H34DS and TA1L5 are a duo of cyberpunk mercenaries that I keep bringing back for AAAAugust. H34DS, despite being the team techie, is a body purist and refuses to put any augments in after witnessing a gruesome accident in his previous job as a construction worker. TA1L5 is a corpo agent veteran, who had to leave her employer as consequence of a particularly risky mission. It left her surgically turned into a sex toy, so she took the massive paycheck to turn herself fully cybernetic. Story time!

***

HMG was a complex processor that had to be paired with at least surface level of neural and muscular augmentation for the most basic function. Ideally it was installed over fully augmented body, artificial and bio-engineered down to the skeleton. As for how it worked, it was gathering all the information it could to guide the body of its owner out of the way of the bullets - or at least move said body to avoid damage to the vital organs, which wasn't easy, considering that successful dodge needed to start before shooter's decision to pull the trigger.

At the most basic level was Marksman Assist, HMG had an extremely low override authority, barely adjusting owner's silhouette depending on available information, without direct input to the direction of movement. It could be adjusted for various levels of dependence, including an extreme Total Override, that would do anything to put owner out of harm, even including causing minor structural damage due to muscles overpowering bones. TA1L5' HMG was running on an illegal firmware, that not only locked it in Marksman Assist mode, but also hard-erased any traces of higher levels of dependence from the device.

It was also running cold right now, as vixen's dermal implants were currently the only source of cover in the vicinity of at least hundred meters, at least until their escape vehicle stopped burning.

Bullets whizzed around her, some scratching over her artificial skin without dealing any damage worth mentioning. But then she heard a telling loud crack of her partner's body armor.
- Heads?!
- Fine.
The answer was short and reinforced by a loud thunder of precision rifle. Near the three cars on the opposite side of their little shootout a goatman fell with quite a bit less of a ribcage then he had just a moment ago, when he made a mad dash for last piece of a caliber that could actually put a dent in TA1L5 altered body, and which was lying currently helplessly on the ground.

***

They approached the vehicles, the salt desert suddenly very quiet comparing to the moments ago. She swapped for her spare revolver, H34DS reached for his personal favourite, more adjusted for close quarters.
- If any of you is still conscious and has functioning optics, I'd want them to confirm for everyone else that my friend here has a personalized M&K Bastion in his hand.
- I can confirm... - unexpectedly a figure slumped against one of the vans answered.
- Huh? Yes, well, than you surely understand that if he needs to double-tap any of you, then not even your corpo-surgeon will put you back together. That's why I think we can all agree that your trackers and logs will mention that you stood valiantly to defend the cargo and cash, and no one has to try to play the hero now, yeah?
A silence lacking any defiance answered.
- Very well. We'll be borrowing one of your cars and will make the call from safe distance, so someone picks you up.
- You cunts, you'll never make it alive out of here.
- Nice one for the logs. And?
- Thank you.
- Good.