20 Chapter 9 (Part 2)

Returning to the topic of passions, Inga decided to follow in her parents' footsteps and become something of a local medic. Ripperdocs are a rather peculiar folk. Their skills vary greatly, ranging from a full-fledged doctor to an implant operator who can only handle chrome and nothing more. This field even saw the emergence of a monopolistic company offering a full range of services, of course, for a hefty sum. The company "Trauma" can fulfill any of your whims, from providing individually tailored augmentations to specially grown biological implants that perform the same function as their metallic "colleagues." They also have an insurance system that can cover up to 90% of the treatment cost.

Biological implants, of course, are much more expensive, by several orders of magnitude, but maintaining such augmentations is much easier. The most significant advantage, perhaps, is the impossibility of frying your nervous system to hell. Organic implants have a limit of endurance, and the owner of such enhancements immediately feels the boundary of their capabilities, without crossing the permissible line, unlike chrome. A person cannot feel the fatigue of metal, and this leads to a host of sad consequences, resulting in so-called "cyberpsychosis." Or, to be more precise, one of its many varieties.

Regarding the "work" that the kids used to do, I firmly ordered them to stop engaging in such nonsense. It's better for children to spend time on education and self-improvement than to scavenge through garbage, trying to scrape together meager coins. My current earnings are more than enough to support the four of us.

A month ago, I finally managed to start saving a little eddy for a rainy day, keeping my savings on a special chip that serves as a local plastic card. However, you can't put more than 50,000 bucks on such a chip; the manufacturers have set a limit to prevent large-scale financial manipulations. Of course, there are models with much larger capacity, but they are made to order and issued in limited editions. These chips are monitored, and mainly corporations use them for official contracts.

In the end, I didn't leave anyone idle and occasionally tasked each of my cohabitants with various assignments. Inga, in this regard, was far more industrious than her two brothers, but she more or less shared my view of life. It's better to get everything done right away and then relax, rather than procrastinate until the last moment. Han and Shiro belonged to the latter category, but that's how most children think, so it's not surprising that they act like the "majority." Sometimes I have to "nudge" them in the right direction, but so far, it hasn't reached extremes. As they say, "Thanks for that!"

***

Two months later

For the past two weeks, I've been at a loss for what to do with myself. Susan recently declared that I needed to learn how to relax and, as an order, sent me off for a whole month to do nothing. I never thought that idling could be so exhausting. In the past, when I was bored, I'd tinker with some gadget or, at worst, create a new simulation, trying to come up with the next dubious piece of junk. Now, I was temporarily barred from the former, so only the latter remained, but even that had grown tiresome. I wanted to keep my hands busy, so I tried to find new hobbies. I had an extra eight hours of idleness in my life that I couldn't put to any good use.

My mentor didn't leave me without money and paid my last month's earnings, wishing me a good time at the end. I'll definitely get back at her for these tricks, not now, but someday, and that's not up for debate! She knows I can't sit idle and still decided to do this to me. At first, the monotony made me want to climb the walls, which I once jokingly decided to do, leaning against it with a cosmic sadness on my face.

I declare to you, excessive idleness is hard, as someone who previously could barely peel his backside off the couch. In search of entertainment, I started actively exploring the area a week ago and eventually stumbled upon some noteworthy intelligences. Dolls are people who use a behavioral chip, adapting themselves to others based on personal preferences. They become the ideal for the person who has purchased their services. These human beings have another offshoot – proxies.

Proxies are people who use their bodies like a walking mobile device. Someone can pay and use such a person for their purposes. Often, their services are used by various bigwigs who don't want to publicize some of their deals. A proxy can't remember the conversation, meaning the information won't leak, which is quite convenient on one hand. On the other, I can't understand how people could consciously turn themselves into such level prostitutes. Trusting control of your body to a stranger seems too stupid and dangerous to me. Of course, there are situations where one might be forced into it, but to do it voluntarily is beyond my comprehension...

"Alex, can you help?" Inga gently touched my hand, pointing with her finger at a small tabletop stove.

My relationship with the girl has become quite unique. She's become less talkative and yet far more expressive in her facial expressions and gestures. The little one is now much more independent, but like any other child, Engel seeks attention. The brothers aren't too keen on letting the girl get closer, as it's typical for boys to behave this way. After all, children start to get interested in the opposite sex around fourteen, and until then, they mutually can't stand each other.

In my free time from work, I tried to pay attention to them, sharing something interesting or engaging in some joint activity. My goal was simple - to raise the children and instill in them some semblance of the moral norms customary in the society where I was once raised.

I find the world of post-capitalism outright repulsive. People lack principles and any sense of trust or camaraderie. You could be betrayed for a couple of hundred eddies, and it would be considered normal. People don't bother to lend a helping hand, preferring to pretend they didn't see anything, displaying all the traits of society's moral decay. I haven't personally encountered this yet, but I've heard enough from others to form an objective picture of the present. This world is slowly sliding into the abyss of entropy, and it's just a matter of time before it finally arrives.

Constant wars for resources, the extermination of various animals, many corporations' attempts to play God, and a myriad of other things are dragging humanity down to the very bottom. Even if all corporations were destroyed at once, nothing would change, as people have changed. First and foremost, they need a different upbringing and to be instilled with moral principles different from the current ones. Without all this, it's futile to even try to change anything.

I would like to try and break the current system, but unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, I can't handle everything alone. To start, you need a group of like-minded people who will be your foundation, and only then can you try to gradually increase your influence, changing people's opinions in your favor.

Fundamentally, I won't be any different from most revolutionaries of other eras. For example, Johnny Silverhand, the man who planted a nuclear warhead under the Arasaka Tower in Night City, tried to stop the looming threat, but ultimately, predictably screwed up. What can a group of anarchists do against the established state machine supporting the gradual destruction of the world, thinking they have enough time left in their lifetime, and then let everything else perish? Exactly - nothing.

Analyzing a personality like Johnny, I came to one indisputable fact. He was a complete idealist with a mix of personal egoism. If you objectively look at the history of his struggle, you can understand one important thing. Silverhand tried to fight everything by others' rules, which is why he inevitably lost. To play at that level, you need to have your own marked deck of cards...

"What are you thinking about?" Han nudged me with his hand. "You've been poking at your empty plate with a fork for like five minutes."

"About life... Tell me, guys, what do you want to be when you grow up?" Of course, it's a bit improper to ask such a question to children, but my curiosity was killing me.

"Me and my brother want to build our own car and get out of this city." Shiro put aside his cutlery and leaned back on the sofa.

"And then what?" I tilted my head quizzically, peering into the thoughtful boy's face.

"Travel... We'd like to see the world and meet different people. Haven't thought beyond that." The boy shrugged, gulping down his synthetic juice in one go.

"I see, not a bad goal." Their response wasn't unexpected for me, but it's one thing to assume and another to hear it firsthand.

"Is something wrong?" Han squinted suspiciously, peering into my face.

"No, everything's fine... Alright, I'm going for a walk, you're welcome to join me if you want."

"Nah, we'll pass, we're almost done with our engine simulation and need to finish it." Shiro waved towards the computer, where a pair of VR glasses were connected.

"I'll go." Inga tugged at my sleeve, drawing my attention.

Nodding to the girl, I quickly placed the dishes in the sink and headed for the exit, throwing on my jacket on the way. Even though the climate on Earth has changed, it can still get quite chilly in the evenings. I didn't have to wait long for Inga, and in a couple of minutes, she was standing next to me.

"Where are we going?" The little girl asked, who had grown a bit over the year, just like me.

Now, there was only a small difference in our heights. Inga was only half a head taller than me. I think, at this rate, I'll start towering over her in a year. For nine years old, I was quite tall and my face looked more mature. I don't know what concoction my father injected me with, but it was definitely his doing. Well, I wasn't complaining about the result; I didn't want to go through all the stages of growing up for several more years, and if I could skip them quickly, I would just say "thank you."

"Just wanted to walk the streets and get some fresh air. Is there any specific place you'd like to go?" I looked into the eyes of the girl, who showed no outward emotion.

"No." Inga shook her head negatively and came closer to me, taking my hand. I was slightly surprised by this behavior, but decided not to attach any special significance to it.

Walking through Night City at night seemed pleasant at first glance, but only at first. At night, all sorts of criminal stuff happens constantly. Chases, shootouts, thefts, and a lot of similar crap piled on top. The Claws start actively patrolling the neighborhoods from 6 o'clock, and I had no desire to cross paths with them. Of course, I had gotten to know some of them during my work, but our dialogue never went beyond wishing a client well.

As we walked, to my surprise, I didn't encounter anyone who reminded me of the typical "Tigers". It was quite late, and these guys usually don't miss the pleasure of hanging around bars or cafes. Maybe something happened to them, but honestly, I wasn't very interested. No sign of them was good, their presence would be just as fine.

I was more concerned about the state of my companion, who hadn't spoken a word during our walk. Inga just occasionally squeezed my hand tighter, hiding her face behind her long bangs or turning away. I didn't like this at all, so I seated the girl on a nearby bench near the pedestrian coastal area.

"Inga, what happened?" I sat her on the bench, settling myself at the edge next to the blonde.

"Will you leave too?" she asked quietly. Now, at least, I understood the sudden change in my companion's mood. Like any other child, she was afraid of being left alone. Han and Shiro were always somewhat apart from us, intersecting only during sleep, meals, or joint scavenging trips. From the beginning, I understood that they would leave at the first available opportunity. I didn't blame the brothers for this; they helped us as much as they could, but after their words, I still felt a vague unease.

"I was thinking of moving to Santo Domingo in about five to seven years," I voiced my plans and quickly added, not to completely dishearten the disheartened girl, "If you want, you can come with me." I put my hand on the little one's head, slightly smoothing her hair, causing her to snort discontentedly, but she didn't remove my hand.

"..." Inga suddenly hugged me tightly in her embrace. Nearby onlookers curiously glanced at us, which made me somewhat uncomfortable. I had to pat the girl on the back to bring her back to her senses.

"It's getting cold, and you don't look too good," I stood up and offered my hand to my companion. "Let's go home." I smiled encouragingly at Inga, who began to show a slight blush on her cheeks. The blonde silently grabbed my hand, aligned herself with me, and squeezed it tightly. "Let's hurry before those rascals turn the apartment into their own auto shop branch. You know, once they get passionate about something, there's no stopping them."

"Mhm..." Inga nodded in agreement and again hid her face, lowering her head and pressing closer to me.

"How difficult it can be with children..." I shook my head in despair and briskly headed towards home. Now I wouldn't be able to let go of Inga if the opportunity arose. My conscience simply wouldn't allow it. "Hardships do forge strength, right?"