40 Chapter 16 (Part 3)

"Do you even know how to relax?" Susan boldly sat on the edge of my bed, waving her hand in front of my face.

"Actually, yes." I turn off my visor and look at the audacious face of the girl, whose belly is noticeably growing. "Did you want something?"

"Rick asked me to find you. He managed to get ahold of something today and said you might like it."

"And since when does Rick send pregnant women around the camp?" I raise an eyebrow questioningly, carefully getting up from the bed, supporting Susan who was sitting on the edge.

"Since I needed to pick up my multitool there, and I was planning to visit you on my way back anyway. Any other time you're always busy with something and impossible to catch." The girl complained to me about myself. "Alex, we're worried you might burn out. You shouldn't rush things, you know?"

"Everything will be fine. I know exactly what I'm doing. You better take care of your future little one." I point at the girl's belly, moving aside the edge of the tent. "Soon, I'll show you something really interesting." I wave goodbye and head off briskly to find Rick...

***

"Why did you call me?" I enter the gigantic tent that serves as our workshop, seeing a man standing near the stand with the exoskeleton I had half-assembled.

"Managed to get ahold of something interesting today. Looks like your skeleton is missing legs, and I thought this might come in handy." The technician pointed to the boots standing nearby.

"Where did you get them from? That's a Militech model. You can't find those just anywhere..." I glance suspiciously at the man who's awkwardly scratching his nose.

"A former security chief at Biotech managed to acquire some good gear during his service but now has to sell it off, for a reason well-known to many.

"And what did he need the money for?" I ask with interest, approaching the boots and instantly connecting my bracelet's analyzer to the port in the boots.

"To support his family. The corporation made sure the man couldn't land a decent job. He's an honest man and has no desire to join any of the gangs. Jeremy Martinez is an old acquaintance of mine, so I decided to help him out a bit."

"I see, and when was he fired, and for what reason?" I turn my head towards the nomad, briefly distracted from the analysis process.

"If I recall correctly, it was in 2058. It had something to do with that notorious cyberpsycho who managed to steal something from the corporation and then went on a rampage in the city center. I believe they even sent Adam Smasher after him, but unfortunately, there are no records left, so I can't say for sure." Rick spread his hands, as if apologizing for something.

"Understood..." I drawled, trying not to look the technician in the eye. However, the world is quite small, and I felt somewhat uncomfortable about this Jeremy, who was probably just doing his job. "Listen, do you still have his contact information?" I ask again, meeting the man's questioning eyebrow.

"Why do you need it?"

"A former security chief surely has the connections I need. Sooner or later, I want to return to the city, and if this Martinez is still around, his help could come in handy."

"Alright, but you'll have to negotiate with him yourself." Rick agreed.

"Will you help me with the installation?" I grab the boots in both hands and approach the half-assembled exoskeleton.

"I think I have a minute to spare." The nomad nodded in agreement and walked over to the stand, holding a welder. "We still have a long calibration process ahead, so be careful." Rick grumbled, bending down to the left boot.

"As you say, dad." I roll my eyes and begin the installation process...

***

May 2063

It took me significantly more time than anticipated to complete the full framework capable of housing my reactor, which would power all the systems. The arc reactor provided more than enough energy, so the need for an external power source was completely eliminated. The platform was fully ready, and all that was left was to install everything else.

The installation of all the components took about a month of meticulous manual labor. However, the closer I got to the final goal, the more I could see my concept taking on clear features. During the process, I even had to expand the mountings of the right arm to accommodate my new segmented shield, which offered a much larger coverage area.

The armor itself began to resemble more of a futuristic everyday attire than some high-tech armor, which was exactly what I was aiming for. Primarily, the armor should not attract undue attention, thereby giving a potential enemy a false sense of your protection. Nomads have always been known for their militaristic style of dress, so the suit wouldn't raise too many questions from others. I named it simply: "The Nomad."

The first armor was made from quite expensive synthetic materials, which meant I had to work a lot to order various parts through John. After extensive training with Bartmoss, I was able to make significant progress in netrunning, thereby solving my problem with a lack of eddies. Of course, it was still a drop in the bucket, but it was enough to complete the first prototype.

John became the test subject, for whom the first "Nomad" was tailored. After all the tests, which the armor successfully passed, I left it in the workshop to refine some details noted during the last "crash" test. Minor design flaws were found that led to some discomfort during movement, and the joint areas were reinforced with additional armored fiber. The entire upgrade was done with the intention of preserving mobility and authenticity of appearance.

Eventually, the suit did end up in John's hands, after which he spent a long time wearing it, getting used to his new "toy." The armor connected directly to a person's personal port, thus eliminating the possibility of theft. I also created a special program that helped the person control the armor. It included several million template commands that could adapt to perform tasks much better and faster. I got the idea from looking at old neural networks, which, thanks to refining commands, ultimately provided the desired result for everyone.

By this time, Susan had successfully given birth to a girl, and so began the much-loved saga of naming her. Everyone who could participate in this monumental event did. Honestly, I also suggested a couple of names, which were ultimately rejected. In the end, the girl was named Rachel, which, in my opinion, was a quite pleasant female name. At least it was much better than Ginger and other such ridiculous names that I had unfortunately heard.

The baby quickly received universal love, leading many to ask to hold her. I was frankly scared to hold such a tiny creature in my arms, so I wisely stayed aside, fearing I might harm the child. Susan, however, thought differently, so I was eventually made to hold the girl, who suspiciously behaved very quietly in my presence.

The baby didn't take to everyone. For instance, the Han and Shiro brothers didn't make it into the circle of people the girl could tolerate well. Apparently, it was all about the smell; the guys were always tinkering with cars and had a strong scent of motor oil. I, on the other hand, emitted a light citrus scent, which apparently was to little Rachel's liking.

After giving birth, Sue quickly recovered and began to stir things up in the camp. She made up for all the moments she missed due to her pregnancy. It was, of course, amusing to watch her from the sidelines, but I was definitely glad that Susan quit smoking. The smell of cigarettes stubbornly lingered in her hair and hands, which the baby could sense, always crying when the girl fed her.

Our medic, Roosevelt, quickly grasped the reason when he heard the woman's disjointed explanations trying to articulate the essence of the problem. Of course, Sue had practically quit smoking already, only occasionally touching cigarettes, but it seems the child vividly hinted to her mother that it would be better to quit this habit if she wanted to hold her own daughter peacefully.

Fortunately, we managed to avoid problems with baby Vincent. The boy adored his sister, trying to spend most of his free time with her. The boy reacted very calmly to the new family member, which took a weight off his parent's shoulders. I hope things continue to go well for them.

After creating the first ready-made sample, the work went much faster, and creating new armor became much easier than assembling everything from scratch. It's a pity, of course, that its overall cost was quite high. Assembling "The Nomad" would cost someone about twenty thousand eddies, not including labor. For that money, one could buy a decent car, so not everyone could afford such a thing. John received it as a thank you from me for his timely help. Roughly speaking, I repaid him for the kindness he had shown us earlier. Of course, the armor could be assembled for less, but I wasn't planning to make something mass-produced. So, not many wished to order such a toy. Well, as they say: "To each their own."

Many were quite satisfied with my kinetic shield, and I agreed with them. Maintaining it was much cheaper than repairing a suit. But the encouraging thing is that the beginning has been made, which means that in the near future, I will be able to create something more technologically advanced...