Chapter 226

Back home I flopped on the couch to get some programming done. First step was to go over the obvious.

 

Programming 15 had come with a perk choice.

 

Considering the power of some of the programming perks I’d already taken I was going to need to go through the list.

 

What was my Programming toolbox really missing? It certainly wasn’t versatility. Between Debug, and Inspired Programmer, I was able to do pretty much anything I could think up, but I still hoped for something more.

 

Programming was so powerful, forging weapons for the net. What sort of weapon did I want?

 

I could find a perk to improve Daemons. I could find a perk to improve Quick Hacks.

 

What was I looking for? I blinked. It didn’t sound good at first, but then the more I thought about it…

 

Stress Testing: The more you use your code, the more its weakness stands out to you.

 

It was an interesting Perk. How useful would it actually be? I’m not really sure, but hell, even if it only gives me a few ideas for how to improve code that I’ve already maxed out as far as I know, then it’s kinda neat.

 

Plus there wasn’t a lot else that was standing out to me.

 

I selected it, and the rush of knowledge made me wince, a hiss escaped my mouth as I curled up a little.

 

I’d just done two programming levels back to back. I should know better than to overwhelm myself.

 

Idiot.

 

Leaning back I covered my eyes and let myself just decompress for a minute. Should I sleep? Ugh.

 

No, Five minutes, then ten, twenty. I finally felt a good bit better, as the Perk knowledge dump stopped frying my brain.

 

Huh.

 

That’s what it meant. All of my programs had run into issues over time. Bandwidth, or upload problems.

 

I pulled up Ping first. The program was unloaded, and I started digging through my code, even with my previous programming skills, and my Debug perk. A bunch more levels of Programming had opened up new options, and Stress Test showed me even more.

 

There was a balance between function and efficiency.

 

What if I overloaded part of the program, making it do too much, when other parts were less balanced, suddenly I had times where while uploading it slowed down, or caused system traffic that it was never designed to do.

 

If the upload rate was faster than the installation speed, then… That was just wasted power.

 

And I knew all of that, because Stress test. It flashed in my head, every time I used ping. And while it wasn’t perfect knowledge, or memory. I had logs to back that up.

 

I could pull those apart, see every time there was a halt, and figure out why.

 

Stress Test…

 

It was a good choice. Maybe not the absolute most optimal one, but it was good.

 

I was okay with good.

 

Ping had some issues with its spread speed, it would sometimes Ping the next node in the system before the connection was complete.

 

So instead of pinging once, connecting and uploading the Daemon, which would upload to me. It would bounce to someone multiple times, sometimes even dozens of times if there were multiple people in the network that it could bounce too.

 

Causing disruption.

 

No one had noticed yet, but… It was honestly a minor issue. The disruption would be so small, there were only a few people that could notice it in the act, maybe afterwards if they were checking logs they’d be able to track the Daemons spread…

 

But I bet I could make it even more stealthy.

 

A few lines of code rewritten, a bit stronger limiter.

 

Ping would take maybe a half second more per jump, a million years for a computer, but for me? I doubt I’d even notice.

 

Yet it was even more stealthy now.

 

With that done, I installed the Program back into my Cyberdeck, and worked through the upload schedule partitioning RAM from my other cyberware to run the program when needed.

 

I’d set up a method while in combat, but this was all about streamlining it.

 

To give an analogy, if my programs were throwing knives. Originally they’d just been a bunch of knives in my off hand, I’d thrown one at a time.

 

Then I’d realized I should slide a few into my pocket, or through a belt.

 

But what I was doing now was memorizing the position of every knife, and giving them their own holsters…

 

I pointedly didn’t think about the extra knives I carried around that were just stolen and only the first one that Jun had given me actually had a sheath.

 

Whistle away the fact Motoko! You have programming to do!

 

Next was my Optic Reboot.

 

Ah I still loved this Program. It was just so evil. Looking through the code I wanted to wince, when had I programmed this again? Five levels ago? I’d tinkered with it a bit as I leveled, but not really a full check up.

 

No, an update. Again Stress Test showed me, or at least brought it to my mind, the points where Optics Reboot had floundered.

 

Adjusting upload rate I went through the code humming a bit quite pleased with how little I really had to change.

 

This time I focused less on stealth, since if I was hitting someone with Optics Reboot they were going to know about it.

 

I felt a smile spread across my face as I gently tapped my foot to a silent beat.

 

Updates were awesome!

 

I went through all my hacks in the same way. Cleaning up and adjusting. Until I was completely done. Then I had a choice.

 

I opened up a file I hadn’t messed with much. A few times I’d looked at it, but had never quite managed to get it to work.

 

It was an Ultimate Quick Hack. At least that’s what they’d been called in the game. This one?

 

Cyberpsychosis.

 

Considering I’d already accidentally done something similar to a person. I think it was time to break this one out, and get it functional. The hack was a kludged together, incredibly RAM and size heavy program.

 

First step was to once more go through it. This time, its structure didn’t give me any real trouble.

 

This part affected Bio-cyberware, adrenaline, and worse would be pumped into the target. This one affected IFF through optics. This one caused a pseudo white noise, that cut out most noises from reaching their ear, and instead would help them think they were under attack.

 

It was multiple programs all integrated into one, but it wasn’t clean or even all that functional. I dreaded the idea of trying to upload this hack, it would probably take more than twenty seconds just to upload, and even longer to install.

 

There was more of course. A control software that would try to force the user to shoot whenever the IFF lined up.

 

Accidently barrel sweep an ally? Well they’re going to end up getting shot at, which would only make it more likely they fire back.

 

So many different ideas to try and cause issues. There was even a Daemon that would try to make everyone look the same to the user. Cutting out chances for the victim to recognize friend from foe.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

 

That part was neat, even if my Onryo was better.

 

But I could integrate that into my own version of Cyberpsychosis.

 

That made me smile as I considered.

 

I could give everyone a little shoulder devil urging them on, if I went that way.

 

I shrugged the idea off for now, and basically started rewriting the code right from the start. It needed a cleaner cycle or else this hack was never going to be fast enough for my tastes.

 

—–

 

I was still tinkering with my programs when I got a text.

 

*Alice: Got some news. Reached out to a contact at a club. You in for a gig this weekend?*

 

I looked over the text, and part of me instantly wanted to refuse, but I pushed that down. A gig… Was probably a good idea.

 

*Motoko: Contact Hiromi, but sounds fine.*

*Alice: Preem, already done. Practice sesh this week? I want to rock.*

*Motoko: Yeah sounds preem. I have something tomorrow, but otherwise, sounds good.*

 

I sighed and rolled up onto my feet.

Cyberpsychosis wasn’t going to be needed for my Netrunner contest with Sasha. What I needed was more skills.

 

I moved my head around a bit, and still felt a bit too full to want to grab another skill, so instead I got up.