The door slid closed behind me as I walked into the living room. I pulled the notepad out of my pocket and tossed it on the couch before removing my short jacket. I folded it and placed it on the dresser just inside my bedroom. The heavy, rubbery shirt came off next. It could be somewhat uncomfortable at times, but it was also better than nanocomposite armor, and didn’t inhibit my connection to the environment so important to my abilities. The thick, backswept spikes of my bronze-tinted hair clattered softly as the shirt brushed over them. Silico-polymer gel kept them hard as bone until I willed otherwise.
That taken care of, I returned to the couch, quickly scanning a few messages as they floated in the air in front of me. I flopped down next to the notepad, flicking a finger absently toward the entertainment center to cue up a playlist. The music stopped as soon as it began, and I looked up, a questioning scowl on my face. Paige was projecting herself between me and the monitor, hands on her hips. She appeared younger, more like she had when we were fifteen, which meant she was feeling insecure, worried. My oldest friend. Shit, my only friend.
Technomancers were rare for many reasons. For one thing, very few people had the genetic and neurological compatibility needed for the implants to take root. For another, the process needed to begin when the subject was a small child. The delicate weaving of nanotech into the nervous and lymphatic systems had to grow into place along with the biological tissue. Few parents were willing to commit their children to such an existence so early in life.
And then there was the AI pairing.