Machete Girl Issue 8.4 Cyberpunk Short Stories

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“How much do I owe you for all this?
The chop, the suit.”
“No charge.” Ezra frowned.
“What…” Ezra said. “How did I…” Wolf
over in her gloved fingers. The suit’s
stepped over to her and placed a hand
“Look, I’d rather not play the
material didn’t block her tactile senses
on her shoulder.
whole ‘owe you a favor’ game. Last
at all. It felt like she wasn’t wearing
thing I need when I’m trying to clear
anything. Pretty sweet.
“Don’t worry about it. He’s
out all my baggage. All I have is money,
a slummer, come back from worse.
and I won’t have that too much longer.”
“So, what’s the plan?” Ezra asked.
Those were your new adrenal ampli-
Ezra waited a moment, but Wolf didn’t
“Glad you asked. You’ll go to the resi-
fiers kicking in. You just got a cocktail
respond. “Also, are you gonna keep that
dence and locate the entrance. The
of chemicals that will send you directly
fucking mask on the whole time? You
windows are hyperglass, the frames
into fight or flight mode. Seems this
just saw me naked and cut up, least
magnetically sealed. Coincidentally,
time you chose ‘fight,’” Wolf pointed
you could do is show me your face.”
your fingers have been equipped with
to a desk in the corner, on top of
magnetic reversers -- just activate the
which was a folded-up black suit. “Get
Wolf fidgeted and then sighed. A
app through your AR and you’ll be right
changed. You might be mostly robot
hand accented with long, pale fingers
in. From there, it’s a simple assassina-
now but I’m assuming you still want to
removed the mask. The face that
tion.”
cover up.” Ezra furrowed her brow and
appeared was one of a young man,
pulled at her surgical robe.
somewhere in his twenties. His skin
“You know, there’s one thing I’m still
was fair, unblemished- almost certainly
unsure about. How exactly is killing
“... mostly robot?”
altered, either genetically or cyberneti-
Armistead going to fix anything? I
cally. Green eyes and choppy brown
mean yeah, the VP is already dead so
“Joking. Only thirty percent or
hair completed the package.
organizing and promoting will be a pain
so.”
in the ass, but won’t Aegis just rebuild?”
The backroom was small,
“Happy?”
“Oh, but you see, the assassination is
and it looked even smaller crammed
just the first step. That’s why I said you
with so much medical equipment. In
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Ezra took off her
must record it. I will take the deaths
the center was the surgical table, com-
gown. She wondered if she should be
and spin a campaign against Aegis
plete with an array of vitals-readers and
embarrassed, showing herself to this
Medical, showing what happens when
other clinical tools. There were several
man. Emotions like embarrassment
corporations try to play God.” Ezra
glass cases containing what Ezra
are just in such short supply when
mulled it over, but eventually nodded.
could only assume were quite illegal
you’ve… Even in her mind, Ezra paused.
“I’ll need a weapon.”
substances. She walked over to the
When you’ve given up. Wolf turned the
desk and grabbed the suit. It was made
other way, prompting a surprised huff
“And I’ll provide two.” Wolf produced an
of a material she’d never seen before, a
from Ezra. “How about a name?”
intricately designed handgun from his
metallic-feeling mesh, black and shiny.
“Is there a reason why you’ve decided
back pocket. Then, he pulled a smaller,
There was a long-sleeved top and a
to get personal now?”
stranger looking device from his op-
pair of leggings, both form-fitting, as
posite pocket. It looked like a miniature
well as…
“I’m probably not going to come back
staple gun.
from this. I figure I might as well die
“A mask?”
knowing the name and the face of the
“What’s that thing?”
guy who helped me.”
MACHETE GIRL ISSUE 8.4
“Yes. You don’t want to look
like a floating head when you turn on
your active camouflage.” Ezra raised an
eyebrow.
“Nice. How much?”
“What do you mean?”
“Does Aegis have any, say… memory
accessing technologies?”
“Oh shut up. Fine, no name. Wolf it is.”
“That would be preferred, Viper.’
She zipped up the front of her suit, but
still held the mask in her hand. Resting
“It’s something of my own design. The
Wracker. This will allow you to implant
a device into Armistead’s brain. Once
there it will interface with his wireless
VR chip and pull him into virtual reality
with no chance of escape. He will face
every kind of horror and torture available.
If anyone attempts to remove the
against the desk, she ran the mask
device, it will release a toxin, killing him.”