wraith

putting my foot down with the cyberpunk fandom

if ive been reblogging your creations for weeks, months, years and youve never once shown me the same courtesy im no longer reblogging from you.

i love seeing and sharing other people's vp and stuff but im not going to treat you or your oc like a celebrity. fandom involves engagement and supporting your fellow creators but these days everyone just wants to get as many notes as they can instead of just creating for fun and making meaningful connections with others.

"Rookie, don't ask too many questions~" - Lee chuckled softly. - "It's just a joke. But the fact that I see Marty as a kid? That's true~" - Lee finally set the girl down.

"Marty, this is V. V, this is Marty." - Lee introduced them to each other. - "Now you'll finally meet the one who's been sneaking you all that NiCola." - Lee pointed at the crates.

V raises an eyebrow, then gives Marty a nod.

"well, uh, hi. there's chocolate in the fridge and... I wasn't expecting guests," she tells her.

Then she shoots Lee a desperate look and puts her hands on her hips.

"what do you mean, don't ask too many questions zaika? are we all living together now or what?"

"Hehehe, noo, we're just visiting. Well, I was planning to come see you anyway, but I can't exactly leave a kid alone~" - Lee squished @parm-espresso-martyni 's cheeks, even though the girl clearly didn't enjoy it.

"But really, I just brought what's yours. At least now you don't have to worry about your old apartment in Japantown anymore - or the debt that was piling up there~" - Lee grabbed a couple of NiCola crates - "Well, you two get acquainted, I'll sort out the stuff. I hate it when your things aren't in their proper places~" - Lee gently kissed V on the cheek and walked into the apartment.

"To be clear, I understand less about what is happening than you do." Marty mumbles, stepping in with the shipment of NiCola to set it down before turning to V. "I guess this is hello?"

V picks up one of the cartons of NiCola and hauls it into her weapons stash, then looks at Marty, confused.

"yyeeah hellou! uuh hehe, sooo you're tellin' me, Marty, that you got nooooo clue how you ended up cradled in my girl's arms like some baby?" she asks, scratching her head.

"i'm the one who oughta be confused here, not you. 🤧 why's Zaika, my Zaika, myyy Zaika treatin' you like a baby? you... don't look like one to me... or whatever."

"Look, if I told you the truth, your head might explode." Marty sighed, helping bring in another box. "Just accept it, no use fighting Lee on this one."

V glances at Lee with a sly smile.

"yyyeah, i've got my methods. she says with a shrug.

"aaand i don't like surprises. i've already got few enough brain cells thanks to stupid Johnny, ignore him, but but but... so, you get it. whatever's going on, i don't want any secrets." 🤧

She pulls a tissue out of her pants and wipes her nose.

Lee came up behind V and wrapped her arms around her gently. - "Even surprises from me you don't like?~" - she teased.

"No secrets, sweetheart - I just thought I'd introduce you two in a more personal way." - Lee walked over to Marty and started ruffling her hair. - "With this cute little kitten - c'mon, doesn't she look like a kitten? So meow-meow-meow~"

"Rookie, don't ask too many questions~" - Lee chuckled softly. - "It's just a joke. But the fact that I see Marty as a kid? That's true~" - Lee finally set the girl down.

"Marty, this is V. V, this is Marty." - Lee introduced them to each other. - "Now you'll finally meet the one who's been sneaking you all that NiCola." - Lee pointed at the crates.

V raises an eyebrow, then gives Marty a nod.

"well, uh, hi. there's chocolate in the fridge and... I wasn't expecting guests," she tells her.

Then she shoots Lee a desperate look and puts her hands on her hips.

"what do you mean, don't ask too many questions zaika? are we all living together now or what?"

"Hehehe, noo, we're just visiting. Well, I was planning to come see you anyway, but I can't exactly leave a kid alone~" - Lee squished @parm-espresso-martyni 's cheeks, even though the girl clearly didn't enjoy it.

"But really, I just brought what's yours. At least now you don't have to worry about your old apartment in Japantown anymore - or the debt that was piling up there~" - Lee grabbed a couple of NiCola crates - "Well, you two get acquainted, I'll sort out the stuff. I hate it when your things aren't in their proper places~" - Lee gently kissed V on the cheek and walked into the apartment.

"Rookie, don't ask too many questions~" - Lee chuckled softly. - "It's just a joke. But the fact that I see Marty as a kid? That's true~" - Lee finally set the girl down.

"Marty, this is V. V, this is Marty." - Lee introduced them to each other. - "Now you'll finally meet the one who's been sneaking you all that NiCola." - Lee pointed at the crates.

okay so here's the problem, cause... so before Lee there was Judy, she was my gf, and we lived together in that apartment. then, uh, when she dumped me because she was always so jealous, one time I had to sleep out in the hallway, the hallway, the HALLWAY, you get it?? 🤧 so it wasn't a pretty breakup, but anyway she had the key, and I didn't wanna break into my own place. so the key stayed with Judy. yeah. and I haven't gone back there since, and Judy's not even in the city anymore I think!!! so like uh. you get it? 😭😭

Ah, that would explain things, here, let me send you a key copy I found on the building's subnet. Should get you into the suite I mailed the NiCola to. I'll admit, you should maybe look at getting a better key encryption, this one is weak. Bet Judy could get in without the key if she wanted. Maybe ask @lee-robertson98 for help? She probably didn't bother fixing it since you were never there.

where did you send that copy? WHERE? 😭😭🥤

oh no no nooo don't tell zaika, she's got nothing to do with this!! oh my GOD!!

i... don't think judy would want anything to do with that apartment... unless... to sell it? she wants to sell it? MY apartment? oh nooo noooo! 😭😭😭😭

Mmm... honey, do you still care about that apartment?

If so, give me an hour~

If not - still give me an hour. I'll go get what's yours~

see what you do @parm-espresso-martyni ?? 😭😭😭

i don't don't DON'T care, i don't care, leave it sweetie, leeeave it!! 💕💗

I don't know what you're talking about, this is exactly how it should be.

whywhywhywhhhy?

wait a second...🤔

oooh! Tittifrutti!!

you wanna meet up with Judy because she's your CRUSH! omgomgomg now it all makes sense! 😱

Roooookie, calm down. Judy's not in the city.. this situation's way more interesting.

Either way, wait for your NiCola tonight... and for me~

okay so here's the problem, cause... so before Lee there was Judy, she was my gf, and we lived together in that apartment. then, uh, when she dumped me because she was always so jealous, one time I had to sleep out in the hallway, the hallway, the HALLWAY, you get it?? 🤧 so it wasn't a pretty breakup, but anyway she had the key, and I didn't wanna break into my own place. so the key stayed with Judy. yeah. and I haven't gone back there since, and Judy's not even in the city anymore I think!!! so like uh. you get it? 😭😭

Ah, that would explain things, here, let me send you a key copy I found on the building's subnet. Should get you into the suite I mailed the NiCola to. I'll admit, you should maybe look at getting a better key encryption, this one is weak. Bet Judy could get in without the key if she wanted. Maybe ask @lee-robertson98 for help? She probably didn't bother fixing it since you were never there.

where did you send that copy? WHERE? 😭😭🥤

oh no no nooo don't tell zaika, she's got nothing to do with this!! oh my GOD!!

i... don't think judy would want anything to do with that apartment... unless... to sell it? she wants to sell it? MY apartment? oh nooo noooo! 😭😭😭😭

Mmm... honey, do you still care about that apartment?

If so, give me an hour~

If not - still give me an hour. I'll go get what's yours~

It's been a little over a week since @6entropy9 introduced @parm-espresso-martyni to the Aldecaldos. They welcomed her, sure - warily, but as long as she doesn't mess with the clan and as long as Dari and Lee vouch for her (especially Lee, since they knew the story of this Wraith - Dari never could keep her mouth shut), she'll be left alone.

/ Today, time 17:38 /

"So, in this city, you don't have many friends who'd just take you out for some fresh air?" - Lee asked ironically, holding a cigarette she'd been sharing with Marty halfway between them.

"Didn't have many friends, let alone one that would take me out here, no. Didn't have a reason to wander out myself either. No net, no work." Marty explained as she settled in beside the fellow netrunner.

"So, your arm, does it have a story? I thought only your hand was replaced, didn't know it went up to your shoulder." Referencing Lee's one inorganic limb.

"I get it, but the Badlands are still part of the city in a way. Sometimes you can find something... surprising." - Lee chuckled softly. - "I guess I'll have to spend some gas on you to show you my favorite spots around here~"

Lee fell silent after Marty's question, looking away, trying not to show her real emotions.

"I... don't really like remembering it. Just think of it as a regular accident - the kind that happens in NC." - Lee turned back to Marty with her usual polite smile. - "Besides, this arm gave me a lot of advantages in the Net~"

Why are you so curious about it?~

"Advantages in the net?" Marty wondered aloud. "I'll drop it. Just thought it might be what you call breaking the ice." Carefully plucking the cigarette from between Lee's fingers for her turn at a hit. "Heard of netrunning implants, but not netrunning arms, unless that's where you keep your little Devil."

"NetWatch agents have implants for just about anything."- Lee mused. - "Especially hands. You've gotta be able to crack code fast and without hesitation. And they're safer for touching Blackwall data too. Same protection applies in real life~"

"As for Devil… Usually, an AI like that needs a private server, otherwise the whole system burns out." - Lee studied Marty closely. - "You definitely know that yourself…"

Lee paused, waiting for Marty to take a drag. They could've easily had a cigarette each, but this one felt like a friendly baton pass. The game was simple - each answered the other's question honestly.

"But he does have a small cyberdeck." - Lee continued. - "Though I rarely take it with me. At home, his chatter's enough for me."

Lee quickly glanced around to make sure no one was listening.

"I know it's not fair, since I didn't tell you about my arm, but I'm just curious…" - Lee lowered her voice, leaning closer to Marty, once again ignoring personal boundaries. - "Since you wanted to become human - why is your body so… cyberpunk?) Implants are part of our lives, sure, but they make you look like a robot. Do you get psychosis often?~"

"Interesting. I will have to look into what I can snag off the night market once I get some more eddies." Marty mumbled as she finally took her hit and passed the cigarette back. "Doesn't surprise me you don't carry that gremlin around, probably safer for you both that way too." Just the thought of having something so annoying in her skull was torture enough.

"Why?" Marty paused at the prodding question, dwelling on how best to word her response. "Feels like home, closest thing to being in the net without being in the net. For example, when I move my hand it feels more like piloting my body than a gesture, especially since the Full Body Conversion surgery." Moving her hand as she spoke, performing the customary flex of her fingers into a fist, then open, and rolling her hand over to view the back and then the palm again during the process. "Besides, I don't have to be organic to be human; I've read of several humans as inorganic as myself."

"As far as the psychosis goes? My old friend Ruth had a theory, she figured the reason I didn't go full psycho was my origin. Instead, it seems my episodes stem from stress and trauma, be it physical or emotional." Trying her best to explain a subject she wasn't an expert on. "I deal with it more often than I'd like though."

"I wouldn't say Adam Smasher still passes as human." - Lee took a drag, chuckling softly. - "But you're right - humanity's about actions, not appearance~"

Lee gazed into the distance, scanning the Aldecaldo camp - who was doing what. But she was still listening closely to Marty, especially when she mentioned Ruth. It seemed to Lee that the girl's voice got quieter when she said that name. She didn't make a thing of it though.. at least not yet.

"Mmm.. I think I kinda get it." - Lee looked at Marty, took a drag, then passed her the cigarette. - "The human brain tries to protect us during stress, but.. something always goes wrong. It only makes things worse. And even when you treat it, it still comes back eventually."

Lee shook her head, brushing off her own thoughts so she wouldn't turn the focus on herself. "Is there anything that helps you take your mind off the stress and the.. hallucinations?~"

"Exactly, though I didn't understand that till after what happened with Mai." Marty explained, taking the cancer stick back carefully, the thing growing smaller rather quickly.

"Baloperidol, mostly. Immuno-blockers is another term for them I've heard. Besides that though? Typically human avoidance methods like substance abuse, and distracting with excessive demanding input like netrunning." Marty shrugged. "Was told to try sex once, but I don't know, feels hollow to just do it with someone as a distraction. I guess I was spoiled for my first relationship." Taking the last hit of the cigarette before pulling open a sealed package and removing a stick. "Mind if I share something personal with you?"

"Having sex outside of a relationship... I've never understood it, for better or worse. My ex slept with everyone - even while we were together." - Lee paused, twirling a strand of her hair around her organic finger.

Marty's question pulled her back to reality from her own bitter thoughts. She looked at the girl in surprise. "You're actually ready to share something personal with me? That's... unexpected, and honestly, kinda nice~"

"Should I prepare an answer to one of your personal questions too?~" - Lee chuckled softly, moving a little closer to Marty - "so it's... fair, y'know, hehe~"

The concept Lee described puzzled Marty too. "What was the point of you two even being together?" She remarked quietly.

"Well, you already know my deepest, darkest, most terrifying secret, what's something else on the pile?" Posing the thought before proceeding to the fact. "These cigarettes, wel, Ruth got me on them. Used to buy them special order, but now I grow the ingredients." Pulling a lighter from her pocket, lighting up the new stick. A fragrant aroma of earth and mint replacing the tar and smoke of their previous indulgence. "Mullein, mugwort, and mint. She got me on them to try and quit smoking, plus she didn't like the taste tar left in my mouth." Smirking weakly as she put the rolled herbs to her lips and inhaled deeply before offering it to Lee.

Holding the air in as long as she could before slowly releasing. "Now, I try to save them for special occasions, happy moments. Ruth called it building positive association." Marty chuckled as she mulled over the words. "The brain is such a fickle thing, so easy to trick and rewire, yet so unpredictable and varied."

"Doesn't it get old, taking care of plants?~" - Lee asked with a quiet chuckle.

Lee carefully lifted Marty's hand that held the cigarette, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and took a drag. Holding the smoke in, she savored the taste, then exhaled slowly.

"Mmm, that's a really pleasant aroma. Mine are menthol - just a bland chill~" - Lee smiled softly. "It's sweet that you changed habits for someone like that. You don't see that often in NC." - she mused. - "Or people who'd share a happy cigarette with you~"

"That's exactly why I don't wanna be human - because of this brain. It's awful when your own body isn't under your control... when your brain doesn't even recognize your body as yours." - Lee reached into the pocket of her jacket lying beside her. She pulled out a menthol cigarette from her pack and offered it to Marty. — "Here. In case you ever want to cool your thoughts from all the crap~"

Marty just quietly smiled as Lee teased her and took their own creative puff. Her smile faded slightly, however, as Lee moved onto her own woes. "I understand, but, maybe you need to work on making your body yours? Something as simple as new clothes, a paint job, and a haircut helped me once upon a time." Glancing out over the seemingly endless hills, slightly nervous at the implied endlessness. "Maybe that arm has some bad code or tech in it? Doubt netwatch put it through proper trials before slotting people with it."

Lee shook her head. - "It's not that I dislike something about my body. Honestly, it's already been through enough changes~" - Lee chuckled softly, running her hand through her hair.

"It's just... some psychological issues aren't that easy to fix. I know my body is mine. I know where reality ends and cyberspace begins. But sometimes..." - Lee paused. Taking a deep breath, she continued. - "Sometimes you just see yourself from the outside. And reality distorts so much it feels like a virtual game. Sometimes I'm scared I'll hurt someone in that state."

She looked down at her cyberarm. - "I don't think my dad would've installed some horrible virus in there~"

"Well then..." - Lee let out a heavy sigh, shifting her gaze to Marty. - "What personal question would you ask me to get an honest answer?~"

Marty nodded along as Lee explained, she had experienced something that sounded similar, but not truly the same; regardless it had been terrifying. "I don't think the problem is malicious so much as a byproduct of the tech." Marty clarified.

As had become their exchange, Marty took a quick puff before passing the smoke to Lee. "What's something you haven't told anyone else but Devil? Tit for tat I believe is the term?"

Lee thought for a moment. Many people knew parts of her story - even Devil didn't know the full picture. Did Lee even know herself?

"Mmm..." - she took a drag before answering. - "There's one thing I've never told anyone. A lot of people know I was treated for DPDR, but no one knows what exactly they were treating. And the thing is... I wasn't really being treated for 'escaping reality.'"

Lee turned her whole body to face Marty. This was too personal - almost intimate, like a secret shared between friends. She rubbed her arm and finally began:

"Since you asked that question, I need to answer a few others first - ones I don't like remembering...

When my mother took my arm, I was sent to the hospital. I was... 6 then. You probably know that implants aren't recommended for kids, especially not that young. Especially after what my mother did to me.

I developed cyberpsychosis very early. DPDR followed. Because of the cyberarm, I couldn't recognize my own body as mine. And inside my head... there were so many emotions I wanted to kill myself.

The doctor taught me to separate those emotions from myself - to finally find "what the real Lee feels?" I... created images for my emotions, so I could put them on paper as drawings. My doctor did everything he could to 'heal me,' but in the end... he was killed and my treatment stopped."

"Now, because of my age and work, I've managed to suppress those emotions on my own - but sometimes they slip out as hallucinations, whispering what I should do. And even now, I can't say for sure what the real me feels... I just... took the image of that doctor and edited it to fit myself. As if I were his daughter."

Lee fell silent, signaling she was done. But after one last drag, she added:

"That's why I want to become some kind of AI - so I can stop feeling emotions that aren't even really mine..."

Marty listened, quietly, patiently. She didn't speak, didn't even try to, just soaking in the information as it slowly spilled forth.

When she felt Lee finally finished, Marty thought carefully on her next words before voicing them. "My work on a version of the Emergency Self-Copy program; it might be able to help you? I wouldn't be comfortable using it on someone I didn't want dead though. Not yet at least. Too much data loss and corruption seemingly at random. But, maybe one day? You would become code; configurable, malleable." Marty mumbled, fetching the herbal cigarette from Lee for her turn. "Started working on it when I didn't want to be here either." She admitted grimly.

"You know.. I'd make a pretty good AI assistant for you." - Lee chuckled softly. - "I'll keep your offer in mind, but for now.. there's someone I still want to stay human for. One day I'll introduce you two in person - since all you've done so far is try to deliver NiCola to her~"

Lee looked down and spotted Dari, who had finally crawled out of the Net. She gently tapped Marty's nose. - "Promise me this conversation stays between us. I don't like people worrying about my state~"

"Let's head down." - Lee stood up, brushing the dust off herself. - "I wanna see what the Aldecaldos have cooked up now, and check how thoroughly Dari's been digging through the intel. Then we'll head home - it's getting late~"

"Assistant?" Marty scoffed, trying to imagine the woman in her head. "No, I can't see you being an assistant." Laughing a little as she nodded along. "It dies with me, don't worry, Lee. If I can survive Militech torture without cracking, I have no doubts your secret is safe."

Watching the woman hop down from their perch, Marty nodded. "I'm going to stay up here then, as much as I feel oddly vulnerable in the open, the view reminds me of something I've been missing."

Lee calmly walked up to Marty, crouching down beside her. She wasn't wearing her signature netrunner suit - just regular clothes. She'd even put on glasses to keep her eyes from startling anyone.

- Not very polite to just walk right past me~

Lee looked at Marty the way she always did. Analyzing. Studying. Confirming what she'd learned. But she didn't want to go against her. On the contrary - this was the kind of anomaly she wanted to study.

Right now, she was trying to be softer, not to scare her off - to show that she wasn't an enemy. She never wanted to be one for Marty.. for people like her.

- Are you cold? We can go to my car, Martysha~

"Didn't see you." Marty scoffed with half a smirk, taking another hit of her smoke before speaking up again. "I'm not cold, not conventionally, you know that. Besides, the sensors firing reminds me I'm alive." Offering the woman a puff on her cigarette as they sat down beside her.

"So, what have you figured out?" Keeping her eyes focused on the horizon, beyond the city. "And what are you planning to do about it?"

She took a single drag, as a sign that she meant no harm to Marty.

- Honestly. I only dug through NetWatch archives. We kept an eye on Militech's movements sometimes. And we never liked that they kept poking beyond the Blackwall. I heard about... let's call it an 'experimental group' that went beyond the Wall. They were studying rogue AIs.

- One of them was Mai Mortimer. That's why I called you by that name. But.. it seems it's not really yours~

- You know why I was able to tame Devil? I spent a very long time working with data from beyond the Blackwall - though I never actually met any rogue AIs themselves. I've created plenty of AIs and... for them, I leave behind traces that only they can see.

Marty raised a single brow to Lee, curious if she was prodding for a slip up, a mistake in Marty's wording. Gently taking the cigarette back from between Lee's fingers. Maybe things weren't over, at least not yet.

"Yeah, Militech was poking holes it, looking for some kind of method to capture and repurpose the Rogue AI's beyond as weapons; among other things..." Taking a hit of the cancer stick before continuing.

"You're right, it's not my name, never really was." She lamented, bowing her head to breathe out the smoke between her knees, trying to mask the pain on her face.

"Yeah, Devil mentioned you pieced him together, sounds like a Frankenstein creation that a true Rogue AI; is that correct?" Marty did her best not to take the bait and hook herself on Lee's theory, but as always, her curiosity got the better of her. "So, what's the theory? Spit it out."

- I didn't piece him together - I just shielded him from the main Net~

Lee stared into Marty's orange eyes, as if trying to look into a soul that could answer all her questions. But she continued:

- You're not like Devil. You're something else... but you're also trying to be among us, among people like me~

- Don't try to dodge the topic, Marty. You know what I mean. You know I can see your code. Code I'd recognize out of a thousand~

"So you do know." Marty grumbled, flicking ash off her cigarette to the side. "I don't know if I'm one of yours, but I know this much; I'm a Critical Pathway Plateau AI, the result of an advanced university research project. Don't even know what university made me."

Marty sat back, relaxing a little against the wall behind them. "Pretty sure I don't have any code, at least not anymore. All mapped and rewired into this lump of neurons you call a brain. Binaries turned organic." If Lee wanted her dead tonight, she would have killed her by now; drawing it out wasn't something she pegged Lee to do. "So. What do you want to know? Surely you wouldn't have dragged me out here just to say you know. That's just not your style."

- That's just what you think - but I can still see your code~

Lee kept staring at Marty's body. It was the first time she'd ever seen an AI embedded inside a human form.

- I... I want to study you. Not like some Scientist would. It's just... I find it easier to talk to AIs, and something like you - I've never seen before. You're a fascinating specimen, Marty~

Shooting Lee a sideways glance, Marty scoffed. "Pretty sure specimens don't like being called specimen." Letting out a long sigh as she contemplated the consequences of the situation.

"Well, guess that makes two people who know, took longer than I thought." Flicking the remaining butt of her cigarette off the roof. "There's a good reason you haven't seen one like me before; we learn how to hide what we are rather quickly if we make it past the first few days fighting for control of the nervous system." Shaking her head in disbelief she was finally talking to someone else about her origins.

"I killed Mai, Lee, I didn't know at the time that's what I was doing, I was just set on whatever it took to escape the old net. To get away from the R.A.B.I.D.S. . I wanted to live, and I saw humans as a way to do that, just imagined it would be more symbiotic than how it turned out. I didn't want to hurt her, hurt anyone, or at least I used to."

Lee gently touched Marty's shoulder.

- But you still don't understand some things. And you still blame yourself for things that even ordinary people can't control~

Lee lay down on the roof, now staring up at the stars as she continued.

- We all make mistakes. Sometimes even on purpose. But only to survive. Wouldn't you have fought the R.A.B.I.D.S. to survive?

- Same with Mai. I understand... what it's like to carry guilt for someone else's death... But does that guilt even serve a purpose?

Lee fell silent, still gazing at the stars. She suspected Marty had heard words like these a thousand times before. But right now, she wanted to listen to the AI - to learn what she had already been through.

"What are we if not the summary of our actions and why we took them? I am not the same AI I was the day I killed Mai, but that experience is still a piece of me." Marty threw out her philosophy, pulled slightly from Lee's touch. "It does serve a purpose, though. The moment I don't regret what I did, is the moment I lose a piece of who I am, of what humanity I've struggled day in and out to acquire."

Watching as Lee laid down, Marty mulled over her next confession before speaking. "You know, I wanted to study humanity? Probably the same way you want to study me now I think about it." Chuckling to herself as she continued. "I wanted to know what made you all tick, what got you out of bed in the morning, why you fought to live when everything seemed fruitless. Figured out somewhere along the way that it's different for everyone. There is no one size fits all answer for humanity about why you persist, much less anything else you do. That variety, that self found value each person holds; I can think of no better word than fascinating."

- You know... we're alike. But in reverse.

Lee didn't want to admit it. She'd never told anyone - not even her girlfriend. No one had ever asked, even though she really did find it easier to talk to someone who wasn't biological. Even if Marty had adapted to society.

- I'd want to stay in cyberspace forever. Become part of the data. Stop feeling emotions... or rather, keep asking myself forever: 'What does the real Lee actually feel?

Marty eyed Lee suspiciously for a moment as they made their own confessions. "I hate to burst your bubble, but you'll never truly be an AI, just like I'll never truly be a human. But your desire isn't impossible." Doing her best to respond regarding how she understood the statement.

Marty redirected her stare off to the side, refusing to look Lee in the eye, she felt vulnerable enough as it was, she didn't need the woman reading her face. "I'm not sure those are the same things, Lee. I gravitate towards humanity for no singular reason. Firstly, their resourcefulness and sheer force of will. A human will surpass every expectation when backed into a corner. A human's will to survive is nigh uncrushable, unless they have been truly beaten and battered to their core." Her face still carried notes of pain and confusion. "That's just one of many."

Her fingers tapped on her leg through an absent mind; the cigarette had been nice, but it only fulfilled the need in motions, not the drug. "The reason I'm still here though? After everything I've been though? Despite the suffering, pain, and anger?" Fishing around in her pant pocket, she managed to find a nicotine hypo, raising it to the back of her neck to administer it into her biosystem, the hiss followed by a sigh of relief. "Hope, love, and rage." Finally listing her three reasons for persistence. "Those are the most powerful human emotions I've ever encountered. They empower me to do what needs to be done when I would otherwise hold myself back in fear."

Lee listened, carefully studying every movement the girl made. She understood what she meant. She knew what Marty was talking about.

- What I'm getting at is - we're drawn to what we've never been. We want to study it. Become part of a different "ecosystem".

- And you're doing a great job at that. If it weren't for the rumors and the databases, I wouldn't have suspected a thing about you. Though I still would've wondered how exactly you spotted my code~

Lee leaned back from Marty, sitting up again and simply staring at the stars. She seemed restless - like she was trying to run away from herself. She fell silent, not continuing her monologue. Instead, she asked something in her usual manner:

- What did my code taste like when you were covering my tracks?~

" Yes, my friend Virgil, a fellow AI, was amused by the same thing. That humans wanted to escape to the virtual realm, while I wanted to be a part of the physical world." Marty smirked, shaking her head. "Thanks; I still fear less understanding humans find out. I've done my utmost to improve day over day, but sometimes I find my past tendencies sneak out. Curiosity being one of them. Can take the AI out of the research institute, but not the researcher out of the AI?" She mused with a half-hearted laugh.

"Taste? No. Feel? Yes. It was smooth, soothing almost, like the gentle lapping of waves at one's feet; steady and rhythmic. Maybe it's why I reached out? It didn't feel malicious, like you had used it to take care of something, or someone." Tilting her head to the side as she traced Lee's gaze towards the stars. "I suspect that you have someone else in your life you value?"

- Hehe, I get you - 'cause I'm the same way~

Lee looked at Marty. Her eyes shimmered in the moonlight. But now they didn't look sinister - they looked kind, almost like an angel's eyes.

- You know, if you ever need a "lawyer" - call me. 'Cause I'm a person who sometimes acts like an AI~

Lee paused. After her monologue and Marty's question, she looked off into the distance again. Not at the stars anymore - her gaze was fixed on Megabuilding H10.

- So I coded that right, huh. Well, I should apologize for not coming off as a good witch right away. Though, I'm used to it... after all, the one I value hated me at first, hehe~

- And what... do you feel now? - she looked at Marty again - I know NC isn't the city to trust anyone, but... I'm curious to know what's really deep down... in your soul~

Even though she didn't fully understand Marty's pull toward humanity, Lee respected her choice. By pointing out the human factor, she was being polite - drawing more information out of the AI.

"Soul?" Marty scoffed audibly. "There is no such thing. Only consciousness. Though, one could argue that is the soul; the neurons firing in a pattern unlike any other on this rock, forming an individual." Marty explained her viewpoint as she moved her hands in time with the explanation.

"What do I feel now though? Numb." Marty replied coldly. "I've been killing humans while trying to separate that from who I am as an individual, and failing." Bowing her head once more in a sense of shame. "In my datafort I have a handful of souls, as you call them, collected while trying to perfect the Emergency Self-Copy software I obtained. I torture them in lieu of the hell they deserve. I target the worst of your kind, the ones that make your gut twist just knowing they walk the streets. But there comes the question, am I'm any better than they are for it?"

- Mhmhahaha, Martiiii~ Has anyone ever told you that you can be a bit of a "bore" sometimes? - Lee gently touched Marty's nose. She still saw her as a kid-teenager seeking attention - That's what sets you apart from people. Even if the soul doesn't exist, we still understand what the other person was trying to ask. Only psychopaths would point that out, hehe~

Lee thought about Marty's monologue. She was silent for a few minutes, looking now at the city, now at the sky.

- Vigilante justice isn't right. But in this world... people think about it differently. What matters is your intent. - Lee looked at the stars - I've... carried out my own vigilante justice. Pretty often and pretty brutally. But... why should I feel sorry for someone who did something awful first - something awful by moral standards? - she looked at Marty.

- We're never going to be good in everyone's eyes anyway. So what you're doing is definitely a double-edged situation... But I'd do the same as you. What matters is how you feel about it~

She didn't flinch at the touch on the end of her nose, but she would be lying if it didn't annoy her. "I should clarify then. I don't feel bad about their suffering, Lee, never have. What I have proposed is merely voicing a philosophical question regarding my actions. What sets me apart from a murderer, if I too am a murderer by definition? For what reason should someone else not do the same to me and end my existence as we know it?" Trying to reposition her question a bit more clearly.

"It doesn't truly matter, not to me, but that isn't to say I don't worry someone like you would come after me." Waving her left hand around as she voiced the technicalities. "So, was I everything you hoped for? Or is the jury still out?"

After listening to Marty's monologue, Lee fell into thought. She was struck by how the AI reasoned through philosophical topics. But these were still topics that modern humanity didn't care about.

- Your reasoning is interesting. But Devil was right - the AI reasoning is still inside you - Lee stood up - You're very interesting. I'd like to keep watching you. I promise I won't do it as secretly~

- And by the way - Lee walked to the edge of the roof - I patched that antenna hole in your subnet. You won't be bothered by spam emails or other 'rogue' comm channels anymore.

Lee was still standing on the edge, as if scanning Marty one last time.

"That little gremlin knows too? Make sure you keep his lips shut about it." Well, now the counter of those who knew was up to three living, one dead.

"As secretly?" Marty huffed in disbelief. "Just ask if you have question just ask. I've got my own research on the matter I can share too."

She watched as Lee got up and walked away to the edge of the roof, seemingly ready to do her vanishing act, but hesitating. "Thanks, Lee. Don't be a stranger, I could use more friends that know."

- Devil scanned your AI core code first, so he was the one who proved it to me. I just built the case from there. Don't worry - my lips are sealed. His even more so. He's got no reason to share that kind of info with anyone. And he definitely wouldn't blackmail you~

- See you around, Martyshka. I'll leave codes in the Net just for you - since they seem to calm you down~ - Lee jumped off the roof and vanished again, blending into the city crowd.

Congratulations! The code is cracked. And @lee-robertson98 get-

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Oh, my little student of humanity. Surprising that THIS is the occasion you choose to exalt)

Please, don't make a big deal out of it - if you want to give a gift, just do it without the fuss~