Chapter 6 (Part 3)

My mentor's lessons were becoming longer each time. Four hours were no longer enough, and she started to spend more time with me, sometimes even at her own home. Training with the kids, to my surprise, turned out to be productive. They listened to me attentively and tried hard, which is key in mastering any skill. Effort and attentiveness are crucial. Of course, a person's learning speed plays a role; some just need more time.

Inga was skeptical about our lessons and for the first two weeks, she made a point of showing her conspicuous discontent. It didn't last long, and by the third week, she "deigned" to join us. Still, being the odd one out is quite hard, especially for a child, but I must admit, Kiwi held out for quite a while. Since I was mainly responsible for cooking, I had to find all possible ways to increase the protein content in our diet. The kids were too thin, and the training drained their last bit of energy, causing them to eat more.

Their perseverance was something even many adults would envy. I don't know what I did to upset the kids, but I didn't ask unnecessary questions about it. I had too many worries to ponder why things were the way they were. Marco didn't participate in our group activities, but he practiced covertly on the side. I noticed it from the small bruises on his fingertips. The guy had his own complexes, after all.

Susan kept increasing my workload, testing the limits of my memory. At one point, I realized that I could remember something just by looking at it once. This ability helped me memorize huge data arrays, but that's where the success ended. It's not enough to remember information; it needs to be managed wisely. My knowledge lay dormant without practice, so my mentor constantly threw various tasks at me that developed not only memory but also my ability to think creatively.

In the two months of our lessons, I didn't even notice when I started to eagerly anticipate each new day, to learn something new and apply the acquired skills in practice. I even managed to enhance my Smart Glasses, which were also a part of the training.

In the first month, I had fully mastered the first-level program, designed for middle school children. The second level was even easier. The reason was that knowledge of each subsequent rank just detailed certain aspects more or split into several branches, each somewhat similar in essence to another element. It was rare to encounter something genuinely new, and only in those cases, I would learn at my "normal" pace.

By the end of the second month, I finally realized that the material provided by Sue was much deeper than what is currently considered. After 2050, there was a shift in the education system. The current fifth level of knowledge used to be the third. Schools in Night City were completely under the control of various corporations, which came up with a "brilliant" plan to make money by simply cutting their educational courses and charging extra for knowledge. I was familiar with such an approach, so I wasn't too surprised. In my time, the education system underwent similar changes.

Gradually, our internal hierarchy underwent significant changes as well. Marco remained the leader, a position I honestly had no desire to claim. The guy was a natural leader, apparently unaware of it himself. He always did what he thought was right, having, in my opinion, a balanced view of the world. His principles and desires were similar to mine, so I didn't bother the teenager with my advice. It could even be said that being mentally younger, he taught me a lot.

In turn, I took on the role of the silent brainiac, someone who knew a lot and could explain things, referring to my long-deceased relatives. The kids even jokingly started saying that Alex knows everything. At first, it was awkward to hear that, but then I just stopped caring.

Inga also found her niche. I managed to repair a few old VR glasses, which the girl used for learning. She wanted to become a netrunner. Kiwi, due to her rather sharp character, didn't get along well with people. The internet was a different story, where the boundaries of what's acceptable are blurred. By the second month, we had saved enough money to install a basic two-slot chip port in her neck. With it, she could access the internet using augmented reality glasses. That's where we gradually started to pull useful data. It wasn't without problems, namely the acquisition of information itself. The corporations were hoarding free knowledge, and what was available was only good as bedtime reading material.

Han and Shiro, as an inseparable pair, stayed in their place. They kept to themselves and didn't try to interact much with us in their free time. We had moments of interaction during meals, sleep, and rest. Despite this, Han and Shiro spent a lot of time with everyone, enough for me to form some opinion about them.

***

Gradually, Susan started to receive more orders, and consequently, so did I. She no longer saw me as a burdensome appendage. She began paying me – not much, around 80 eddies – but it was enough to get by. Her income, with all expenses, accounted for, averaged about 1,200 eddies a day, which was quite good.

Just a month ago, it was around 800, but word of mouth and my mentor's skills had earned her a good reputation. We started getting more lucrative orders, and about two weeks ago, someone from the "Claws" even brought us someone's chip. Deciphering the data was fascinating. It was my first time witnessing a real-time hack.

For my mentor, it was too easy. She managed to hack the chip in a couple of hours, immediately reviewing the data obtained. It contained information about several electronic accounts and other useful tidbits that could be sold. Of course, chips don't always yield profit, and sometimes they hold nothing of value.

Before purchasing, the girl made sure to find out who owned the chip and only then agreed to buy it. The "Tigers" didn't put much pressure on trade in their controlled area, charging each spot a small "tribute" for protection. This really helped, as there were plenty of small groups, and if someone dared to cause trouble on "their territory," it would damage the mafia's image. Reputation is the most important thing for gangsters; lose it, and the delicate mechanism starts to crack from within, something the triad understood well.

Besides protection, sometimes the gang could offer a profitable job. The work was risky, and the offered sum directly indicated the level of risk. My mentor didn't take such orders, although she received offers. She knew all too well that in this business, people often get double-crossed, and Susan wisely refrained from such offers. Her limit was selling demons (software designed for hacking) or simple tech upgrades.

Such "upgrades" were often requested for braindance glasses. This gadget immerses a person in someone else's memories, which feel like their own. Another type of VR technology, aimed at entertainment. It was quite safe, so it was widely used for various things.

Speaking of this safety, the glasses have a sensitivity limit, but some thrill-seekers want to experience the full spectrum of emotions. Susan kindly removed these limits, returning the product to the next Braindance Addict. That's what they called people who were completely stuck in this kind of mess. I also tried watching a movie once and, honestly, wasn't impressed.

Perhaps it was my brain, which processed information differently. In the Braindance, I was acutely aware that it was all unreal, and the emotions felt dual. My mentor, having heard my opinion, agreed with me and asked me not to spread the word about this. It seems I constantly experience such anomalies. Abnormal learnability, endurance, strength, and now resistance to immersion.

My father clearly did something to my body, but understanding exactly what remains elusive. I don't know how this will affect me in the future, but so far, it has only brought advantages. The price for these advantages is the inability to use implants. To be precise, my limit is a cyberdeck that will connect to my brain through an external device. I shouldn't even dream of anything else. Frankly, I'm not too bothered about it. I had a good alternative, which had already proven itself worthy. In the future, I even plan to create my own versions that will be no worse than all these disgusting augments.

Lately, I've been thinking about having my own small corner. Living in our basement, albeit comfortable due to constant upgrades, was far from the limit of my dreams. I shared my idea with Marco, who could probably find a room for all of us, equipped with all the necessary amenities of civilization.

To rent a decent place, we need a monthly sum of 2,000 Eurodollars. There are options we could already afford, but for obvious reasons, it's better not to settle in such flea-infested places. Susan promised to look for acceptable options, and soon we will most likely acquire decent housing. Of course, we need to save up a bit of money first, but we have plenty of time, we're not in a hurry...