Michael 'Magos' Sobronov
"We have reached La Lune Bleu safely." The synthetic voice of the AI avatar said as the car came to a stop "Thank you for using the Delamain excelsior service."
"It was our pleasure, Del." I nodded and went to get out "Will you be fine finding a spot on your own?"
"Of course, Mr. Sobronov. Rest assured, I will remain alert and prepared should you find yourself in need of a speedy exit."
I couldn't stop the wry smile from worming its way across my face as I exited the car. Hiring out the sentient cab was a fun novelty at first, but it was kind of reassuring to know I had an armored escape waiting just around the corner if I got hit with anything interesting.
With a playful flourish I opened the opposite car door and offered my hand "My lady."
Rebecca rolled her eyes as she got out, lightly hitting me in the shoulder "Gonk."
And she didn't have to hop to do it this time.
It took her only a month of thinking it over but she ultimately caved before the lure of self improvement and accepted a modest (by my standards anyway) series of body-wide modifications.
The entirety of her skeleton had been reinforced with titanium, much of her musculature replaced with far more efficient artificial versions, alongside my most sophisticated subdermal ballistic weave to date.
It wouldn't stop high caliber rounds completely but it would stop them from doing any real damage without repeated hits punching through first.
All of these improvements naturally needed space which meant she shot up a full foot in height, going from short to above average overnight.
I got a lot of teasing material out of helping her re-learn how to walk.
And how to not break delicate things, now that her specifications had gotten a considerable all-around boost.
And I managed all of this without adding unneeded bulk in the process.
To top all of this off I made sure to jam the cruelest most efficient BlackICE into the back of her head, programmed to murder anyone who so much as considered hacking her in any harmful way.
The fact I couldn't make it carte blanche was a bit annoying but my cough protege in her friend liked to do stupid pranks with her quickhacks, and frying her from inside out for that just because I was being overprotective was a bit much.
It was a very close thing though.
"Jeez." Rebecca muttered, staring as the robo cab drove away, and then let out a quiet disbelieving laugh before looking back at me "Still can't believe you got Delamain to be our ride."
"I wanted to make it memorable." I chuckled "And I admit I was a bit curious about it... Him?"
Doesn't matter.
"Going to make a girl feel self conscious at this point." Rebecca said wryly.
But I immediately shot that line of thinking down "Don't worry about that. I have to splurge with all my money every once in a while and splurging on you makes me happy."
She immediately blushed and looked away "Stop being cute and let's go eat our overpriced dinner already."
"But of course." I drawled in amusement and offered her my hand which she quickly took "The dress makes you look fantastic by the way, just in case I forgot to mention it."
And the blush returned full force "Yes, Mike. You did. Three times."
My eyebrows rose "How odd, I seem to have forgotten."
And she did indeed look stunning, wearing a high cut black dress that left most of her back open in a kind of less is more design sense while still covering enough to remain decent, her hair was let loose and was now a darker shade of green with deep red highlights.
Admittedly I may or may not have taken the liberty of evening out some minor details here and there while giving her her improvements and ended up making her look just a tiny bit closer to perfection.
Most would consider such behavior to be a touch forward, and yet where were the complaints?
Chuckling at my own thoughts I focused back on the present as we neared the restaurant, already bustling to the brim with rich corporate guests wanting to show off for their new year's while pretending it was all in good fun and a rare few others who were not quite on that level of rot but still had enough money to celebrate in style.
A potential deal breaker, if not for the fact I managed to secure a seat at one of the more private balconies with a great view of the city through Rogue.
Truly, knowing someone who knew someone who knew someone was the greatest social lubricant, after money.
And being a multimillionaire, I had the money to spare and then some.
The suited up valet noticed us approach and straightened his back "Good evening and welcome to Bleu, honored guests. May I see your reservation?" His voice was polite but I noted a small bit of tension under it as he looked over Rebecca.
Her tattoos were rather distinctive after all.
But there was no point getting hung up about it so I just ejected my Personal Link cable from my hand and offered it to the man who quickly inserted it into a reader machine.
The slight tension disappeared and he inclined his head "Welcome, Mr. Sobronov, Ms. Carmine. Are you armed?"
"No." I shook my head, having left my sidearm in the cab.
"Of course." The man's eyes flashed before he nodded and spread an arm invitingly "If you would allow me, I will show you to your table."
I shot Rebecca a mildly amused warning look as she went to no doubt talk shit to him and while she did grumble we managed to silently follow the valet upstairs, and to our reserved table.
I wasn't quite wasteful enough to get us a completely private spot but there was enough space between us and the other guests that aside from a few curious glances they didn't pay much attention to us.
The valet placed a booklet on the table "Here is tonight's itinerary, please enjoy yourselves." He bowed, and then left.
The instant the man left hearing distance, Rebecca scowled "Fucking asshole."
"I did warn you." I point out in an amused voice.
"Yeah, I get it." She pouts "But I'm not just going to shit on my girls like that. They pulled me out of a bad spot. I'm not going to forget them just 'cos its more convenient."
"Hey its not like I mind. Nor would they really if you decided to change up, or so I believe anyway." I shrugged with a smirk "Just pointing out what's practical."
She made a face while mouthing my words back at me.
To which I just chuckled and looked around, finding no cautious fearful stares directed my way "Still, feels weird not to be the one drawing all the attention for once."
"'s what happens when you decide to look like an actual person." She gave me a crooked grin and playfully rubbed her chin "Still, now that you mention it I kinda miss the death maw."
"The death maw is still there, I assure you." I smirked, showing the rows of teeth under the facsimile of humanity.
It was odd, having skin again. Or at least the closest approximation of it anyway. I could definitely feel a lot more and part of it felt liberating, but it also reminded me of times part of me wanted to forget, and the more intelligent one knew I never should.
Of course, I wasn't exactly allowed to choose the look myself because God forbid I have agency in my own home. Mom, Misty, and 'Becca had way too much fun teasing me about it but I did have to admit, their ultimate choice was pretty good looking.
Not that I would ever admit it out loud, of course.
I gave myself a sharp, hawkish face, pulled back short black hair and a neatly trimmed full beard.
Every young man wanted a beard, and I would weather all the teasing necessary to keep it!
My eyes remained gold, and I decided to keep my left on full display instead of masking the scanner suite with a lens.
I had to keep at least some of my preferred uncanny valley effect somehow.
My limbs remained fully cybernetic though, as putting skin on them felt more tedious than I could be bothered with, and cybernetic limbs were far more common than a cybernetic everything.
"Kind of a shame I couldn't wear my mechadendrites." I most assuredly did not whine at the lack of weight on my back "I feel naked without them."
"It would look pretty weird." Rebecca bobs her head "So, going to give them up now?" She asked teasingly.
"Hell no." I huffed "I'll just take off my skin whenever I don't need it."
She failed to contain a snort "You know, in any other context that would be fucking terrifying."
"Ah but 'Becca." I leaned forward and smirked "I am terrifying."
She gave me a deadpan before hugging herself and pretending to shiver "Oh no~"
While we were talking, the waiters started bringing out the food setting plates of no doubt impossible to pronounce finger foods before us and leaving without a word.
"What's this?" Rebecca frowned, poking the tiny portion. She looked up at me "You sure this is actual food?"
"We are here for a seven course meal, 'Becca." I shook my head "They come in stages."
She seemed to understand before once more frowning "But why though?"
"Ah, I did do some actual research about this in advance." I perked up slightly "See, back when Europe still had their nobility, they needed a way to be decadent little shits and get in as much flavor as possible without making themselves barf like pigs. And thus the spaced out bite sized portions."
"Huh..." She blinked and actually took a bite, before quickly wolfing down the rest.
For all the ostentation, and rumors about all of it just being a show, the food was in fact pretty fucking good.
And thankfully, just as organic as advertised.
It would have been really unfortunate if the business wound up exploded after they made me pay exorbitant prices with false advertising after all.
Two hours passed like this, with the two us just chatting and enjoying each others presence between short but gloriously delicious nomming breaks, making a point not to talk about business stuff for once and just waffle on about our hobbies.
And the latest Bushido episode, because of course something we started as an ironic 'tradition' turned into an actual habit without me noticing.
The waiters brought the desserts to top everything off, and the two of us leaned back into our seats.
"Way to show me I don't know shit..." Rebecca sighed as she stared longingly at her now empty plate.
Suddenly her eyes snapped towards me but I was quicker than that, so all she got to see was me tossing the tiny cake into my mouth.
"Rude." She pretend sniffed.
Of course, that only made me exaggerate my chewing before I stuck my tongue out "You snooze you lose."
She tossed the little booklet at my head, only for me to grab it and put it back down on the table while giving her an unimpressed stare.
She just cheekily smirked up at me, and we settled into a comfortable silence as she started looking over the guests, seemingly deep in thought "Feels like a whole ass different world up here." She muttered.
"Its all the same once you get into the meat of it." I feigned disinterest "It does look prettier though, that much is for sure."
"Hah." She huffed in amusement "Definitely not my kind of place." Her look turned... odd then as she smiled up at me "You're sure moving up in the world, eh Mike?"
"As anyone should." I nodded firmly "Though you make it sound like a bad thing."
She paused and quickly shook her head "Ah, forget about it. I'm just being a gonk thinking about stupid shit."
"Oh?" I pressed teasingly "Care to enlighten me?"
"You'll just think I'm being dumb." She pouted.
Ah, I see where this is going "You know, you don't have to compare yourself to me like that."
"That obvious, huh?" She grumbled briefly before clamping down on that and giving me a wry look "Thought you were one of us at first but then you went and got an actual job."
"And it doesn't require me to risk my life for almost no long term gain! Will wonders ever cease?" I returned in an equally peppy tone "Speaking of, you do know you don't have to go and risk your life like that any more, right?"
"All my chooms are there." She shrugged before pointing at herself "I ain't leaving them like that. 'Becca is ride or die!"
Her shoulders slumped slightly "Also, girl's gotta put food on the table somehow."
"No you don't."
She seemed momentarily blindsided by this but recovered quickly.
"Oh, what's this?" She smirked teasingly, leaning in and batting her eyelashes "Looking to wife me up already?"
'Trying to get a reaction out of me, hm? Two can play that game.' I quirked an eyebrow "Shall I go fetch the ring?"
"Bwah?!" She startled and sputtered "Wha- I- You-" She took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes up at me "Got me again." She grumbled.
It was funny how she thought I was joking.
But any further conversation was cut off as all of the visible sky was overtaken by colorful explosions, fireworks going off with such a sudden intensity I was momentarily afraid someone had set off a bomb.
"Already?" I blinked as I stood up to get a better view.
"Coming up here was worth it just for the view." Rebecca whispered, suddenly next to me.
We stood there for a few seconds just basking in the display, before I lost interest in mere pyrotechnics and made her look up at me, stealing a quick kiss in the process while giving her a small wink.
For whatever reason that little bit of teasing made her look away while leaning into me.
We stayed like that for a while.
Of course, it wouldn't be a proper night without someone deciding to butt their head into our business, and a very drunk young man dressed in an obvious hand me down suit stumbled over to us while his 'chooms' followed after him with morbid curiosity in their eyes.
"Hey, big guy!" He slurred toward me "How much for the joytoy there?"
Fortunately, I was hoping for something like this.
Rebecca and I shared a quick look, mirror grins spreading on our faces as we turned to the evening's winner.
And both punched him straight in the face.
-----
"Wooohoooo! Floor it Del!" Rebecca hollered semi drunkenly as the pursuing corp-sec car crashed behind us, erupting into a glorious explosion of biogas.
"Of course, Ms. Carmine." The AI calmly acquiesced, zooming across the streets and leaving our pursuiters in the dust.
"Happy new years motherfuckers!" I cheered at the explosion before ducking back from the window, a wide grin on my face "Now those were some proper fireworks."
In all the excitement I completely failed to notice Rebecca before she was already on me, and I quickly reciprocated the moment my brain caught up
But of course, the world remained ever cruel "Apologies, dear customers but please refrain while in the vehicle."
Rebecca paused, expression twisting from hazed to utterly furious "Really, Del?" She whisper hissed "Really?"
"Company policy I'm afraid, Ms. Carmine."
She took in a deep sharp breath before rolling off me and back into her seat and groaned "Fffffucking fine!"
"Thank you for your understanding."
I stared into the blank face of the AI avatar and came to a stark realization.
The clones were right.
The only good clanker was a dead clanker.
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