". Random . Access . Memory ." A cyberpunk short story - by isa0005. (Part IV Released! - 6/2/16)

[isa0005]

Greetings and Salutations everyone!
I'm isa0005.
Some of you may know my Napoleonic Adventure story


aka
"Under the Shadow of the Eagle"

...I now present to you something, a little different...






...A Cyberpunk Short Story...
By isa0005


Chapter Index

. Authors . Note .
* * *
. I .
* * *
. II .
* * *
. III .
* * *
. IV .
* * *
. V .
(On hold!)
* * *

[isa0005]

...

For those of you who don't know me my name is isa0005, I am from Australia and have been a member of the TWC since 2008. I am currently undertaking a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in English and History. I am not a writer by trade, however it is something I have always been passionate about and I often find it is one of the best ways to express myself! These things have of course culminated in many short stories, essays, poems and distant ideas, yet none I have felt have really been worth sharing here on these forums, up until recently of course!This is something a little different to what some of you are no doubt used to. As some of you may know I am the author of the Napoleonic Adventure story "Dans l'ombre de l'Aigle" aka "Under the Shadow of the Eagle." So far I'm pretty happy with how La Roche and his story are progressing and I've enjoyed writing his tale very much, it has been a great experience and the exposure, limited though it has been really has been great! In-between writing Dans l'ombre de l'Aigle I've been exploring my everlasting passion for science fiction, which I must say was the genre I first truly explored as young wordsmith! It has played a huge role in my life, my love of science fiction only surpassed by my love affair and fascination with history Cyberpunk on the other hand is something I am quite new to and having just recently finished William Gibson's award winning Sprawl trilogy, I have really begun to explore the genre to its fullest extent. Films as Ridley Scott's 'Bladrunner', the Wachouski's 'Matrix', Paul Verhoeven's 'Total Recall', Steven Spielberg's 'Minority Report' and authors as Phillip K. Dick, James S. A. Corey and Frank Herbet have all played a massive role in my understanding not only the sub-genre that is Cyberpunk but also Science Fiction and my self as writer on the whole and each and everyone of them is a big inspiration to me as a writer today! This piece, really is a labor of love, just as my forays into historical fiction have been and I really, truly hope that those of you that read it enjoy it as much as I have writing it! Before we begin however I just want to ensure that you the reader understand a few things 1. This is a side project for the moment written during my break time when I'm not living life or writing other stories which I'm sure you're familiar with if not check out my sig (excuse the shameless plug there ) I also don't tend for this to have any grand scale, as such chapters will be shorter and this will probably be shorter in general too... I'd love if this took on a similar life as my other work has but for the moment its just me writing this whenever I get bored of my other stuff! 2. If you don't like what I've written, there is no need to be nasty about it. As I am sure you all understand, we're all here to get feedback on our work, but we want positive and constructive feedback, not Negative Nancyness. If you don't have anything useful to post, I'd prefer you didn't post it... but hey, it's the internet so I guess you can do as you please, within the rules. 3. If you notice anything that doesn't read right, or is perhaps scientifically silly , please do not hesitate to tell me! If you can, provide me with some reading material that I can use and of course always give suggestions and helpful tips. 4. Understand that I am a student, as such my time to work on this can by limited, as a result my posts may be few and far between, (especially so as I mentioned above, as this is not my main project currently) please respect this! 5. I am my own editor, I can't spot all my grammatical, spelling and structural mistakes, so if you notice anything please! Please! Identify it and make a suggestion on how to fix it! 6. If you like, as per usual rate, rep and subscribe! Cheers and Enjoy! isa0005.

[isa0005]

...

Slide guitar and downtown traffic played beneath the roll of waves, the sound humming like static on dead radio. Neon bled into morning sky as the shadow of the megatropolis loomed over golden sand and pea green sea, beach a-swarm with tourists. Corporate lights writhed, aglow like gaudy christmas pines among steel and concrete of the urban jungle. Juxtaposed, a timber shack sat at the precipice of salt air and city fumes, ‘Hotel California’ flickering in tropical incandescents, stark in contrast to the pollution. “So you’re saying he’s dead?” It was a casual voice, desensitized through an age of war media “...one shot? Hell yeah! Get any pictures?” The Hotel California was your typical beach bar, hawaiian shirts and cocktail umbrellas with a with a side of sushi and botox. Richter half expected some silicone, bikini clad smile to burst through its saloon doors, her fake tan, red bikini, teeth too white and slow motion, reminiscent of some late 20th century beach themed vid serial. The body lay on the floor some three feet from the bar, amidst surfer paraphernalia and mojitos. The stench of cauterized flesh filled the place, the results of a ferromagnetic slug. Above, a vidscreen sung like cherubim, corporate show tunes echoing under the slow spin of ceiling fans, the crack-pop of pinball machines ringing outback. He reached over the beach wood, feeling for a shape he knew well. He drew the bottle of cheap Polish liquor, his arm brushing the barrel of his M1 .70 Smith and Wesson Gauss Revolver. The chrome firearm sat alone but for a box of chopsticks on the bar, cooling from its recent use. Stained in someone else's blood, Richter drank what easily could have been motor oil like a fish. The bartender payed him no mind his 3.6 kilograms of chinese steel jerking, mechanical fingers grasping cloth as he polished glassware. “Is that how you greet all your friends?” He asked, his voice gritty with American and Slavic undertones as he fetched a steaming glass from the washer. His name was Herschel Roth, a Jew once from Upstate New York. “Why, wanna be pals?” Richter’s smiled drolly revealing nicotine stained teeth and decades of bad dental care. The bartender made a croaking noise, that only Richter could have known for a laugh. The body had been some Japanese corporate Zaibatsu, he had debts and Richter collected, a simple job in hindsight. What he was doing this side of the Bay, Richter would never know and he wasn’t paid enough to care. He’d put up one hell of a chase, the running him halfway across town jumping from safehouse to safe house for much of the night. Richter had cornered him eventually, herding him to Roth’s place after a six hour chase. “I’ll have this cleaned up” Roth gestured towards the body with his flesh hand, face dour “but you’re paying extra for the facilities” “Thanks” Richter said, tipping his fedora in acknowledgment.“I’ll see you round Hershel, got business with the boss, paperwork… you know how it is” “Ah yes, the life of a Corporate Collection Agent is rife with pencil pushing is it not?” “Yeah something like that” Richter left with a nod, donning his trench coat and holstering his weapon.

[isa0005]

...

Shouldering his way through the hustle and bustle of old Central District of what was the Sol Directorate Administrative Region of New Hong Kong, Richter navigated through the sedate masses, deftly balanced chaicaff and bagel. Chewing on the end of a dying cigarette he juggled a worn silver lighter as he intended to rekindle his waning supply of nicotine. Inhaling he tasted an odd cocktail of sour pollution, cigarette smoke and the sweetness of oncoming rain, the ever present sensations of addiction fading, if but for a moment. Overhead he spied clouds the colour of cat-vomit, thunder rumbling like the sound of distant cannon as he encountered the brilliance of neon clashing with the glow of morning sun. “Damn, that never gets old!” he spoke, taking a moment to look out over Kowloon Bay, the smoking ruins of the Old City just above the waterline. “… I give you two hundred… NO! Two hundred fifty… too much?! I have family, I have dog… cheap deals no pay bills Mr. you find someone else!” Richter heard in disjointed, heavily accented English, alongside the odd Han expletive. Such was the nature of Central District, home to an awkward mix of Corporate Neo-colonialists, Han Chinese and other ‘Gweilo’ expats, Central Bazaar at its heart. Vendors flaunted auto-prosthetics and bio-mods like birds of paradise, flashing modded net-terminals and high-tech data-units, all with the latest SimProgs installed. Black marketeers flaunted their array of illegal forget-me-nots and memory implants, whilst phony medicine men paraded the magics of gene-splicing, their advertising holograms displaying bodybuilders flexing gorilla DNA and feline seductresses purring with an alluring delight. Arms dealers sold the latest in custom designs from handguns to hand grenades, anti-personnel rifles to the simplest of flechette throwers. Even military grade, diamond edged nanosteel combat blades could be found for the right price, the weapon rare and of a far more, sophisticated age. The local entertainment hubs pulsed with amphetamine and hallucinogens, bass and bright lights oozing from the numerous nightclub doors as venues closed down their all night raves. Thundering arcades and hep-c infested holosuites wrangled tourists, franchised brothels and massage parlours enticing with a soft smile. All the while criminal the underground watched with a steely gaze, Richter staring back at the abyssal chasm that was the transnational criminal subculture of New Hong Kong. There were shadows with eyes all over this part of town and Richter new best to steer clear of them. A regiment of Bluecoats, the colloquial term for Directorate Law Enforcement, rounded the corner as Richter approached the Art Moderne facade of Kobayashi Banking’s headquarters. The ancient structure had been built in the 1930s, originally as a hotel for English businessman. Since then it had exchanged hands several hundred times until it was bought by Kobayashi. Over the last decade or so, the once Imperial Japanese corporation had become one of New Hong Kong’s premier banking services having fled the Great Tokyo Earthquake of 2152, almost fifteen years ago, which had brought about collapse of the Pacific state. Richter had been under the employ of Kobayashi for two maybe three years, the job proving to be as khushi as it was highly lucrative. It had its perks and he only had to crack a few heads here and there and put a few holes in problems that needed disappearing. He had decent holidays, which were unheard of within corporate circles, a regular pay cheque, he even had an office when he chose to use it. These days he preferred to live on the move, it was easier that way, was easier for everyone involved... Takashi met him at the door, a ‘Wajin’ Japanese immigrant, he’d come on Kobayashi’ corporate jets the day his nation fell, leaving behind him a state run by neo-Feudal warlords. “You’re late” He said, coffee in one hand “You’re early” Said Richter, pushing past him in his typical surly manner “Whatcha got for me?” “Triads out of Kowloon City been causing the firm greef, bosses want someone to go down there and work out a deal, sending you and a some extra muscle keep them in line.” “Great and there I was thinking I was gonna be pushing up daisies on Sunday, guess Friday will have to do…” Richter said sourly. The Triads of New Hong Kong were just as vicious and nasty as their Old World counterparts and more or less into the same business. These days though things were a little more territorial, their goons carving up the bombed out, irradiated alleys of the Old City into miniature kingdoms. Kowloon Walled City, one of the few pockets of high density population in Old Hong Kong was the crowning jewel of the criminal underworld and whoever controlled it, controlled the Triads. These days the place was run by two groups the PLA114 and the 8th Jūnduì. Both gangs were built from remnants of Communist and neo-Nationalist Chinese Military outfits left over from the Second Chinese Revolution and the subsequent Sino-American War. “Just get in and out, utilize your diplomatic skills we hired you for and sort this s#17 out, upstairs have had enough of these criminals muscling in on our work” “What exactly are they doing?” “Hacking mostly, our boys in IT can handle what they throw at us but it's costing money and manpower that are needed elsewhere. System overhaul is installing at the moment, projections estimated that it should’ve been done a week ago, it's one of those new AI’s Google has been going crazy about. Investors are getting anxious and they’re eager to access their accounts as soon as possible. At the moment everything is on hold, only our biggest fish get business, everyone else is shunted to subsidiary companies and private indi-firms” “So that's what that whole month of bodyguard duty was about, huh?” “Indeed and if all goes well my friend, you’ll be seeing many more... shall we say, lucrative opportunities in the future.” ”

[Hitai de Bodemloze]

Nice start Interested in how you're going to be portraying the city and the world at large. Have you played any Shadowrun? One of the latest pc games is set in a cyberpunk Hong Kong, but I've not had chance to play myself.

[isa0005]

Nice start Interested in how you're going to be portraying the city and the world at large. Have you played any Shadowrun? One of the latest pc games is set in a cyberpunk Hong Kong, but I've not had chance to play myself.

I have played Shadowrun, the pencil and paper role playing game and pretty well all of its video game renditions, they're really some of my faves!
Thanks for your kind words! Chapter two should be up sometime tomorrow Australian time, hope you enjoy it!

[isa0005]

Chapter II is up! enjoy!

Cheers
isa0005

[Hitai de Bodemloze]

Interesting to see a bit of the history of the world. Seems like a lot has happened, but it doesn't seem like a super long way in the future. Keep it coming!

What else are you drawing inspiration from? I often feel cyberpunk can get pretty samey and not deviate too much from the traditional template. Names elude me right now, but would still be cool to hear about the fuel behind this new fire.

[isa0005]

Interesting to see a bit of the history of the world. Seems like a lot has happened, but it doesn't seem like a super long way in the future. Keep it coming!

What else are you drawing inspiration from? I often feel cyberpunk can get pretty samey and not deviate too much from the traditional template. Names elude me right now, but would still be cool to hear about the fuel behind this new fire.

I think my fascination with Cyberpunk originally cam from my interest in Steampunk, particularly in alternative history Steampunk, that evolved into Dieslepunk, particularly where i grew a particular interest in alternative WWII scenarios where the Axis powers one the war. Read the Man in the High Castle and Fatherland and I was enthralled! Things evolved into cyberpunk from their, my passion for space operas like Star Wars and the anime Legends of Galactic Heroes and the Dune Books the kind of stuff I was interested, then everything kinda changed suddenly, I became fascinated with dystopian settings such as the Fallout series and the I rewatched Bladerunner and BAM I was playing the Deus Ex games, the Shadow Run RPGS, Cyberpunk 2077... something about the coming togeather of humanity and technology, cyborgs and the idea that infact we are already on the way to becoming cyberneticaly enhanced 'beyond human' kind of things and how with todays i-phones and such we're already part of the way there! My passion for history leaks through into pretty much everything I write tbh and I wanted do a few things to my world... I don't even know what the rest of my planet looks like, nor really even what century it is I'll be honest with... I'm just writing and seeing what happens I hope I'm not being too, as you put it 'samey' btw... not that I'm going for something particularly unique... I'm just writing as I said haha...

[Caillagh de Bodemloze]

This is such a different style from Dans l'ombre de l'Aigle - but it still has the same sense of fun, I think. (That's not a complaint, by the way!) I'm enjoying the cyberpunk, and looking forward to seeing where this goes...

[isa0005]

This is such a different style from Dans l'ombre de l'Aigle - but it still has the same sense of fun, I think. (That's not a complaint, by the way!) I'm enjoying the cyberpunk, and looking forward to seeing where this goes...

Thanks! Yeah I try to be as versatile as I can when it comes to my writing ability, give people something new everytime really happy you like it! thanks for the +rep!

[isa0005]

To those interested
So it just occurred to me that I posted the wrong chapter II lol this one is totally unedited haha my bad!

Cheers
isa0005

[Caillagh de Bodemloze]

And there I was thinking it was a deliberate stylistic choice...

(I think you mean "anti-personnel rifle", though. I'm... not sure I want to find out what an "anti-personal rifle" might be. )

[Alwyn]

These things happen! I like cyberpunk and near-future science fiction generally and I am enjoying your story. I think you're getting a good balance between telling readers enough about how culture, society and technology have moved on while still maintaining intrigue, mystery and action. Taking on the Triads sounds like a dangerous mission.

[isa0005]

And there I was thinking it was a deliberate stylistic choice...

(I think you mean "anti-personnel rifle", though. I'm... not sure I want to find out what an "anti-personal rifle" might be. )

Yes I believe you're right, auto-correction is the bane of my assistance... that and my inability to spell

[isa0005]

...

He sat at his desk, the meeting with Takashi and the board an educational experience. Kobayashi Administration had deemed Richter worthy of their time, running him through their problem in brief detail. Traid cowboys were muscling in on Kobayashi transactions, skimming profits small enough that no one particularly cared, at first. Wasn’t until system bugs started cropping up everywhere that things turned to . Installing an artificial intelligence was a tricky job after all, interfacing, personality subroutines and avoiding ‘Asimov Syndrome’ was a tough line to run. Several thousand exabytes of data thinking it was a god and humanity its play thing was a dangerous sight to behold. Ordinarily the Triads were left to their business, the PLA114 and the 8th Jūnduì’s fear tactics enough to keep even the most brazen of armed CorpSec units out of Kowloon City. Even the Bluecoats stayed away and they were as tough as nails. But the risk that something could go wrong installing one of these Google DeepMinds outweighed the loss of a couple of million. Bringing up his interactive holographic touch display on his Sega-Itachi NetTerminal, he went over the mission dossier. The PLA114 and the 8th Jūnduì had taken up residence within the old Kowloon Walled City at the close of the Sino-American War. “Seems someone forgot to tell them the war is over” Richter muttered, the former military regiments fighting a long forgotten conflict for a long forgotten cause. Continuing deeper into the dossier he skimmed the Triads command structure. Like the old gangs, the PLA114 and the 8th Jūnduì relied heavily on organisation. Gone however were the typical cryptic codes and numerical rankings, tradition replaced with a clear and simple military styled chain of command from the highest ranking of Grand Marshals to the lowliest of Privates, the Triads ran like a freshly oiled machine, a private army. From what Richter could tell he was running with a typical CorpSec tactical unit, hired by Kobayashi from one of the many corporate security firms that had muscled their way into dominating the market. According to the dossier they worked for Gibson International Solutions, a relatively well respected unit with origins in the Russo-Turkish war of 2105. Gibson ran a tight and pretty legal operation by all accounts, either that or they had some pretty decent pencil pushers covering the data trail. These guys were by the book, they never deployed more than three regiments at a time and only utilized their heavier arsenals under severe circumstances. Corporate warfare didn’t seem their style but according to service records they had served as specialist detachments for likes of Sinopec-Shell, the Exxon Texan Republic, the exiled Imperial Japanese Expeditionary Flotilla, the United PanArabic Federal Republics and the Antarctic States The first on the list was unit 1G-88, a Gibson International Tactical Cyber Operative or TCO. Also called Zombies for the reanimated flesh that made up 30% this state of the art cybernetically augmented individual, these things were the best Gibson International Solutions had to offer. Programmed with little to no personality yet with simple and effective command subroutines, TCO’s were the perfect soldiers. Feeling no pain nor fear they maintained the human trait creative thinking, ingenuity and self-preservation. Combine that with the computational and analytical skills of your average super computer, gave them the capability run at both command level and on the ground. Armed and armoured with several million dollars worth of military grade equipment and reflexes fast enough to cut down a speeding bullet, TCOs were a proverbial one man army. What remained of their humanity was encased within twelve inches a nanosteel, supported with electromagnetic shielding. Nutrience was pumped throughout the body on a regular basis along with tissue preserving chemicals and regular injections of nanobots that kept its neural pathways from degrading. They had their setbacks though, the personality of the ‘donor’ surfacing from time to time causing moments of disturbing lucidity and unnerving screams of agony. Next in line was was your typical array of CorpSec security drones, all armed with your average FN Mag 12 Machine Guns, FIM 202 laser guided SAM launchers, Armalite-Barrett Grenade Launchers with riot fixtures and portable NetTerminals. The meatbags were nothing special, each with a varied but relatively expensive service record. The rest of the unit was filled out with off site tech specialists that would run the show from a secure location either outside the drop zone or back at Gibson HQ through wireless NetWork. A MediVac unit stood on standby, but they were run out Kobayashi’s own facilities and under their employ. A team of sappers was also embedded within the squad but these were little more then cross-discipline Gibson grunts, trained in explosives handling 101. Takashi knocked at Richter’s door frame and stepped in without invitation, the door to his office torn off its hinges and never replaced. He wore a grey suit, his hair was slicked back as per usual. His typically clean shaven face showed signs sleep deprivation, his cheeks dusted with a 5 o'clock shadow that bordered on real facial hair. He looked bothered “When do we leave?” Richter asked, lighting a cigarette. “You’ve been briefed” Takashi answered “Yes” “What do you think of your team?” “They’re Gibson, they’re good, real good… makes me think we’re expecting trouble” “Possibly” “When do we leave?” Takashi straightened his tie, the black silk chafing his neck, sweat trickling down his forehead gleaming in the light of pale halogen “You okay?” “What…? Oh, it’s nothing… after your meet and greet with Sergeant Vasquez you can leave whenever you’re ready, dropship will be waiting for you on the landing pad uptop” He answered too quickly, something was really busting this guy's balls. “Everyone has been briefed and is ready to go when you are”

[Caillagh de Bodemloze]

Well, I have no idea why I didn't comment on this sooner, but let me assure you that at least one person read that last chapter and enjoyed it, isa0005!

I'm intrigued to know why Takashi is so worried. What exactly are we getting into?

[isa0005]

Well, I have no idea why I didn't comment on this sooner, but let me assure you that at least one person read that last chapter and enjoyed it, isa0005!

I'm intrigued to know why Takashi is so worried. What exactly are we getting into?

Cheers for your kind words mate glad you liked it!

I'll admit having put this story down due the hitting the proverbial fan I haven't faintest clue where I left off on chapter III, when I have the time I'm planning on getting back to this

[Scottish King]

Great story u have here. You're great at bending out he details of the world. Look forward to the next update.

[Alwyn]

A great story, as Scottish King said. Like Caillagh, I am intrigued about what unit 1G-88 are getting into. You used 'Gibson' as a company name, I wonder if that is a homage to William Gibson, the author of Neuromancer?