CYBERPUNK: The Technomancer’s Gamble

Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Threads of Conspiracy



The apartment was silent except for the faint hum of the NeuroLink enhancement on the desk. The boy stared at it, his mind racing with possibilities. Every instinct told him he'd just walked into something far bigger than a scavenger crew.

He leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the armrest. The drone floated nearby, its soft whirring a constant reminder that he wasn't entirely alone.

NeuroLink… A direct connection to the mind. With this tech, someone could control systems faster, more intuitively, even override other people's augmentations.

The implications were staggering. If the scavengers had planned to sell this to the highest bidder, Night City's fragile power balance would be shattered.

His thoughts drifted to Walker. The scavenger leader wasn't stupid. He wouldn't risk moving something like this unless the payout was astronomical.

The boy exhaled sharply, pushing the thought aside. He needed to focus. The NeuroLink was too advanced for him to fully interface with yet. Its architecture was unlike anything he'd encountered—layered, encrypted, and guarded by what felt like an aggressive firewall.

First things first: figure out what I'm dealing with.

Hours later, he'd made little progress. The NeuroLink sat on the desk, mocking him with its silent complexity. He rubbed his eyes, exhaustion creeping in.

A faint beep from the drone pulled him from his thoughts. Its sensors had picked up movement in the hallway outside.

He froze, his mind reaching for the apartment's security feed. The system crackled as his Technopathy connected, giving him a grainy view of the corridor.

Two figures stood outside his door. They were armed, their cyberware gleaming under the dim hallway lights.

They're here already?

The boy's heart raced as he assessed the situation. The scavengers must have tracked him through the warehouse alarm.

No time to think. Just move.

He grabbed his shotgun and slid the NeuroLink into his bag. The drone hovered at his side as he slipped out through the apartment's window, landing silently on the fire escape.

The air was thick with smog, the city's lights a hazy blur in the distance. Below, the alley was empty except for a few scattered dumpsters.

The boy moved quickly, his Technopathy scanning for surveillance systems. Cameras dotted the area, their lenses sweeping methodically.

He reached out, his mind syncing with their networks. One by one, the cameras blinked out, their feeds looping harmlessly.

The scavengers weren't far behind. He could hear their voices echoing through the alley, the clink of metal against pavement as they searched for him.

"Find the kid," one of them growled. "Boss wants that tech back."

The boy pressed himself against the wall, his shotgun held tightly. The drone floated above, its sensors feeding him real-time data.

Three scavengers. Two with melee augmentations, one with a cybernetic arm rigged for ranged combat.

I can handle this, he thought, steadying his breath.

He waited until the scavengers were close, their footsteps echoing louder with each passing second.

The first one rounded the corner, a blade extending from his arm. The boy moved fast, firing the shotgun at close range. The scavenger crumpled, sparks flying from his ruined cyberware.

The others reacted immediately, their weapons drawn.

The boy ducked as a burst of energy whizzed past his head, the second scavenger firing wildly with his cybernetic arm. The drone swooped down, its taser crackling as it struck the man in the neck.

The scavenger spasmed, collapsing to the ground.

The last one charged, his augmented legs propelling him forward with terrifying speed. The boy barely had time to react, rolling out of the way as the scavenger's blade slammed into the wall where he'd been standing.

He fired again, the shotgun's electric blast hitting the scavenger square in the chest. The man staggered, his cyberware sparking violently before he fell.

The alley was silent once more. The boy stood over the fallen scavengers, his chest heaving as he caught his breath.

They're not going to stop coming, he realized, his mind racing. As long as they think I have the NeuroLink, I'll be a target.

He needed to disappear—at least for a while. The scavengers' network was still active, their communications buzzing with frantic messages about the botched raid.

Time to make them think I'm dead.

He moved quickly, planting a few devices around the alley. Small charges, salvaged from his earlier raids, rigged to create a convincing explosion.

The drone hovered nearby, its sensors scanning for any signs of reinforcements.

"Just a little longer," he murmured, his hands working with practiced precision.

Once the charges were in place, he retreated to a safe distance. A single pulse from his Technopathy triggered the explosives, the alley erupting in a burst of fire and smoke.

From a distance, it looked catastrophic—enough to fool anyone monitoring the area.

Hours later, he sat in a dingy motel room on the outskirts of the city, the NeuroLink still in his bag.

The scavengers would assume he was dead, at least for now. It bought him time to figure out his next move.

He leaned back against the wall, his mind turning over the events of the night.

The NeuroLink was more than just a piece of tech. It was a key—a tool that could unlock untold power in the right hands.

But it was also a beacon, drawing danger to him like a moth to a flame.

The boy exhaled slowly, his resolve hardening.

I'll learn to control it. And when the time comes, I'll use it to take them all down.


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