Void's body yanked her back into consciousness reminding her rest is something they both have a different opinion on. Her ribs felt wired with barbed tension, every bruise radiating with an ugly, low-frequency ache that pulsed beneath her skin. The room was dark except for the faint spill of a desk lamp, gilding the room in a soft amber haze. She instinctively hissed a breath between her teeth. Her fingers twitched first - then the pain followed like a delayed apology.

She rolled her head to the side, and there she was. Amy. Curled up on the edge of her own bed, cardigan slipping off one shoulder, eyelids heavy but refusing to close. The girl looked like she'd been carved out of exhaustion and stubborn devotion. A mug of untouched herbal tea cooled beside her, long forgotten. Her hands were clasped tightly together. She'd been watching over Void for hours. And even through the pain, Void felt that warm, traitorous little thrum in her chest that always showed up when Amy was being too good for the world that treats everyone like shit.

"Tables turned, huh," Void rasped with a raw, shredded, voice, as her throat was starting to warm up. "Now it's you taking care of my ass. Guess miracles do happen."

Amy startled like a spooked bird, blinking rapidly as her brain booted back online. Her cheeks flushed pink instantly. "I... Um... I-it's... Better than..." Her voice tripped over itself, words scrambling for cover. "B-better than taking care of... Him. He'd... He'd just... Hit me again after he came to his senses."

Void exhaled hard, the breath half a groan - damn her ribs. "Kid," she murmured, unusually soft, "You don't gotta finish that thought. I get it."

Amy ducked her head, sleeves pulled tight over her hands, shoulders knotted with shame she didn't deserve. The lamp behind her cast her in this tiny halo, making her look even smaller and fragile in a way that made Void want to punch the universe in its teeth.

Void scanned the room again, irritation sparking through her nerves when she came up empty. No boots, no mechanical clatter. No firestorm pacing like a caged wolf. "Where's Keira?" she asked, voice dipping sharper. "She out blowing the steam off in her workshop again?"

Amy froze so suddenly it was like someone cut her wires. Her breath hitched, as her eyes went wide. For a moment she didn't even look like a person - more like prey caught in a spotlight. Her lips parted, but nothing came out. The air around her tightened.

Void recognized that look instantly. "Amy," she said, shifting, groaning through the white-hot rip in her ribs. "Did Keira do something stupid?"

Amy's throat bobbed. She forced her hands to unclench and forced her voice out like dragging thread through a needle. "She... She took her sledgehammer." A whisper. "I tried to... To stop her. I told her she should wait, that you were hurt and she wasn't thinking straight, but she just... She pushed me. H-hard. Shoved me out of the way."

Her voice fractured on the last word. Quiet tears broke loose, rolling down her cheeks. "It just... It reminded me of..." She bit down on the rest, breath shaking, sleeves damp where she tried to hide her face.

Void's anger flared fast, protective and vicious - not at Amy, of course, the girl didn't deserve it. Rather, at the people who built that terror into her bones... And at Keira for accidentally kicking that tripwire. But she knew that girl, and how she operated.

"She didn't mean it," Void said, firm but maintaining softness, cutting through Amy's spiral. "Keira goes full berserk when she thinks I'm in danger. She's like a fucking automated defense turret with tits. She'll plow through anything in her way... Even you. Doesn't make it right - but it wasn't about you. It was about me. Not your fault, Amy. Promise."

Amy sniffed, wiping her face with the sleeve of her pastel cardigan, motion itself small and trembling. Her breathing slowly began to even out. Being explained instead of dismissed did that to her - Void had learned that the way some people learn where to put their hands on broken machinery.

"Do you know where she went?" Void asked, bracing an elbow to pull herself slightly upright, ignoring the lightning bolt through her ribs.

Amy nodded reluctantly. "She said she was going to have a... A 'chat.' With Luxy."

Void blinked twice in confusion. Then snorted, a sharp, humorless sound that still somehow tugged the corner of her mouth upward. "Right. Because nothing says 'a friendly chat' like bringing a fucking sledgehammer to your doorstep."

Amy let out the tiny, shaky laugh. Her shoulders loosened as the tension cracked.

Void relaxed back against the pillow, relief edging past the pain. Keira hadn't run off to spiral. She'd run off with a reason to finally fuck Luxy up. Problematic, sure. Predictable? Absolutely.

Void let out a low, pained groan that still somehow managed to sound like sarcasm wearing lipstick. "Ah shit. Guess we better hope Luxy's skull is as thick as her ego," she muttered with a voice rough but steady enough to carry the usual bite. The room fell quiet for a beat.

Then, her eyes flicked toward the cluttered desk. "Maybe I should try catching her on the phone," she said, shifting just enough to make her ribs protest. She lifted a hand in its general direction. "Mind tossing it over?"

Amy nodded with her signature, careful movement she did when she was trying not to disturb the air around her. She slipped off the bed, padded over to the desk, and picked up Void's phone. When she placed it in her palm, Amy's fingers lingered a fraction too long, like she was checking whether Void felt steady enough to hold it.

Void didn't waste time. She thumbed Keira's contact and let it ring. Once... Nothing. Twice... Zilch. Three damn times. Nada. Not even her dramatic "Keira here, I'm probably dead or in jail" voicemail. Void exhaled sharply through her nose. "Great. She's either mid-rage-monologue or too busy playing demolition derby with Luxy's decor." Her lips twitched. "Jules is there, though. She's actually good at de-escalation. Unlike Luxy, whose idea of communication is screaming with punctuation." She shrugged, muttering a sharp fuck as her rib protested. "They're probably fine. Probably."

She pushed the blanket off her legs. "Alright, c'mon. Help me up. I need to get to my rig."

Amy didn't like that idea too much. "W-wait, Void... You can't. You're... You're not in good enough shape to work." Her voice tried to be firm, but it wobbled like a baby deer trying to growl. "Your... Your brain needs rest. Your body needs rest. You just-" She gestured vaguely at the bruises currently adorning Void's skin. "You shouldn't."

Void groaned, rubbing her face. "Amy, girl, I'm not about to sprint a marathon. I just need to sit in the chair and poke around for those docs you wanted. I got some leads before we parted ways with Luxy." She pointed at her head. "I'm not gonna do anything intensive. I'm just gonna stare at the screens and scroll like it's 2012." She shifted again. "Just help me walk there, okay?"

Amy shook her head, stubbornness coiling through her voice. "Void, no. You'll strain yourself. You're still... S-shaky. And... Even if it's just research... It isn't just sitting. It's- it's demanding, and you know it."

Void groaned dramatically. "You're adorable when you try to be authoritative, but seriously. I've run actual hacks in way worse condition. I once wrote an entire daemon with a collapsed fucking lung." She shot Amy a meaningful look. "Let me have this one thing. For you."

Amy's lips parted like she wanted to argue again - but the mention of "for you" cracked her resolve. Her fingers twisted into her sleeve. "I... I don't want you hurting yourself on my behalf," she whispered.

Void's posture relaxed just a touch. "Then come with me. Watch over me while I'm doing my thing. If anything twitches wrong, yank me out by the metaphorical cord. Deal?"

Amy's resistance held for a few seconds - her breathing tight, her eyes flicking between Void and the door like she was choosing which disaster she preferred more. Eventually her shoulders slumped, and she nodded, tiny and resigned. "...O-okay. But only if I stay with you the whole time."

Void smirked. "Good. I was hoping you'd say that.

Amy took Void's weight with that careful, reverent gentleness she used for everything alive and breakable. She guided her into the battered netrunner chair, adjusting the cushions, making sure Void's ribs didn't press into the wrong angle. The chair hissed as it lowered, old hydraulics grumbling like Void's tired joints. When Void finally settled in, she let her head fall back with a groan that was half pain, half relief.

Amy hovered a little, fidgeting with her nails. "D-do you want something warm to drink while you work?"

Void cracked a grin, lazy and pleased. "Awww. Yes, please. Lavender tea. The strong one."

Amy nodded, cheeks pink. "It'll take a few minutes. I'll... I'm going to shower too. If you need anything, just- just shout. I'll hear you."

"Thanks, Amy," Void said, and Amy bolted like her heart couldn't handle that much sincerity at once.

The bathroom door closed with a soft click, and Void rolled her shoulders, wincing before reaching out to flick on her rig. The whole setup woke piece by piece, like a sleeping dragon dragged back to life: the cooling units hummed, the half-dozen monitors blinked in a staggered sequence, the tangles of cables lit up like tiny neon veins. She plugged in the uplink, tapped through the authentication prompts, and leaned forward as the connection finally settled into that familiar low-latency hum.

Notifications flooded her screen. Most were garbage, but exactly one caught her attention.

Communications request
freya_✨🩰 | [v4rion]

Void squinted. Freya? Haven't heard the name before. But the tag attached to it - that she recognized. A rogue influence group. Networked, decentralized, annoyingly effective at manipulating the infosphere. Their work came at a premium.

"What..?" Void muttered, as she clicked it open. What she saw called - in her opinion - for a flamethrower.

freya_✨🩰 :: 20-Aug-2039 21:01:27
hiiiiii!! β™‘(Λ†βŒ£Λ†Τ…) omg i can't believe i actually got through to u!! ur firewall is like... CRAZY good??? literal fortress vibes?? πŸ’œπŸ”βœ¨ like girl... what are u hiding in there?? state secrets?? ur diary?? πŸ‘€πŸ’ž

Void clicked her tongue.

Void :: 22-Aug-2039 03:31:19
who the fuck are you.

She lingered on the chat screen for a few seconds, and as she got ready to kill the link, Freya fired back with a blazing-fast reply.

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:32:01
lmaoooo STRAIGHT to the point i respect it πŸ˜­πŸ’– okay okay i'm freya!! hi!! i work with v4rion!! not a runner tho lol i'd electrocute myself plugging in a toaster 🩰🌸 but i'm our lead comm architect soooo i kind of... see everything happening on the net??? like a cute lil omniscient goblin πŸ’—βœ¨

Void :: 22-Aug-2039 03:32:15
congrats on the glitter resume. why are you in my inbox.

More of said glitter vomited onto the screen.

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:33:07
bc girllllll ur name has been alllll over my feeds the past week 😭 specifically bc of That Womanβ„’! marzena is LITERALLY staging a whole telenovela about u rn

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:33:30
"void abducted my precious daughter!!"
"void is a criminal!!"
"void eats babies!!"
(actual quote may vary) πŸ’€πŸ’…

Void :: 22-Aug-2039 03:33:49
she's just a narcissist with a phone. this is her natural habitat.

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:34:20
STOPPPP 😭😭😭 i can't breathe omg. but like... yeah. shes loud.

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:34:31
and people are dumb. and loud+dumb gets traction. soooo i figured maybe u want help controlling the narrative?? bc rn shes painting u as a pink-haired kidnapper with an underground bunker full of stolen children πŸ’—βœ¨

Void squinted. "Pink." Unforgivable.

Void :: 22-Aug-2039 03:35:02
i haven't kidnapped anyone. and it's not pink. it's magenta.

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:35:44
i KNOW omg??? like i looked into it already bc i was nosy hehe 🩰🌸 that girl was probably living in psychological hell. and you gave her new home!!

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:36:01
u literally rescued a kitten that had been stepped on her whole life. but the net doesnt care about truth it cares about vibes πŸ’…βœ¨ and sadly marzena has mastered the "unhinged mother with a ring light" vibe.

Void snorted. The annoyance didn't entirely override the tiny spark of amusement deep down she'd deny under torture.

Void :: 22-Aug-2039 03:36:21
you know too much for your own good. and so what. you offering to fix it?

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:37:00
yessss queen πŸ˜­πŸ’œ i can flip that narrative faster than u can say "flatline." think of it like... professional reputation laundering.

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:37:12
v4rion SPECIALIZES in this kind of thing.

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:37:17
buttttt its not... free.

Void rolled her eyes. "There it is."

Void :: 22-Aug-2039 03:37:25
yeah. figures. but i don't pay strangers to fuck with my problems. you're wasting your time.

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:38:12
AHAHA omg youre cute!!!! who said anything about money πŸ˜­πŸ’€ noooo babe i dont want your crusty eddies. i want YOU.... (not like that unless??? πŸ‘€ jk jk jk or am i??? 😳✨)

Void pinched the bridge of her nose, awaiting more flirting attempts from the overly excited woman.

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:38:30
NO JK but really what i actually need is ur brain.

Void :: 22-Aug-2039 03:38:50
this is already sounding like a scam.

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:39:28
NOT a scam omg 😭 i swear on my catgirl gif folder.

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:39:40
okay listen!! v4rion is trying to break through a zetatech data center overseas. we think they're prepping a presence in warsaw.

"Warsaw? What the fuck could Zetatech possibly want from there? Pierogi and half-baked politician promises?"

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:39:51
not like a storefront. like soldiers, blacksites, contracts, enforcers. NC 2.0 but in europe!!! we want receipts so we can tank public approval before they even land. maybe even force the suits hands!!

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:39:51
but their security is EVIL. evil-coded. malicious. spiteful. and every runner we've sent got scrambled like eggs πŸ’”πŸ₯šβœ¨ except u have a reputation for slicing through T4-ICE blindfolded soooooooooo πŸ‘€

Void :: 22-Aug-2039 03:40:30
i'm not diving into anything. i can't. cracked bones. half concussed. my rig would fry before i hit the authentication protocols. also. i don't have a neural processor. i feel like it'd be needed here.

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:40:49
OMG WAIT UR INJURED?? πŸ˜­πŸ’œ hold on. sending healing sparkles ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:41:11
did that help?? 😭

Void :: 22-Aug-2039 03:41:22
no.

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:42:05
rude!!!!

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:42:15
okay but fr, i get it. u cant do it rn

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:42:27
but we dont need u now now. we can wait until ur healed. and its still a few months away that thing

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:42:45
a week? two?? we aren't unreasonable 🌸🌸

Void :: 22-Aug-2039 03:42:50
i'm still not saying 'yes'. i don't even know you. y'all aren't exactly known for transparency.

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:43:18
uhhhh yeah bc transparency gets u kidnapped by corpos 😭 but i get ur paranoia. it's SOOOO cute btw. like a lil feral raccoon with wi-fi πŸ’—βœ¨

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:43:30
how about i give u proof we're legit??

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:43:39
ALSO WHATTTT!??? YOU DID ALL OF THIS WITHOUT NEUROPROC???????????

Void smirked, raising her eyebrow. "Kids need implants when all you need are functioning eyes and a pair of hands. Pathetic."

Void :: 22-Aug-2039 03:43:51
yeah. anything without much latency is child's play. and. what kind of proof.

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:44:32
omg SO CLASSY!!! 😭✨ i can send u our internal signatures. secure ones. and u can verify them urself. plus i can show u the partial intel we already scraped from here and there??

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:44:50
not the juicy stuff tho. but enough to prove we're actually doing the legwork too. AND i can demonstrate what we can do to marzena's little campaign.

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:45:01
i can flip a thread live for u if u want. like magic but with slander πŸ’…βœ¨

Void :: 31-Aug-2039 03:45:30
still sounds like you want something too big for too little. what stops you from fucking me over after i dive?

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:46:02
babe. babe. BABE. u think i'm gonna piss off the girl who eats ICE for breakfast???? WITHOUT any cy'ware?????

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:46:15
i like my brain un-liquefied πŸ˜­πŸ’€ also v4rion has a reputation to maintain. if we betray clients, we lose our whole economy model. we're shady not stupid πŸ’–πŸ’–

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:46:27
plus i already like u too much to betray u hehe ✨😳

Void - against her better judgement once again - instead of terminating the chat, continued.

Void :: 22-Aug-2039 03:46:33
don't flirt with me. focus.

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:47:10
omg sorry 😭 i literally cannot help it, u type like someone who threatens people professionally. it's just HOT. anyway.....

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:47:31
lets bargain properly, okay?

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:47:58
i do the following:
– kill your little slander problem
– reverse public opinion
– bury her posts
– boost ur side
– stabilize the narrative for your uh- daughter???

Void :: 22-Aug-2039 03:48:01
she's not my daughter.

Void knew that was effectively a lie, but her protective instincts were stronger than her morals at that moment.

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:48:01
u, WHEN ur healed, agree to hit one specific zetatech vault.
not multiple. not ongoing. just *one*

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:47:58
and u decide the timeframe. deal?

Void :: 22-Aug-2039 03:48:20
that's your whole offer?

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:48:45
okay fine and ill blacklist marzena from trending on esphere for two full weeks.
AND i'll personally make sure any botnets she buys get flagged automatically.

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:48:53
godddd u are SO HARD TO NEGOTIATE WITH πŸ˜©πŸ˜©πŸ’ž

Void :: 22-Aug-2039 03:49:14
yeah well. i'm not exactly desperate. i prefer guarantees. hardware. and backups.

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:50:02
jeeeeesus crying on a motherboard okay FINE i'll draft a cryptosigned contract u can burn into ur local ledger.

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:50:10
if we breach them, u get to keep anything we have on zetatech you could possibly want.

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:50:21
AND we will arrange for a ✨topnotch✨ ripper to fit you with a neural link (yesssss the fresh new thing ✨✨ we'll foot the bill too 😭😭😭😭😭)

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:50:34
THAT is me betting all of v4rion's resources on this deal. and before u ask where do we get access to pre-release wares: we know people βœ¨πŸ’—

"This sounds too easy... Where's the catch..?"

Void :: 22-Aug-2039 03:51:01
that's better. but i'm still not promising anything. i'll ***consider*** it when i'm functional.

Freya lost her mind accordingly.

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:51:12
AAAAAAHHHHHH FINE OKAY I'LL TAKE IT πŸ˜­πŸ’—

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:51:24
ur a menace. a brat. a cyberdemon. i love u already πŸ’ž i'm gonna have some fun with your 'problem' very very soon!! ✨✨✨✨

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:51:34
also expect a ping from our favorite doc in like a week. you'll know it when you see it, midnight viper!! πŸ˜˜πŸ’žβœ¨

Void :: 22-Aug-2039 03:52:05
*don't* call me that.

freya_✨🩰 :: 22-Aug-2039 03:52:27
tooooo late princessssss 🩷🩷🩷 ttyl!!!

"I'm about to get killed. Or become the best runner in existence. Either would be a favorable outcome," she muttered, as CONNECTION TERMINATED notification flickered on one of her screens.

A small, hesitant voice broke the silence.

"Hey, Void?"

Void glanced up, spotting Amy in the doorway, cup of tea in hand. She smiled gently. "There you are! A human being with a functioning brain. Just in time, too," she said, gesturing to the tea.

Amy shifted slightly, a little flustered. "Uh... F-functioning... Brain? Did something happen while I was away?"

"Nothing you need to worry about. I've almost got all the data we need for your docs decompressed. Here - hop in the chair and save me the trouble of spilling this myself," she said, reaching out for the cup.

"Let's do this."