The new operating system (OS) for the NetConnect was designed to be familiar to the user. It was at least twice as responsive, used fewer resources, and was more secure, especially at the moment, as only Trace and Deckard were running it. There was no one else around who even knew it existed, let alone could attempt to breach its defenses.

  All the bloated patches that the corporations had added over the years had been removed. The best, still valid pieces from each one had been kept, properly programmed using the original language, and then integrated into the OS. Those had only been a few of the steps involved, as Deckard had also needed to optimize, debug, test, and do it all again countless times. Frankly, without the corporations having already done much of the work for him in the patches, it would have taken even longer.

  Trace nodded slowly after he finished poking around. “I like it. It’s not necessarily new, so much as improved in every way possible. The icon animations are smoother. The HUD coming in and out of focus is less jarring, which is incredible because I didn’t even think it was jarring before, but now it seems so fluid and natural.” He chuckled and relaxed onto the bed once more. “Without all the bloatware slowing it down, everything has a smoothness to it that makes it seem like it's reading my mind.”

  Deckard twirled the pen he was holding around his thumb. “The corporations kept increasing the specs of the NetConnect instead of simply working to correct the original issue. At the rate they were going, it would have only been another twenty or thirty years before they would have been forced to do this anyway. Are you going to do the upgrade? I would like to watch.”

  Trace rolled his eyes and pulled up the G.H.O.S.T. System menu, only to shake his head a moment later in confusion. “I had enough nanites in my system before, but now I don’t.”

  “Ah,” The pen fell from Deckard’s fingers. “The data connections I made with them. Remember? That can destroy the nanites if too much information is passed through them at once. I wasn’t even thinking about it at the time, so I failed to throttle the connection. Sorry.”

  “It’s fine. I’ll still be able to do it tomorrow. I just can’t do it right now.” He stretched his neck. “Now, what are you doing to the schematics for the coilpistol?”

  “Running the different pieces through various simulations. You were originally going to make this into a railpistol and then switched it to a coilpistol near the end. However, that means not all of the capacitors and heat ducting are needed. Coil guns produce less heat and are somewhat weaker than their railgun counterparts. As a pistol though, it is actually a decent choice. Just remember, the model we made is only the first version. It can stand to be optimized in several areas.”

  “Ah, fine, knock yourself out. Just remember to actually take a break every once in a while.”

  ***

  Trace stared at the upgrade option on the menu, the NetConnect already selected. This time it showed that he had enough resources, if only just. The cost wasn’t nearly as bad as what it would cost to upgrade his arm again. It wasn’t far off either and was just barely in the realm of possibility.

  ‘Information on related augments has been found in the database. The cost of upgrading this NetConnect has been increased as available modifications have been found and integrated into the design.’

  With a sigh, he hit Accept and immediately regretted it.

  The NetConnect was largely responsible for controlling a person’s cyberware. In Trace’s case, he could still see and use his arm without it. However, he lost access to most of the extra functions if he didn’t want to suffer a migraine and overheating, in the case of his eyes.

  With his arm, this was the first time he had ever used it without a NetConnect acting as a go-between. It was interesting… He found his sense of touch dulled, and subsequently, it was harder to control how much strength to put in each movement. This was compounded by a slight delay in control, which made everything harder as he was constantly second-guessing every movement.

  At least he didn’t need to lie down and do nothing for the next several hours. It wouldn’t be a highly productive time, but there were a few things that he could still do to pass the time.

  The second iteration of the stealth suit… The armored stealth suit? Stealth suit mark 2? He still hadn’t decided on what this one would be called. Either way, the inner network of synth-muscles were all in place and hooked up. All that remained was putting the bare suit inside the framework sleeve they had prepared and then strapping on the armor and other outer components, like the holsters, and sheaths.

  It would be a struggle, but he thought he would be able to put the suit inside the sleeve, especially if Deckard helped. After that, strapping on everything was something he could do himself without worrying. After all of that, the last thing that would need to be done was painting it. Trace had added more connection points throughout the suit for the paint, but there was only so much that he could do to improve the current model.

  The basic armor plates that Trace had been working on before had been tossed out when Deckard finished looking through the data prism from his father. There was no need for them to work with ceramics or metal composites that were partially based on the cheap armor Trace had bought in the past.

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  They had something better now, multiple somethings in this case.

  It wasn’t entirely clear if the information had come from one of David’s companies or if it had simply been taken from someone else. Not that Trace really cared at the moment. There were three types of armor available in the files.

  The first was an oldie but a goodie. Aramid fiber — constructed armor — otherwise known as Kevlar by most people. It had been souped up and modified, and while the specs seemed decent, they lacked the ability to make it.

  The next was graphene and various forms of it. The material had been around for years, but progress continued to be made that allowed its construction to be done more easily. It was also a material that their second 3D printer could handle. Perhaps not well, but it could do it. The armor specs said that the plates should have been three hundred times stronger than steel. With their current 3D printer, they would be lucky to reach half that.

  The last armor was ultra-high-molecular-weight-polyethylene (UHMWPE) and was decent, but compared to graphene, it was rather unremarkable. If they hadn’t been able to print that already, then they would have been worth it. As it was, they did, and it was a far second best.

  The armor on both stealth suits was leagues beyond the cobbled-together crap Trace had installed on the first version of the stealth suit.

  “Hey, Deckard,” Trace called out as he scooted over to the table with the large suit. “If you aren’t busy, do you mind coming over here? I could use your help getting the suit inside the sleeve.” He hesitated, feeling as though he was forgetting something. “Also, I started the upgrade on my NetConnect, sorry. I know you wanted to monitor it as the changes occurred in real-time.”

  Deckard had been working on a personal project at a worktable they had set up to the side. The man was largely a programmer; however, he was also very smart and had the ability to create time-dilated environments. Deckard was constantly scraping the net for information and working through what was taught. It was much the same way that Trace had originally learned to work on electronics.

  Now Deckard was doing the same thing, only in a way that was far more effective. The plus side to not having an organic body was that Deckard’s control was far greater than anything Trace could have achieved with his fleshware.

  It wasn’t clear what he was working on, only that it was something small.

  The android’s eyes glowed, and he frowned, the action somewhat stiff. “Unfortunately, I can’t monitor the internal changes with these eyes, though I can still watch everything that happens on the outside.”

  Trace hoped its size didn’t change, as that would require changes to be made to the port.

  Working together, they carefully opened the legs of the framework sleeve and slipped the suit inside. After retightening everything, they moved on to the waist and chest and then the arms. Unlike the first version, which was easy to get into, this model had to be practically climbed into. A portion of the thighs pulled away, and the chest opened in the middle and then up towards the arms.

  The entire suit was more complicated than he had originally planned, but it was also stronger and more armored.

  Deckard had bought him a learning module called ‘Integrated Cyberware Design.’ It was what had allowed him to continue working on the android body after simply getting it working. Otherwise, performing all those tweaks and adjustments would have been far beyond his knowledge, let alone his ability.

  That module had taught him how to work with synth-muscle, which he had wanted to include in the design of the new suit. Previously, he had been lacking the knowledge and skills; now, he had a stealth suit that would enhance his capabilities many times over.

  It wasn’t on the level of a heavy armor like Jaco’s, but for an unskilled person like Trace, it was better than what he had been using.

  As they worked, Deckard would occasionally offer suggestions as he spotted something. He would point out potential weak points, highlight areas that he would need to be cautious of as they would contain less armor, and generally remind Trace to double-check every connection.

  "This is why I like working with you," Trace said after they had finished getting the bare suit into the framework sleeve. "You make sure I don't overlook or forget something."

  Deckard’s metallic eyes flashed for a brief moment before returning to their usual pale blue. His avatar had always had blue eyes, the same as Trace's, but he had lightened them considerably when he took over the android body.

  “The feeling is mutual,” He replied. "Though I suspect that your inherent technological ingenuity often saves us from my… more cautious approach."

  Trace barely held back a snort. Technological ingenuity? Yeah, that was one way of phrasing how he cobbled things together. As he had gone through the different engineering modules, he had learned a few things. Namely, that what he had been doing circumvented a lot of safeguards and was an easy way to get electrocuted.

  They continued in companionable silence for a while, slipping each graphene armor plate into the pockets that had been created for them.

  Trace had almost forgotten about the NetConnect upgrade until Deckard spoke up again.

  “Your system seems to be responding oddly,” He observed. "The response time in your arm has increased significantly, but as far as I can determine, the upgrade hasn’t finished yet.”

  Trace frowned and reached back with his left hand to touch his NetConnect. It felt strangely warm, as if the insides of the cyberware were constantly shifting around, generating heat.

  “No, it definitely hasn’t finished the upgrade yet,” He muttered, before glancing at his right arm. He curled his fingers into a fist, a slight frown coming over his face. “You’re right, the delay I was feeling before, it has decreased. In the beginning, it was like a full half-second between me wanting to move my arm or finger and then it actually happening. Now, it’s only…” He shrugged. “I don’t know, but certainly less than that.”

  Deckard finished putting the armor plate he was holding in the suit’s pouch and then walked over to Trace’s neck. “Are you adapting that quickly, or is the NetConnect coming online as parts of it are upgraded?”

  Biting his lower lip, Trace frowned, his brows furrowed. “Sevorah said before that this whole thing with my brain, whether it was the experiments they did or just a quirk of mine, was related to the pristine condition of my nervous system. Could that have something to do with this?”

  “I suppose it’s possible,” The other man said slowly. “I think it would be best if I notified Ko and Sevorah, just in case.”

  Thank you to all the people who have taken the time to rate the story and to my latest Patrons! I have other stories up on my Patreon, including my current WIPs. Which are now Created G.H.O.S.T. System(My Cyberpunk story), WetWorks2, plus The Restaurateur and His Daughter and DungeonFall. :)

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