Name - James Buckley
Title - Murderer
Age - 19
Eddies - €8,000
Level - 14
STR - 14
END - 11
DEX - 28
INT - 9
WIS - 9
Skills
Inventory (!)
Missions
Store
Settings
He looked through the stats, his eyes lingering over the inventory tab, quickly and with just a thought he'd opened the inventory, looking at his rewards for completing the boxing fight mission.
A Combat Skill Shard, Shard Slot and a Neural Link.
Quickly he started to look through the item's descriptions.
Neural Link
A high-tech implant that connects your mind directly to digital systems, letting you access information, control machines, and process data faster.
Equip
Exit
Shard Slot
A dedicated space in your cyberware where you can insert a Shard to enhance your abilities. Shards can provide various upgrades like combat skills, data access, or specialized tech enhancements.
Equip
Exit
Combat Shard
A digital upgrade that enhances your combat knowledge, improving skills like hand-to-hand combat, aiming, and tactical awareness to a military standard.
Needs a shard slot to equip!
James read through the descriptions, awe sparking in his organic eye, the other empty of emotion. His fingers hovered over the interface as he processed the potential of these upgrades. Without hesitation, he pressed 'Equip' on both the Shard Slot and Neural Link.
The moment his finger touched the screen, a sharp, searing pain shot through the back of his skull, just behind his right ear. It felt like electricity coursing through his nerves, burning and sudden, before quickly fading into an intense, throbbing ache.
He hissed in pain, instinctively jerking his hand up to the spot, his breath coming out in short, controlled bursts.
He quickly walked into the cramped, mold-ridden bathroom of his new apartment. The flickering light above barely illuminated his reflection, but it was enough for him to catch sight of the changes.
In the mirror, just behind his right ear, James saw two small, USB-like ports—sleek, metallic, and embedded directly into his skin. Above them, a circular port housed an extendable cable, its tip designed to plug into digital systems for seamless connections.
Without hesitation, he pulled a shard from his inventory. His fingers hovered for a moment before gently pressing it into one of the shard ports. As the shard clicked into place, a message flashed across his Kiroshi Optic.
'Combat Shard, syncing with user, 1.4%'
With a thought he placed the notice message in the top right of his vision, he slowly but surely was getting a hand of the more technical side of his Cyberware.
Suddenly, a knock echoed at his door. His head snapped toward the sound, dark brows furrowing, blue eyes narrowing in suspicion. He walked toward the door, his inventory already open, his Malorian Overture practically purring to drop into his hand.
With a fluid motion, he unlocked the door and slowly pushed it open, his surprised gaze locking onto the familiar face on the other side.
"You seem to leave bodies wherever you go." Jessica Jones said casually, holding up her phone. On the screen was a screenshot of him leaving the boxing arena the night before.
James blinked, what the hell? How had she found his new address? He hasn't even used his real name with the sketch landlord. His eyes flicked back to the screen, that was him, you could even see the 4 guys eyeing him from the background if you knew where to look.
"What are you talking about?" He asked, playing dumb as he met eyes with the woman. Jessica Jones snorted, looking utterly done with this.
"Three men were killed last night, in this exact alley—" she swiped to a grainy security cam still, showing James stepping into the alley. "—at seemingly the exact same time you got there."
James blinked, surprise flickering across his face.
Three? Did one survive?
Jessica's sharp eyes didn't miss the flicker of surprise that crossed his face. That was interesting. She'd been confident he was involved—one way or another—but that reaction? That was genuine.
She studied him more closely, her investigator instincts kicking in. Then, something caught her eye.
A dark bruise—no…not a bruise.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she focused behind his ear.
Was that a USB port?
Ding!
The ding of the elevator at the end of the hall yanked both their attention away.
A delivery boy stepped out.
Except—on second glance—he wasn't a boy. He was a man. Stubble lining his jaw, a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips.
And the moment he saw them, he froze.
Just for a second.
Then he kept moving, striding out of the elevator like nothing happened. Too casual. Too smooth.
James's eyes flicked to Jessica. She'd noticed it too. But when they met eyes, neither of them spoke. Just a quiet, mutual confusion.
Something felt off.
Mission - Escape with your life!
Goal - Don't get killed by the Irish mob!
Reward - Kerenzikov Boost System, 5,000 Eddies, 2500 EXP.
Failure - Death.
Before he could even process the mission's details, the glint of steel caught his eye.
His Kerenzikov activated with a sharp electric whir, his Kiroshi optic locking onto the threat.
The delivery man.
A small machine gun in his right hand, aimed straight at James and Jessica.
Time stretched.
James saw the man's finger twitch, about to squeeze the trigger and unleash hell.
Instinct kicked in. His hand shot out, grabbing Jessica's forearm, pulling her back into his apartment.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Gunfire tore through the hallway, the bullets shredding the air around them. The apartment's wooden door was quickly turned to shrapnel, sharp pieces of wood now covering the ground.
James and Jessica hit the floor, taking cover behind the nearest piece of furniture as the storm of bullets continued to tear through the hallway.
CRASH!
The window behind them shattered, raining glass, as the delivery man's gunfire splintered everything in its path.
Beneath the thunderous gunfire he could something...The thudding of boots—loud, fast, and growing closer. The delivery man wasn't the only one.
"Come on." James hissed as he dragged Jessica with him, further into the sparse apartment. His Malorian was subtly pulled from his inventory, the heavy weight comforting.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Another burst of fire, and a chunk of the wall next to them exploded. The noise was deafening, but the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder.
Quickly, James yanked Jessica toward his bedroom, pulling her behind him. He didn't wait for the attackers to catch up.
With a shattering crash, he raised his gun and fired, the bullet ripping through the window, sending glass raining into the alley below.
Without a second thought, his grip on Jessica's wrist tightened, pulling her with unrelenting force. She didn't flinch, though—just kept pace with him.
In a blur of motion, James used his Dash Mastery—sending both of them crashing through the shattered window.
He landed with a crack, the air forced out of his lungs as one of his ribs splintered from the brutal impact. Pain shot through him like a bolt of lightning, but his focus remained sharp.
Jessica however had quite easily landed on her feet, not looking pained at all,
James' gaze shot up to his apartment's window, the delivery man looking down at them, gun in hand. Before James could think twice, his Malorian raised and with a heart rending—
BANG!
The Irishman's head disappeared in a spray of red and white. The man's machine gun fell from his hand, the shot echoing in the alley as his body crumpled.
He didn't hear footsteps, but he felt the shift in the air. More were coming—he could see shadows moving in the windows of his apartment above.
Before he could stand himself, Jessica easily, too easily pulled him to his feet. He barely blinked at the feat of strength, his mind more focused on the mob chasing him.
James stumbled, suddenly yanked forward by Jessica, her grip firm as she practically threw them both down the narrow alley. She wasn't wasting a second—her eyes locked ahead, focused solely on escaping.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The gunshots rang out behind them, the sound so close it made his skin prickle. Instinct kicked in. James activated his Dash, propelling both him and Jessica forward in a blur of motion, out of the line of fire and closer to safety.
They cut through the alley, the sounds of footsteps and shouting growing closer, but just as they reached the mouth of the alley, Jessica yanked James toward a parked car.
"Trish!" Jessica shouted, her voice sharp and urgent. "Start the car!"
The car door swung open, revealing a woman with short, blonde hair and a look of surprise and fear.
"Jessica!? What the hell—" The blonde woman started to speak in a panicked tone, Jessica however cut her off.
"Trish! Drive!" She practically ordered.
Before James could even process what was happening, Jessica practically threw him into the back seat, sliding in right after him. The door slammed shut and the car suddenly took off.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Bullets ripped through the air, one of them shattering the back window. Glass exploded, showering the inside of the car, and Trish let out a short scream of fear, but her hands didn't falter. She kept the car moving.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
James didn't have time to process his surroundings—instincts took over. His hand shot out, grabbing the window handle and cranking it down with a hard twist. The wind rushed in, cold and sharp against his skin.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Without a second thought, James leaned halfway out of the car, his Malorian Overture gripped tightly in his hand, eyes narrowing as he locked onto the mobsters standing in the street. Machine guns in hand, they were unloading a barrage of bullets directly at them.
BANG!
A bullet hit the side of the car, sending sparks flying, but James didn't flinch. His focus sharpened—he was no longer just reacting. He was in control.
Suddenly, an alert flashed in his Kiroshi optics.
'Combat Shard, synced with user, 100%'
A surge of information flooded his mind, instantly syncing with his neural network. His grip on the Malorian Overture shifted imperceptibly, each finger adjusting to the contours of the handle with perfect precision. His eyes narrowed further, vision honed and focused with surgical accuracy.
The world seemed to slow as his Kerenzikov activated, his Kiroshi optic seemed to filter out the noise and clutter of the street.
He could see the mobsters in vivid detail, their movements almost predictable. His heart rate slowed, syncing with the flood of data, his breathing steady and controlled.
He found a target.
A man in the center of the street, aiming his machine gun—James knew exactly where to hit. A single shot would do it.
Without hesitation, he squeezed the trigger.
BANG!
The bullet ripped through the air, hitting the mobster dead-center in the chest. The force of the impact sent him sprawling back, his machine gun falling from his hands.
BANG!
The second shot tore through a parked car, the bullet tearing through the metal frame before it slammed into the next mobster hiding behind it. He never saw it coming—a clean shot through the side of his head, blood splattering across the pavement beneath him.
Suddenly, the car rounded a corner, blocking his view. James's grip tightened around the Malorian, but as the danger passed, he pulled back into the seat, a wide grin spreading across his face.
"Hell yeah!" James shouted, his voice breathless, adrenaline coursing through his veins. "We fucking did it!" He smacked his gun against his knee, a surge of energy running through him.
Jessica's expression tightened, her eyes flicking from James to the road ahead. She didn't say anything, but her jaw clenched, fingers flexing as if holding back something.
Trish glanced back at them through the rearview mirror, her eyes wide with panic. Tears were welling up in her eyes as she struggled to keep her composure.
James, on the other hand, was lost in the aftermath of the fight. His pulse still pounded in his ears, his senses still buzzing with the rush of it all. The violence. The control.
For a moment, everything felt perfect—he was in control, unstoppable.
—-
Last night we got 35 powerstones?!? What the hell!! Thank you guys!!
Where do you want this story to end up? Any future arcs you wanna see? Any particular implants? Let me know!! Any ideas are welcomed!!