Chapter 147

Once my chooms were all suited up I disappeared into my room after pushing Hiromi out to get changed myself. Of course I had the actual Netrunner undersuit!

 

So instead of pants and armored jacket, I slipped on a suit, leaving me in skintight flexible armor! Then I threw on the boots, and chest rig. I had to make some quick adjustments for the faulds since I wasn’t wearing the silly pants that came with it, and instead wrapped the straps around my legs with some velcro-like material I had.

 

Then I adjusted the chest rig, threw on the armored gloves, and then the helmet.

 

I stalked out of my room and stood before my mostly still armored chooms. Malcolm had taken off his helmet to eat, and Hiromi was half slid out of her chest rig.

 

“And this is what it will look like when you guys stop being weird and put on the skin tight armored netrunner suit!” I proclaimed showing off the much tighter fit of the armor and my improved maneuverability!

“Pass.”

“Hard pass.”

“I don’t mind you using it, but I like pants.” Hiromi added and I huffed at all of them.

 

“Fine! Wear your subpar armor!” I then promptly walked over and flopped onto the couch and wiggled to get my helmet off too.

 

“Pass me the chips?”

“Yeah alright.” Ichi muttered lazily, reaching over and throwing me a back of some sort of pseudo potato chips I pulled from a vending machine.

 

“What are we watching?” The TV was on, and Ichi and Malcolm were sort of zoned out watching it.

 

“Some comedy show thing? Not sure. Apparently Ichi wants to watch Watson Whore after.”

 

“I didn’t say that!” He snapped at Hiromi looking a little red.

 

“Well I don’t think I really want to watch that… Sorry Ichi.”

 

“It’s fine! I didn’t say I wanted to. Only that it was coming on next!”

 

“And then he refused to let us change the channel.” Hiromi whispered into my ear, and I giggled.

 

I quickly changed the channel through the expedited power of I had hacked all of the entertainment system forever ago.

 

Then we just sort of vegged out in full kit.

 

—–

 

“I don’t want to know.”

“I do! This looks like the weirdest start to some XBD I’ve ever seen!” Akari called out right behind Jun as they both walked in and stopped looking at the pile of armored teens spread across the couch.

 

“Don’t say that!” I shrieked blushing red at Akari who instantly broke into her cackling laugh at my outrage. My chooms were all flushing at the idea too!

 

“Is that your new armor? The one you klept from the Arasaka shipment?” Jun asked but Hiromi jumped in.

 

“We gathered all of this completely legally as per our contract with Arasaka management in recovery of the critical data that was stolen from their klepped shipment.”

 

Jun just blinked and nodded slowly as if he understood.

 

“Wow she is a little corpo aint she?” Akari asked, and Jun just nodded. Ignoring how Hiromi was pouting, I decided to show off. Standing up and resettling the helmet back on my head.

 

“So what do you think? Preem right? High end armor. ECM integrated, with a directional mic embedded into the helmet! We haven’t messed with the ECM emitters yet, but we will be able to personalize that as well!”

 

“You look like a doughgirl.” Akari offered instantly, with zero hesitation or empathy.

 

So I of course attacked her. “I’ll show you dough girl!” I roared as I jumped at her, earning an honest squeak from Akari as she wasn’t expecting my lack of chill and then I slammed into her.

 

Akari of course fought dirty and instantly tried to stab me in the eyes, but I had a helmet!

 

Her probing attacks were deflected and I started grappling, which wasn’t easy since she was all chrome as well, but then something lifted us bodily apart.

 

Jun was holding me up by the back of my rig, and Akari back by her arm, Akari was smiling teeth fully exposed, like she was ready to tear my throat out.

 

I would have done the same back, but I had my helmet blocking my mouth.

 

“Alright cut it out. Akari, calm down please, Motoko is playing.”

 

“Call me a doughgirl again! You-” And then Jun just shook me up and down a few times.

 

“See, just playing.”

“Pfft! You look like a strangled cat like that!” Akari offered cackling and I just pouted at Jun which was blocked by my helmet…

 

Okay the helmet was a problem. But I took a deep breath and decided to be the bigger person.

 

“I’m done. Let me go Jun.” I said calmly, and he looked at me with narrowed eyes as if he suspected I was lying, but eventually he let me go, although funnily enough he didn’t let go of Akari who had noticed and was giving him a petulant look.

 

Then I stepped back and brushed myself off.

 

“I win.” I told her simply and that set her off.

 

“What!? How! Jun interfered!”

 

“Exactly. Jun as my older brother is obviously my secret weapon. Any time he interferes it means I win.”

 

“That’s! That’s cheating!”

 

I shrugged and strutted back to my chooms who had been watching with interest.

 

“You okay?” Hiromi asked and I just laughed as I tugged off the helmet.

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“I’m fine. Although I really need to wear my tech gogs under this helmet or something. Akari going for my eyes was a bit of a scare.”

 

—–

 

“Okay so you want… This?” I asked Malcolm as his holo emitters activated.

 

Yellow lights flowed around him, with some silver here and there as well.

 

“You look like your car.” Ichi called out teasing and Malcolm just flipped him off.

 

“The Caliburn yellow and silver is an excellent color combination! They tested it!”

 

“Boo!” Hiromi called out, earning a glare from Malcolm, but I just moved on. If this is what he wanted, it was good enough for me.

 

“Alright Hiromi-”

“Green! Maybe flames? Can you do flames?”

 

“I can do flames. It’s a slightly upjumped holo emitter after all. Green flames it is.” I offered as I started designing the hologram that would flow over her, to activate the ECM system.

 

Within a few minutes Hiromi looked like she had green fire flowing out of her hands and around her hips up her back. More than enough coverage to make sure the ECM protection would kick in.

 

“Mwahahahaha!” She cackled evilly, suddenly startling everyone before she looked at all of us. “How was that? Did I get it right?”

“Boo.” Malcolm called in turn and tossed some of his chips at her.

 

Ignoring Malcolm and Hiromi getting into a fight, neither could really hurt each other with all the armor.

 

I moved on to Ichi.

 

His was simpler.

 

“Just make it not look stupid like their choices.” He called out, just loud enough that Hiromi and Malcolm could hear him.

 

Which of course changed the target as Malcolm attacked Ichi from behind and Hiromi joined in.

 

I ignored the wrestling match happening right next to me, and focused on the hologram design.

 

Well Ichi could get a copy of what I was doing then.

 

Lines of light flowing up through the body. Of course I wasn’t just going to keep it as a stable source.

 

The activation would have the light flow upwards from the feet and hands until it reached the head in just a moment increasing the light and keeping it stable.

 

Okay so I was basically just pulling a Tron, but Tron was pretty Cyberpunk! And it looked so cool!

 

Ichi would get an orangish red color.

 

While I went pure white.

 

Then I activated both of our colors. Malcolm and Hiromi jerking back as Ichi’s holograms started, the light flowing up his arms and into his chest,

 

My own white lines arcing up my legs and forming a cool outline.