Cyberpunk Patriarch

Arthur returned to his small home in Santo Domingo, opened the door, and stepped inside. Before he could even say anything, he heard David's voice, laced with frustration.

"Dad, you forgot to renew the subscription again! The washing machine's not working anymore!"

Arthur's mouth twitched. He took off his windbreaker, tossed it onto the sofa, and walked over to David's side.

He stared at the washing machine in front of him and shook his head.

In this world of modular technology, nearly everything came at a cost. The landlords in Night City were no better than the ones Arthur had dealt with in the past. They seemed to charge for even the air you breathed.

"Dad, is that you?" David paused, his face lighting up in surprise. "You're back?"

Arthur nodded and, without a word, examined the washing machine. He turned to David, his tone a mixture of amusement and mild reproach. "Are you alright? After all, you've been at Arasaka Academy for so long. Haven't you learned any hacking skills yet?"

"Your Aunt Lucy was already a powerful hacker at your age," Arthur added, a teasing grin on his face. "Back then, if she wanted to use the washing machine, the landlord would pay her. Do you believe it?"

David blinked, his face a mix of confusion and disbelief. He could hardly believe his father was serious. Hacking into the washing machine's ICE (Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics) system to get free service was the last thing on David's mind. He thought it was just a malfunction or a subscription issue, not a potential hack.

His face flushed, a mix of embarrassment and frustration. He had studied business management and counter-intelligence at Arasaka Academy—not hacking. There wasn't exactly a course for this kind of thing. How could his dad casually suggest that hacking was the answer?

Arthur crouched down in front of the machine and pulled out a screwdriver from his toolbox. Without any hesitation, he began unscrewing parts of the washing machine, intending to dismantle it piece by piece.

Despite not being a hacker, Arthur was a mechanical genius. He could fix almost anything with his hands, and his experience had taught him how to handle these "ICE" systems in unconventional ways.

"Let me show you how it's done," Arthur said, as he proceeded to take the machine apart. "It's simple once you understand the principle."

"ICE is basically a firewall for every device," Arthur continued, explaining the mechanics. "It was implemented after the first network crash—thanks to a hacker who thought he could become a god. The result was chaos, and now everything has a firewall to prevent external or internal threats."

"Washing machines like these are mass-produced by contracted companies, and all they do is add a chip that can connect to the internet and check the system balance. If you've paid and the system checks it, the machine starts up. If you haven't paid, the system blocks the power. Simple."

David, still processing, was struggling to keep up. Despite his impressive academic record at Arasaka Academy, this was outside his realm of expertise. He was more accustomed to intelligence analysis than mechanical hacking.

Arthur turned to David, his eyes glinting with humor. "So, what do you think we should do next?"

David, slowly catching on, looked up from his own thoughts and smirked. "Well, if you want me to help, maybe you should pay someone to customize a pair of steel teeth for me, along with a steel stomach and some iron-coated esophagus while you're at it."

Arthur chuckled but didn't miss a beat. He poked the chip's pins with the screwdriver, and the washing machine hummed to life, immediately starting its cycle.

Arthur threw the screwdriver at David, who caught it, confused. Arthur plopped down on the sofa, looking completely unfazed by the success of the hack.

David, still holding the screwdriver, stared at the washing machine, then back at his dad. "How did you learn how to do that? You're not a cyberpunk."

Arthur shrugged, taking a sip from his water bottle. "Maybe I just inherited some skills from a genius father," he joked.

David scratched his head, still unsure. "Isn't this a little… wrong? I mean, we're kind of stealing here, aren't we?"

Arthur didn't seem bothered by the question. Instead, he looked at David as if he were missing the point. He let out a hearty laugh before responding. "Stealing? No, no, no. This is about fighting back against an unjust social system. A rebellion of the common people!"

David's eyes widened in disbelief as he processed his father's words. "So, resisting an unjust social system means stealing from washing machines now?"

Arthur didn't even hesitate. He immediately stood up and gave David a playful smack on the back of the head. "Don't be so stubborn, kid! How about you wash the clothes by hand today while I go ahead and turn off the machine?"

David, never one to back down from a challenge, straightened up dramatically, an exaggerated sense of seriousness on his face. "I volunteer to join this war and contribute the power of Weibo to the people of Night City!" he declared in a mockingly formal tone, clearly having fun with his father's over-the-top rhetoric.

Arthur couldn't help but laugh. David's response was unexpectedly hilarious, and Arthur couldn't remember the last time he'd been this entertained. The two of them continued bantering, and though Arthur knew his approach to life was unconventional, it was moments like these that reminded him how much he loved the chaos of Night City.

Arthur, who had been so used to dealing with high-stakes situations, found a sense of joy in these little absurdities of daily life. David's quick wit and dry humor only added to the bizarre charm of their unusual family dynamic. Maybe, just maybe, David did have some talent in comedy after all.

Despite his protests, David couldn't help but appreciate the absurdity of the situation. His father had just hacked a washing machine in a way most people wouldn't dare to imagine. And now, Arthur was convincing him that they were fighting for the greater good by "stealing" the machine's services.

The conversation shifted back to reality, but the air between them had lightened. The earlier tension over the washing machine issue was forgotten, replaced by the easy camaraderie that had always existed between them. David, still holding the screwdriver, couldn't help but smile as he imagined his future in this city full of contradictions, where anything—no matter how outlandish—was possible.

As the washing machine continued its cycle, Arthur leaned back on the sofa, enjoying the brief moment of peace before diving into the chaos of Night City once again. The city might be full of danger and corruption, but in moments like this, Arthur couldn't help but feel that it was all worth it. The little victories, the absurd moments, and, above all, the feeling that despite it all, he still had family—and maybe a future—here in the heart of it all.

"David," Arthur said, after a long pause, "maybe you should seriously consider that comedy career. You've got talent."

David, never one to shy away from a joke, winked and said, "I'll think about it, Dad. I'm just waiting for my big break. Maybe I'll get a show on Neon TV. After all, if I can make my old man laugh, I think I've got a shot."

Arthur laughed. His son's comedic timing was better than expected, and perhaps, just maybe, David had a future in show business. But for now, they were both content to just laugh together—after all, in Night City, laughter might just be the best form of rebellion.

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