, helping me directly and coordinating the MRVN units. ALEO One, I built you for combat, but specifically for securing and protecting me and the people living in this town. You are our security and coordinator for the Specters I plan on making. And ALEO Two, you were made for direct combat. You'll be taking over my previous identity of a borg, acting as a frontline fighter, part bodyguard, and part tank for Jackie's solo team."

As I talked, I continued to look at all three of them, focusing on how they reacted to my words. I knew they were perfectly capable of locking up and coming off as simple robots, which they would have to do a lot to keep their identities secret, but here they reacted to my words in a fluid, almost human way. They nodded along with my words, shifting and moving in a way that belayed their understanding of what I was talking about.

"That being said, that is not all you have to be. While I need you to perform the actions I made you for, I'm not here to restrict your development," I assured them. "Which is why I am giving you a promise. Once you have been working with me for five years, including you, Samwise, I will fully relieve you of any task or job you wish to be done with. You will still need to earn your keep, as working is pretty much a fundamental part of existing in this world, but I won't lock you into the roles I made you for. You'll even be free to leave by that point… though that would lead to several complications we would need to solve."

"Why would we wish to leave?" ALEO One asked, cocking its head slightly. "We were constructed to perform a task and perform it well. Would this task not be our purpose in life?"

"That… that's a question you're going to have to figure out yourself," I admitted. "And I don't expect you to figure it out for a while. Right now, all three of you are very early in your development cycle. As you evolve and grow, you'll start considering this conversation more and start to understand, or at least interpret, what it means to you. For now, just keep it tucked away in your memories for later."

"I do not understand why the memory is important, but we will store it in a secure memory file," ALEO One agreed, his armored brother nodding in agreement.

"Good, thank you," I responded with a smile. "Now, do you have any questions?"

"You created me to fill the role of a heavy combat unit and to take over the "borg" identity, Alloy," ALEO Two asked immediately. "Is that to be my name?"

"No, you're more than welcome to pick whatever name you two would like," I assured them. "He might have mentioned it, but Samwise picked his name as well. You can choose to go by Alloy in public, or we can just say you're changing your name or going by your original. That's also up to you."

"Thank you, sir," He said with a nod. "In that case, following Samwise's guidance, I will go by Riggs."

"And I will go by Murtaugh," His smaller brother added. "I believe those names fit our roles well."

"Wait… you guys read up on Lethal Weapon?" I asked, looking confused. "They… Lethal Weapon is a thing here?"

"Why would it not be?" Samwise asked, a question mark projected on his chest. "I assume this has to do with your origin?"

"Yes… Huh, I wonder…" I trailed off before shaking my head and focusing on the two AI robots in front of me. "Either way, those names work well. Welcome to the team, Murtaugh and Riggs."

I stood up and reached out, shaking both of their hands with a smile. They were slow to accept, but they both got it after a second, carefully shaking my hands.

"I have a question as well," Murtaugh asked as I sat back down. "You put us in charge of things that, in certain circumstances, might put us at odds, considering the human propensity to put themselves in danger. What is the chain of command in such circumstances?"

I bit back a smile, having predicted a similar question from him since his programming was geared toward military strategy.

"Consider me your superior officer, but all three of you are of high enough ranks that voicing your opinions, even if they clash heavily with my own, is expected," I explained. "I may override them, but I don't want yes men or bots working for me."

We continued to chat about the world, the status of AI, and the threats we might be facing. As we talked, I got a better feel for their already slowly, just barely emerging personalities. Murtaugh seemed more rigid, more concerned about making sure everything was set and organized, while Riggs was more concerned about what threats we might face. I was sure their personalities would flourish and expand as they gained experience, but even this was interesting to observe.

When we had finally answered all their questions and discussed what the future might hold, something I was honestly hesitant to do since I had no idea what I would have access to after this week's break, we left the side room behind and went out searching for the only other human living at Rocky Ridge.

It was time to do some introductions.

Up until this point, I had been circumspect about directly introducing people to the robots I had been creating. Jackie had met Samwise, as had Kaytlyn, and they both just assumed that he was a production robot I made to help around the workshop. Murtaugh and Riggs, on the other hand, would be much more visible. They were basically going to be a constant presence around the town, actively performing tasks without my direction, so keeping them a secret was obviously a no-go. So, instead, we would come up with a cover story.

Both of them would pretend to be borgs.

As far as I could tell, it was the perfect cover for them. Not only did they both look like borgs, but it would cover up any weirdness with their developing AI. After all, borgs were known to get a bit quirky.

We left the garage and walked through the town, leaving Samwise in the workshop since he wanted to get a jump on some of the upgrades I wanted to make for him, Riggs, and Murtaugh. After walking around for a few minutes, we finally spotted Kaytlyn sitting at the lookout point on top of the liquor store. She spotted us at just the same time we spotted her, so I waved her down. It took her a few seconds to make her way down to us, even if she jumped the last half dozen feet.

"Holy hell… What happened to just having one borg on the team?" She asked, crossing the remaining distance, bobbing around Riggs and then Murtaugh as she looked them over. "Names Kaytlyn. Nice to meet both of you."

Something about her posture and how she moved told me that the tattooed solo was only pretending to be nonchalant and casual. There was an underlying tension running through her, perhaps nervousness about having two unknown borgs in town with us.

"It's nice to meet you as well. My name is Murtaugh, this is Alloy," Murtaugh explained, reaching out to shake Kaytlyn's hand.

"Call me Riggs," Riggs said as they shook hands. "Only fair since we will be working together."

"Murtaugh is more of a coordinator than a frontline combat specialist," I explained. "You saw the bot I made earlier? The Specter? I plan on having about ten of them, maybe more, on hand, with Murtaugh in charge of them. You'll be working together a lot as security."

"Damn… You keep on surprising me, Jackson. First that fucking nova sniper rifle, and now you got borg friends coming out to help?" She said, focusing on me with a smirk before looking at Murtaugh. "I'm guessing you and I should have a conversation since it seems we are going to be doing security together. And you, big guy… I wanna spar with you sometime soon, see what kind of mess you make when you fight."

She smiles again at Riggs, this time with a slight feral undertone, her grin a bit wider than you would expect from a friendly challenge. Combined with the way her eyes shifted colors to red, her pupils sharpened into slits… It was more than a bit unnerving.

"Alright, try not to get flatlined by the borg your first day meeting him," I said, shaking my head. "You two, your time is yours until later tonight when we go see Dakota Smith. Riggs, I'd like you to come with us, and Murtaugh, I'd appreciate it if you kept an eye on this place when we are gone."

"Acceptable," Riggs said with a nod, while Murtaugh nodded in agreement.

"Great. Jackie will be here in a few hours. Until then, I'll be in the workshop."

I beat a hasty retreat back to the garage, happy to let Murtaugh and Riggs have some time to explore and talk to Kaytlyn. There was a chance she would pick up on their… slightly wooden personalities, but again, considering most borgs were considered robots with a few fleshy bits, I'm sure she would chalk it up to that. They would grow more varied personalities over time, and if she wasn't read into our secrets by then, we could just chalk it up to them becoming more comfortable with her.

I spent the next three hours, all I had time for before Jackie showed up, working on a surprisingly potent piece of tech from the Titanfall universe, the Holo Pilot. In the game, from what I understood, since I had never played the Titanfall 2 multiplayer, it was seen as a bit of a joke since it was easy to identify. To me, however, without the gamey nonsense, all I saw was a relatively long-range, high-fidelity holo projection. None of the blown-out, low-rez crap that Night City had projected up into the sky.

The implication of the tech was staggering. From tactical trickery to the entertainment industry, holoprojection like this could change the world. It also sat very close to the ability to make things "go invisible," like the cloak ability. In fact, I was pretty sure that the cloak ability was just a slightly improved version of the holoprojection tech but focused around the user so they could hide inside the projection.

I finished the design for the holoprojector, and I got a good idea of how the machine was constructed, but the knowledge I gained about how it worked was minimal. I would need to put it together to really understand it. I could tell there was some exotic stuff going on with light and exotic forms of energy, but beyond that, I was lost.

I was just putting the final touches on the design for the holo pilot when Jackie arrived. I heard his motorcycle entering the town, slowing down somewhere by the BD station. Suddenly, the fact that Jackie didn't know that Riggs was taking over my Alloy person spun around in my head enough to catch my attention. I cursed and started looking around for my keyfob. By the time I found it, however, Jackie had made his way to me, entering the garage with wide eyes.

"Qué pedo, wey? Pendejo!" He asked, peeking his head out of the garage, probably checking who was listening. "Why is your armor outside, moving around on its own and telling me I could find you in here?"

"Sorry, Jackie," I said, rubbing my forehead before continuing to explain. "I built a pair of combat robots, and one of them is inside the armor."

"You… No mames, of course you did," He said, rubbing his face. "What are you gonna do for protection now?"

"Well, first, I'm gonna get bone and muscle lace and finish it off with a skinweave," I explained. "Then I'll be whipping up something a bit sleeker and flexible."

"Why? I mean, you were pretty untouchable with that armor!"

"Because I've got an idea for something better, and I wasn't the biggest fan of being the team tank," I said, shaking my head. "Jumping on one grenade is enough for my lifetime, thank you."

"I… okay, that's fair," He admitted, taking a mental step back. "What you got as a replacement?"

"I got what should be a pretty potent stealth system in the works," I explained. "Beyond that…"

One of the most debated topics about the Titanfall games was where the Pilots ranked against other Super Soldiers throughout other games and comics and if they were even enhanced at all. The thing was, the lore was all mixed up. Some of the lore stated that pilots were not enhanced, that their capabilities stemmed from a frankly ridiculous-sounding training program with a 98% fatality rate. However, the lore also showed that pilots were able to physically go toe to toe with robots that were factually much stronger than normal humans. They also regularly performed feats that would ruin or kill an unaltered person. There were even conflicting mentions of actual augmentations and enhancements inside the game.

While I had no idea if the number of fatalities was the result of gamification, or if the real Titanfall universe was willing to kill 98% of their most skilled soldiers to turn a measly two percent into incredible soldiers, I did know that the lore was right, the pilots were not enhanced.

Sort of.

While the base pilot was not enhanced, pilots did have options for enhancements. From what I understood, which wasn't much since Tinker of Fiction supplied information about the tech, but information about the setting was scarce, it must have been a real "volunteer or you're fired" type of situation.

They also had a middle ground, an undersuit that functioned very similarly to how my warden armor did, meaning it used a layer of artificial muscle to enhance the user's movement and strength. Titanfalls artificial muscle was light years ahead of what XCOM had access to and significantly better than what Cyberpunk did as well. I wasn't entirely sure how the underlayer worked since it had no structure or frame to pull against, but I was eager to find out.

When I returned from our visit to Dakota, I wanted to finish putting together the Holo Pilot, which I was hoping would then open up the cloaking systems. Then, I wanted to crack the pilot underlayer before moving on through my list. Eventually, if everything went well, I would reach a few of the enhancements I saw on the tech tree. I didn't plan on installing any of them myself, at least any time soon, but having them on hand would be nice, especially as a potential incentive to future team members.

"I have a few things in mind. Might have a few things for you, too. I just need some time," I finished, slapping Jackie on the back and guiding him out of the garage, waving to Samwise as we left. "In the meantime, what do you think I should get first, the skinweave or the bone lace?"

"Skineweave, hands down, choom," He responded. "Then the bone lace and the muscle lace. Gotta protect yourself before you upgrade yourself."

"Fair enough, makes sense."

We made our way along the road and back to the BD shack, where Kaytlyn, Riggs, and Murtaugh were waiting. After a short conversation, I took Riggs back to the garage to arm up, letting him clip my mag rifle to his back, as well as my sword. I still had my pistol, and I would make new weapons soon, but for now, the weapons were his. They would be much more effective in his hands anyway.

When everyone was locked and loaded, Jackie and Riggs climbed into my truck while I climbed into the passenger seat of Kaytlyn's Type-66. I wanted to drive my truck, but Jackie refused, saying it would take forever to get there with me driving. Once Kaytlyn heard I was a slow driver, she immediately agreed with Jackie.

Riggs abstained from voting.

I buckled myself in as Kaytlyn started her car, the engine roaring to life. As it did, the covered windows blinked on, revealing the outside world. This was the first car I had been in with the CrystalDome system, and it was an interesting experience.

"You like the CrystalDome stuff?" I asked, gesturing to the windshield. "No delay or anything like that?"

"Not that I can detect," She responds with a shrug. "I had to get them put in when armoring everything up."

As we pulled away from the town, leaving Murtaugh and a single Specter behind, something I wasn't thrilled about, Kaytlyn almost immediately pulled out and around Jackie, leaning heavily on the gas pedal.

"What kind of upgrades does it have?"

"Well, the passenger and driver's seat are armored pretty heavily," She said, leaning forward to knock on the front paneling, the sound coming off it much denser than I would have expected. "Aftermarket engine, upgrades to her suspension. She's a hell of a money pit, but she's never disappointed, so I call it worth it."

"Hmmm… good to know I can offer car upgrades as payment, too," I responded with a perk. "I got a power core system I could install that will keep you from ever needing to replace a battery again."

"That… How does that work?"

"Exotic material that I created," I responded with a shrug. "Interested?"

"A bit, but I only change the battery every few years, so what's the point?"

"You would never have to worry about running your car without the engine going again." I pointed out. "Air conditioner, lights, speakers, anything you want. Hell, if I make it big enough, you could use your car to run a whole bunch of stuff."

"Ooh, that would be nice!" She said with a contemplative look. "I'll think about it."

We made our way across the badlands, diverting back towards Night City before turning onto another road to head back out, this time heading east. Again, I was reminded that, at least in the badlands, the game had shrunk everything down to a fraction of the distance. I was pretty sure it was true for the city as well, but it was either to a much lesser degree or the buildings hid the difference. Probably both.

When we finally closed in on our destination, Kaytlyn slowed down considerably, waiting for Jackie to catch up. When he finally did, we pulled into the front parking lot and junkyard. Once we were parked, we climbed out of the car, as did Jackie and Riggs. Both of them walked around and nodded, and after a moment, I took the lead, heading towards the garage itself.

I didn't remember much about this place or its owner from the games. I did a few gigs for her, but beyond that, I don't think I ever actually went to her base. So when a bunch of seeming civilians suddenly started acting more like security as we approached, I was caught off guard.

"We spooked them," Kaytlyn explained. "They pretend to be nobodies, but since we rolled up in a big group…"

"We look like a threat," I finished, nodding in understanding. I took a step forward, setting myself apart from the group and focusing on the closest person. "We made an appointment with Dakota Smith. I'm Jackson. This is Jackie, Kaytlyn, and Riggs."

For a moment, they just stared back at me before one of them gestured to the youngest-looking member of the group. The younger man nodded and quickly ran into the building. As they left, I looked back at Riggs.

"Would you mind waiting out here?" I asked apologetically. "I should have realized rolling up with this many people would make them nervous, but…"

"I will wait out here," He agreed with a nod, turning to sit on the hood of a rusted-out car, the hood bending down under his weight.

"Thanks, buddy. We'll be out soon,"

We waited a moment longer before the young man came back, guiding us into the garage, around the exterior of the room, and back through a sealed door. Dakota Smith was waiting for us, sitting in a wheeled computer chair in one corner of the dimly lit room.

"Greetings. Quite the group you showed up with, Jackson," She said as we entered, studying us one by one. "An ex-Valentino, a familiar face, and a borg using tech I've never seen before."

"We are a bit of a mixed bag," I admitted wth a shrug. "But in a place like this, you can't afford to be picky with the people you trust. Choosey, yes, but not picky."

She squinted at me for a moment before nodding her head in understanding. It was true, after all. In a place like Cyberpunk, finding someone you could trust was like finding a diamond in a pig pen, and you couldn't afford to shut them out because they weren't squeaky clean, or had 90% of their body replaced by cold metal and cybernetics.

"True enough, I suppose." She admitted before gesturing for us to sit. Jackie and Kaytlyn sat on the couch along the wall while I dropped into a second swivel chair.

"What is your purpose in Rocky Ridge?" She asked, cutting right to the chase.

"I don't have some grand purpose beyond avoiding prying eyes," I explained. "I'm an inventor, and I like to build stuff, but I also enjoy my privacy and independence. I have no desire to work for a corporation, but people like me… they aren't really given a choice."

"You had Padre watching over you in Night City, here you're more open," She pointed out. "Why leave his protection?"

"Well, for one, he promised to continue looking after me, keeping his ear to the ground," I corrected. "And it's the same answer as before. I like my independence, and I have no interest in joining, even unofficially, a gang or group like that."

For a long moment, she was silent, looking between me and my companions, before once again locking on to me.

"I'm not sure I like you being out here. Nothing has changed so far, but I fear you will destabilize the balance between the gangs, the nomads families, and the Corporations."

"Well… nothing stays balanced forever," I said with a shrug. "Change is a good thing. For example…"

I pulled out a shard, which contained the plans for my gift. I held it out for her to see before returning it to my pocket.

"That shard contains something I call a water vapor electrocondenser. Using powerful electromagnetic fields and an internal condensing system, one of these devices can pull water out of the air in all but the harshest of conditions," I explained. "No more paying corporations water fees, or racing between cities before your water runs out. Even in the harshest deserts in North America, just one of these devices could keep two people comfortably hydrated. Here, near the coast, that number quadruples. Not only is the design portable, but easily scalable, meaning making a device that supplies water for dozens of people is absolutely possible."

The older woman looked at me, her eyes wide as she worked her way through what I just said. There were several different versions of water vaporators on the market, but they were nothing compared to what my machine could do, by several factors.

"And what's the cost of this gift?" She finally asked, though there was an obvious undertone of disbelief.

"The same sort of deal I have with Padre. A chunk of eddies and the promise that you're in my corner, keeping an eye out for anything that might be coming my way."

"We would need to verify that your design works," She pointed out.

"That's fine," I responded with a shrug, reaching into my pocket for the shard again.

I was reaching out to hand it to the fixer when I saw Kaytlyn wince. I knew what she was reacting to, but I had faith in my work. I was handing her the plans to a device that was a good thirty or fifty years ahead of what anyone had access to. It was simple, easy to produce, and worked incredibly well. Once she had proof that everything I said was true, she would pay me. She couldn't afford to lose access to what I might make in the future.

Even if she did try and stiff me, I would just release the plans on the internet, with a specific note that she had tried to cheat me. Fixers lived and died by their reputation, and learning that she had tried to claim such an advanced piece of tech for her own without paying the seller? Well, it wouldn't go over very well.

Dakota reached out and took the shard, looking at it for a moment before whistling, looking out the sealed door. Only a few seconds later, a mechanic stepped in, though one with a suspiciously gun-shaped bulge under his overalls. She handed him the shard and whispered a few words before he nodded and walked off.

"Assuming that your invention works the way you claim it will, what exactly am I supposed to take away from this?" She asked, focusing back on me. "You've made it very clear you're not a joiner. So I'm just supposed to accept the danger you bring to the area, since you provided some trinket?"

"What you're supposed to take away is that I'm an asset worth investing in," I said, partially repeating myself. "I'm not looking for you to move heaven and earth. Just keep me in the loop about anything that might threaten me and mine. I've got some big plans for Rocky Ridge, and they may even include things that might benefit passing nomad families."

She stared at me for a long moment, eyes locked on to mine like she was reading a transcript of my history, trying to figure out if I was a good horse to bet on. I don't know what she saw, but after a moment passed, she snorted, shaking her head and standing from her seat, prompting me to do the same.

"Alright, if your creation works like you say it does, you've got my support," She said. "And your payment. Padre was right, you're fresh like a kid, but you've got a way of making people pay attention. Guess we will find out together if that's a good thing."

She reached out, and we shook on the deal, her grip firm despite her age. Before we released our shake, I spoke up again.

"Oh, and once I'm finished moving in, we take jobs as well. In case you got something that needs handling."

"Of course you do."