CyberGene [Volume 1 Complete! 500k+ Words] [LitRPG w/ cybernetics + mutations]

Diamante and Topaz, on Halloween…

"Alright, you mentioned you knew who would win. So tell me… who is it?" Topaz poked the old crude bastard.

"It's Silvereye." Diamante declared unceremoniously.

"Hah, really, you don't have faith in Dreadwire?" Topaz was mildly disappointed with the response, but didn't seem surprised.

"It's not that." Diamante took a side glance at Dreadwire in the distance of the bar, he was dancing with his mother. "How do I put this, Dreadwire's not a real person… he's a tool. He only fights with what's been given to him by… y'know. Ripley."

"And Silvereye?"

"Is Diana Ulrich, Diana Jones, the two are inseparable. In terms of being an Adapter, Silvereye is a burning trainwreck of thoughts culminating into a Gold Implant that constantly mutates her into being what she needs to be. People adapt. Tools don't."

He took a moment and elaborated. "The world we live in, don't matter how much preparation you got half the time. The variables change, even in the course of battle, and that's because we're Adapters. In the end, the winner is whoever adapts to the situation on hand rather than whose planned it better. Ripley adapts, don't get me wrong, but I dunno what he's done, just that Dreadwire is a... narrowing of his focus. A sharpened blade. But there are no tools that do every job. You need expansion to adapt."

He sighed. "The ability to outmanoeuvre not just your enemies, but yourself. And if I'm being honest, Ripley's worst enemy is himself. Diana's an idiot who doesn't give herself the time to think when shit gets rough, and yet... and Silvereye is an expansion on who she is, it adds purpose to who she is. Whatever she needs to be gets a boost like a goddamn rocket's attached to it. And I don't think a sharp edge beats a rocket-boosted hammer."

"So, if the two were to fight, you'd bet on Silvereye?"

"No." Diamante took off his hat, looking at it fondly. "I'll always bet on Dreadwire. It ain't a matter of analytics to me, but the faith I want to have in the guy."

"Huh, real sentimental for a hunk of machinery." Topaz mused, tapping Di's cheek. "I bet on Silvereye. Twenty Bronze."

"Thirty, and you have yourself a deal." Diamante counter-offered.

Topaz shook on it, then eagerly regretted it as his hand crushed under Diamante's steel grip. "Oh, you bitch, you did that because you know you're going to lose. I'll be waiting to collect my due whenever the two inevitably butt heads."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. I didn't reveal all my cards." Diamante grinned. "There's a scenario where Dreadwire always wins."

"Oh, you sneaky tincan." Topaz pouted, before curiosity got to him. "What is it?"

"Let's take this conversation outside." Diamante tapped the table, passing a Bronze Shard over to Carol who nodded silently. "Don't want prying ears."

4:24 PM

December 19th

Silvereye

I felt an invisible boundary within me break away, dissolving as an eruption of Flame devoured my thoughts, and from their ashes I was born anew.

Error: Grade has reduced to Gold V

Error: Grade has reduced to Gold IV

Fire Tendency is no-w-w Silver I

Sil-ver Grade Fire Tendency Boon: Increased ability to co-nsume Implants to increase-

Error: Grade has reduced to Gold III

Error: Synthetic Infusion has reached… Error- Mutation has been diverg-

Error: No additional Mutation identified.

Error: An unknown phenomenon has resulted in Mutational Overcapacitance. Mutations: Electrosomatic Organsim, Electromagnetic Domain, and Limited Morphology Manipulation are growing unstable.

Grade has reduced to Gold II-

Capacity has increased to Bronze X

Integrity has increased to Bronze X

Energy has increased to Silver I

Bronze-Grade Energy Boon: Deviant Mutation presence increases Energy Recovery.

Error: Mutational Capacitance is 176/135

WARNING: YOU HAVE FAR EXCEEDED YOUR MUTATIONAL CAPACITANCE. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR NEAREST GENE CLINIC IMMEDIATELY.

The words had no meaning to me. All I saw was Dreadwire ahead of me and within my control. Then blue flame devoured my eyes, but even behind that painful veil of sapphire, I could sense his every nerve tingling at the sight of me and reacting with my Soul to further catalyze this rebirth.

This catharsis. I was more than just Silvereye.

I was…

The Monster

And I rose, electricity storming from my body to snap all around me as my bones and flesh seared under this azure heat. I saw my prey within my fangs, and I hungered.

Dreadwire

Static drenched the air, a humming sound invading my senses as ozone trickled in the air. The heat was blistering, and Diana was the epicenter of it. Her body wrapped in a blue cocoon of flickering flame as vague shadows from within twisted and rearranged her. Her broken skeleton cracked and splintered back into place like some inhuman creature grafted from human bits and held together with scorched machine parts.

I could see her skin turning to ash — and new flesh blistering beneath. A flash of blue, lightning, connected to my chest, slamming me into a wall as she contorted with the power coursing through her… She was devouring her own Implant to feed herself…

I wasn't willing to bet on its long-term effects. I tried to rise, but every piece of metal on me felt like a crushing atmosphere was tearing at it, merely standing up bent my knee and threatened to snap it. I sent out a claw of Livewire towards the crevice and the golden thread… disintegrated mid-flow.

Its bonds tore apart, rendering it no better than ash.

"Riipleeeyyy." Her voice came out hoarse, ragged, as if knives had cut apart her vocal chords. "Did you plan for THIS?!"

"Diana, sto-" My feet left the floor, the heat singing through my armor as she approached like a being formed at the center of a neutron star. She was equally destroyed and repurposed by the crushing heat and pressure, as the metal of her suit sank into her flesh and the Azure blade fused with her muscles like she had become its scabbard. Scrap ascended, all broken matter of my Tetradyne limbs lifting to her command as they stabbed into her back and prompted blood to drill and merge with the steel.

Every inch saw crawling flame devastate the new flesh, but it only seemed to temper the resulting formation as more shards floated in place like feathers floating behind her… until wings of metal, viscera, and flame formed behind her. Alongside that, branches of muscle weaved from the stump of her arm around lumps of steel that jabbed into the visible bone, building an amalgam limb of blood and steel in its place.

"Diana, whatever you've done to your Implant… it'll damage it. You're hurting yourself! Please, reconsider this." I warned.

I saw a black-filled toothy smile amidst all the light flaring out of her, I saw those teeth flake away as ash and new blood-red fangs took their place. Steel and viscera dug into her face from her mask, into the hole I put inside her eye cavity until a blood-red orb formed inside with a single silver dot inside of it. "You're so condescending, you know that?!"

She flicked her fingers, and a breath of lightning fanned out, as thick as my body, to cave into my chest. I felt every organ within me scream in pain, just as I felt the abrupt lack of connection to my limbs when the world went black. Just as quickly, some deeper mechanism of my nanites worked to keep me alive, my mind running as current was controlled and mediated through each transmuted cell in my body.

I was tossed down to the ground like trash, my ruined body dismantling with the roll, but then she lifted me up again and with a lazed wave I was thrown against another wall. Then down, then up, before she clenched her hand into a fist and my remaining leg snapped off.

And then, tiredness finally got to her as she flinched. The flame continued to gnaw at her every cell, until she took a deep breath in, and it vanished as easily as a candle being blown out.

The air chilled as Diana's feet touched the floor. Her appearance was… different. It was unclear to me where the boundary between her suit and her organic flesh remained, it was like it had merged with her, boils of flesh and skin running over the circuitry as behind her floated two wings and her new hand was more bestial than my claw, forged of my Arachnodyne's steel and her blade's Dianium, while her left eye now scarred with crimson steel.

She stared at me with those cold and dead eyes not holding a hint of emotion in them.

Or perhaps, there was simply too much emotion in them, and it had burned away all recognition in them for my mind to comprehend. The static in the air scorned me, like needles bearing into my skin just from being in the same room as her, and yet… I couldn't comprehend what had changed her.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Or maybe I could. It was everything that had happened here. The growing bond between our Implants, the Bladefather's Catalyst, and the recurring triggers upon her soul slowly evolving her into something that encompassed her humanity. Awakening the monstrosity within her.

I did this to her. "I'm sorry."

"It doesn't matter how many times you say that." She flashed the distance, appearing above me as stray sparks snapped at me. I rose once more into the air, her hands touching my mask, almost gently, as she zapped the crevices and sent it crumbling.

Ripley

"Diana… I… are you actually going to-" A fist interrupted my voice. I felt the steel of my head deform as she sent me back, but her telekinetic grip had me reeling back in for another punch. And another, and another, until I saw raw bits of my artificial skin remaining on the jagged edges of her metallic-flesh right arm.

"I am." She hissed, half-coming from her own exhaustion as lightning faded from her. She must have unbelievable Warp Burns eroding her, but she stayed standing as she grabbed my neck, tears forming at the edges of her eyes. "You ruined everything!"

She smacked me down to the ground, getting on top of me as fist after fist came crashing down on my face. "I… I wanted to trust the future of this city with you! My future!"

I felt a hand grip my hair amidst the darkness, but even her voice was muting to my senses. "The people look up to you too, you know! As stupid as they are, they were starting to see hope in you! In Dreadwire!"

The back of my head smacked concrete, her claws dug into my cheeks, her eyes radiating with a swirling magmous blend of red and silver. "You could have been so much more if you weren't such a… selfish bastard."

"I…"

"Don't bring your mother into this." She wiped her tears with her silver hand. "Would she have wanted you to do any of this? To work with The Dogwhistler? She turns the homeless people into mindless slaves, you told me that! And you ignore that?! I trusted those Dreamframed children with you and Mirage! You gave me your word that you'd help with Soul Killer! You… you brought me back to life, made me want to do better! Made me…"

She choked on her own words, as though saying them would stop her. A wild and desperate sound in between a growl and shudder trembled from her into me, as her hands came to rest on the sides of my head, then she began squeezing.

"I'll do it. Ripley. I'll take good care of them." Red tears dripped from her and onto me. Even her sadness was corrupted by spilt blood. "Just… please, stop feeling like that!"

"Like what?" I groaned amidst broken teeth.

"So guilty!" She squeezed harder, the sound of creaking metal growing louder in my skull. From my skull. "It's not FAIR!"

I couldn't get any words out, couldn't speak out any of my thoughts in the face of death. The Bladefather was right, and so was I. No one cared for a dying man's last regrets, all that remained was longing — and then the abrupt silence to come.

Would I continue to exist in some form after I die? An afterlife, or perhaps an eternity as a shadow within my BUG once Diana took it. At the very least, I wanted to talk to my mother, tell her that I shouldn't have been so stupid — that I should have sold this Implant and gotten rid of all the trouble that would come with it.

I should have told Mirage that what she did was wrong, that I deserved better… that if she really felt like she loved me, then she should have gotten help for everything that led her to making the Personas.

That I didn't need to accept things the way they were because it made things easier.

I should have mourned Selene. I should have made a grave for her. Cried for her. Thanked her for everything she'd ever done for me, for dragging me out of bed with that smile of hers. I wished I could remember how she made me feel.

Diamante, that I'm sorry for throwing away the therapy he offered to me so easily. That I'm so thankful that although he was an asshole, he was always there. Dependable like a brother.

To say that I'm sorry to Quartz, that I took his brother from him. To tell Topaz that I should have worked harder to give him and his brother the life they deserved. That he shouldn't have to fight for people's attention.

To Missy, that I wanted answers. Straight answers.

To Skeleton, to fuck off.

To Diana. That I meant every word about the city needing her to be Silvereye. That I'm sorry for making her into a monster, that I fucked up everything.

To Starlight. That I was such a shitty father.

I had so many regrets. And in a moment they'd be crushed inside the confines of my skull. Then I'd-

Warmth spread over me, trickling down like blood as light erupted in my vision. Blinding, relieving, regretful, pink light.

The Monster

My heart felt like it had been torn out, but still beat with hatred and regret and shame that pumped blood across the room to get back to me. It stemmed from Ripley, like a last call to self-preservation, eating away at the flame inside of me with his drowning consciousness.

And then it manifested, a pink light of a frizzled young girl barely the size of my hand. She was torn apart, fading in and out while stretching and compressing simultaneously as she held onto Ripley's battered, blackened face.

"Starlight, don't go into his-"

"Please! He'll change!" She grabbed his face, hugging it desperately as her glitching screams reaped at my conviction. "Diana, please! I beg you! He's my dad! He's my…"

She closed her eyes, embracing him as she openly sobbed and clung to his life. "Please! He's not a bad person! He told me- he- he promised me that him… that he'll be better for me! Don't take that away from him! Don't take my dad away from me!"

"Starlight…" I closed my eyes. "I can't just take your word for it."

She clenched her fists, determination forming on her as she hissed. "Then let me show you!"

Her form began cracking as she drew me into a memory.

———

The Promise within the Meta-Mind

I saw Ripley inside his apartment, but this wasn't really his apartment. I could sense when this was happening, when the Bladefather first attacked, when The Dogwhistler appeared, when he put on that strange helmet. Instinctively, I knew it was called the Meta-Mind. Starlight sat on his hand, looking devastated yet… resolved. He sighed, shame pouring from his voice. "So yeah, those were all the schemes that… I really can't let Diana know about."

He chuckled. "She might beat my ass over it."

"And that's why… now it makes sense why you made all those modifications to your Shardware. You and her might… fight?" Starlight had a stubborn, pouty look to her. "I don't want that!"

"I know." He softened, bowing his head. "So… fuck it. I'll actually try and kill The Bladedaughter, might get me out of a bad deal. She'll likely notice it too, and try to… do the same to me. I'll need you to be ready first, I'm not sure, but I think… Kim and Sabrina aren't on our side."

"Are you… positive about that?"

"The fact that she tried to kill her father, Kim's reports say she is very… stoic, but it's clear her father is a sore spot if she acted out so openly. I bet… more than anything, she'd work with her sister to take the guy out." Ripley sighed. "I just can't think of a reason why they'd fight."

"Humans are… weird." Starlight tried to rationalize it. "How will you deal with The Bladedaughter?"

"I need to know her Unique Features, and then…" He stopped. "Whatever the Bladefather put in me, inside Diana — I don't trust it for a second. Yeah, I know that's a similar way you were born with Amaterasu putting the Information Seed, but… with you, I added a lot of myself to the pile. This has to be the same. I'll try and find a way Diana doesn't suffer from it, too. I think the Bladedaughter might have a Unique Feature related to this thing. Hopefully, something that will help both me and Diana…"

"Even when you think she'll…"

"I don't want to fight her." He admitted. "Not because I think I'll lose, or even if I'll win. Sure, I have some pettiness in me that wants to declare myself the better Adapter, but… she's Silvereye."

He looked aimless for a second, before smiling fondly. "I look up to her, too. It's rare to find someone still willing to change this city for the better. Even if her methods are a tad… brutish, and she gives me a run for my money in terms of emotional instability. I think… I'm treating her the same way Mirage treated me in the beginning, an asset. And now I'm more than a little emotionally attached, never thought I'd feel that way to a cop, but she's… different. I guess... that makes me no different than Elsa."

He shrugged, but regret and sadness drenched him. It would be erased as soon as he left the Meta-Mind and the Personality Matrix reordained his thoughts. But for now, Starlight leaned on his fingers as she pursed her lips tight. "I- I'll try to keep you two from fighting."

"Don't." He shook his head. "Don't say anything that will… it's fine if she hates me for it, I don't want her to hate you."

"I…" Starlight closed her mouth, only silently nodding. Ripley smirked, rubbing her hair with his hands.

"I… I'll admit. I went into this plan blindly, things could have been planned better." His gaze hardened. "Maybe I could have... talked to her. No, I should have. But I made my choice, I had the freedom to do so, and I'll deal with the consequences myself."

Starlight shook her head. "But… you did this because of Mirage. Because… she's The Dogwhistler."

"It was still my choice, and clearly, I… underestimated how being The Dogwhistler affects her. I'll talk with her. I might even…" He took a deep breath. "I'll need to discuss our relationship. It's future."

"Next time, choose better!"

"You know that's your mom you're talking about." He laughed, but it was tinged with sadness. "And I don't know if I'll… break up with her. We just need to reevaluate what we'll do once my mom is cured."

"You'll really quit being Dreadwire?"

He rolled his eyes. "Unless the city needs me. Me and Silvereye make a pretty newsworthy duo. And I'd like to make money without constantly needing to spend it on repairs too."

Starlight slapped her forehead. "Well, then… make me a promise."

"A promise?" Ripley leaned in, taking her words seriously.

"You told Mirage that you'll accept the darkness, all those evil and bad things you want because it makes you feel powerful. Well… I think you should also embrace the light, that there's things you want to do to help people and make everything better for us, even when it doesn't help you or seems impossible!" She smirked proudly about the promise she offered. "That it's at least worth a try."

"Worth a try..." Ripley repeated on his tongue, before nodding without hesitation. "You have my word, Star."

"Say it." She folded her arms and pouted.

Ripley let out an amused snort, a bit embarrassed to say such an... innocent -- almost naive -- thing. "Once I'm free... I'll... well, since I've accepted the darkness, it's also fitting that I… embrace the light."

———

Blinking, the first thing I saw was Ripley's broken face. Starlight was nowhere to be seen, only me, and his life in my hands. I trembled as my fingers dug into his temples — a single shock could end things — I hesitated, I fought, and then I receded as exhaustion at everything grew a soreness inside me.

"You… have a good daughter." I slowly lifted my fingers off him. "I'll let you go, but you make three deals with me. Break any of them, and I'll finish the job."

He let out a wordless groan from broken facial bones, his skin patches of color and darkness from when I saw him as The Ripper.

"First, you stop being Dreadwire until I give you the green flag. No contracts, no heists, not a single video of you on a joyride out in the city." I declared. "Second, you give me Soul Killer's location and all details of the cure to their infection."

He nodded, eyes swollen and barely able to look at me.

"And third." I paused. "You don't break Starlight's heart. Be the father she deserves. God knows this city fucking needs some."

"I…" Blood coughed from his mouth. "I promise."

His dying soul churned weakly, but no matter the weakness of it, his emotions were loud. He really did know how badly he fucked up. Didn't make things right, but...

My breath hammered out. As I got off him, I finally looked over my body. I was burnt inside and out, and it wasn't Ripley's fault. I was beyond blaming others now.

The Silvereye suit had dug its way inside me, branding me forever. My new right arm was silver. A mix of shards of metal resembling scales and coursing webs of red blood. Just looking at what my body had become filled me with… disgust. And vision from my left eye was... different. A pool of Ripley's blood confirmed the shine of an orb with the same scarlet color, a singular dot of silver within.

I'd become a monster…

And now that I was one, I realized more than ever, I only ever wanted to be-

Diana

Just Diana, just the same girl who went hunting with her father. Who trained with Yvette to become an officer under the naive need of believing this world needed good people like us. Who tried to comfort Indra Harmony because she went through so many struggles I could relate to. Who wanted to help Anthony find out where he wanted to go because he was just as lost as I was.

A girl who had her troubles, but always had someone she cared about, who always wanted to prove herself against the big bad world out to put her down. Who wanted to make it better.

I'd changed.

My knees hit the floor, they rang metallically, and I felt the weight of the torture I'd inflicted upon my Implant hit me. The Warp Burns, the lowered Grade, the fading control. And none of this was Ripley's fault, not even Soul Killer's. It was only my responsibility, my consequence.

A drone lowered from the crevice. It scanned for Ripley, his sole Tetradyne limb reaching for it as the drone let it prop himself onto it. Then it looked around, a hook grabbing bits of Livewire from the surrounding wreckage, then it glanced at me.

Twilight's voice echoed out, grateful and somber. "Thank you."

I gave no response, only glancing at the drone — identical to the ones Yuzhou had sent after him — as it coated with a sphere of invisibility. I felt its signature ascend up the light, and before long I stopped sensing it.

Alone, I collapsed onto my hands.

And just cried my heart out.