Drich's Demesne

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 2.11

2.11

+++

I turned around, opening the door before passing through. I took a moment to retrieve the nanomachines, but after that, I went through the stairwell, moving down silently.

They were speaking, and as I ca...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 2.10

2.10

+++

My alarm woke me at three thirty in the morning, and I sighed as I got up from bed.

It was a terrible time to be awake, after all.

Still, needs must.

I got dressed quickly, and grabbed a few ...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 2.9

2.9

++++

The day continued to pass. Lunch came and went. The catgirl keeping an eye on my building moved only to stay out of the sun as it passed overhead, sticking to the shadows to try to avoid notice and sunburn bot...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 2.8

2.8

+++

The rest of the afternoon passed quietly, with nothing much of interest really happening. The only thing worth commenting on was someone who came into the Bodega at five, stayed for half an hour trying very har...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 2.7

2.7

+++

It started when an urgent alarm went off, tones sharp and quick. I changed the screens that I was looking at, and the message displayed alongside the cameras.

A man with a silver face had entered the moni...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 2.6

2.6

+++

The next day began what would soon become my new routine.

I woke up at six in the morning, fully rested and fully recovered from my magical exertions last night. I took five minutes to grab a drink, and a...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 2.5

2.5

+++

What was magic?

A myth, according to most younger species. A charlatan’s tricks. A liar’s words. A science not yet understood.

The Enlightened eld knew better than that. Where the children saw a...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 2.4

2.4

+++

My reading was interrupted half an hour after I started. An alert dinged through the air, and I glanced through my system to see that the NCPD had arrived.

The screens shifted, showing the camera...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 2.3

2.3

+++

“I can barely even tell the difference!” Buck wondered, going through a series of stretches that I had instructed him to do.

“That’s the idea, yes.” I hummed.

It had taken a grand total of...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 2.2

2.2

+++

I stepped out the tarp right as the trucks carrying the construction workers rolled into the side road next to the building, shutting it behind me.

It was, I noted, the exact same crew as last time, with ...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 2.1

2.1

+++

The days vanished in what felt like the blink of an eye, and all too soon I found myself having reached the end of my time limit.

It was now the tenth of January. Night City predicted an overcast, sand-bl...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 1.26

1.26

+++

I got back to base just as the sun began to set. The smell, by then, had only just started to fade, the ocean breeze providing some minor relief, and so I wasted no time ducking back into my sealed room where ...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 1.25

1.25

+++

“Drich?” The man asked, seeking my attention, and I noted how quickly they’d already gotten word around. Unlike Theresa, there was not even the slightest hitch as he referred to me. Considering that this...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 1.24

1.24

+++

I opened another holoscreen, accessing the Net. Quickly, I opened Night Corp’s main link, and then started going through the subdirectories.

I owned property, now. Property that was quite large, well w...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 1.23

1.23

+++

My wings flap one last time, and I finish my descent to the ground gently, my covered feet sinking slightly into the mud and the dirt.

I breathe in, still tasting the filtered air from my mask, and I hum...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 1.22

1.22

+++

I went through a series of stretches, shifting my entire body one group of muscles at a time. Dull, unreflective grey moved with me, the suit covering my entire body without restricting my agility or my flexib...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 1.21

1.21

+++

The shower felt... weird.

For the parts of my body that were covered in feathers, it didn’t really feel like anything. My down feathers provided a layer that kept the water from my skin entirely. I fel...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 1.20

1.20

+++

My eyes open.

For a moment, I simply stared at the ceiling above me. The dream that I’d had runs through my mind, and I need absolutely nothing to know that it had not been a dream.

“Ah.” I s...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 1.ai

1.ai

+++

The sky is lovely today. The rainbow hues of the clouds stretch from horizon to horizon, swirling and twirling upon themselves. The sight is as beautiful now as it had been when I first saw it, an Age ago, and...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 1.19

1.19

+++

Time had managed to sneak up on me. It felt like I’d blinked and it was now nearly six in the afternoon. Indeed, the only reason that it didn’t pass me by completely was because of the feeling I’d gotten...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 1.18

1.18

+++

The Nanofactories got to work quickly. The first thing they did was start processing the feedstock that I’d tossed them on to.

A lot of it was scrap metal, yes, but a significant amount of it also cons...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 1.17

1.17

+++

The scent of spices hit my nose almost as soon as I opened the door, and it only grew stronger as I stepped inside and closed it behind me. Cumin, paprika, chili powder, oregano, garlic, and onion... All of th...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 1.16

1.16

+++

As I swept through the front door of the building, the only thought going through my mind was that if I never have to meet another Corpo again, it will be too soon.

All of two hours in her direct presenc...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 1.i-2

1.i-2

+++

Her name was Theresa Valentino, and she was not enjoying the game that she now found herself playing.

She leaned back in the seat of her car, sitting as relaxed as she could make herself, her Cyberware ...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 1.15

1.15

+++

Santo Domingo’s City Manager was named Theresa Valentino. According to her public profile, she was an Italian woman whose grandparents had immigrated to America just in time to see the Collapse of the United...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 1.14

1.14

+++

I was approaching my fortieth hour awake, and I still wasn’t tired, yet. My arrival in this world had, as near as I could tell, occurred so close to beginning of the new year that it might have matc...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 1.13

1.13

+++

By the time that I had something that I was satisfied with, it was well into the night.

I barely knew it. Hours passed in what seemed the blink of an eye. My focus had laid completely on my work, the ent...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 1.12

1.12

+++

From my first examination, it was easy to see that most of the equipment here was well-used.

It was a rather eclectic array of parts and products, sourced from a number of corporations, both local and no...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 1.11

1.11

+++

A few moments passed. All three of the Scavs stared at my spherical form. Unknown to them, I was staring back, but I didn’t have eyes and so I would win any contest.

“So, we agree this is suspicious,...

Birds Of A Feather, Chapter 1.10

1.10

+++

Stopping that car in the manner that I did was simply showing off.

I had other options. I could have just moved out of the way, jumping over it or even just stepping to the side, and it would ha...