Mind & Machine C.37

Chapter — 37

Before Rei called Ichiro, there was one last thing she had to check. It was something she'd done before, but long ago when her [Ego] and [Mind] weren't as high as they now were. Rei hoped that she'd now be able to glean more information on what made her [Body] attribute tick, so to speak.

Looking over her status sheet, still open from when she'd selected her perk, Rei focused on [Body], imposing her will as firmly as she could while doing her best to communicate with the nanites she vaguely felt the presence of in the back of her mind.

It was easy to access the information she'd previously known, such as how physical exercise that broke down her organics could be used to rebuild it stronger, hence increasing the number of nanites with each recalibration.

There were also vague snippets about how increasing the attribute with materials other than organics would be different, and Rei zoned in on that as she pushed with all her mind.

Slowly, almost reluctantly, more information started trickling in, Rei drinking it up like a sponge as she kept on pressing — kept on willing — for more.

However, her mind soon grew strained as this wasn't merely a competition of cognitive ability but a question of will. Due to her experiences and [Strong Will], Rei had a stronger will than most, but the system seemed adamant about not divulging more than it already had.

Sighing in exhaustion, happiness, and frustration, she leaned back on her couch, feeling something wet trickling down her chin.

Oh, another nosebleed. It seems I got as much as I could.

Not that she was displeased with what she'd managed to suss out.

As I gleaned nearly a year ago — has it really been that long? — increasing [Body] with cyberware is different. It will effectively split the attribute in two.

From what she'd understood, each piece of cyberware would impose a flat increase or decrease in the attribute depending on whether the cybernetic implant's materials and functionality were better or worse than her organic flesh. For example, an arm giving her more speed and strength would provide the attribute a flat increase depending on how much better it was, while something worse than what she already had would give a flat negative.

The part replaced would then function as a hard cap on her attribute growth, meaning that a cyberware arm giving her a +1 to the attribute could never be trained past that attribute.

But even if it was worse than my organic arm and gave -1 in the attribute, it wouldn't really matter as the number of nanites I have would balance it out.

As far as Rei understood it, this tied to the most important part:

What ultimately mattered was how many nanites were in her body.

If she replaced her whole body with cyberware worse than her current flesh, she'd still be as strong, dexterous, and fast as she currently was — within reason. The nanites wouldn't allow otherwise.

Like with her organic flesh, the nanites would move into all parts of her body that she replaced, adjusting any part of the hardware that didn't work as effectively as an organic body of the same attribute level.

It wouldn't alter the cybernetic material itself but instead do its utmost to reinforce it and its effectiveness.

That is where the hard cap came in:

Material, effectiveness, efficiency, and utility.

None of these factors could be improved upon in the same manner she'd increased her body attribute up until that point. It didn't mean that training would become ineffective, though.

Curling with an arm operating on internal servos wouldn't tear any muscle, meaning there was nothing physical to be gained from it, but pushing her limits through strenuous exercise would still be useful.

The attribute will split into two if I understand it correctly. One which is my 'actual' attribute, and one that is my cybernetically augmented attribute.

I will still get all the inherent improvements from cyberware, but if my 'actual' [Body] is at 10, then I chip in cyberware that gives me +5, that doesn't mean I'll suddenly multiply my nanites and gain another perk point for reaching 15.

No, to increase my nanites and gain another perk point, I'll need to push my new cyberware to its limits and grow so familiar with it that I can utilize its full potential.

If I replace my whole body with trashware that only gives +5 to [Body], I'll be stuck at 15 when I've learned to utilize the cyberware to its limits, but all I'll have to do then is replace it with better stuff, increase the hard cap, and push forward.

From one perspective, the hard cap could be seen as unfavorable, but Rei didn't honestly think it was. Sure, she could exercise and repeatedly break down her body until she became nothing but nanites, but from what she understood, it would just be slower.

Rei had obviously noticed how each new recalibration became increasingly difficult to reach, and to Rei, the reason seemed tied to the poor materials her current body was made of.

She had already pushed a bit further than she thought was the peak of non-augmented human capabilities, but that had slowed down drastically.

Her flesh just wasn't made of materials that could swiftly go beyond those limitations, and Rei suspected that tearing her body down and rebuilding it with exercise over and over would have to change the cells' composition entirely to something more just to keep increasing.

Why not just skip that arduous process and replace it with material that's already superior?

Pushing the limits of her body would still be a requirement, but when she'd reached the cap, all she would have to do was replace her body with something better. She'd then be in that cycle until her body was wholly composed of nanites.

There's a possibility that even if I reach a state where I'm just nanites, having other materials to reinforce it will be helpful, so there's really no reason for me to remain organic.

I also don't want to.

Transhumanism fascinated her, and becoming more than what natural selection and evolution took billions of years to create seemed the obvious step for all lifeforms when nature had taken them so far as to no longer be needed.

There was no way I wasn't going to go fully cybernetic eventually, but this information has quelled some of my concerns.

Rei messaged Ichiro, and to her delight, it didn't take more than a few minutes before he responded.

"Hi, Imouto. Haven't heard from you in a while. Everything alright?"

"Yes, everything's fine. I've just been fighting in the arena and making credits."

"Oh, I know. You've improved to a degree I can't even fathom in such a short time. I'm proud of you! Both of us are."

Wait, how does he know...

"You've been buying recordings of my fights?!" Rei sent, unsure what to think.

"Well, obviously? Miyo and I have been alternating buying them and watching together on the holo in her apartment."

Rei felt the message hit her heart harder than she'd expected. She'd been mostly absent from their lives for some time, but knowing they still regularly met made her feel isolated.

It's still comforting to know that they can support each other now that a new routine has started settling in for all of us. I guess I'm still present in their lives even though it's mainly through text and video — some of it apparently through Miyo's holo.

"I receive royalties from recordings bought, so... thanks, I guess? Anyway, that wasn't what I was messaging for. I need the contact info for River. Can you send it?"

There were nearly four minutes of delay before Ichiro responded.

"Yeah, sure. I'm sending it. Sorry, Imouto. I had to offload the last of the cargo. I'm back in the truck now, on my way home."

A few seconds later, Rei received the contact info, feeling relieved that the delay hadn't been caused by Ichiro getting into trouble.

"Thanks, Ichiro. How are you doing, btw?"

"A little bored, but fine overall. There was only a minor attack by some addicts last week that we had to put down. Other than that, things have been going smoothly."

"Going smoothly means Miyo and I don't have to worry, squeak. Don't go wishing for trouble."

"I never wish for trouble!"

Rei let out a snort, had an idea, and did it again, recording the sound before sending it through their chat.

"Rude," Ichiro responded.

They bantered some more before they stopped talking, and Rei decided to make a greater effort to talk with her siblings more often.

It's just so easy to fall into my skill and attribute grinding, forcing everything else out of mind...

She hoped that would lessen when she solved her problem with The Pistons.

Rei looked through the list of cyberware she'd prepared before calling River. As he answered, she expanded the call to video on her end to make sure he knew who'd called.

"Who?.. Little panda?"

Ah, shit. Forgot about the different hair and eyes. I guess he still recognized my face anyway. Lucky that.

Rei suspected that River wouldn't take kindly to people he didn't know calling him.

"Yes. Hello, River! Sorry, forgot about my changed hair and eyes."

The call expanded to video on his end as well, and she saw him standing in the room she recognized as the one where he'd worked on Ichiro, his strange square eyes and cybernetic face moving into a broad smile.

"It's no matter. I'm glad to hear from you. Ichiro's been by a fair few times to upgrade his cyberware from the temporary ones I installed to get him back into motion. How has he been from your perspective? Any twitchiness or emotional issues? Anything of note?"

He seems to care a great deal since he doesn't seem to take the client's word as truth, checking up on Ichiro through me to see if I've noticed something like cyberpsychosis creeping up.

It only firmed Rei's decision to have River work on her too.

"Ichiro's been fine as far as I know. I haven't been in close contact with my siblings much for... reasons. But all my interactions with him have been normal. He appears to be having fun at his new work, even if he says it's somewhat boring at times."

"So that must mean he's not why you've contacted me. It's good to hear, though. The human mind is often blind to its own shortcomings, so having more points of reference is always useful. Tell me, why did you call?"

Rei hesitated for a second before pushing away the last of her doubts with another application of will. "I need cyberware. Can I still count on you to be my ripper?"

His smile grew even wider, his metal teeth showing beneath silicone lips. "Of course you can! I was a bit disheartened when you started going to that ripper your master employed, but they were no doubt skilled and knew what you needed better from working so closely with you."

"I honestly have no idea why that came to be as I have no memory of it. Sorry if I offended you by it in the past."

He waved it off, a bloody scalpel in his hand, making the motion somewhat sinister. "No, I wasn't offended or anything. A bit sad but not offended. But why are we even talking about this? You've said you wanted some work done and come to me once again, so let's leave the past where it belongs."

Rei smiled. "Thanks, River."

River's smile seemed to dim the slightest bit at the utterance of his name, but his expression shifted to a more serious demeanor swiftly thereafter. "So, what do you want done? Unless you've had someone else work on you between now and when I last saw you, you're mostly 'ganic, correct?"

"Yeah, no. I haven't had the credits for cyberware, so I've been saving up for it. I've made a list of things I want and can afford. Can I send it?"

"Please do."

Rei did and waited with bated breath as River stood silent, his hands moving out of view from the video call. He was seemingly doing many things while he looked the information over.

After twenty or so seconds, he said, "You haven't picked out anything of stellar quality, but with the different alternatives for similar parts, I take it that you haven't actually bought anything yet?"

"No, I haven't bought anything," Rei confirmed, grabbing Mr.Nibbles from the couch beside her to hold to her chest.

River gave a half grin as he seemingly focused back on her. "Oh? Little Panda Jr. is there as well? Glad to see he's still around."

Rei beamed, rubbing Mr. Nibbles against her cheek. "Yep! Anyway, I thought I'd seek your input on my many alternatives. There is, of course, better cyberware I'd like to get, but I don't have the credits for it. This will have to do in the meantime."

"I see."

River ruminated on the options for a few seconds, his eyes unfocused. "Well, if you want your cyberware soon, there are two pieces that are out of stock from all the vendors I purchase from, but none of them are any I would recommend anyway, so it shouldn't matter.

"As to my recommendation... You want synthetic hair with the option to switch colors, but I take it you don't need any special effects. No flashing neon, self-cleaning, hair-type altering, style-retention, or anything of the like?"

"No, I can't afford anything like that."

Self-cleaning and having hair that keeps itself in any style I put it in would have been great, but that is ludicrously expensive compared to a simple color shift.

"Then the choice is simple. Hue Strands V2 from Cosmec Corp."

"Really?" Rei asked, somewhat surprised. It was one of the cheaper alternatives she'd pondered over.

"Yes. It's an older piece of cyberware but holds up well to the more recent variants you've picked out. It's also more affordable."

Yeah, cheaper is definitely a big plus.

"Alright, Hue Strands, it is. What about the rest?"

"Here, things come down to your preferences. The legs you've chosen are fine for the price range you've been looking at, and I know what would be the best choice among them, but there is one outlier. Do you wish to have synthetic muscles, or was that merely thrown in there as an afterthought?"

There was cyberware that used servos, motors, and hydraulics to facilitate motion, but there was also one other type that Rei had looked at:

Synthetic muscles.

These were not organic synthetics, such as lab-grown replacement organs, but 'synthetic' in the sense that they were other materials mimicking biological functions.

Rei was looking to replace both her legs, as she saw mobility as the most significant inhibitor of her effectiveness. Sure, better arms would give her greater damage with her daggers and allow her to negate much of the recoil from the guns she wielded, but they wouldn't do much else for her at the moment.

Legs, on the other hand, meant mobility.

As long as Rei could keep her distance, she could fight her enemies with mesh magic. She could still do it in close quarters, but her effectiveness would reduce significantly.

Daggers were also best used in swift, decisive strikes and not in a head-on confrontation, meaning that as long as she could use greater mobility to get inside her opponent's guard, she could end the fight faster.

Rei didn't think using synthetic muscles would allow her to tear and build them up in the same way she could with organic muscles, but there was just something elegant about it to her. It took what was best from an evolutionary standpoint and made it better, electrical current or chemical mixtures contracting synthetic fibers of all kinds of materials to facilitate motion.

There was a drawback, however:

It was prohibitively expensive compared to other types of cyberware.

"Well, yes. Synthetic muscles fascinate me, I'm not going to pretend otherwise, but they all seemed so expensive. This was the only option I could find that didn't seem like trashware but was still somewhat affordable," Rei answered.

"Would you trade effectiveness for that fascination?"

"No."

It might interest her, but she wanted to be the best she could with whatever credits she had.

"Then it makes it simple. Synthetic muscles can be just as good as everything else or better, but not at the same price. That's why they're much rarer for those without full vaults.

"From my experience, wealthy people often prefer synthetic muscles to other cybernetics, both because the cost is a statement and because looking organic is seen by many as more pleasing. You can no doubt imagine that intimacy can be more comfortable if they at least feel like flesh and blood, even if they aren't."

There he goes, dropping hints that he's worked with wealthy clients who would never visit a place like The River Clinic.

Rei kept the thoughts to herself as he continued, "The best option among those you've picked out is the Gazelle Steps v3 by Augur Augments Inc. They're also quite an old model, and no version other than v3 was ever released. Solid piece of 'ware for their price, though."

Rei doublechecked with her own list to refresh her memory of them, even though a [Mind] of 13 made her memory near-eidetic.

It uses servos like the cyberware Ichiro has worn in the past. It's the most expensive of all the ones I have picked out, though.

"Alright. So the Gazelles are the best. It will, however, limit what subdermal I can buy with my current credits."

"I wouldn't buy any of the subdermals you've picked out," River supplied, breaking Rei from her credit contemplations.

"What? Why?"

"Because they're trash."

"They're... trash?"

"Yes. Well, they will somewhat work to stop small-arms fire and undoubtedly blunt some damage inflicted with melee weapons, but it isn't worth it.

"The effectiveness advertised is well overblown — bordering on false. Not to mention that the subdermals you've picked out will be uncomfortable as the abyss. It will scratch your muscles and skin alike. There's a reason they're all old models and not something frequently bought."

Well, shit.

"Any other issues with them?"

"These older models are also a pain to fix when damaged. You'll need to see a ripper or go to a hospital," River said, shaking his head.

Well, repair shouldn't be an issue with [Self-Repair]. I'll just have to eat more. Perhaps find some raw materials to swallow...

"Are you sure they're that bad? I mean, some protection is better than none, right?"

"Sure, but you wouldn't count on an extra t-shirt saving you from getting stabbed in the heart, now would you?"

Ouch, he really doesn't think highly of my choices.

"What would you suggest then?" Rei asked, curious if he had a solution that wasn't just spending more cre-

"Spend more credits on it and buy something newer and better. Only those misinformed or incapable of earning more credits would chip in something like this these days. And if they do, they would swiftly replace it with something else. Having your whole body chafing isn't something pleasant."

"What did Ichiro have?"

Rei knew he'd had subdermal protection for some of his vitals.

"It was far from the best, but still leagues ahead of this... junk. I think he's still saving up for a replacement; at least, he said so last time he was here."

So, either downgrade or forgo some of the cyberware to afford better subdermal, or wait and save up more credits.

Rei didn't require the best of the best out the gate, as there was no way she'd be able to afford it, but putting in something that was just plain bad wouldn't do either.

"Fuck, alright. No subdermal, then."

River smiled, nodding in satisfaction. "Good choice. Even if going with less armor seems counterproductive, it would be much better to just buy some actual armor. It's cheaper and will protect you better for the same price."

He's right. I've just been so hyped about finally getting more cyberware that I didn't think of it. Well, no, not really. I have been thinking about it, but buying yet another set of armor for my upcoming conflict with The Pistons just to not have some algorithm match the armor with my fights in the arena stings my empty vault...

Rei sighed. "Alright, I was thinking of getting some speed and reflex augments after this, but I suppose it will have to be a better subdermal."

"Speed and reflex augments would be good with those legs, as being able to react is the first bottleneck to action. Just make sure you don't go too fast with getting more cyberware," River said, a severe look on his synthetic face. "I would know what that does to someone."

Rei studied him for a few seconds.

Yeah, I guess he truly would know, seeing as he's undoubtedly put many in that situation and from the work he's done on himself.

It did bring something else up to Rei that she'd pondered and looked into.

"Will I need to get new eyes? I mean, I can barely see the opponents I've faced move if they're augmented enough."

River frowned. "I should have asked for this before but didn't, considering how little cyberware you have. Could you send a list with your current cyberware?"

"Um, sure?"

Rei did, taking the list she'd saved from the data shard Franklin had given her. It didn't list her cyberdeck as modified like her status sheet tab did.

I really should look into removing the tracker, but perhaps it's just better to wait until I can afford a better cyberdeck. It's not as if the data can leave my ICE any longer.

"Ah, I think I see the issue. If you're as good as I think, it may be something you can resolve, though." River said after a few seconds of looking at the list.

"What is it?"

"Well, I can't argue that speed and reflex augments won't help, but the problem isn't physically reacting to your opponents but seeing them in the first place, correct?" Rei nodded. "Therefore, your eyes are the issue. Luminous Mark IV is geared toward mesh scanning, and their poor vision bitrate is a known issue as it's limited by design.

"Your whole loadout reads as the bare minimum for a Magi working in a stationary location, not someone actually out and about. There's not even some form of heatsink. Do you have external gear for it?"

I've also noticed that with all the fights I've had outside the arena. It's evident that my cyberware was never meant to be used outside a dive chamber while wearing an MDS.

Rei nearly shook her head before remembering [Thermal Venting], nodding instead.

River nodded in return. "Doing any mesh magic without it would be impossible without dying from heatstroke, so that makes sense. Where was I? Yes, the eyes. They're specifically tailored for Meshmagi, but they're one of the cheaper variants."

"I have trashware eyes?" Rei interrupted. It wasn't at all what she'd believed or come to understand.

"No, not cheap. Cheaper. They're good eyes, don't get me wrong. But they're severely limited in data bandwidth. This is a set limitation for those without mental augments to parse the increased data flow, as you also have the ability to scan the mesh.

"Having the information from both of those aspects fill your brain would overwhelm most without mental augments; hence, they've dumbed them down, so to speak, for those who don't."

Rei nodded distractedly, slowly voicing her thoughts, "I suppose Meshmagi without mental augments are rarely that good, as their minds won't be able to parse the data fast enough to do any mesh magic on the fly, relying instead on daemons and scripts they made beforehand."

Rei couldn't strictly be counted amongst them any longer, as the work the System nanites had done on her brain was similar to an ever-growing mental augment.

River continued. "Mark I, II, and III all have the bandwidth to support that high a framerate with such high visual definition together with mesh scanning, but they're all made to be used with mental augments in mind — no pun intended — so Mark IV is an outlier."

I guess having models catering to specific needs isn't strange. There are innumerable versions of a lot of cyberware to fit small niches. Corporations don't want their customers to look into their competition's offerings, after all.

"So, what's the solution?"

He looked at her sternly. "I wouldn't do this if I were you, as you don't have any mental augments according to the list you just sent," his voice was likewise stern but gained a slightly exasperated note as he continued, "But I don't expect you to heed my advice on this. You've always found ways to circumvent things.

"The fix is quite simple, even if it isn't easy, as all that differentiates Mark III and Mark IV is the software. Just splice the ICE and reprogram it to increase bandwidth and visual bitrate, and you'll get what you want. You will still not be able to physically react to faster opponents, but as long as you don't overload your brain, you will be able to see the strike coming."

Is it really that simple?

Rei guessed she should have considered the possibility. She'd searched all her cyberware for tracking scripts and the like but hadn't messed with their programming otherwise in fear of damaging something. She hadn't had the credits to get replacements if she did previously, so it hadn't felt worth it.

Now though...

Overloading her brain with information was a valid concern, but Rei didn't think it applied to her. Her [Mind] was at 13, meaning she was well above organic in processing speed.

I'll definitely look into it. It could solve one of my many shortcomings if it works.

"It's settled then?" Rei asked.

"No. Will you purchase the cyberware, or should I? You haven't chosen anything rare or military-grade, so I should be able to get it fast, but for all I know, you have your own place in mind to buy it."

"Ah, right. I would be thankful if you did that for me. Will it cost anything?"

"To have me order it? No, little panda. It will only take a few moments of my time. Will it cost to have it chipped in? Of course, it will."

Shit, how could I overlook something like that? The ripper obviously needs payment for their work.

"How much?" Rei asked apprehensively.

"For the Hue Strands V2, 250 credits. For the Gazelle Steps V3, 890 Credits. That's with a welcome-back discount from me," River said without hesitation, his smile widening.

Rei did her best not to wince and smile back gratefully, managing to look genuine — if barely.

「Notice:
[Deception] skill level has increased.
Level: 7 → 8」

That's like eleven fights in the arena...

Am I going to be broke for life?