On the noisy street, Lier took out his freshly prescribed immunosuppressants and swallowed one. He also had a supplement intended to protect his internal organs.
Vic had already told him about this Sandevistan, and he had a rough idea of what was going on.
No wonder the system had identified this Sandevistan as a component of the "Militech Chapter Mk. 6."
Most likely, this Sandevistan was a tool for transferring an AI into a human body. It used the human nervous system as a host, keeping the AI inside the body and isolated from the Net while assisting the cyberdeck with hacking.
If that was the case, Arasaka really hadn't attacked the wrong person.
Kang Tao had gotten royally screwed, too. They had wanted an advanced Sandevistan to "achieve a technological breakthrough," only to steal an unfinished, shady Militech invention.
Zhu Shen had been unlucky as well. His womanizing had gotten him into this mess. All Lier could say was that his death hadn't been undeserved.
And in the end, Lier had snatched the prize out from under them...
But had Kang Tao really stolen the wrong thing by accident?
Setting that question aside, Lier activated his Cyber-Eye and scanned a roadside camera. A selection of available quickhack protocols appeared in his vision-
What he had gotten from Vic was a Militech Mk. 4 Parallel Lines cyberdeck. With this thing, he had far more ways to hack into networks.
Hackers couldn't come up with a new approach on the fly every time they broke in. They prepared the tools they needed in advance.
Writing the hacking logic into executable software, then packaging it and storing it in a cyberdeck, created a Demon.
"Finally, I don't have to fry my brain every time I hack something. Shame I can't use a killer tool like Blackwall blockage too often. If NetWatch notices, I'll be in trouble.
"I still need to take some continuing education classes at Arasaka Academy. Learning everything on the street means taking way too many detours..."
Lier paced around the open space outside the clinic, getting used to his new lungs.
He never noticed that a dark-skinned young man with curly hair had already set his sights on him.
"Whoa, you see that, Jimmy? A corpo dog!"
Lier felt someone grab his shoulder and spin him around-
A blond kid wearing a bandanna stood beside the young man, though he looked a little nervous. "Easy, Terry..."
Unfortunately, the dark-skinned guy didn't listen to his friend.
Lier froze. Seriously?
Why does this feel kind of familiar?
"Hand over anything worth money! Now!"
Lier rolled his eyes helplessly. V was still inside the clinic having her implants installed, while Jackie was busy getting cozy with the girl at the fortune-telling shop next door.
And he had to run into this?
"Hold on, man. I'm not a corpo dog..."
"You're not? I saw Moore Technologies fly in an AV to deliver stuff to you! You think I'm stupid?
"Hand! Over! The! Money!"
Lier sighed and took two steps back, but the stairs leading down to the underpass were right behind him.
He had no choice but to straighten up and say, "Listen, kid. I don't think you're stupid, but if you keep this up, I'm going to start wondering whether something's wrong with your brain."
"Hey, you son of a bitch, still running your mouth-"
Shit, Lier thought. This kid's got a screw loose and a bad temper!
The black bastard raised his fist without another word!
Smack!
"Hey, that's my buddy. What the hell are you two idiots doing?"
The black kid's hand stopped inches from Lier's face, unable to move any farther. V had come out just after finishing her surgery.
The moment she stepped outside, she saw someone trying to rob her buddy. She had all this strength coursing through her and nowhere to let it loose.
V's hand wasn't bulky, but it clamped around the kid's hand like a vise, squeezing until his face twisted.
Her tone was vicious. "Getting full of yourself? Where'd a little punk like you come from? With that pathetic grip, you couldn't even squeeze milk out of your mom's tits, and you're already trying to rob people?"
The black kid's hand was bent back little by little, his expression growing more agonized...
"Fuck!" He swung wildly. V let go, allowing him to stumble several steps backward.
"I told you..." The blond kid beside him panicked.
But before he could say anything else, both of them froze. They felt something hard pressing into their backs.
Jackie had just come out and was standing behind them, watching them with a broad smile.
A light squeeze of the triggers on the two large-caliber Nue pistols in his hands would blow gaping holes in these idiots.
"W-we're sorry..." The black kid and the blond kid trembled, not daring to move a muscle.
V draped a hand over Lier's shoulder and pointed at the two cowards. "See? You need to work out. A couple of petty thieves like these, and you couldn't handle them."
Lier pointed at his head. "Did you forget about this?"
"All right, all right. Padre's waiting over there. Let's not waste time."
V waved a hand and pointed to the other side of the clinic, where a stretch limo was parked.
The two petty thieves trembled even harder at Padre's name-the most powerful fixer in Heywood!
Once V and Lier had left, Jackie raised his guns to the backs of the two kids' heads and shoved them hard:
"Bang!"
That finally scared the piss out of them. Their legs buckled, and they tumbled down the stairs.
"Cowards. Get lost! Don't let me see you in Heywood again!"
Bang, bang, bang!
Jackie fired a few casual shots into the ground. The two guys were certain they had never run faster in their lives.
Unfortunately, from Jackie's perspective, they just kept falling, struggling to their feet, then falling again. Apparently, they had pissed themselves, too, splashing liquid everywhere.
"Fucking gross."
"V, it's been a while. Looks like you made a name for yourself in Atlanta. How was it over there?"
Padre was an old man with a kindly face, but he rarely showed much expression. Combined with the tattoos on his arms and the Valentinos beside him, that gave him a quiet air of authority.
Hearing Padre's approval made V feel better than she could describe.
Now she liked Lier more and more.
If she hadn't met him, that job with Cai Pin might have landed her in an Atlanta prison for a year or two, leaving her to slink home afterward...
Now, though, she was loaded with high-end combat implants, and the vehicle held nine valuable Kang Tao Prototype Weapons, plus a Nekomata tech sniper rifle banned from public sale...
Oh, and a very valuable lizard. But none of that was the most important part.
What mattered more was the hundreds of thousands of Eddies in her account!
Though V looked relatively modest, pride still rang clearly in her voice:
"You know how it is, Padre. Heywood kids can make a name for themselves anywhere. This is Lier. He's got something he'd like to discuss with you.
"I'll stay out of it. I need a few drinks at the Afterlife to scratch that itch."
"All right, child. Enjoy being home." After saying goodbye to V, Padre turned to Lier. "Now, have a seat, child."
They would talk inside the car. Padre was a man who observed the niceties.
Lier was equally polite. "Thank you, Padre. I've heard a great deal about you. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"You're too kind. I imagine you had something to do with V making a name for herself over there? She's a good girl, and she knows how to handle her weapons.
"But she likes working alone, and that's cost her plenty."
"I've been lucky." Lier was much more sincere when he said that. "Padre, I'll get straight to the point. I want to study. I need an identity that will let me attend Arasaka Academy."
This was his first time dealing with Padre. There was no need to reveal too much.
He did, however, genuinely need to enter Arasaka Academy to firm up his knowledge of this world and see whether he could find anything useful.
Padre was surprised. Very surprised.
It seemed his instincts had been right. Lier wasn't a street kid like V.
"Hmm... Honestly, you should go to another fixer for this kind of job. Are you looking to enroll full-time, or...?"
After saying that, Padre couldn't shake how strange it felt.
He was a priest who had come up through the Valentinos, Heywood's finest fixer, a godfather-like figure,
yet here he was discussing what sort of qualifications someone wanted to study for.
Oh well. What kind of bizarre request hadn't a fixer seen?
Lier answered immediately. "Adult education will do. I need to fill in the gaps in my basic knowledge quickly, then... get a license or something."
"That would be easier. The identity requirements aren't as strict." Padre thought for a moment. "Are you planning to pay, or...?"
"I have money, but I'd be happy to solve a few troublesome problems for you in exchange."
Padre nodded slightly. "Then here's what we'll do. I'll give you all an easy job, since you're friends with Jackie and V."
We?
Lier showed no reaction. There was no telling what Padre was thinking-was he merely being polite, or did he genuinely mean to extend an olive branch?
Then Padre said, "Of course, I know you've only just returned and still have plenty to do. Let's discuss this again in a couple of days.
"You can report to Arasaka Academy first. I can only provide a false identity. You should be able to pass the entrance test, right?"
"Of course."
Lier gave a small nod.
Before you continue