Morning in the Desert
The sun rises over the vast desert, painting the sky with hues of orange and pink. In the middle of nowhere, two figures move at incredible speed, sand kicking up behind them like dust trails from a rocket.
"Okay, Lola, let's stop here," I say, catching my breath.
Woof. [Okay.]
Lola and I often do this—training, playing, testing limits. It's what we do when there's nothing else planned for the day. We collapse onto the sand, letting the heat of the sun warm our backs. I open my system and pull out some cold drinks.
I have to admit, Lola is the only living being I know of that can actually hurt me. That doesn't mean I think I'm invincible—who knows what crazy tech someone might develop in this world? But for now, she's my greatest sparring partner.
I take a sip of my drink and open my system menu. "Let's see… what mods should I test today?"
My eyes land on the Faceplate Cyberware.
"This should be fun."
Time passes, and I experiment with the new mod. I'm pleasantly surprised. At first, I transform into Jackie, matching his height, face, and even voice. Then, I manipulate the transformation, testing partial shifts. I morph just one arm—it works. That means I don't need to fully transform to use this cyberware.
I push it further, transforming both my arms into sleek, black-metal limbs—the same ones Genos has in One Punch Man. Looking at my reflection in a piece of broken metal, I grin.
"Damn. I look intimidating."
I go all in, shifting into a full-body Genos transformation.
"If people could actually replicate Genos' powers… this world would be doomed."
Unfortunately, this is just a transformation. I don't gain any of his abilities—it's not a Cyberpunk version of an Omnitrix. I try to summon fire in my hands, and it works… sort of. The flames don't burn; they just radiate heat. So, there are limitations.
But there's potential. As long as the form is humanoid, I can transform into it. I test shrinking myself to the size of a ten-year-old, then growing to a towering nine feet.
"I gotta say, I look more handsome with surface wiring."
The cybernetic lines on Cyberpunks' faces were designed to reduce EM interference, but let's be honest—hackers still fry people anyway.
I stretch, canceling the transformation. "That's enough for today. Let's head home."
Lola barks in agreement.
Back in Heywood
Using my system's fast travel, we instantly arrive at our apartment. After a quick shower to get rid of the sand, we eat breakfast. As always, I tip the landlord on our way out.
As we walk through the streets of Heywood, a teenage girl runs up to us.
"Hey! Can we take a picture with you two?"
"Sure, we don't mind," I say.
Word has been spreading about us. People are starting to recognize us for clearing out Scavs, 6th Street, and Tiger Claws. Thanks to our contractors—and the civilians tipping us off—we've been keeping the streets of Heywood a little safer.
"Thank you!" The girl smiles as she leaves.
Lola wags her tail.
"At least more people want to take pictures with me now."
Woof. [Yes.]
We continue walking, greeting civilians, merchants, and kids along the way. Sometimes we help carry heavy objects or fix electronics. Lola, as always, is a hit with the kids. If a child's having a bad day, she just walks up, lets them pet her, or licks their face until they start giggling. We've even built a solid relationship with the Heywood cops.
"Hey, 8! Over here!"
We turned toward the voice and saw David waving at us.
"Yo, David. Heading out for some gigs?"
"Not today. Just taking a break, walking around."
"That's good. It's important to take a breather now and then. Have you eaten yet? There's a diner nearby if you're hungry."
David accepted the offer, and we headed to the diner. As we waited for our food, we made small talk, but I noticed his uncomfortable expression. Was it the food? The lack of flavor?
Everyone seemed to prefer the meals I provided, and I couldn't blame them. But I'm not a vending machine—sooner or later, they have to eat somewhere else when I'm not around.
Then he suddenly leans forward. "Hey, 8, can I ask you something?"
"Why so serious all of a sudden? But sure, ask away."
David hesitates. "What kind of cyberware are you using?"
I blink. "Wait, what?"
"You know, the Chrome you use during gigs—your speed, your strength. That has to be some high-tier cyberware."
I put a hand over my face. I seriously forgot to tell him about my powers. Wait a minute—didn't I fast travel with him before? He should've noticed something was off.
David looks concerned. "Hey, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"No, it's not that. I just forgot to mention… I'm not using any cyberware. My body was modified."
David stares at me, confused. I take a deep breath and tell him the same thing I told the rest of the crew—how a man named Miguel modified me and Lola, then left us with resources.
David listens carefully, then asks, "Wait a minute… how rich are you?"
I sigh. "Seriously, kid? I just told you I'm basically a superhuman, and your first thought is money?"
He scratches his head awkwardly.
I roll my eyes. "If you must know, I could start my own company if I wanted to."
"Then why aren't you living the rich life? Why are you doing gigs?"
I lean back in my seat. "Honestly? Sounds boring. I can't see myself sitting in a luxurious office when I have a body like this."
David looks like he wants to argue, but I stop him. "David, being rich doesn't make life easier. If anything, it makes you a bigger target. Mercs hunt the rich for money, either through robbery or assassination. And let's not forget the corporations—Arasaka and Militech have been hiring killers to take out competitors for years. Who knows how many people have died behind the scenes?"
David goes quiet, thinking about his mother. She wanted him to join Arasaka, to live a safe and successful life… but was that ever truly possible?
Smack.
"Ow! What the hell?!"
"Oh, sorry," I say casually. "You had that sad look on your face, and I instinctively smacked it away."
David glares at me.
I chuckle. "Look, kid, before all this—before my enhancements and money—I was just a normal guy. My life was boring, yeah, but I was grateful for what I had. I didn't run around claiming I was destined to be the richest or strongest man alive. The world doesn't work that way. My parents raised me better than that."
David pauses. "Where are your parents now?"
"They're out there. Hopefully living a happy life."
After we finish eating, we go our separate ways.
Cyber Dogs Hideout
Back at the hideout, Jackie and V are sitting on the couch, intensely focused on a video game.
"Shit! Lost again!" Jackie groans.
They're playing Street Fighter—on a console I built. Classic NES style. Ah, the nostalgia. My mom tried to convince me video games were corrupting my soul, while my dad just spammed projectiles and ruined fighting games for me forever.
(Yes, this really happened. Thanks, Dad, for making me hate fighting games.)
"Hey, 8! Want to join?" Jackie asks.
"Nah, just checking if we need anything for the base."
"C'mon, man. We're all free today," V adds.
I shrug. "Alright. Pass me a controller."
Just like that, time slips away. We take turns, playing round after round, until I mention a hidden boss.
Their eyes light up.
But our fun was cut short when our Focus alerted us—one of our members was in trouble.
Every one of us had a Focus implant, courtesy of Vik. He came up with the idea, and I had to modify them so they could properly adapt to cyberware. The results were ridiculous—like upgrading from Windows XP to some futuristic Windows 20. But that wasn't important right now.
The only one missing was David.
The Focus activated, pulling up a map and pinpointing his exact location.
Without hesitation, we all stood up. Jackie and V placed their hands on my shoulders, and I fast-traveled us to the nearest possible point. The second we arrived, V and Lola took off ahead. I grabbed Jackie by the back and dashed forward, keeping pace with them as we stormed inside.
V kicked the door open.
Inside, David was struggling—held by the neck by a massive, muscular man.
Without a second thought, I hurled Jackie at the guy. Mid-air, Jackie clenched his fist and threw a punch, striking the man hard on the left side of his face, sending him crashing into the wall. But Jackie didn't stop there—he rushed in, grabbing the man's arms and locking him in a tight hold.
V moved fast, closing in on a short-haired blonde woman aiming a gun at Jackie. Using her cyberware, V disarmed her in an instant, snatching the gun and pointing it right back at her.
Lola handled the guy with a mohawk—her tentacles lashed out, wrapping around him and hoisting him into the air, flipping him upside down.
As for me, I stepped behind a white-haired girl, pressing a gun against her back just as she was about to deploy her Monowire. But she didn't back down—she tried to hack us.
Too bad for her.
The Focus countered the breach, bouncing the hack right back at her. Sparks flared as she short-circuited, momentarily stunned. I caught her by the shoulder to keep her from collapsing, still keeping my gun trained on her. She blinked, regaining her senses, then slowly raised both hands in surrender.
"Stop!" David shouted.
We all froze.
He coughed, rubbing his neck, then looked at us.
"They're after my Sandevistan."
I glanced at the group again, finally recognizing them.
Maine. Dorio. Pilar. Lucy.
"That's not your Sandevistan, kid—I paid for it," Maine growled, still struggling against Jackie's hold. But Jackie didn't budge.
I sighed.
So, the time had finally come.
End of Chapter
"Oh my God, where am I? Who are you people? What the hell?! I was just working, and now I'm here?!
Jokes aside, it feels great to write again. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!"