Robert Meta
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The Brink and Back - Chapter Sixty Five
🕑 Added 2025-04-30 15:47:58 +0000 UTCNot long after I finished my power armor design, Vik arrived to take a look at the designs for our next round of implants. Frank had completed the designs for the bioware lungs, nerves, and secondary heart, each of them based on designs made by the Institute, then upgraded as much as they could handle. In this case, it wasn't that they were being upgraded with other tech, because other than some medical stuff from Titanfall, we didn't have any other source of biological information. Other than Cyberpunk, of course.
Instead, Frank took advantage of how the Institute had built its synths. For most projects, they would design several iterations of synths and implants, making different versions to fit various requirements and levels of need, but never had the desire to push them to the limit, to combine it all and see just how big they could go. This was undoubtedly another sign of the difference in implementation ethos between both sources, at least when it came to cyberware, bioware, and general synth tech. To the Institute, it was a tool, so why would you make a sledgehammer when you needed to drive a nail? Meanwhile, to the cyberpunk world, it was a way of life, a method of raising yourself up, and why should you settle for anything less than the best?
So Frank's job was to take the dozens of different synth and bioware projects, specifically ones involving lungs, hearts, and nerves, and work them together, creating the best combination possible for us. What that ended up being was a set of lungs that was considerably more efficient, resistant to damage, and capable of self-correcting several different issues lungs usually struggled with when damaged.
The secondary heart was more of an assistant than a full-blown copy, and was simply designed to help blood move around at a more steady pace. It also had a filtration system that would neutralize several issues the liver or kidneys wouldn't.
The nerves were a simple reinforcement to keep Jackie's sandy from burning through his natural ones, which was why I didn't need to get them, as I was most likely done getting mods for quite some time after this.
Okay, I was maybe also considering reinforcing my ribcage and skull to help keep me from getting instagibbed, or the ever-embarrassing death by slick floor or steep staircase, but those didn't really require much in the way of nerve reinforcement.
When I arrived at the Shack, Vik was chatting with Jackie and Frank, and Rebecca sitting nearby, enjoying some sort of beverage, something she had brought with her, a slurpy equivalent of some kind. She was sporting a pair of temporary arms, which I could only tell because they made a strange silhouette in her jacket. When the chemskinn-colored girl spotted me, she tilted her head in acknowledgment before looking back at the the talking trio, clearly only half paying attention. To her benefit, she also seemed to scan the area and keep an eye on doors and windows. We may have offered the job just to keep her out of the way and judge her character, but she was at least taking it semi-seriously.
As I approached the group, Vik happened to spot me first, waving me over with a smile. As I stepped beside him, he patted my back,
"So, Jackie tells me you're going to join him in getting these new lungs?" He asked, raising his eyebrow. "That's not a small procedure, though the recovery would obviously be easier. Not to mention you just got your first major cyberware only a few days ago..."
"Yeah, that and the heart and the Monocyte Breeder," I added. "But don't forget, the lungs and heart will both be custom, in-house bioware, made from my own DNA. Not exactly a huge strain on my psyche."
"Fair enough, but we are still going to spread your surgeries over a few days," He said, raising his hand before Jackie or I could say anything. "I know you can both take it, but I don't feel comfortable installing so much at once into both of you. I'll take your bone implant home and put it through some tests, and assuming it passes, we can put it in tomorrow. By then Frank will have the nerve reinforcements finished, so I will install those into Jackie. A day or so after that, I will do the heart, and then, a day or so after that, the lungs. Jay, same thing minus the nerves."
"Aren't you going to have to cut our chest open for the lungs and heart?" I pointed out. "Wouldn't it be easier to do the lung and heart together?"
"It would, except you guys just so happen to have something special that makes recovery simple and easy," he pointed out with a smirk. "So I don't have to feel guilty for leaving you in pain longer than I have to or the risks involved with opening you up too often."
I started to disagree but stopped when I realized he was essentially correct. The stimpak was just as much a way to skip the risks that went with opening someone up multiple times in quick succession as it was a way to skip the dangers of overloading the body with too many changes at once. Before I could argue that if it didn't matter either way, then surely convenience was the deciding factor, Vik spoke up again, once again putting his hand on our shoulders.
"Listen, you negotiated and worked hard to convince me to travel back and forth between here and my office to help you guys," he pointed out with a chuckle. "I've already offloaded a bunch of my clients who don't need me, but if you guys want me to help you, you gotta listen to me. You may as well be hiring some corpo stooge who just does everything you ask, with no concern for your mental or physical health.
That took the wind out of both our sales, both Jackie and I sagging a bit before I let out a sigh. He had an excellent point. We had hired him specifically because we knew we could trust him, both to do good work and to actually want to help us. It would be kinda stupid to ignore the reason why we hired him in the first place.
"Fair, Vik, fair. Alright, we will spread the surgeries out so that we can recover," I agreed, looking over at Jackie, who pushed his hair back and nodded.
"Yeah, what he said. Sorry Vik, it's hard not to want to rush."
"I understand that, and truth be told, I'm not worried about either of you slipping, but chipping in too fast can really have long-term effects, so taking it slow and feeling it out is important," He explained, slapping Jackie's shoulder. "Now I'm gonna go have a chat with Frank about how to install the monocyte breeder, then I'm gonna head home."
"You don't want to stay for dinner?" Jackie said, Vik's eyes lighting up. "I want to try a french fry recipe I found, so I'm making burgers."
"Well… if you're gonna twist my arm, I wouldn't mind," he said with a wink, before looking over at his watchdog. "Rebecca, you mind staying here a bit later?"
"I'm working for you, Vik," she pointed out in a tone that made it clear she had pointed this out several times. "Unless you plan to go around offering free cyberware in Watson, you're the one who decides where we go."
Vik chuckled, before agreeing to stay for dinner. That got Jackie even more excited about cooking, so they both split off to get to work. Vik went to talk to Frank while Jackie went over to his kitchen area, whistling softly to himself as he entered his domain. I made a note to make a proper kitchen and dining area somewhere, before realizing that Samwise had already shown me a group eating area in one of the many side areas that would be included in the final version of the Vault. It was overkill, more of a well-decorated and comfortable cafeteria than anything, but it would serve our purposes just fine.
With those two busy, I nodded to Rebecca, who raised an eyebrow.
"Whatchu want, Brainiac?" She asked, crumpling her empty cup and throwing it into a nearby trash can.
"Your new arms are ready," I said simply, with a shrug. "Specially made for you, should match perfectly with your frame."
"Really? That was quick," She said, ignorant to the fact that they had been done since the night I agreed to make them for her. "I guess I'll take them so Vik and put them on for me?"
"I'll get them for you after dinner," I assured her, but the girl opened her mouth to complain, only to glance at the door to Franks's office, where Vik had gone. She seemed to chew on that for a moment before eventually nodding, settling back down into her seat.
I stood there, watching the shorter woman work through whatever thoughts she was thinking, wondering if I should have asked what she was thinking. After a moment, I shook my head and decided to leave it be. A few minutes later, I left the Shack and waved to Jackie as he worked on dinner, walking out into the bright, sunny day.
I was about to head into the garage, but at the last minute, I turned and headed over to the campground, stopping by the entrance to see how everything was going. The Aldecados had done quick work setting up the trucks, and it looked like a few more caravans had shown up while I was working on my power armor, with rows of cars parked by the gate entrance.
It took me a minute to find Alexander, but as I approached him, he pulled away from a small group to talk to me.
"I gotta say, Jackson, those bots you lent us, they are really convenient," He said, shaking my hand eagerly. "They do work that usually takes us hours in a quarter of the time. Just the fact that they can work fittings and bolts without using tools cuts so much time."
"I'm glad they could help," I said with a smile, spotting one of the MRVNs nearby, driving in tent stakes with its bare hand. "Am I wrong in that this is going much faster than you expect?"
"Yeah, just a bit. I've moved up the timetable twice already," He admitted with a smile. "Not having to struggle to flatten everything or worry about drainage is also helping. Plus, my people are excited to have access to real, clean showers and plumbing."
"That's good news," I said with a nod. "I'm glad everyone likes the accommodations."
"They love it. If I didn't know them better, I would be worried about them never wanting to leave," He said with a laugh. "Walking away from the showers alone is going to be terrible."
"Is that not something you're concerned about?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't want to cause friction..."
"Oh, no, not really," He responded with a shrug, looking out over his people as they worked, sounding proud. "Nomad life can be rough, and it's natural to have a pop increase and decrease here and there. But most of us? We have wandering souls. We may stay here longer than normal. Hell, we might be here for a lot longer than normal. But the open road will call to some of us eventually, and from then, it's only a matter of time before the rest of us hear it too."
"I see… Well, actually, honestly, I don't, but I respect it."
Alexander turned to look at me, raising an eyebrow at my strange statement. I chuckled and explained as best as I could.
"If you all have wandering souls, then I think I must have one that's stationary," I said, looking at the walls I had put up to protect my home. "But I can respect a need that you can't ignore, that you need to fill no matter where it drags you."
"You've got a need like that, I'm guessing?" Alexander asked, his eyes returning to watching his people.
"Change. I want to change everything," I explained, continuing when Alexander looked expectant. "I don't know how much you know about me, but I'm willing to bet you don't know my origins. My family kept this from all of us. We lived in a place cut off from cyberware, corporations, sponsored wars, gangs, and drugs. I got my first cyberware within the last couple of weeks, and I still don't have a neural port, though I have something arguably better now. It's given me... A unique perspective on all of this."
I gestured around us but specifically ended the gesture by pointing out to Night City.
"This is all… so incredibly disappointing. Not the individuals, of course. Most people here are just trying to survive, and that's not their fault. But as a whole?" I continued, shaking my head. "I see all of this and can't help but think that humanity could do so much better than this. We are capable of so much more, and it hurts for me to see what we have done to ourselves. That's what I need, to help everyone step out of the shit we have fallen into and change. Not to how it was before, because that's just stagnation, which is just as bad, maybe even worse. But to something new and better."
"That's a tall order you just described," Alexander said, now focused on me. "Not the first person to say it, either. You think you have a shot?"
"I wouldn't have invited you if I didn't," I pointed out. "You're at the ground floor, Alexander. You can stay at the bottom where it's simple, and I promise I'll do my best to keep you and your people as safe as I can. But if you wanna sit at the top, change the world, and get a nice view of it too, you're gonna have to step a bit further into the danger zone."
Alexander chuckled and shook his head, his eyes drifting to the walls, then his people, and the building I had set up for him and his people.
"You certainly don't pull your punches, do you?" He asked rhetorically, pushing his cyberware hands into his pockets. "I'll keep that in mind, Jackson, maybe see how the rest of the family feels about changing the world."
"Holding back has never been my strong suit," I admitted with a smirk. "And take your time, but don't take too long."
"I can tell," He responded, turning back and starting to walk toward his people, stopping a few feet away and turning back. "If we continue at this pace, I think we will be all moved in by early tomorrow morning. You alright with us working through the night?"
"Shouldn't be a problem."
He nodded and started to walk around, turning back when I called out to him.
"My team and I will likely be trying out a new power armor suit tonight," I explained, catching him off guard. "Let your people know so they don't panic and assume we are getting invaded."
"Will do," he responded, giving me an unsure look before turning back and walking away.
I stood there for a while, watching them work for a bit longer before turning back and heading to the garage, where I finally brought up the designs for the liquidskin-modified ALEO unit that Samwise had put together for me. It wasn't anything super special, since he had limited time to make it, but it was a solid starting point, especially since Titanfall tech was basically the best I had in general.
After spending a few minutes familiarising myself with the design, the first thing I did was tear out a lot of the hardware inside the torso and head. Since I was the one in control, while I did need all of the sensors, I did not need most of the systems that interpreted that data into useful information. I also considered removing the liquid skin system and replacing it with RealSkinn since it would require less internal space, and I could even use a reinforced version to increase my durability.
However, while Realskinn was the simple option, it could not compete with the utter flexibility that the liquid system provided. Between showing fake wounds and other issues all the way to straight-up changing my appearance, the liquid skin system was the right choice. I would have a handful of looks ready if I ever needed to blend into a crowd, as well as a basic response program prepared to add convincing bruising and the like as necessary.
Once I finished clearing out the internals, I started replacing some of the armor plating with Alien Alloy, at least where it was an improvement. AA was far from a miracle metal, simply a particularly strong alloy that also happened to be very lightweight, so there was no reason to replace everything, especially when Titanfall had a handful of slightly heavier yet significantly stronger composite alloys.
I ended up replacing close to thirty-five percent of the underplating with Alien Alloy. I also changed out some of the lesser materials used in the frame and structure since I was almost positive they were used because they were cheaper, not because they were better. With my protomatter machines, I had no such concerns about material cost. It wasn't a massive boost or anything, but every bit counted.
Once I was done with that, I sat there in the garage, staring at the augmented reality projection, wondering what I could add that was actually useful. I considered Fallout stealth tech, but it wouldn't work with the liquid skin system, and that was too important to drop. There was no need to add artificial muscle since, at this scale, the servos worked well enough to replicate human balance and motion. Plus, space was a premium and pound per pound, they wouldn't add enough strength to be worth it.
That said, between how much wiring I had stripped and the shift between different materials, there was enough room to double up or increase the servos and actuators that worked the robot's movement. It wasn't dramatic, maybe a fifteen to twenty percent increase in strength, but again, every bit counted.
Even after that, however, there was still more room in the chest, enough for me to add a small compartment with a mag pistol and three mags for emergencies. A part of me was tempted to put in a plasma or laser pistol, since neither of them needed ammo, but it would restrict where I would feel comfortable using the weapon, which totally negated its purpose in the first place.
After some more debating with myself, I ended up leaving the rest of the empty space as it was so that if I came up with anything clever in the future, I could add it easily. I filled the empty sections with reinforcing braces and foam to keep the robot frame sturdy, before sitting back. I was sure I would find something useful there eventually, until then there was no need to struggle and end up wasting time or space.
I spent a bit of time going over the frame, tweaking a few spots before sensing the designs off to Sam, so he could go over it as well. If he couldn't find anything wrong, I asked him to produce a couple and slot in their entangled photon control when they were ready.
I was just pulling up some designs for our armor, looking to work them over again and see if there was any place I could improve it with some of the materials I got from Fallout, when Jackie messaged me that dinner would be ready shortly. I quickly closed the designs and left the garage behind, heading over to the Shack. As I entered, I spotted Vik, Rebecca, and Kaytlyn all sitting at the table already while Jackie was working at his station. I quickly claimed a seat, rubbing my hands together.
"So Jackie, gonna tell us what this fries recipe is?" Vik asked, sitting up slightly, trying to peak over to Jackie.
"Huh? Oh, wasn't really keeping it a secret, Vik," he explained with a chuckle. "Frank and I are struggling with the texture for potatoes, but they work fine mashed. So I found a recipe for mashed potato fries. Not sure how they will turn out, but we will see, amigo."
We chatted about mostly nothing, switching between the Nomads moving in, to some of Vik's stories about his boxing days. When Jackie finally placed a massive plate of burgers, each one with the works, as well as a heaping pile of fries, we all went quiet for a long time, enjoying the food. By now, Kaytlyn, Jackie, and I had gotten used to how much the "real" ingredients and Jackie's cooking positively affected the meal, but it was clear that Vik was still working on it. Rebecca was even worse off, having what could only be described as a religious experience as she ate three large cheeseburgers and half her weight in fries.
When we were done, she leaned back in her chair and let out a groan.
"Alright, I'll do it," She said, prompting the rest of us to look at each other in confusion.
"Do what? Kaytlyn asked with her eyebrow raised.
"Whatever it is I gotta do to never have to eat whatever the fuck it is that MacDonnells' is calling a cheeseburger," She said, looking just a bit manic, squeezing her hands around nothing like she was trying to grab another burger. "So what is it? Secret handshake? Induction ritual? Matching tattoos?"
"Just keep doing what you're doing, Rebecca," I assured her, hiding a laugh. "Stay with Vik, protect him as he travels back and forth, get used to your new arms, and… well, recover from what happened."
Rebecca almost stood up, the mention of what happened to her team cutting through whatever good cheer she might have had. I immediately regretted it, but before she could compound that regret, Vik reached over and put his hand on her shoulder. She stopped for a moment, glancing at him before letting out a huff and dropping back into the seat.
"Yeah, yeah, I know Vik. Trauma is a wound just like a gunshot," she said in a way that made it clear she was repeating something. "I'm working on it. Sorry for almost snapping at you."
"It's… fine, you barely did anything," I pointed out, recovering from my surprise. "I shouldn't have brought it up anyway, I'm sorry."
She nodded, looking away, her arms crossed.
"I think, if there's nothing else, that we should head home," Vik said, patting Rebecca's shoulder. "Especially if we want time to get your arms hooked up."
"They should be simple to install, but take it easy getting used to them," I explained standing up after wiping my hands. "Come back out here, and we can set up a target for you to shoot at or something, maybe Riggs or Jackie will spar with you so you can get a feel for using their upper limits."
"Sure, fine. Still want that Mag Cannon the big guy is using."
I chuckled before walking back to the workshop with Vik and the little gremlin. I handed her the box with her arms, before walking them out to Vik's car, an Archer Hella of all things. Jackie was there waiting with a doggie bag and a bag for Misty, which no doubt contained a burger and fries for her as well.
After waving goodbye as they left, I checked the progress on the power armor production, slapping Jackie's back when I saw that all but Kaytlyn's were done, hers being the last off the assembly line.
"Wanna see the fruits of our hard work earlier?" I asked with a smirk. "Our power armor is done."
"I mean, all I did was sit there, but sure," He said as we headed back along the garage.
As we arrived at the large doors at the back of the addition, I tapped at the door controls until they opened, revealing the interior. Rows and rows of molly makers, varying from miniature versions no bigger than a bread box, to one's large enough to easily print the hood of a pickup truck. At least a dozen MRVNs, maybe more, walked back and forth between the molly makers, checking print progress and grabbing finished parts.
Of course, neither of us were focused on that. Instead, we were focused entirely on the three nearly eight-foot-tall juggernauts of metal and motors. As the report had said, Kaytlyn's was still under construction, the MRVNs working hard to finish it.
"Holy hell Genio, those look fucking dangerous," Jackie said, his eyes wide. "Which one is mine?"
"I don't know, it should be labeled somewhere," I explained with a shrug. "But we can't put them on yet… we need our armor and undersuits."
"What? Why?" He asked, looking over at me. "Isn't the point of power armor to not be wearing normal armor?"
"Not these. This armor is designed for rapid disembarking and re-embarking," I explained, slapping the closest one. "You can enter the fight in armor, take care of the heavy threats, then rapidly disembark to increase your maneuverability. Plus, the armor reads the information from the nerve scanner in your armored undersuit. Without that, you're going to be significantly less agile."
"Oh... alright, fair enough."
What I didn't mention was that, if the armor was ever damaged enough that the hatches were broken, the emergency extraction method involves several self-cutting wedges across the armor. Without proper protective gear, you would get globs of semi-molten metal all over you.
We quickly left and returned, our armor and helmets securely in place. By then, Kaytlyn had noticed something going on and was investigating the power armor herself.
"Not bad, Jay," She said, rapping on the side with her knuckles. "Which one is mine?"
"Uh, the unfinished one," I commented, pointing to a pair of unfinished legs, as well as a nearby torso. "Should be done… soonish?"
"Right…." She said, before looking at me, gesturing for me to hurry up. "Go on, show us how they work. Jackie is practically bouncing in excitement."
I chuckled and nodded, using my implant to connect to my router before finally activating my armor. Instantly the internal hum of the armor increased as several Elerium nodes activated, the armor shifting slightly before the back opened up with a snap and a hiss.
The opening process was significantly more complicated than Fallout power armor, mostly because I had substantially more interlocking systems worked into my version, to improve several aspects, most noticeably defense and durability. Still, the system was self-explanatory. Step into power armor, putting your boots into the slots, wiggling your fingers into the glove holes, and pushing your head up into the partially open helmet. The system then closed up around you, pressing and sealing itself tight. It then took a moment to shift and adjust around you before the safeties disengaged and the suit became responsive.
The process was seamless in every way, and I could feel the armor responding to my every move. It felt incredible, like how the power armor was supposed to make you feel. It moved like a second skin, responding to every shift and movement with precision and weight, unlike anything I had felt before.
"Jackson, you alright in there?" Jackie called out, stepping closer and trying to peak into the "eyes" of the robot.
"Never better, Jackie," I responded, my voice projected out of the head, though it was blended into a deeper tone, making Jackie jump. "Now get in yours already. Just tap the back, it should already be unlocked."
Jackie nodded and quickly opened the power armor, climbing in and disappearing as it closed up around him. After a moment, I could see as the safety were released, and the power armor started taking its orders from Jackie rather than its control systems.
"Oh.... Oh fuck yeah," Jack said, with a similar rumbling voice. "Jay... fucking hell..."
"I know, now come on," I said, gesturing easily outside. "We need to put these things through their paces."
Comments
Pearl of the Orient
Sales should be sails Thanks for the chapter
Fortunis
Awesome. I can't wait to see these guys start bitch slapping Maelstrom. I also can't wait for the next tech tree.
Noob
Tyftc
scot yarborough
I agree with Jacob. I'd love an extra upload of this story a week. Great chapter as usual.
Jacob Gondringer
Honestly I would be so happy if that had an additional upload a week
cdmadgamer
why is this the one that only get A update each week T_T
Cole Deucalion
I feel like now that he has a vault getting built he should be testing this stuff out of the open. I assume arasaka and other corps have surveillance satellites and the like?
Rocketman
I tore through this as soon as I got the alert that a new chapter dropped and now I have to wait a week 😭
