Illustration by Joi Rudin.
First, she felt the plastic part of the applicator against her left thigh. Then, her thumb pressed the top until an audible click gave way to the needle. The puncture hurt for only an instant, quickly overshadowed by a warmth that flooded Keetah's body. Suddenly, she remembered to breathe and wondered how long she had been holding her breath. Her pupils had dilated; she could tell by how the light now made everything look a bit hazy. Things felt like they were in slow motion, or, more accurately, like she was riding lighting.
Keetha found Cranium fascinating. Whenever she shot up, she felt invincible, like a goddess of the Grid. Things simply happened for her when she was on it. She was sure Cranium was serendipity in a syringe.
Now, she flowed on the Grid, enjoying every move she made. A tingling anticipation invaded her body as every color became more vivid and joyful. She moved instinctively, following some invisible route that the code itself whispered in her ear.
The objective of this run seemed like a distant memory now. Keetah was there to breach the mainframe, sure. But she was also there to feel the Grid stimulating every neuron in her brain, to see the programs and ICE's defragment, and to watch them as they became neon flakes that burned bright and died. Running the Grid on Cranium made work feel like play. If she could keep doing this, she wouldn't have to work a single day for the rest of her life.
Keetah extracted some nodes and felt like the colors were dimming down. Her hands, her actual, physical hands, reached for something in the meatspace. This time, she placed the applicator on her right leg. Again, that delicious click. Her lungs expanded, and she felt like she had been underwater and was tasting fresh air for the first time in ages. The warmth came back, rising from her right thigh to her pelvis. She felt something tighten up and then relax deep inside her, so deep that she couldn't really tell if it was some part of her anatomy or something more ethereal. A single drop of sweat traveled from her neck, down between her breasts, and finally got lost in her thighs. She quivered, both in the Grid and in the real world.
Keetah realized the Grid was pulsating, and she liked its rhythm. She danced her way to the next node, unable to stop even if she had wanted to. And she didn't want to. She was now in front of the mainframe; her heart was beating like a Wardlord rapid-fire anti-aircraft turret. The mainframe seemed only a couple dozen meters away, but no matter how much she thought she moved, she didn't get any closer. The pounding of her heart was throwing her off the rhythm of the Grid. She needed something to help her focus, to give her a boost. She needed to ride the lighting to the mainframe.
Keetah knew that the closer to the brain a Cranium injection went in, the more dangerous it was. Also, the better it felt. Her hand was shaking, partly from excitement, partly something else. She pressed the applicator to her neck and took a deep breath. The sting of the needle was almost imperceptible. She gasped and tensed every muscle in her body. Her toes curled, and the electrochemistry in her brain intensified. Her eyes rolled back inside her head. Everything felt extremely real and unlikely at the same time.
The renewed pleasure helped her recover her stride and dance to the mainframe. She was almost there. She tapped at her console frantically, knowing perfectly what inputs were required to let her in; to let her do what she wanted, what she needed. In the Grid, a program was executed. In the meatspace, her muscles relaxed. The mainframe had been breached. Keetah was there.
Keetha found Cranium fascinating. Whenever she shot up, she felt invincible, like a goddess of the Grid. Things simply happened for her when she was on it. She was sure Cranium was serendipity in a syringe.
Now, she flowed on the Grid, enjoying every move she made. A tingling anticipation invaded her body as every color became more vivid and joyful. She moved instinctively, following some invisible route that the code itself whispered in her ear.
The objective of this run seemed like a distant memory now. Keetah was there to breach the mainframe, sure. But she was also there to feel the Grid stimulating every neuron in her brain, to see the programs and ICE's defragment, and to watch them as they became neon flakes that burned bright and died. Running the Grid on Cranium made work feel like play. If she could keep doing this, she wouldn't have to work a single day for the rest of her life.
Keetah extracted some nodes and felt like the colors were dimming down. Her hands, her actual, physical hands, reached for something in the meatspace. This time, she placed the applicator on her right leg. Again, that delicious click. Her lungs expanded, and she felt like she had been underwater and was tasting fresh air for the first time in ages. The warmth came back, rising from her right thigh to her pelvis. She felt something tighten up and then relax deep inside her, so deep that she couldn't really tell if it was some part of her anatomy or something more ethereal. A single drop of sweat traveled from her neck, down between her breasts, and finally got lost in her thighs. She quivered, both in the Grid and in the real world.
Keetah realized the Grid was pulsating, and she liked its rhythm. She danced her way to the next node, unable to stop even if she had wanted to. And she didn't want to. She was now in front of the mainframe; her heart was beating like a Wardlord rapid-fire anti-aircraft turret. The mainframe seemed only a couple dozen meters away, but no matter how much she thought she moved, she didn't get any closer. The pounding of her heart was throwing her off the rhythm of the Grid. She needed something to help her focus, to give her a boost. She needed to ride the lighting to the mainframe.
Keetah knew that the closer to the brain a Cranium injection went in, the more dangerous it was. Also, the better it felt. Her hand was shaking, partly from excitement, partly something else. She pressed the applicator to her neck and took a deep breath. The sting of the needle was almost imperceptible. She gasped and tensed every muscle in her body. Her toes curled, and the electrochemistry in her brain intensified. Her eyes rolled back inside her head. Everything felt extremely real and unlikely at the same time.
The renewed pleasure helped her recover her stride and dance to the mainframe. She was almost there. She tapped at her console frantically, knowing perfectly what inputs were required to let her in; to let her do what she wanted, what she needed. In the Grid, a program was executed. In the meatspace, her muscles relaxed. The mainframe had been breached. Keetah was there.
Written by Espeche, original idea by Alvarythm.