Page 8 of Tyton: The Spider and the Dragonfly
And cybernetic humans, or some sort of man-machine synergy?– implants had been as common as glasses since the 2100s.Most people had Optis, PalmInters and strength amplifiers.Without them, you couldn’t get a job, let alone function.Aural processors and hormone regulators – nice to have but not necessary.Security teams had military grade implants, including Chemtec, but you burned out quickly and the withdrawal sucked.You only found super speed and subdermal armour in video games.
No-one was acyborg,though.DocPods could rebuild your body, so why would a company invest R&D into something for the disabled?The whole concept of gun-arms or laser tits never made enough sense to justify it either.Nature had solved that problem with opposable thumbs.
The mindless reading finally took its toll.Callie turned off her Opti and adjusted her pillow.Within seconds, she fell asleep.
Callie hadn’t planned to wake up this soon.What the hell did Sparx want?
Callie rubbed her eyes and grunted.Regardless of whether she decided to join Sparx now or not, she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep.Callie bought a Stim from the Vendr to try and wake up.It didn’t help.
Strands of platinum hair flopped in her eyes.Callie blew at them.She could deal with that later, but the dark circles weren’t helping her look.She could stop at a DocPod on the way and fix it, but Sparx seemed impatient.
Callie pulled on her favourite pair of BulitWeave overalls.IntelArms with guided SmartCartridges tended to be beyond the reach of most street thugs, so stray lead could cause a problem, depending on your district.Moderately bullet-resistant clothing solved it.If you were security or the reason a place needed security, you’d need something heavier, like TacWeave, but it worked for the average citizen.
Callie paired them with her most fashionable sports bra, which meant that it was only slightly newer than the ten identical ones she already owned.It had been a while since she had gone out, so she hoped her look didn’t cause embarrassment.Or, more accurately, didn’t embarrass Sparx.Callie usually couldn’t give a shit, but Sparxdefinitelydid.
Callie puffed out her cheeks and blew.She wanted to stay home, curl up with a detective novel and sleep the weekend away but she knew that Sparx and her mom were right.Going outwouldmake her feel better.
The thought of meeting someone new still made her anxiety rise, though.God she was a mess.Callie closed her eyes and headed for the threshold of her flat.If she could make it there, she would be able to suppress her anxiety and keep moving forward.
Justice
December 20 2267
S
esi sat alone in her office with a box, far fancier than the appearance of the bundles of plain jute rope inside might suggest.Even in these strange times, jute grew easily enough.Hell, half the cellulose in her Hexcel desk probably came from jute.It just wasn’t that expensive.
The Hexaline ceiling emitted a soft glow.Sesi preferred the lights dim, especially at this time of year.It felt unnatural to have so much light in the winter.The rest of the space remained bare, like her room.Sesi found it calming.Like an empty expanse of snow.Like home.Before that had gotten fucked up.
Her door slid open with a gentleswish.She had never gotten used to how unobtrusive doors in the city sounded.As if the door whispered aquietsorry,like a shy girl apologising for being in the way.Not like the hollow metallicbangof the screen door on the MobilePod.
Though, Sesi thought, she might have reacted the same if she hadn’t already known what was behind it.
Tornit was a giant of a man – nearly 2 metres to Sesi’s 1.6.He had arrived in the city soon after Sesi, bothghosts, as far as the system was concerned.Biosig sensors couldn’t read them for some unknown reason, though Sesi had a theory.It made them excellent thieves.It also meant implanting true cyberware was impossible.
Tornit liked his wearables, though.AR visors with Opti compatibility, wrist keyboard, RAM expander and a pocket full of injectables.The exception was the arm.More of a prosthetic, really, and bridging the gap between wearables and true cyberware.Not as responsive as implants.But a marvel of pistons, gears and cables, nonetheless.All of it predated Thermabulles.Instead, Talia had cut a hole in his coat and rigged up a ridiculous array of heat sinks.They sprouted from his back making him appear like some sort of robot-shark-man hybrid.Sesi solved the problem by just taking off her coat inside and only using wearables when necessary.Men always found the most circuitous solution.
“He’s waiting for you,” Tornit grunted.
“Delightful.”Sesi sneered.“Does Siku want to be here for this?”
Tornit stepped aside, revealing Siku.
“Do you have it?”Sesi asked.
Siku nodded and handed her the ulu.“You’re sure this is what she would want?”
“No.”Sesi took the knife.“But she’s not here to ask because of this jizzpuddle.”
Siku bobbed his head to the side.He couldn’t really argue with that.
“Are you going to stay?”
Siku shook his head.“You did the trap lines, not me.I never did have the stomach for it.”
Sesi hugged her brother.“He’s getting what he deserves,” she reassured him.She stepped back and held Siku by the shoulders so she could look him in the eye.“And so will she.”
Siku nodded.Sesi strode down the hall to her destination, Tornit flanking.
