I'm back in my apartment.
Shopping spree: complete.
I bought the essentials — jeans, shorts, jogging pants, T-shirts, panties, bras, boots, a nightgown, and enough girly stuff to fill an entire dresser.
Perfume, too. Floral, with a hint of spice. I may be made of chrome and plastic, but damn if I don't want to smell divine.
And yes... I bought a dildo.
What? A girl's gotta unwind.
No way am I letting some sweaty man stick his rod into this expensive, precision-crafted body. But a silicone substitute? That's fair game.
Now, onto the more important purchases:
IRBS — Impact Resistant Body Suit
A sleek, full-body outfit that looks like black leather sprayed on with a paint gun. Made from non-Newtonian material, it remains flexible until struck—then hardens instantly. Perfect for absorbing blunt force. It's my last line of defense.
KFA — Kevlar Fashion Armor
Stylish enough to pass as regular streetwear. Comes in two parts: the jacket and jeans. Bullet-resistant, lightweight, and tailored to fit like a second skin. It'll stop standard rounds from piercing through—but not the force behind them.
Which is why IRBS + KFA = essential combo.
One stops bullets.
The other absorbs the impact.
Because let's face it—my cybernetic body is bottom-tier. Entry-level. Civilian-grade.
Compared to military or battle-class models, I'm basically walking scrap metal in a sexy shell.
Weaknesses?
Armor-Piercing Bullets (APBs): Deadly. KFA and IRBS won't help. If someone's packing AP rounds, I better not get hit.
Blades (especially Katanas): I can survive about twenty slashes from a high-carbon blade before the fabric starts tearing apart.
Solution?
Carry my own katana. Parry or die.
---
Now I'm lounging on my couch, legs elegantly crossed in a soft, silky nightgown.
A thin charging cable is plugged into the USB-C port on my navel, quietly powering up my systems.
I take a sip of my nutrient drink — grape-flavored, with a medicinal kick. Manufactured by Mino Cybernetics specifically for hybrid organs like mine.
I don't need real food.
This drink contains all I need to nourish what's left of my organic tissue. But I can pretend to eat, if I want. Taste simulation is built-in.
Though let's be real—my body turns real food into slush and ejects it later.
Gross.
Speaking of bodily functions:
Yes, I pee.
Not often, but enough to remind me I'm still somewhat human.
Using only my thoughts, I open my internal system menu and bring up some soft ambient music.
Only I can hear it — streaming directly to my mind.
I scroll through the user manual, still trying to learn every quirk of this body.
> "Cyberbrain is integrated with the brain casing..."
"Real brain interfaces with the cyberbrain... Cyberbrain controls the cybernetic body."
Neat.
I search for sleep protocols.
> "Real brain still requires rest. Sleep is recommended."
"During sleep, the cyberbrain enters standby mode. In emergencies, it will temporarily take full control to protect the brain."
So yes, I still need to sleep.
Even in this body, I'm not completely machine.
I unplug the charging cable, the port on my stomach sealing shut with a soft hiss. Then I slip into bed, synthetic sheets brushing against my new skin.
Tomorrow, I go back to bounty hunting.
Back to chasing criminals, dodging bullets, and cashing bounties.
But tonight?
Tonight I rest.
Cybernetic or not, I've earned it.
....
Next day.
I drove through the outskirts of Neoz City, watching its skyline loom through the window.
Neoz — a city of contradictions.
A place where hope shines in neon and despair hides in the shadows beneath.
Eventually, I arrived at the Bounty Hunter's Guild.
I stepped out of the car, already suited up:
IRBS under my clothes — my invisible second skin, built for impact resistance.
KFA jacket and jeans — stylish, but bulletproof.
A short katana sheathed at my left hip.
A standard handgun holstered on my right thigh.
An automatic rifle slung across my back.
I walked through the front doors, and instantly felt the room shift.
Eyes turned. Conversations paused.
I was the only woman here — and the only one dressed like a walking arsenal.
I made my way to a login terminal and scanned my ID.
A guild staffer rushed over almost immediately.
"Hey, lady! Are you sure you're… Jake? This is his account," he said, confused.
"I was Jake," I replied. "Now I'm Jane."
I showed him my updated ID.
> Name: Jane Winchester (formerly Jake W.)
D.O.B.: 2967/04/09
Gender: Female (formerly male)
Special Tag: Cybernetic Body – Class C
The staffer blinked. "You're a cyborg?"
"Yeah. Can you update my profile and unlock the hunt selection?"
I added a polite smile for effect — not flirtatious, just... cooperative.
"S-sure, Jane," he replied, already typing.
With my profile updated, the terminal menu unlocked.
A list of available bounties appeared — sorted into two simple categories:
Wanted Alive
Wanted Dead or Alive
The "Wanted Alive" board was filled with small-timers — pickpockets, fraudsters, bar brawlers.
Low threat, low pay.
But "Dead or Alive" — that was where the real work was.
High-risk criminals. Dangerous modders. Killers.
Bringing them in alive was possible... but difficult. So most bounty hunters settled for "dead."
That's when I saw him:
---
> WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
Name: Rogmus
Crimes: Robbery. Murder. Rape.
Description: Male. Muscular build.
Note: Modded human — cybernetic right arm with enhanced strength.
Reward: 50,000 credits
---
Fifty thousand credits.
Enough to live comfortably for two months without taking another job.
They really want him gone.
I pressed [Apply for Hunt].
A few seconds later: [Hunt Granted]
My inbox pinged with an encrypted email — full bounty details, target history, and last known location.
"Nice," I said quietly.
So, Rogmus was a modders.
Modders — humans with cybernetic enhancements.
Not full cyborgs. Usually about 70% still organic human, with hardware augmentations.
Unlike me.
The only human parts left in me are my brain and spinal cord.
Everything else is machine.
"Let's go find this Rogmus," I muttered to myself. Still solo. No sidekick.
Yet.
I got back in the car and synced the bounty data to my AR display. The city map blinked to life in front of my vision.
Target: locked.
Time to work.