Chapter Text
David yawned as he got up from his bed- his mom must’ve slept on the couch again. It was sh*t like that that made him upset- both at the world and himself. His mom was paying through the nose to make ends meet- food, shelter… and the Academy.
God he hated the Academy. He saw how much it ate at his mom’s money supply. It was why he was preparing himself for another XBD that Doc was… testing on him. Gotta make sure it didn’t kill the customer… especially since the customer was one of the brats at the Academy. Corpo brats had Corpo parents, and harming their precious little angels was a good way to get zeroed- either by the assassins or the kids themselves, if they had the chips and chrome. At least Doc let him keep 20% of the cash- he said the Edgerunner who streamed it needed 60%. With a sigh, he slipped the chip into his head.
*****
“FUUUUCK!” he screamed, spasming out on his bed. “Holy CRAP, what the hell was that?!” he exclaimed, immediately calling Doc
David: That was so f*ckin’ Nova! This genuine?!
Doc: Damn right it is! Preem to! Just off the streets from a few hours ago!
David: Unedited?
Doc: Of course, my friend. So, is it gonna cause any issues?
David: Nothing wrong here! Just… hoooo… gotta catch my breath.
Doc: Hey, you’re getting good at this. Not everyone is just winded from being in the head of a Cybopsycho.
David: And what was that thing in his spine?!
Doc: That’s a Sadevistan. It slows down your perception of time- I’d say he was doing a high end stream- maybe a 20%? Probably fried it after using it twice though.
David: Twenty percent?!
Doc: That’s mil grade. Thinking about getting one?
David: You have one of those!?
Doc: HAH! I wish! That’d be an easy hundred grand right there, if not more!
David: Damn…
David disconnected, and headed out to the rest of the apartment, where his mom was dead to the world. “Mom?” he asked, shaking her a little. This caused her to jolt right up.
“Oh… morning, Mijo…” she muttered.
“You gotta stop sleeping on the couch. Let me take care of that so you can sleep in a real bed,” David offered. His mom was his everything. He had no idea who his dad was, and she was killing herself at the EMT job. It was why he’d do the sh*t he did for Doc- make her life easier.
“You have school today… it’s good for you to be rested,” his mother, Gloria, replied, smiling brightly.
“Yeah… my uniform’s in the washer, right?”
That got his mother’s attention. “Cono!” she swore, which startled David, as she rolled off the couch, and damn near crawled to the laundry machine. She began to punch in some numbers, when…
‘“Insufficient funds,” the rented machine chirped.
“Ah, crap,” David grumbled. “And you said my backup was there too?”
“Sorry, mijo…” his mother whispered.
“Mom, it’s fine,” David promised. “I’ll try for a pass… I’ve got some Eddies so I can pay the fee.”
“From working with the so-called Doc?” His mother asked, yawning, as she hauled herself to her feet.
“Hey, he’s a good guy.”
“As if!” Gloria snapped. “You need to stop working with him, David!” she scolded, cracking her back, as the news went on in the background, showing the Cyberpsycho’s corpse.
“Hey Mom! You’re on TV!” David called, pointing.
*****
Yorinobu watched the news in his room in the Estate. Gloria was there, according to the files he pulled. Sure enough, the news reported that some of the cyberware was missing from the corpse. Honestly, that made her seem more special, as he called TT with a non-implanted phone.
“Trauma Team, how can we help you?”
“Hello. I would like to put a Lifetime Platinum Insurance on David and Gloria Martinez,” Yori replied. “With the Confidentiality Clause.”
There was a pause.
“That will be two million Eddies,” The receptionist responded coolly. Yorinobu nodded, and, exhausted, didn’t even bother to encrypt the name of the account. He hung up immediately afterwards, and went back to sleep.
*****
The receptionist slowly put the phone down, before dashing to her manager. “I need an immediate update to the LPP-CC list- David and Gloria Martinez,” she gasped out, having sprinted all the way there.
“Who are the big spenders?” her manager asked. The LPPCC was THE most expensive option for someone- a million Eddies apiece.
“...Yorinobu Arasaka.”
The manager spat out his synth coffee. “As in…”
“The head of Arasaka? Yes.”
“...Put them on Black notice. If we lose them… there’ll be hell to pay.”
“You mean…”
“Correct.”
*****
“Oh, I updated your wreath,” Gloria said to him. “It should be ready when you get to school…”
“Mom, I said I’d take care of that!” David exclaimed.
“I got some of my pay early… I think my boss wants to ride your coattails…” Gloria joked.
“...If you say so,” David mused, stashing his stuff. He made sure to keep the XBD in his backpack, as he headed out the door. “See you later!” With that, he turned on his music, and began the journey that would bring him to Arasaka Academy… the best place to learn in the City.
*****
The walk was mostly uneventful. From the dozen or so crimes, to the view of the Corporate District… everything was the same… until he saw her.
She was beautiful- at least, her backside was. He wanted to see her face to face. Sprinting, he tried to catch her… but no one was there. He shrugged, and started jogging into the Academy. On his way there, he handed off the XBD, and got his payment- 10k. That meant that he’d get a 2k cut. Nova. He dashed into the classroom. However, he ran into… him.
Tanaka.
The brat was easily at the top of the food chain at the Academy. His daddy was one of the top corpos at ‘Saka. Head of R and D. And boy did he look mad. David then got a call.
Katsuo: Gutter rat… why are you still here?!
David: f*ck off.
David shoved by him, heading to his assigned seat… and found an updated viewer… and a small pile of smashed parts by his seat.
What? He hoped that Katsuo didn’t do what he thought the brat had done…
David: Did you trash my headset?!
Katsuo: What’s it to you, Gutter Rat? Cost your Mommy’s take last night?
David had to really resist the urge to deck the f*cker right there. Thankfully, the (Probably) AI that ‘Saka shackled was calling attendance.
“Martinez, David,” she called.
“Here,” he grumbled.
“Attention: You are not in compliance with the Standard Uniform.”
“They’re in the washer,” he grumbled. There were snickers from the class.
“Please submit a Uniform Exception request after class,” the AI said to him. David shrugged, and put on the new Wreath. He hoped someone hadn’t f*cked with it, like that pile suggested.
He was wrong.
*****
David’s mother was called into the office after classes were done. The Headmaster actually looked… sorry this time. “I’m so sorry for whatever damage my son has caused-” she began.
He held up a hand. “Security footage showed that his fourth Wreath was tampered with,” the Headmaster explained.
“...Fourth wreath?” David whispered.
“After reviewing the security footage, we were able to notice that there were several distortions in the cameras, which resulted in your wreath being destroyed three times. The fourth time seemed to be untouched.” The two non-rich faces paled. “Due to this not being the fault of either of you, but a lack of security at the school, the costs have been waived.”
There was stunned silence. “I-I’m sorry?” Gloria whispered. Was this some kind of joke? David was also shocked. Was this some kind of trick?
“Were this information to get out, it would dissuade someone from sending their children to this Academy. The goal here is to prepare the students for their future careers, without interference. Should the reputation that family rivalries can damage the potential of a student to learn, then the school would have to undergo severe scrutiny.”
“I… thank you,” Gloria gasped, relief evident on her face. “Was- was that everything?”
“...There was one more thing. David doesn’t get along with his classmates. They seem very… upset with his being there.”
“‘Course they’re upset,” David grumbled.
“What do you mean?”
“I think that… he may benefit from a change of environment,” the Headmaster said.
And there was the other shoe.
“He has every RIGHT to be here! He earned his position at the Academy and his record speaks for itself!” David’s mom exclaimed. David saw her hand twitch, and looked down.
Solid shoes. The Headmaster would live.
“I apologize for any insult,” the Headmaster said. “But I understand that his… social class may have caused some… issues with this particular class. Thankfully, Arasaka Academy does not require all Semesters to be synchronous. Occasionally, a Semester will be missed by a student due to actions outside their control, and they will remain at the Academy, provided that their parents have paid for more then five semesters. It’s just something to think about.”
*****
The Headmaster sighed as he watched the two leave, and let out a massive sigh as he flopped to the table. That bastard… How dare he? How. DARE?! HE?!
“Tanaka… you motherf*cker…” he swore, gritting his teeth. Seriously!? Maybe it was because he didn’t have a kid in the Academy, but the simple fact of the matter was that the qualified got in. Martinez, despite being poor, qualified. There had been so much pressure on him- he hoped this wouldn’t result in his death…
*****
The drive home was one of slight tension, but not pointed at David. “The gall of the man…” David’s mother growled. “To say you should leave…”
“It’d only be for a semester… that way we can save up some money… maybe you could take it easy…” David muttered.
“And what? Risk you being shot?” Gloria grumbled. “I can’t have that… at least in the Academy, you don’t have to look over your shoulder…”
“I do. I’m not a corpo kid. I’m shat on everyday… and in case you didn’t notice, one of the brats borked my wreath four separate times,” David grumbled. “I know you just want to look out for me, Mom, but you can’t do that 24/7. No one can,” David told her.
“...Promise me, D.”
“Eh?”
“Promise me that you will finish your schooling. If… if you do take a semester or two off… you’ll go back. No matter how hard.” She was shaking. David didn’t like that.
“I… I promise,” he told her.
“Thank you, mijo… I love you.”
David smiled, and nodded, but noticed his mother’s attention being torn from him as her eyes glowed orange.
“What the- who the hell is Rino?”
Her question would go unanswered. A car full of roided out gangsters pulled up beside them, a military-grade HMG pointed right at them.
“MOM!” he yelled… only for her to shove him down, as the machine gun ripped through the car… and her… to get at the car besides them. One bullet scraped him.
“Damn! That’s titanium… damn corpos!” one of the gangsters growled, speeding ahead. “NO ONE f*cks with the Animals!” he screamed, and a grenade was launched at the limo. It was a direct hit, sending it sprawling.
“MOM!” David screamed again.
*****
He woke up in his seat, blood pouring down his face like a red stream. His mother was on the pavement, facedown. He couldn’t tell if she was breathing.
“MOM! MOM! MAMA!” he howled, struggling with his seatbelt. “Come on, let me GO!” he screamed. Just then, he heard the sound of an AV, and knew he was f*cked.
Trauma Team.
He wasn’t a fool. He knew they left those who didn’t have a policy behind for the ‘Meat Wagons’. Sure enough, one of them went up to his mother, and pulled out an ID. The agent, to his immediate shock, waved the rest of them down.
“Is that…”
“She’s Platinum. Her kid must be nearby.”
Another TT member came up to him, and David found himself staring in the face of a TT agent.
“He’s here! Still conscious!”
“Cut him out! Get the other policyholder!” the one who had been scanning his mother called. David’s last sight was a laser cutter.
*****
David came to in a hospital bed- a real one. The entire place was sterile. He found himself looking at a TT agent.
“Good, you’re awake,” the agent said. “Guess you were lucky, there.”
“...Why did you pick us up?” David whispered.
“You’re policyholders. It’s our job.”
“But… no… Mom would’ve mentioned- MOM!” he called, trying to rise, only to wince, and collapse.
“The bullets were dipped in poison. You got grazed, so it’s leaving your system. I’m sorry you had to be caught up in this…” The thing was, the agent actually sounded sorry.
“What… What about my mother?” At this, the face of the agent became pained.
“...She died on the table. I’m sorry.”
“What?” he whimpered.
“We tried to get her here… we filled her with so much blood that there wasn’t a drop of her original blood in her… but it didn’t matter. She was more holes then human… clean through the sides.”
“But… no… you’re Trauma Team!”
“And we fail sometimes…” the Agent placed a hand on his bedside. “Kid… we’re not gods. Sometimes there’s nothing we can do.”
David just clenched his fists, and screamed into the heavens.
*****
David trudged back home with his mom’s stuff. She had been cremated, and the ashes given to him. It hadn’t been deemed safe to do it the TT way either- it was a straight incineration. Apparently the poison was toxic in the open air, and had to be superheated to destroy it. TT had at least given him a ride home. They didn’t judge his living conditions, at least. After they left, he just stared at the shut door.
“Are you f*cking kidding me?!” David snarled. “We paid the motherf*cking rent!” He kicked the upper window of the door open, and pushed his way in. Immediately afterwards, he went straight to his mom’s accounts…
“Holy sh*t…” he whispered. The last notice was a seven hundred thousand Eddie deposit! No name given. “...Mom… what were you up to…” he whispered, looking through the bag, before his eyes landed on it.
“A sandevistan?! Wait… is that…” David hurriedly pulled up Doc.
David: DOC!
Doc: Hey choom. How’ve you been?
David: Not great. Listen, I’m sending you a pic right now.
David sent the picture. If he was right… this was that same sandy that they’d been talking about earlier!
Doc: Hmmm… I can part 10k for it.
What.
David: I beg your f*cking pardon?
Doc: Doesn’t look too good.
David: It’s a Sandy, AND we were talking about the one Norris had from that XBD… how long ago?
Doc: Three days. That Sandy’s long gone by now. Looks like a cheap civvie grade. Teachers trying to grade and sh*t. 10k.
David closed the call. “That gonk… damn him… does he think I’m stupid?!” Then it hit him.
Three days!?
Sure enough, he was getting a call.
Headmaster: Mr. Martinez?
David: Headmaster! I can explain!
Headmaster: I saw the news. Your absences would normally be excused.
David sighed in relief… but then…
David: Normally?
Headmaster: Unfortunately, Mr. Tanaka was quite insistent that you be expelled for the… incident on the last day you were here. I told him that there had been no fault on your part, but that, coupled with the rest of the Board, has left me no choice.
David slunk into the couch.
Headmaster: You will be suspended for the rest of the Semester.
What?
David: What?
Headmaster: That was Mr. Tanaka’s response as well. The simple fact of the matter is that your attendance record has been perfect aside from this, and if three days of absences that would be excused on account of Trauma Team reporting your condition to me every day, the occasional uniform infraction that was not your fault, and bringing down a server was grounds for expulsion, then half of your class would have been expelled. The Board then claimed that you had been selling XBDs.
David: …
Headmaster: If selling those was a crime, then so would buying them. But nevertheless, it is a serious offense. Your transcript will be arriving in the mail shortly, and I look forward to seeing you in the next semester you apply for. And for what it’s worth… you were a breath of fresh air.
The call ended, with David staring out into space. Suspension. That… wasn't the end of the world… but it’d be hell on his record… and Tanaka was behind this?!
“f*cking corpos…” he seethed. And then… he got a call.
Katsuo: Oh look, the sleeping rat woke up.
David: Listen here, you f*cking-
Katsuo: My, my, such language… unbecoming of an Academy student, no? Oh wait… you’re no longer a student.
David: This was your doing, wasn’t it?
Katsuo: The Academy was soiled by your presence. Take your expulsion with pride- your whor* of a mother got you that far.
David saw red.
David: You take that back!
Katsuo: I apologize.
David blinked. Apologize? Him?
Katsuo: Calling your mother a whor* in present tense would imply her clients were necrophiliacs.
That caused David to punch a wall.
David: YOU f*ckER!
Katsuo: Awww… is widdle mousey sad his fat bitch of a Mommy is dead~?
Katsuo: I hope to see you crushed under my wheels… got Vehicular Manslaughter insurance, so watch out~
The call ended, with David seeing everything in hues of red, and blood dripping from his eyes. Were he any older, and the rage would have given him an aneurysm.
