Jacks didn't blink.
"Based on my initial assessment? You mistook your doll's arm for high-energy protein during a system overload. Your processor hasn't digested it yet."
The girl's ear-to-ear smile froze.
But the armless doll on the table kept shrieking: *"Doll loves Mommy! Mommy loves doll! Hee hee hee hee!"*
Jacks looked up. Dead electronic eye locked onto her.
"Any discomfort in your abdominal power supply lately?"
The girl's neck cranked around. Stiff. Mechanical.
"Reactor... clatters. Like something's tickling the exhaust pipe."
Jacks nodded. Typed on the holographic panel.
"Confirmed. The arm's stuck in your gastric grinder. System reinstall? Or physical extraction?"
The girl's voice went flat. "System... reinstall... how..."
*CLANG—!*
Jacks slammed the vibration blade into the metal table. The high-frequency hum cut through the air like teeth on glass. Alloy plate split open.
"Cut open your abdominal armor. Pull out the parts. Weld you shut."
The doll's laughter died instantly.
A shiver ran from the girl's soles to her skull—visible even through the tattered camo cloak.
"Then... physical extraction?"
Jacks stood. Pulled a scarred toolbox from under the counter. Thick acid-resistant gloves. Gas mask. He suited up slow. Deliberate.
"Simpler. No cutting. Upper exhaust port or lower waste outlet? Your choice. Cheaper too—no need to replace sealing rings."
Girl: "!!!"
Doll: "!!!"
**[System Prompt: Bloody Lolita Sanity -20]**
The girl's staticky eyes flickered like a dying screen.
"U-up... upper..."
"Good." Jacks pushed a scrap circuit board off the table. His mechanical wrist clicked—hydraulics waking up. "You're too small for the big table. We'll do it here. Don't bite through my sensors when the pain hits."
The girl watched his shadow swallow her whole. Gas mask. Insulated gloves. Red eye gleaming like a dying star.
She sat on the cold metal chair. Hugged her doll tight.
"Can... can I shut off my visual module?"
Jacks's voice came through the mask. Flat. Dead.
"No. Boss Rex's rule: in this clinic, you face reality. Or you leave parts as interest."
The girl's vocalizer whimpered. Then gave in.
"Okay..."
She forced her mouth open.
"Wider. Unless you want the crowbar."
*Click—*
Her jaw unlocked. Snapped back past her neck. A metallic gullet big enough for an adult head.
The smell hit—rotting acid. Burnt engine oil.
Jacks didn't react. He pulled an industrial alloy brace from his toolbox. Wedged it between her jaws. Locked them open. No system stress response. No biting his arm off.
Then he shoved his mechanical right arm down her throat.
All the way in.
Straight to the reactor.
The girl's pupils blew wide. Blue-screen warning flashed across her eyes.
"Urgh—warning—urgh—"
"Hold still." Jacks's voice was cold. Calm. His arm probed deep inside her power system. Strong acids. Undigested biomass. His aerospace-grade alloy didn't care. "Almost done. If you want your doll fixed, max out your shock absorption. Now."
**[System Notification: You obtained Carbonized Synthetic Hair x50]**
**[System Notification: You obtained Unidentified Model Cybernetic Fragments x2]**
**[System Notification: You obtained Rotten Biomass Chunks x5]**
**[System Notification: You obtained a Rusty Multi-Purpose Comb x1]**
The girl's eyes stayed wide. Mouth locked open. Vocalizer blocked. Only low-frequency whines escaped.
"Got it."
Jacks's electronic eye flared.
His finger touched something. Pulsing. Still sparking tiny currents. A strip.
**[System Notification: You have obtained 1x Leaking Bionic Arm]**
*Squelch—!*
He pulled it out. Coated in stomach acid. Black engine oil. Dripping.
The doll's arm.
Jacks tossed it into the industrial cleaner. Watched it rinse. Then slapped it onto the metal table.
"That night? You were low on power. Core logic scrambled. You ate your doll's arm. And your doll? Permission settings kept it from stopping you. That's why no alarm."
He wiped his hand.
"Still. System maintenance matters. Don't shove random electronics into your ports. Your shredder can't digest high-hardness alloy."
The girl sat frozen. Mouth braced open. Silent.
Two streams of blue coolant leaked from her eyes.
"Physical extraction: 10 credits. Neural and cable re-suturing: 30 per session."
Jacks pulled off his gas mask. Grabbed a roll of carbon fiber thread. A surgical needle with micro-welding function. The needle tip glowed—dangerous. Faint blue.
"Sew it up now?"
The doll in her arms saw that needle. Saw the arc flash.
It screamed. Metal legs kicked. Tried to jump off the chair. Run.
*"N-O-W—S-E-W—I-T—U-P—"*
The girl's voice came out mangled through the brace.
Jacks pulled on micro-manipulation gloves.
"Hold its motherboard down. I'll start welding."
The girl's eyes went wide again. She pressed the struggling doll flat against the table with her thin mechanical arms. The doll's dead glass eyes reflected Jacks's cold red light. It screamed higher.
"Firewall deactivated. Beginning connection."
*Zzzzt—*
*Zzzzt—*
**[System Notification: Beginner Black Market Surgery Experience +1]**
**[System Notification: Beginner Black Market Surgery Experience +1]**
**[System Notification: Beginner Black Market Surgery Experience +1]**
---
Thirty minutes later. The doll's screams had nearly burned through its sound card.
Jacks picked up a polymer laser cutter. Severed the last carbon fiber thread.
"Done. Insulation coating once a day. One cycle, and this arm's power output hits 90%."
He grabbed a spray can from the overhead rack. Faint green glow.
Unlocked the safety.
Sprayed the fresh weld.
The coolant vaporized instantly. The doll let out one last terrified system crash sound. Then silence.
"Is... is it over..." The girl pulled the brace from her mouth. Numb.
Jacks brushed metal shavings off his mechanical hand.
"Surgery complete. Payment now. Physical extraction: 10. Neural suturing: 30. Insulation coating: 10 per bottle. You need seven bottles to prevent rejection. Total: 110 credits. Thank you for your patronage. Come again."
The doll rebooted instantly. Dived into the girl's arms. Trembling. Staring at Jacks like he was the virus.
The girl fumbled through her tattered cloak.
Long pause.
She pulled out two mud-caked ten-credit chips. Set them on the table. Shaking.
"I... only brought twenty..."
Jacks didn't move.
"Then you owe 90. Which part you leaving as collateral? I'll do the physical removal free."
He picked up the vibration blade. It hummed.
The girl's face went (ΩДΩ). Static flickered wild in her eye sockets. She stumbled back.
"There's... ten more!"
She dug another chip from her shoe sole. Tossed it on the counter.
"Still 80 short."
The girl (ΩДΩ) grabbed the six bottles of coating. Put them back on the counter.
"I'll... come back for these... when I have credits."
Jacks swept the bottles into a drawer.
"Still 20 short."
The girl shook. "Can... can I owe it?"
Jacks walked around the table. Knife in hand. Looked down at her.
"Undercity Black Market doesn't do credit. I don't change the rules. But 20's not much. Leave your right eye's optical sensor here. You take all the coating. I'll even give you 40 cash change."
The girl stepped back again. Clutched her doll. Covered her right eye with a death grip. Tears in her electronic voice.
"C-can I... pay another way?"
Jacks stopped.
"Name it. I'll assess your value."
The girl swallowed nothing. Voice shaking.
"I... I'll let you access my sensory experience program. Once. You clear the whole debt. Deal?"