Ko carefully massaged Trace’s back while running the portable scanner along each vertebra. She had already inspected the back brace installed in the stealth suit and had a few thoughts on it. Overall, it was a decent design. However, she would have preferred if he had also added a brace around his hips. It would have added another layer of security, though decreased his upper mobility, which would probably be a good thing at the moment anyway.

  As soon as she mentioned it, Trace began mentally designing an attachment to his current setup. It needed to be removable later, and it would indeed keep him from twisting his back at all.

  “I have an idea for a lower-brace like you mentioned, I just need to put it together and then install it later.” He told her a few minutes later.

  “Good, then do it before going to sleep tonight, or in the morning.” Ko poked the area of his back where she had made the incision a few days earlier. “The nanites have done a great job of healing your skin and removing the inflammation inside your back. As for the actual healing around your nerves, you were right before the nanites don’t seem to like playing well with fleshware on that scale. They might be healing it somewhat, but it’s hard to say. What you did yesterday though looks as though it advanced the healing of the nerves by roughly three weeks to a month.”

  She patted his back and helped him roll over on his bed.

  He lay there staring up at the ceiling, while she put her equipment away and then lay down next to him to relax for a moment. “How’s your mom? Has there been any word from Cerys or Siren’s Rush? I’ve been a little out of touch.” He joked with a chuckle.

  “Ugh, there was some trouble with my mom at first. When she first woke up, the drugs caused some extreme confusion in her and her response was bad. I had strapped her to a bed before we went up to do your surgery, and well, let’s just say that it brought back some memories for her. From what I understand, that is the same way she woke up after attacking me years ago. She was absolutely terrified that the same thing had happened again, only that she had forgotten about it this time.”

  Trace winced. “Ouch, how long did it take to calm her down?”

  “Honestly? I wouldn’t say she is calm even now. It took only a few minutes for her to realize that I was alive and mostly fine. It was a little hard to hide the bullet wounds. Still, she is constantly twitching and on edge. This whole thing brought back all the memories she has been working to get over.”

  “I’m sorry. Have you been spending extra time with her at least?”

  She nodded. “Hannah is as well, since they’re roommates for the moment, and that does seem to be helping.”

  "It's good that she has someone who can be with her more of the time," Trace murmured, picturing the two of them together. "It’s probably a good thing for Hannah as well, and will keep her from going off the deep end, yet again." He sighed, feeling a twinge of guilt for putting Ko through this alone.

  He knew she had asked for this, but it had to be stressful for Ko to be juggling so many different items, mostly alone. Granted, even if he had been mobile and in better condition, he likely would have been running out and about on jobs, but he at least would have been able to help when she needed it. Now he couldn’t even do that.

  “Yeah, it seems to be helping them both for the moment. I can’t say that they’re actually friends just yet, but they seem to be bonding over a shared hatred of corporations.” She said with a soft, mirthless chuckle.

  “Yeah, that would do it,” He agreed. “What about Cerys and Siren’s Rush?”

  “I got a brief message from Pushman this morning saying the twins and Cerys and gotten in touch with him, but that was it,” Ko said with a shake of her head. “As for Siren’s Rush… There’s been nothing. I've been so busy taking care of everything here that I haven't had a chance to even think about them or what happened.

  “Now that I have a moment to breathe though, I’m finding the entire situation rather terrifying. I mean, we killed how many section heads that belonged to some stupid council, not to mention that pervert supervisor who was supposedly some nepo-baby related to a director or someone equally high-up… and yet, there has been nothing.” Her voice trembled as she finished speaking.

  What was he even supposed to say to that? It was the truth, and frankly, he had expected them to make a move as well. Cerys had taken information that was meant to protect her and her sisters, but there was absolutely no way it would extend to him and Ko. In the eyes of the corporation, he and Ko had murdered countless people in their employ. Meanwhile, the twins had only been doing their jobs and guarding the two, and Cerys had simply stolen information to ensure they were safe.

  One of those events was personal, while the other could be considered as the cost of doing business.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “I’ll ask Deckard later, but I think he would have mentioned it if he had detected anyone trying to find us in relation to that fiasco.”

  A silence fell between them as both focused on the gentle rhythm of their breathing. The air gradually grew thick with unspoken words and emotions, and perhaps a hint of something else, a shared sense of uncertainty about the future.

  It was in that quiet moment that Trace noticed the faint blush creeping across Ko's cheeks, her eyes meeting his with a shy intensity that made his heart skip a beat.

  He quickly looked away, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Uh, well, if you need anything at all..." He started, but Ko interrupted him with a soft chuckle.

  "I know, Trace," She said, her voice laced with amusement. "Trust me, I do, and I appreciate it."

  She shifted closer, her arm brushing against his. The warmth of her skin sent a shiver down his spine. He tried to ignore it, focusing instead on the hum of the electronics in his room and the familiar smell of guns that always lingered.

  "So," Ko continued, her voice softer now. "About those modifications for your back brace..."

  They continued talking for another couple of hours, discussing everything from the latest developments in medical or technological research to their favorite childhood memories. As the conversation flowed between them, Trace found himself fully relaxing in her presence.

  While he had been attracted to Ko since the first time he met her, she was his friend first, an anchor in a world that was often chaotic and confusing for him. He wasn't sure if it was her genuine care, her sharp wit, or the way she always knew how to make him feel seen and understood, but being around Ko felt like he was home. It was an incredibly odd and somewhat uncomfortable feeling for someone who had never known a proper home.

  Eventually, though, they both started to feel the fatigue of the day catching up with them. They lay in silence for a while, enjoying the quiet intimacy of their shared space.

  "I should probably get some sleep," Ko murmured eventually, her sleepy voice barely above a whisper. "It's been a long day."

  "Me too," Trace agreed. "Thank you for taking the time to come over and inspect my back, Ko. I know how busy you are right now."

  She squeezed his hand softly. "I was glad for the break. Besides, it gave us a nice chance to spend time together." She gave a jaw-cracking yawn and scooted off the bed. “I’ll send you a message when I get back, just to let you know I got back without a problem.”

  “Thanks, I would appreciate that, otherwise I would worry.” He reached for the stealth suit, only for her to smack his hand away.

  “Just stay in bed. I know the way out and I have your car still.”

  He rolled his eyes. “It’s good manners to escort people out of one’s residence… at least that’s what Stick-Point once told me.”

  "Stick-Point," Ko chuckled, shaking her head. "Always so formal. And honestly, Trace, with your current mobility issues, I'd say it's more than a simple courtesy is worth right now."

  Trace sighed inwardly, knowing the matter had been settled. "Alright, fine. Go, get some rest." He watched her walk out the door, her silhouette disappearing into the gloom of the warehouse beyond. Then, with a careful shrug, he began getting ready for bed.

  ***

  Deckard had another set of custom components printed out for him when he woke up the next morning. These particular items were for his railpistol. He was getting close to being able to put it together. There was no guarantee that it would work, though it should, but at least then he would be able to start testing the various modifications he had been forced to make to it.

  He glanced at the workbench where the android head lay disassembled. It was a somewhat macabre and daunting reminder of where he had left it the day before.

  Trace would get started on the two of those after he finished on the lower brace for the stealth suit. That came before everything else.

  With that determined thought in mind, he turned his attention to the lower brace design. He needed something sturdy yet flexible enough to allow for basic movement while providing maximum support. Trace carefully measured his waist and the distance from his lower-hips to the current bottom of the brace.

  The process of designing the attachment was slow and painstaking, requiring precision and patience in equal measure.

  The brace itself was fairly simple, as it was just a larger and slightly more robust version of the braces that he had on his ribs. The attachment point for the modification was as simple and foolproof as he could make it, with a single drilled hole at the bottom of the initial spinal brace. The lower-brace was then attached to the upper portion with a dowel pin and metal clasp.

  His focus returned to the task at hand as he began attaching the flexible impact gel strips to the brace and back section of the frame, ensuring that it would be a snug but comfortable fit. Finally, after a little over an hour of dedicated work, he scooted the chair back to admire the modification.

  He still needed to add the circular ratcheting tightener, and then it would be usable. Overall, while the addition wasn’t perfect, it was functional and would undoubtedly provide the necessary support for his healing back.

  As soon as the ratchet was in place, he put the suit on and tightened all the braces, making sure his back was completely stable.

  “How is it?” Deckard asked as Trace took a few careful steps around the basement.

  “Better. Securing it to my hips has indeed made a nice difference in how stable my back feels.” He nodded. “Yeah, this will work. Now, let’s get to work on finishing this railpistol. Once it is put together, I’ll put it to the side for the moment. We can wait to test it until later. It is more important to finish working on the android head, so we can start running tests on the body.”

  Deckard’s avatar nodded, an excited expression growing on his face. “Good, I can’t wait, and don’t worry, when I get in that thing I have a present for you! Trust me, you’ll enjoy it; at least you had better.”

  He rolled his eyes at the ominous tone and got to work on the railpistol. For the most part, it was simply a scaled-down version of the rifle he had. However, there was only so much you could scale down before you began sacrificing power, efficiency, or just other items in general. He didn’t mind losing some power, as he didn’t need this pistol variant to be capable of piercing through buildings. That said, he wouldn’t mind if it could still turn a vehicle inside out.

  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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