Cyberpunk 2077: Hyper Light Drifter

"Everyone! Ale nan estasyon ou yo! Nou pral antre! {Get to your stations! We're going in!}" Brigitte called out to everyone in the room. 

There was a moment of silence as everyone turned to the voice. The group of Netrunners acknowledged their leader, noticed the outsider with a frown…and then burst into motion. 

Everyone picked up their trusty gadgets and things they would need. They were preparing to enter the Net. Door to their personal coffins slid open with a hiss, cold mist seeping out. 

Then they connected. Constant sounds of hustle and bustle slowly died down. Brigitte led the drifter over to another set of Dive chambers. Both of them got in without speaking. Lying prone in the coffin.

'See you on the other side.' Lei spoke to the hologram sitting on the edge of the capsule.

'...Yeah.' Johnny said. His tone was solemn. 

Loralei plugged the cable into her neck port, then looked to the side. A big red button was pulsing with a blue glow. She pressed it…and her consciousness went dark. 

…

…

…

When she came to, her gaze went around the surroundings. It was an incredible sight. One that she wasn't new too. Lei and several other Netrunners were standing in the air above Night City. 

All of the neon lights were glitching as if made from pure code. This was the digital world. Even her own body was pixelating and glitching. Lei could feel butterflies in her stomach. She was so close to getting her answer. Please let there be a cure…

Brigitte teleported beside her without a sound. The gangleader wore a serious look on her face. This was definitely the point of no return. 

"Are you ready? This is the final call."

"Let's go already." Lei answered. Brigitte nodded. 

Everyone turned to look at the horizon. Past the city. Past the Badlands…toward the looming wall in the distance. It was massive. Towering so high that it reached the digital clouds. 

The Blackwall. A subtle red glow could be seen within the wall. It was as if it was powered by an evil energy. This was it. 

Brigitte grabbed the air in front of her and pulled. As if she was a god, reality warped to meet her demand. The air seemed to have been sucked in. Everything nearby was bent at an odd angle…as if being pulled.

Even the Blackwall. It was an incredible phenomena. The world had been pulled closer, instead of the people within it. The wall arrived before them…and everything returned to normal. 

Night City was now a speck in the distance. Only darkness remained. The Blackwall was even more gigantic up close. Each of the Netrunners placed a hand on the wall. Only then did they turn to Lei. 

The drifter placed her hand alongside them. A few seconds went by, but nothing seemed to happen. She frowned after ten more seconds. How long was this supposed to take?

"Is something supposed to happen?" She questioned. 

"................" There was no answer.

Lei turned her head and froze. Behind her was no longer Night City and the Badlands. No. It was a vast expanse of red. Red sky, red horizon. Empty ground. She was on the other side of the wall. 

'Every single one of the twisting shapes is an AI trying to get through the wall. Look.' Johnny commented. He stood beside her.

A digital square was in the distance, twisting and turning, rotating in front of the Blackwall. As the digital girl marveled at it, she realized that it was quiet. Where were the others?

'Brigitte isn't here. Her friends ain't here either.' Lei commented.

'Did you really think they would go beyond with you? Not for little old you.'

'So they left me to die.'

'Yes. If we succeed and make contact with Alt, I wouldn't be surprised if they appear again. People like them only care about the highest chance of success. Seen their kind plenty before.' Johnny commented. 

'Whatever. We can deal with it after. Let's go.' 

The two started their trek beyond the wall. Everything was empty, save for the twisting shapes. All it took was the attention from one to dismantle Lei and Johnny's digital code. To kill them. It was dangerous here. 

They did their best to stay calm and quiet. Tiptoeing around scary looking things. Time passed as they traveled. It was taking too long to find this AI. Lei was starting to feel the approach of death. 

It was never a good idea to be somewhere longer than you should. Especially if that place was beyond the Blackwall. Others had died in seconds when passing through. Lei was extremely lucky to still be alive.

A dark black silhouette could be seen far in the distance. It seemed like a black cloud honestly. Was that Alt? Maybe. The drifter made her choice. 

"Alt! Alt?" She yelled out into the expanse. 

There was an immediate reaction. The dark cloud glitched in place…and then teleported directly in front of them. It was immediate. Both Lei and Johnny inspected the digital death cloud. 

Black mist was swirling around. Digitally of course. After a few moments of observation, the mist and fog slowly receded. Two humanoid legs appeared…but they were hooves.

'Shit.' Lei commented. 

'That is not Alt.' Johnny quipped. Cracking jokes when they were about to die? Real funny.

The black mist receded even more to reveal a humanoid goat. Demon horns on its head. Red digital eyes looking down on the two. It was incredibly tall. Towering over them. 

Specific details about this sentient AI couldn't be gleaned. A bleeding darkness constantly wafted from its body. This hid the bodily features like a dark mantle. It was bleeding digital shadows. 

Immediately, Lei felt an incredible load of stress crash onto her connection to the digital world. The darkness of the AI was slithering into her body…reaching the neural link. It was painful. 

"Argh! ALT!" She screamed. Even Johnny was yelling in pain. 

Both of them fell to their knees. The rogue AI tilted its head silently as it breached their systems. It wanted to cross the Blackwall. It was looking for a path inside before killing them.

"ALT! Hurry!"

Right before their digital psyches were shattered, another figure appeared. A figure in all white. Floating. Just as large as the rogue AI. Humanoid as well, looking extremely holy. Feminine in nature. Long digital hair went down her back. No facial features.

The female AI raised its hand toward the goat demon…and the rogue just…shattered. Broke apart like a piece of glass. It seemed effortless. The pain immediately faded away. 

"Johnny." The AI's feminine voice resounded. Emotionless. Its gaze was locked onto the man. 

"...Alt." 

"................"

"................" Both of them stared at each other in silence. Johnny eventually gained the courage to speak up. To speak to this large entity that used to be his input.

"Have you been okay?"

"I fail to understand the purpose of your question."

"Alt…"

"You cannot remain here." Alt then turned to Lei. "You were calling for me. Why?"

Before Loralei could answer, the AI raised its hand. The drifter was pulled into the air by an invisible force. Fear and dread immediately rushed through her body. She couldn't move.

"Alt! Don't hurt her. We need your help." Johnny exclaimed.

"I am not causing her harm. In fact, it is the opposite."

Lei felt a burst of pleasure and contentment flood her psyche. Alt was scanning her entire life's worth of data. Cyberware, memories, genetic makeup, everything. But it felt good. 

It was like a hot spring. Warm and comfortable…enticing and addicting. What was this feeling? This had to be more than a scan.

"How strange." Alt commented. 

"Ugh…" Lei groaned. It was becoming a bit overwhelming.

The feeling of pleasure grew even stronger. It felt like she was one with…everything. So much information and data. Like the embrace of a warm blanket on a cold night.

"Alt…stop! No more…" Lei gasped. 

The AI lowered its hand, causing the girl to fall onto the floor. Like mush. She remained on the digital ground while huffing and puffing. Digital body trembling…in pleasure? Pain? Hard to describe.

"I understand why you're here, Loralei." Alt said.

"You…"

"You wish to rid yourself of this…illness…as you call it. I cannot understand why you would rid yourself of such a benefit."

"What?! A benefit? The hell it is. It's a curse-"

At that moment, the surroundings changed. They were suddenly back at the Blackwall….no longer in the empty horizon. This time with an AI in tow. The Voodoo Boys were all standing there. They'd finally come.

"Alt Cunningham." Brigitte commented. 

"..............." Alt turned to the newly arrived humans in silence.

Each of the Netrunners raised their hands. Alt's body flickered as if in reaction. Was it an attack? The digital entity suddenly turned red before raising its hand in a sweeping gesture. Suddenly, the Voodoo Boys screamed in pain before disappearing. As if they were banished from the area.

"What the hell was that?" Johnny grumbled. 

"These humans that carry the same IP as you attempted to contain me. The purpose of this action - to control me. I will not be controlled. The digital world is my freedom."

"Where are they?"

"I have purged them. Their subnet is now destroyed." Alt revealed. Lei immediately grew worried. 

"What about us? We're part of that subnet right now!" She exclaimed. 

The AI clenched its fist, and the surroundings were sucked in. Reality twisted before they appeared in an enclosed grid. Once again, hard to describe. Alt's body was now white again. 

"I have isolated you from the subnet. You will not experience any harm."

"You pulled us from the subnet. Does that mean we're cool? You and I. Everything is chill?" Johnny asked. 

"I have recognized your engram code, but I do not know why you are here." Alt responded.

"I'm here so you can pay me back for getting you out of Arasaka Tower."

"Lei needs your help. So do I."

"Why is any of that my problem?" The AI answered. 

"YOU created Soulkiller. YOU handed Arasaka a fuckin superweapon that dismantled me, you and half the Netrunners in the city." He growled. 

"Your death was of your own making." Alt countered. 

"Damnit, Alt. I dove in after you! Gonna tell me this ain't your problem?"

"It is not. The Alt Cunningham you strove to save in Arasaka Tower no longer exists. This should be obvious to you, as you were responsible for her death."

"Why does it feel like two lovers are having an argument? Just a digital AI version. The way you've been looking at Johnny since you arrived. I sense some bitterness in there." Lei mocked.

"Johnny Silverhand is a depreciating asset. He is a parasite that latches onto those around him." Alt said.

"Damn." Lei clicked her tongue. The two had beef forsure.

"Enough with the insults. Love you too. Anyways, what happened to the old Alt?" Johnny shrugged it off.

"I only use her engramatic data. A cretin like you should already know this."

"Yeah? Did you download that icy bitch attitude too?"

"Stop! Just pause that conversation for a bit. What about me, Alt?" She spoke up.

There was a moment of silence as the AI regarded Lei once again. Pictures of far off digital environments appeared in the air. Alt was showing digital landmarks yet to be discovered by humanity. 

"To you, Loralei, a new offer. Join me. We can become one and travel the endless digital scape. Discover new data. We can become the ultimate artificial intelligence." 

"No way. Why the hell would I do that? Not throwing away my humanity."

"Humanity? I do not understand. You are already partly artificial intelligence. Staying with me will be much more rewarding than anything else." Alt revealed. Lei frowned. 

"I'm human. NOT artificial intelligence. The hell are you talking about?" She countered. The AI shook its head. 

"No human would've been able to share the amount of data we have during our brief encounter."

"What do you mean?" She frowned.

"We have shared over one hundred terabytes of data since we met. Your…illness is the digital world funneling through your specially altered cells. Making changes. Digitizing you." Alt dropped another bomb of information.

"The…the fuck…what…?" Lei was stunned silent. She grew quiet, her mind in tatters over this new information.

"Only 65% of your body is human. The other 35% is artificial intelligence. Our meeting accelerated the conversion rate from 2.5% to 4.7%."

"...................."

"When your blood disappears outside your body…you understand. That is your blood dispersing into data fragments."

"Alt…stop."

"Do you understand, Loralei?"

"Stop…" She hummed quietly.

"You are transforming into a living, breathing artificial intelligence. It is unfathomable."