Kane was high. A gentle trickle of electric current massaged his circuitry, his vision swimming with a kaleidoscope of enhanced images and colours. Auras danced and leapt as the music pounded in The Glitch, the booths around the periphery of the dance floor dotted with couples, groups and singles like himself imbibing in the poisons of their choice.

An Enhanced stalked through the crowd, her skin glowing in the ultraviolet lights of the club, her biometrically enhanced epidermis producing an ever shifting display of light that entranced him.

Uninvited, she slid into his booth and plugged into his Flow, the two of them riding the same high for a while in silence until she spoke, the words dancing in coruscating colour from her forked tongue.

"You're Kane right?"

"I am."

"Michaela is a mutual friend of ours, she said you'd be out celebrating tonight: I wanted to go out and she didn't but she told me where to find you and described you to me. You're kinda unique..." She traced a pale finger along the circuitry embedded in his skin. "What is this, some sorta tattoo?"

Kane turned down the Flow and looked at her more closely, his pale blue eyes boring into her obsidian dark orbs. "It's part tattoo, part superconductor, part circuitry and a few other things added in for fun. You'd be surprised what I can do."

"Maybe you could surprise me later?"

Kane chuckled. "Do you often proposition strange looking men without even introducing yourself?"

"You're not strange, merely different, and my name's Isis. So, what're we celebrating?"

"We?"

"Well you don't want to be a wired loner all night do you? I mean it's cool to go with the Flow for a bit, but there's so much more we could do than just sit here watching people get dehydrated... so, what're we celebrating."

Kane looked over the blatantly exposed form and ultraviolet skin of the stunning woman in front of him. "I tend to go my own way in this world, but if you really want to know, we're celebrating me managing to transfer the biggest data package ever through the doors of the Sken Empire without being noticed."

"How?"

"What do you think all this is for?" He waved a hand at his circuit impregnated skin.

Looking suitably impressed the girl leaned in close and switched off the Flow. "So why do you need a trickle feed into your skull if you can do half of what I think you can?"

"Sometimes it's nice just to kick back and let someone else do the work."

"How human are you?"

"Human enough to make me human, non-human enough to make me different." He smiled and traced a finger up her arm, tiny sparks of electricity making her gasp as the static tingled her skin.

Her eyes lit up and she grinned at him. "How far do your tattoos go?"

He smiled enigmatically and signalled a robo-waitress for drinks.

She took a sip of cocktail and tried a different conversational tack. "So, what other information do you have stuck in there?"

"You'd be surprised what I have in, and under, my skin."

"Well I'm hoping to find out more about that later," she purred, "but you're avoiding the question."

"I do seem to be, don't I?" he replied a slight note of caution entering his voice. "My clients do expect a certain level of anonymity you know. The Sken Heist is public knowledge now in certain circles, but I have other clients and all expect me to be a little cautious about who I talk to, and what I talk about, no matter how inebriated I get, or how attractive the company."

Isis smiled at the barbed compliment and bowed her head in gracious appreciation. "Of course, and I'd expect nothing less from a man of your reputation, you are renowned of course for delivering what you're paid for and for being a man of iron will."

"I tend to go my own way, as I said."

The girl stood and moved to the doorway to the booth. Slapping the panel on the wall, she darkened the lights, and flashed her ident chip at the computer to 'private' the room. She ran a careful fingernail down the seam of her skintight suit and stepped away from the fabric, swaying her hips seductively. "Now then, let's see how far those tattoos go shall we?"

Straddling Kane's thighs, she sat on his lap and then lunged for his throat, her incisors seeming to lengthen as her mouth opened to bite. Reactions borne of long hours training and a perilous life kicked in and Kane's wrist intercepted her attack, his other hand grabbing her throat. Her eyes bulging, he hauled her away from his arm and stood up with the girl still dangling from his right hand. As pain shuddered through his arm, he threw her against the wall and looked at his damaged left wrist.

Faint flickers of electricity shot between the two puncture marks and a silvery substance disappeared into the wound as he watched. Concentrating hard, he looked at the tattoo around the wound and the liquid ink reshuffled to isolate the area. "That'll have to do for now," he muttered to himself. "Now then..."

The girl was beginning to stir and he threw her clothes at her, watching dispassionately as she dressed. "Sit down."

She did as she was bid.

"Now then, Isis: I'm assuming that's not your real name any more than mine is Kane, but it'll do. We seem to have a bit of a problem here. You've spoilt my evening, you've attacked me and you seem overly interested in information I may or may not be carrying. All that, combined with the ident code you used a moment ago, leads me to believe there's a lot more going on here than meets the eye. How about you tell me what's going on?"

"I can't."

"You will. You know my reputation; all of it's true. I will not hesitate to do what I can to get to the bottom of this and you must have been paid a great deal to even attempt to do what you have done, or you owe a debt. The Flow you plugged into when you walked in didn't even phase you, even though I was pretty high and my internal systems were moderating the trickle. What's the story?"

Her aura flickered. Kane's augmented vision caught the brief change and he smiled grimly. "No-one knows the full extent of what I am capable of, you've bitten off more than you can chew kid."

"As have you." She finally broke her silence. "I was augmented purely to inject you with the nanobots. That was my task. They will break down your systems and render you inoperable within 24hrs unless you report to Astafar."

"Ah, so now we get to the truth. I've worked for Astafar before, surely he knows not to cross me?"

"He wants information."

Kane glanced at his arm, the bite mark had healed over as his own systems effected a repair but the silvery sheen of the infection had spread and he ground his teeth in frustration.

"So I assume the deal with Astafar is I go to him, give him the information and he cures me?"

She nodded.

"Not much of deal is it?"

The girl stood up to face him. "I need to give him a message."

Kane stepped in close and raised her chin with a gentle touch, startling her. "I think I'll talk to him in person." He kissed her softly on the lips and she stiffened in shock as electricity crackled between them. Casting an arm around her, he caught her and laid her gently on the chairs. "Daft kid," he muttered.

"Computer. Keep this room private for the next twelve hours, then send for Dr Nevin. Please pass on the message that this girl is in my care and needs treatment for Flow addiction." He flicked his ident at the control panel and the computer responded with an affirmative.

He glanced at his arm and shook his head. Closing his eyes, his skin shimmered and the circuits disappeared under the cloak of an assumed identity as he slipped from the room into the fug of music and sweat beyond.

~~

The street was dark and lit only by low grade flickering neon. The Alleys area of New Brighton was daunting at the best of times, but at night the underside of the city flaunted themselves in glorious shadow and revelled in the lack of authority. Kane stepped into a doorway to wait for the man who had been following him for the last few blocks.

As the furtive form stepped past the doorway Kane turned his skin tone from matt black to incandescent white, pinning the man's surprised shadow to the opposite wall of the alley.

"Now then neighbour, you're going to find it a little difficult to talk for a moment while my hand is clamped around your throat, but I'm going to turn off the light and you're going to start talking. Are we green?"

"Green," choked out the man, nodding an awkward affirmative at the same time.

"Good lad." Kane's face and hands resumed their normal circuity tattoo and the man staggered back as the iron grip on his throat released. "Now then, I assume I'm fairly close to the door to Astafar's latest little haunt, given your presence behind me, so why don't we stop playing games and you tell me where he is?"

"That won't be necessary." A hulking shadow detached from a nearby wall and a mountain of a man loomed over Kane and his shadow. "Beat it scumbag," rumbled the suited form and Kane watched as the man who'd been following him scrambled away.

"You should tell Astafar he needs to hire a better class of scumbag Brick, that lad followed me like a child. He even stubbed his toe at one point. Not good old son, not good."

"I'll be sure and pass that on." Brick paused. "You okay Kane, you're looking ill?"

Kane brushed the sweat on his forehead away with his good hand. "Nothing your boss can't fix I'm sure Brick, but perhaps we ought to move this on eh? I wouldn't want you to catch anything off me, your titanium alloys probably wouldn't take too kindly to a dose of nanobots."

Brick stopped in his tracks. "Did he really do that to you Kane?"

"He did old friend, you might want to re-consider your employment eh?"

"You've always been straight with me Kane, but he's the boss. He must want something from you real bad. I don't want to have to come between you and him."

"You won't need to old son. This is strictly between me and Astafar. Don't worry, everything will be fine."

"Ok. Right. Business faces on?"

Kane clapped the larger man on the shoulder. "Always Brick, always. You're the doorman, open the door eh?"

"With pleasure." Brick tapped on a wall nearby which shimmered as the protection field disabled, then tapped in a code on a small keypad. "Watch your back Kane," he muttered as the smaller man stepped over the threshold.

"Always Brick, I go my own way, you know that."

"Aye, that's what I'm worried about... if you don't mind, I think I'll walk you in."

"Always good to have your company Brick."

As Kane walked along the corridor, two more suits fell into step behind him, and his enhanced vision picked up the traces of four more behind poorly concealed doors waiting and armed with spitter rifles.

A featureless door at the end of the corridor halted progress, and a panel slid back to review a pair of blinking LED eyes. "Ah, Kane, the boss has been expecting you."

"I'm sure..."

The panel closed and the door opened to show the cyborg form of Nataniel, one of Astafar's generals.

"Good to see you answering doors Nat, Astafar demoted you?"

"Ha ha, funny circuit boy. You're a VIP. Astafar asked me to escort you in, but it looks like Brick is doing a more than adequate job. Come on in and I'll shut the door. We wouldn't want you getting lost now, would we?"

"What does he want Nat? I'm not in the mood to play games."

"I dunno Kane, he plays his own games as you know."

"I've never liked games Nat. I make my own rules, I..."

"Go your own way, yeah, we know. But Astafar's the boss and he wants to see you."

Kane looked into the cyborg's ocular implants, his own bright blue orbs steady. "He's not my boss Nataniel, he's not paying me for my time. But he will..."

"That's between you and him Kane. In the meantime, can I get you a drink, or a girl, or maybe a Flow feed?"

Nataniel gestured to the floor below the balcony they'd just walked onto, Kane's eyes taking in the copulating couples, multiple Flow users and gaming tables. "I think I'll pass Nat, this is business after all. Brick will look after me."

"Aye, why have some fun? Pathetic. All work and no play makes Jack a very dull boy." Gerrick's voice grated into life behind him and he turned to face the android.

"Always lovely to see you Gerrick. Killed any children recently?"

"Now now Kane, let's not let our morals override our mission shall we?"

"I would rather have morals than live as a snake in the grass who kills for pleasure," hissed Kane, glaring into the liquid metal eyes.

"And your morals have brought you here and about to betray yourself because you want to live, you walking circuit board. Mr "I go my own way". Mr "Moral Compass". Easy to preach when you're free isn't it, little man? But now you're tied to Astafar until he decides to let you go free. Even now you're sweating as you start to lose control, as the nanobots eat away at your internal systems. All the work the Nimba put into modifying you wasted because you have 'morals'. Only Astafar can save you now. The Nimba are long gone and have left you here as a relic, a reminder of how things should've been. But they have run away and you are here and about to beg for your life. Oh how I've longed to see thi..."

Gerrick's diatribe cut off abruptly as Kane's fist slammed into his throat, staggering the android backwards where he teetered on the top step of the staircase leading to the floor below. Kane's hand flashed out and grabbed the lapels of the man's jacket hauling him away from the step into a vicious headbutt which dropped him to the floor. Kane's image flickered and he grabbed the rail of the balcony.

"You ever talk to me like that again you piece of positronic junk and I'll melt you down and use your eyes for cufflinks." He turned to face Brick. "Right, now shall we get this over with, I'm not feeling in a particularly good mood."

"I think that's a good idea," rumbled Brick. "We don't want Gerrick making a mess on the carpet now do we?"

"Was that humour Brick?" asked Nat.

"No, merely an observation. I don't do humour."

"You're in good company then. You'd better get Kane down to Astafar. I'll clear up the carpet. Watch your back Kane."

"Everyone seems very concerned about my back suddenly," muttered Kane.

Kane, shadowed by the hulking form of Brick, made his way down into the steamy mass of people below. "Let me guess Brick, Astafar will be sat right down the far end of this pit, on a throne overlooking his worthy subjects?"

"I wouldn't like to comment Kane."

"I'll take that as a yes."

The two of them wove through the crowd to the far end of the hall and Kane shook his head, a wry smile gracing his lips, as they reached the far end.

Astafar sat on a raised dais, one arm propped on the arm of his expansive chair, sycophants fawning on his every whim, bowls of food and glasses of expensive liqueurs adorning the tables around him.

"Ah, Kane, good of you to join us."

"It would appear I have little choice." Kane held up his injured hand, the people around him watching in awe as the skin flickered, various parts of many alter egos coruscating over its surface. "Let's cut to the chase Astafar, what do you want?"

Astafar stood and walked over to Kane, his bulk stretching the fabric of his clothes obscenely. "I am a powerful man Kane: all this and more is mine," he waved an arm at the scene. "But what I need is information. Information puts me one step ahead of my competition. You carry, and can get, information so I need you."

A meaty hand slammed onto Kane's shoulder and the smaller man buckled but held Astafar's steady gaze.

"I work for whoever I choose Astafar, you know that."

"Correction little man, you used to. Even now, those nanobots are eating away at you from the inside, squirrelling away at the Nimba handiwork. You are irreplaceable Kane, but I'm willing to lose you if it means others can use you to beat me. What did you do with Isis by the way, such a pretty little thing?"

"She's been taken care of."

"Killing innocents now Kane? How the mighty have fallen."

"I said she'd been taken care of. She'll be looked after by professionals. It's a little sad you have to resort to using addicts and fools to do your dirty work Astafar. Afraid to get your hands dirty or spoil your nice white suit?"

The hand clamped into a vice on Kane's shoulder and he winced. "Pain, Kane. It's a weapon to be used. People are there to be used too; the strong survive, the weak die."

"The strong have a duty to protect the weak."

"So who is going to protect you Kane? You are the weak now."

"I think you overestimate your abilities Astafar, and as usual everyone underestimates mine."

Kane straightened, smiled bitterly, and Astafar yelped as electricity crackled through the hand resting on Kane's shoulder. There was a burning smell and the clothes covering Kane's upper body abruptly caught fire, ashes drifting to the floor to fully show the extent of Kane's form. Multi-coloured tattoos writhed and squirmed under his skin, the liquid circuitry constantly rearranging as the crowd in the pit watched. The bite mark on his arm had turned the skin a sickly green silver, the stain spreading along one forearm with a tendril snaking its way in a spiral up his arm towards his chest.

Brick moved to stand in front of Astafar who clutched his hand, anger painting his features. "I can't let you do this Kane."

"I know, but I can't let you interfere. I'm sorry about this."

Kane pointed a finger at the larger man's head and the electric field knocked him cold. Kane caught him as he fell, rested him on some cushions next to a scantily clad young man, winked at him and turned back to face Astafar.

"I think I've had enough of this." The entire hall watched as Kane lowered his head in concentration. The stain on his arm retreated then pooled on the surface of his skin. A small forcefield enclosed the nanobots as they lifted from his skin and he held them in the palm of his hand, his tattoo once more seamlessly covering the entirety of his body. "So what do you suggest I do with these Astafar?"

A grim look on his face, he approached the whey faced man. "How good are your own defences Astafar?" he hissed. "You know nothing about me, absolutely nothing, yet you try to control me. This time you have bitten off more than you can chew."

Kane closed his fist and a drift of grey dust sifted from between fingers to cover the pristine suit. "You sought to humiliate me in public, but you have undone yourself. Learn Astafar."

Kane turned and stalked away from the dais, but stopped dead as a spitter rifle appeared in Astafar's hand. Without turning around, Kane spoke. "Your choice old son, but if you open fire now your life will change for ever."

"You will work for me, or you will die."

"I go my own way."

Fragments of ion charged metal spat from the gun in Astafar's hand and Kane bowed his head. A shield of flickering neon sprang from his back like wings, encompassing and holding the metal fragments and preventing them from reaching either his skin or the cowering crowd in the hall beyond. As the gun stuttered into silence, Kane turned, the forcefield closing around the hovering cloud of death intended for his back. "Your call."

Astafar disintegrated as the cloud of energy and metal hit him, gore and cloth spattering the wall behind.

"I seem to be doing a lot of cleaning today Kane." Nataniel moved to stand beside him on the dais.

"Happens occasionally, all part of the hospitality industry I'd imagine. Look after Brick please Nat, he's a good lad and will serve you well."

"You're welcome to stay Kane, if you want to."

Kane smiled. "I go my own way Nat, you know that. Besides I've just finished a job for the Venn Government and could do with a break."

Nataniel glanced at the gory remnants of his ex-boss. "Ah, I see. Nice to see the Venn taking a hand in hands. Good job. Enjoy your break."

"Thank you. I think I might try somewhere a little quieter than The Glitch this time though."

Kane's body shimmered and he assumed the form of a middle aged man. "Catch you later Nat. Be good."

"I wouldn't dream of being otherwise," he muttered, watching as the crowd parted silently to let him pass. "Go your own way Kane."

~~~ The End ~~~

Well, that's it for the ChallengeCorner GrandPrix. This is the final entry in what has been a fantasticly run event by the inestimable Jewel1307 and Fauxpunker. Check 'em out, they're both Featured writers and rightly so.

In this round we had to write a short story of up to 5 wattpad pages using a cyberpunk setting in which tattoos are the equivalent of implanted tech... and somebody has hacked your tattoo. A while ago I came across the image pinned to the right which someone had cleverly photoshopped and decided I'd use it as a prompt for a story at some point. This story and challenge seemed to fit the bill.

A definition of cyberpunk can be found in the external link (see @ForbiddenPlanet's SF sub genre definition book, also well worth a read), and there's a little musical tid bit from Paul Weller alongside if you fancy a tune. It seemed to fit =]

I'd just like to say that this competition has been one of the most fun things I've done on Wattpad in the almost four years I've been on here and well done to the other competitors and the wonderful Jules and Faux who organised and ran this so well. Well done guys, a really sterling performance.