Just as the Igara-Prague algorithm was about to finish loading, Leo quickly cut the connection—
[TN:[i don't know what is Igara-Prague is if someone can tell me what the comment what its is I'll appreciate it]
[Heart of Evolution: Neural component anomaly has been soothed]
A moment ago, his spinal implant's power surged out of nowhere!
The fault indicator on his Sandevistan implant flickered, almost as if it sighed in disappointment.
Leo almost forgot he still had an AI on board.
To be honest, the AI was rather mild-mannered, but he was still under close surveillance by NetWatch. Connecting to cyberspace without caution might get him caught.
Thinking for a moment, Leo started inputting text onto his implant:
[Personal Drafts]
[Leo: Hello? Are you there?]
No response.
After some thought, Leo reloaded the language translation program, adding data from the large language model Sky had been developing over at Marvel.
[Model Data Load: FW-2]
His spinal implant's red light flashed rapidly, signaling it was learning swiftly.
[Leo: Hello? Are you there? I know you're in the implant system.]
[z]5: No! GTFO!]
Leo's face darkened as he realized Sky had marked this mysterious language model within the program.
FW: F-WORD, designated for offensive cyber attacks.
Note: Use with caution; it's low-class.
So Leo switched to a more standard language model and loaded it.
[Leo: Can you speak normally now?]
[w: Weren't we speaking normally before? You don't usually talk like this, do you?]
Leo hesitated.
[Leo: That's not important. What matters is I'm about to connect to cyberspace, and I'll be limiting your activities.]
[Leo: Whatever I do, you do. Otherwise, we're both done for.]
[·m: Two questions—one, what's cyberspace? It sounds... cozy; two, what do you mean by "done for"?]
[Leo: First question: you'll know when you're connected; second question: "done for" means you can't perceive anything anymore.]
[w×^6]·: (」゜ロ゜)」
[}t×n~: Got it, boss! Whatever you say!]
[Leo: Why are you calling me "boss"?]
[muó: Many people address you that way, and I rather like it.]
This AI was remarkably skilled with motor functions, but in other areas, it seemed rather... innocent.
[Leo: Fine, I'm going in.]
Leo set up several power walls, restricting the core data flow for both the AI and his own neural interface.
This would align his computational power with an intellectual equivalent of level 12.
Instead of directly accessing cyberspace through a brain-deep interface, he used a modified electrode setup to pick up brainwave signals.
This approach would lower sensitivity but provided Leo with a good level of cover.
With everything ready, Leo lay down in the access pod.
[Connecting to Cyberspace]
This was Leo's first stable connection with plenty of time to fully observe this space—
Or rather, this universe.
Darkness was his first impression.
Free from the constraints of gravity, his sense of space was crushed by the darkness, as if he were in a vast void—
[Heart of Evolution: Void perception suppressed.]
[Access Pod: Igara-Prague algorithm loaded]
[Access Pod: Building network coordinates]
Looking around, interwoven, luminous lines formed intricate digital landscapes.
The contrast provided a sense of distance, and finally, Leo could orient himself as humans do, discerning up, down, left, and right—
He looked up.
[Access Pod: Adapting Cyberspace Modulator]
Glowing code, like countless shimmering meteors, streaked across the endless black canvas of cyberspace.
These amorphous codes danced in the space, moving as if alive, creating shapes resembling mountains, rivers, and skyscrapers—
all familiar yet eerily surreal.
However, his form in cyberspace had yet to materialize.
People are born from their mother's womb—or, in some cases, from a lab.
But regardless, as they begin building their cognitive systems, their shape and presence are already set.
Here, it's different.
A netrurner must construct themselves from scratch.
[Access Pod: Select Data Entity Construction Mode]
[Loading CREATOR Operating System]
[Preset Mode]
[Advanced Customization]
Faced with the prompts, Leo knew none of these were suitable options for him.
The Creator System (Note 1), developed by ImageTech in 2014, was a virtual environment system for online navigation, much like a Windows system for cyberspace.
With powerful imaging and animation capabilities, the Creator system rendered cyberspace as an accessible virtual reality, creating an online playground for regular users.
And the beginner course for netrunners involved breaking free from the Creator's reliance and adapting to raw cyberspace.
Preset Mode offered standard simulated presets from generic access pods, while Advanced Customization had basic customization options—both flawed and vulnerable data avatars.
Most netrunners began with the Creator system, gradually delving into the data's base layers, making them easily traceable by major corporations.
Leo couldn't escape this fate, but at least the person surveilling him would teach him how to skip the beginner's stage.
A prompt flashed in his mind:
[Short-distance Network Jump Initiating]
Bryce had pulled him along.
The character-based virtual world quivered, lines twisted and danced, and he sensed he was moving within a high-speed data channel.
His consciousness drifted between cables, watching as the distorted world twisted, shapes and colors shifting at an impossible rate. It felt like he was in an incomprehensible tide, with space warping, expanding, and contracting—
A fierce character storm struck his nervous system, and then, abruptly, everything ceased!
The fortress appeared before him.
[Heart of Evolution: Cyberspace Mental Disturbance Cleared.]
"A surprising adaptability; you might be a born netrunner."
Data flows converted into electric signals, transmitted through the access pod to his auditory nerves, and Bryce's metallic voice echoed in Leo's head.
This was cyberspace interaction—it seemed no different from the outside world but fundamentally different at its core.
"So... the first time... scared the crap out of you?"
Leo's voice stuttered slightly; his audio signal construction was rudimentary.
But Bryce understood him—Leo was asking if he had been scared out of his mind on his first trip into cyberspace.
Bryce, lying in his network pod, was momentarily ticked off: Damn, why can't I ever manage this kid? Everyone's scared out of their wits their first time in cyberspace, right?
Ordinarily, this situation would make him think Leo was an AI, but Bryce was convinced otherwise.
The reason was simple: Leo had a weak defensive capacity in cyberspace, and Bryce had already obtained Leo's physiological data.
According to the data, Leo was close to vomiting, with various nervous systems strained, proving he was, indeed, human.
Humans experience physical discomfort when perceiving cyberspace.
He's just putting on a brave face.
Leo ignored Bryce; their brief voice exchange had given him an example to build a complete audio signal component.
Data streams gradually shaped a stable image, and following Bryce's method, Leo's constructed audio component resembled a distorted, unstable transmitter.
Finally, Bryce found his chance to taunt:
"Smart—but we use network avatars refined over time to balance form and function. Mimicking just a single part will leave you looking... odd."
His avatar took the form of a man in digitized body armor, wearing a heavily professional-looking helmet labeled with the NetWatch logo.
Shadows and digital textures flowed over his form as his digital armor received data streams from all directions, monitoring everything.
"Professional, sure—but boringly stiff."
Leo accidentally voiced his thought, causing Bryce to pause.
"You—"
"Cut the chatter. Where's what I need?"
"...It's been sent over to you."
NetWatch Internal Files: "Cyberspace: From Beginner to Expert", "Things You Need to Know about Cyberspace", "Basic Program Construction and Principles".
Digital lines began to weave, outlining Leo's digital avatar.
Note 1: From Cyberpunk 2020, not my own creation.