Status Unbound
The alley reeked of burnt ozone, recycled water, and the faint metallic tang of overworked servos. Jackie's footsteps hit the cracked pavement as she ducked under a hanging sign. Two thugs rounded the corner, their eyes raking over her cybernetics with unabashed greed, hungry for the Blue Diamond alloy that made her more than human.
Keep your head down. Don't get distracted by the unknowns, Gregor's voice echoed in her mind.
Her BDJ system stirred, quiet and alive in her skull, overlaying her vision with faint silver tracers.
"Weapon-ocular integration detected. Neural pathways adapting… potential trajectory optimization available. Observational nodes active: tracking two unknowns."
Jackie paused mid-step. Two? Her pulse kicked. One pulse she recognized instantly—the Nexus Directive, always measuring. The other… faint, elusive, almost ghostlike. Her system pulsed again:
"Unknown entity: code name Kieran. Observing. Motion, heat index, signal data… all mapped. Suggest: non-engagement for observational calibration."
"Great. I'm being watched," she muttered. But the thugs were closing fast, knives glinting under flickering neon.
Jackie let the red glow of her cybernetics wash over her vision. Her ocular implant pulsed, her arm twitching, and a new interface flickered faintly in the corner of her vision.
"Would you like to open Directive Status Window?"
She ignored the question. Survival came first. She pivoted, her right arm instantly transforming into a cannon, sending a pulse of energy across the alley. Sparks flew, overloading the circuits of the first thug with a mechanical scream.
The second lunged. Her system's calculations threaded instinct with computation. Her arm twisted at the shoulder, the cannon rose, and she fired two rapid shots. The energy slammed into the asphalt, and her body moved quickly, of its own accord, as flames erupted toward her.
Fire lanced up her neural interface, but her BDJ system was alive, weaving around the Nexus directives, shielding her. The voice whispered:
"Neural overload imminent… ocular arm integration complete. Evolutionary Protocol active. Suggest full operational status."
The air shimmered faintly as pulses of energy traced the outlines of the alley. Her vision split into layers: heat, motion, energy. Her cybernetic arm twitched, responding not just to her thought but to her system's prediction.
"Two threat signatures eliminated. Unknown entity remains observational. Potential advantage: weapon-ocular integration unlocked."
Gregor's voice snapped into her comm, laced with panic. "What's going on?! Sensors report a full Directive Breach!"
Jackie couldn't speak. Her right arm rotated violently, her cybernetic arm firing two energy shots. Both landed squarely in the last thug's chest, knocking him off his feet. Sparks danced across the alley, and her cannon gave a shuddering cough, smoke curling from the barrel.
Everything went silent. Then came the pain. Her head spun, vision pulsed, and she felt her system waking up, asserting itself against the cold, commanding voice of the Nexus Directive.
"Anomaly detected. All systems critical… but usable. Evolution ongoing…"
She staggered back, collapsing against a wall. Darkness crept in at the edges of her vision, torn between exhaustion and awe.
And then she saw him.
A figure in the shadows, tall, lean, observing her. His eyes were hidden beneath a hood, but his presence radiated raw, deliberate power.
"Unknown entity: code name Kieran. Tracking patterns suggest observational purpose only. Recommendation: maintain awareness."
Before she could react, heavy boots approached. Measured. Imposing. A large, firm hand hovered near her shoulder as her consciousness slipped away.
Her system flared to life once more, ignoring the pain, generating a clean, cold report:
"Life signature read: Dax Calder Diamond-Diamond Cyborg.
Third generation.
Current assignment: military.
Threat level: unclear.
Proceed with caution."
His presence made the chaos of the alley feel small. Her vision faded completely, but her ocular implant whirled to life, her cybernetic pupil expanding and contracting, locking Dax Calder in crystal clear focus.