So Mi didn't need an ice tub to dive. Over the years, as parts of her body were chipped away under the 'persuasion' of President Myers, and as she stood now, she was more tal than at. An Adam Smasher, but more feminine. Her entire body was custom-made by the best NUSA engineers.
She didn't need an ice tub because her body had cooling systems. All she needed was a bed, and that was it. It was just another dive on President Myers' orders. FIA had co across the location of an old IEC data fortress, and it was her job to salvage it.
It was a lot of work as the world was far smaller now in terms of interconnectivity. She had to jump from CitiNet to CitiNet, hiding her tracks from Netwatch. It took a toll on her body every ti she did it.
Breaching the Blackwall was the easy part for her, as with the Blackwall Protocol, the likely sentient AI that defended the world always allowed her to pass. All she had to do was use fake requests and override data packets with false admin-level credentials. That was the trick she'd used all those years. But at the sa ti, it was killing her.
The real hard part was traversing the Old Net.
However, after hiding from all the rogue AIs, when she finally reached the IEC data fortress, what awaited her was a horror far scarier than even the Blackwall. How powerful did one have to be to simply execute a rogue AI? Especially one belonging to a corporation like IEC?
The confidence that this netrunner showed was beyond anything. She herself always moved cautiously, a hint of fear ever present. But this netrunner was singing, disturbing the code all around him as if calling the rogue AIs to co over.
Initially, her job was just to infiltrate the data fortress and take everything. But now, thanks to her personal needs, she decided to face this netrunner instead.
If soone this skilled existed out there, then maybe… just maybe, they could help her?
But she didn't know if it was even worth it. Her bane was the Blackwall itself, so she tried to foolishly test it by unleashing it on the netrunner. If he was able to fight it off, then she'd have every reason to befriend him. If he lost, then she'd just hand him over to NUSA or the Netwatch.
In that entire plan, she never realised how flawed her idea was. Maybe due to her neurodegeneration, her thought process was flawed.
And soon enough, she was face-to-face with the reality that there existed a netrunner more powerful than the Blackwall itself. She was caged, and eventually she yielded, finding no other option.
She just wanted to get away from NUSA. It was her prison as President Myers' demands kept growing. She didn't even have the power to run away, as NUSA would happily give her to Netwatch, who would kill her. She was a prisoner of NUSA, wearing the mask of a 'willing' FIA agent.
"Rosalind Myers."
She said it. FIA agents were never supposed to reveal their identity or handler. But she did it… to live.
"The President of the NUSA. Forr CEO of Militech. Then you are a governnt spy. I understand your resolve now. It is sustained by the patronage of a formidable organization."
She scoffed, still locked in the tight cage, but the demons didn't hurt anymore. "Patronage? Please. I'm just hardware they use and toss!"
"I detect hostility toward your benefactors. There is a deeper story unfolding, I suspect."
So Mi frowned, finding the manner of speech strange. It felt old, like those rare lost dia found from the Old Net. She could see that this was definitely a netrunner. While not much data could be read about him, she saw emotions.
Probably an old man?
It made sense to her because to get that good at netrunning, one had to be really old to acquire all those skills.
"You gonna zero now?"
"I am in deliberation. Granting you passage back would endanger my continued presence. Your patrons may co searching, or draw NetWatch into the chase. Judging by the signs of what you endured, I doubt they can be reasoned with."
She fell into silence, weighing her options. She had already attempted to implent counterasures to free herself from the cage. But her attempts felt like a cockroach challenging a gabuilding-sized foot.
Can he? If he's this skilled, then…
"I'm dying, Omnissiah. You flatline now, or I go back and fade out in a year or two. Sa outco. I'm a half-borg; they made into this. Their requests kept growing. So Mi, you should get this done, full spine swap, lung swap, better brain computer interface. I gave them an inch, and they grabbed a mile. I'm chro from the waist up, just scraps of my original face left. Even the hair's fake. All they wanted was a good little soldier, always connected to the Blackwall, easy to breach. My whole back's one giant heatsink. I'm… a freak. And I didn't choose any of it."
"This stands in violation of human rights, if my assessnt is correct."
She scoffed, a brittle laugh tearing out of her. "Human rights? In this century? Don't be so gullible, Omnissiah."
"I am not, for I have catalogued the detailed history of the world. Humanity is the reason for its own doom. Still, what was done to you stands as an injustice. My ethics forbid your execution. Therefore, I shall install a failsafe in you. The instant you attempt to reveal my existence, that act alone will justify your neutralisation. Do not seek the code. It is beyond your comprehension."
So Mi twitched, not used to such an insult. But she had firsthand seen this man's abilities.
"I won't! I won't tell anyone. Just… can't you help ? I can't take this anymore. My body's chewing itself up, tumors blooming in what at's left. My head's a ss, seizures hitting hard, mories slipping out. They tried to bury the reports, but I read them. I don't have long. You're capable of stopping the Blackwall; you can do it."
"And what, precisely, do you expect of ? Your body is your own. Cease crossing the Blackwall, and continued existence is assured."
"Like I get to choose!"
"So you want to fight NUSA and Militech? For what? For who? A stranger I only t, who attacked ?"
So Mi was speechless, again.
He was right. The only way to save her was by stopping NUSA and Militech. By forcing them to let her go. But why would they do that? She was their pretty little tool. President Myres's right hand. They would rather she be dead than free.
"Then… at least teach . How do I protect myself? There must be a way to make this less taxing on my body. All the rogue AIs… they make insane. Every ti I weaponize the Blackwall, it bleeds back into , all of it. I feel it all. The endless noise. The constant assaults from rogue AIs."
"We are finished, Song So Mi. Continued association with you yields diminishing returns and escalating risk. Nevertheless, I wish you fortune. To ensure this encounter remains concealed, I will leave this Data Fortress accessible. I have already claid and purged what I required. What remains now belongs to you."
"No, wait. Please." She panicked, realising she really had no cards. "I can help you infiltrate Militech. I can open the door for you."
She knew how outrageous she sounded. If anyone were to know what she was offering, she'd be executed no matter her usefulness. But she was just that desperate. And yet, the Omnissiah didn't wait for her and simply vanished. She found no traces behind that she could use to track him either.
No, no! Please!
Never before had she felt this vulnerable. After all, before, she didn't know soone like Omnissiah existed. And now, after seeing him in action, she wondered what if. This felt like having a deadly disease, and having seen the cure, yet not being able to have it.
"What can I offer him?"
There was no such thing as absolute rejection. All she needed was a good enough bargaining chip to grab Omnissiah's interest. Sothing big enough to offer to make him move.
But what?
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