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Otto, holding a duro axe and the blocking chip, slipped quietly from a low door set into the side of the reactor plant building. He collapsed, shuddering and laughing.

"I did it... I did it..."

Shinjuhina hefted a Mortius combat surgery kit and turned it on. Motors whined as its hypodermic needles extruded from the morphine module. She pressed the kit against Otto's blood-caked skin. The dermal stapler fired with a zipping sound and Otto bit down to stifle a scream of pain.

--Aftermath of the Sons of Mercy Terrorist Incident

medical

In Cybersphere's frantic fast-forward race of technological innovations, life-giving inventions have barely kept pace with weaponry and the tools of death. With cheaply cloned tissues readily available, medical science has shifted its focus to the treatment and repair of catastrophic trauma and battlefield injuries. Congenital and genetic disorders are all but completely conquered.

An explosion of commonly available drugs fills every corner of every market: Black, white, grey, legal, or illegal. Complex pharmaceutical cocktails are easily administered through a variety of quick-acting skin patches (called "derms"), syringes, or implanted cartridges. Recreational drugs are more popular, potent, and addictive than ever. Specialized, hyper-effective drug mixes are widely used by solos, deckers, and other mercenaries in a desparate attempt to push their minds and bodies to the extreme limits of human performance... often at the cost of devastating side-effects.

First-aid and trauma treatment are available in micro-surgery kits equipped with the latest smart chemicals. Devastating injuries can be treated as outpatient procedures, and even limited surgical operations are possible with just a small backpack-sized surgery unit. Extensive tissue and limb loss, severe trauma, and internal organ damage still require the use of specialized clinics, often with heavy use of standby clone tissue banks.

Derms

Dermal patches, or "derms" in street-slang, are a low-cost way for unskilled, timid, or tweaked-out patients to drug up easily and quickly. Because their application lacks style and satisfaction, they see only rare recreational use and are mostly manufactured for clinical or first-aid applications. The following derm datasheet is courtesy of The Dr. Sakkio Medical Institute.

Cortizac (white) Non-addictive stimulant promotes immediate healing. Overdose potential.
Wire (white) Powerful stimulant temporarily counteracts fatigue. Can cause neural damage.
Painkiller (white) Staves off shock, other debilitating pain side-effects. Can worsen mental instability.
Crediline (yellow) Temporary euphoria can moderate psychotic tendancies. Long-term delusional side-effects.
Hypercoagulin (green) Adaptive blood-clotting agents rapidly treat external bleeding. Dangerous in high doses.
Superstim (grey) Rapidly induces consciousness. Extremely dangerous overdose and drug interaction side-effects.
Hyperdramamine (purple) Counteracts Space Adaptation Syndrome and spatial disorientation. Dampens senses.

Syringes

Syringes are compact, disposable, and highly effective drug delivery devices. Since they carry more doses and deliver them more quickly than derms, syringes see heavy use in cyber clinics and trauma teams. Specialized syringes are also used by CSWAT (Cybernetic Special Weapons and Tactics) teams to neutralize particularly aggressive and dangerously cyberpsychotic suspects.

Sandman Potent depressant causes instant unconsciousness; used by law enforcement.
Bloodfoam Stops internal bleeding, correct dosage must be administered by experienced medtech.
Traumastat Counteracts system shock; proper diagnosis and correct dosage is critical.

Drugs

Most plant-derived drugs were replaced by carefully assembled synthetic substitutes after radiation caused widespread destruction of the planet's ecosystems. Pharmaceutical research continues at breakneck pace, providing a variety of legal and illegal substances designed to augment physical capabilities or alter perceptions.

Synthetic caffeine Widely-used food and drink addetive; provides mild, short-lived benefits to quickness and alertness.
Synthahol Synthesized alcohol substitute has depressant effects: Reduced brain function and depressed motor response.
Zombie Street-adapted military enchancer suppresses motor functions, enhances strength and trauma resistance to superhuman levels.
Cyano-nicotine Extremely potent nicotene variant; high doses suppress motor skills and lung function.
LSD Popular "old-school" drug among upscale elites; radically alters sensory perception, often interfering with motor skills and alertness.
Dazzle Juice Black-market adapted drug originally used by assault troops. Speed, strength, agility increased with severe mental side-effects.
Omega-THC Harvested from super-cannabis clones, an extremely potent marijuana version: Enhances mental calm and empathic emotions. Severe munchies.
Dreamweed Popular, gene-spliced cannabis variant; stimulates pleasure centers with pronounced motor skill and sensory degradation.
Viperweed Stylish dreamweed variant marketed to upscale customers and celebrities. Widespread appeal.
Dryad Fashionable among bikers, street samurai; heightens reflexes, euphoria while suppressing coordination and judgement.
Guts Synthed from stolen megacorp plans distributed online; endurance, toughness, single-minded focus come at the expense of long-term mental stability, alertness.
Berserker Highly controlled enhancer replicates cyberpsychotic rage while boosting strength, trauma resistance, endurance.
Dancer Common gang/thug drug suppresses coordination, sensory perceptions while boosting physical strength, toughness.
FTS Clone-tissue cell extract, highly illegal; boosts metabolic output, quickness, physical power. Mental burnout side-effects.

Medikits

Disposable medical kits provide immediate treatment for battlefield injuries. Significant first-aid skill is required for successful injury repair. Inexperienced users may cause severe follow-on trauma or additional bleeding. Since each kit contains pressurized, sealed drug applicators, only a few injuries can be healed before the kit must be discarded.

Surgery Kits

Complex, miniaturized surgery kits provide all-in-one access to the anesthesia, tools, and post-op supplies required for field surgeries. They are far more capable than medikits and contain a wider array and quantity of supplies. Most are designed for quick treatment of severe external injuries and critical blood loss. Massive internal injuries, organ damage, or severe trauma must be treated by other methods. In the most life-threatening (or gruesome ripper-doc) situations, surgery kits can be used for swift amputations and organ removal, but extensive surgical skill is required.

Regen Vats

Regenerative vats allow rapid and comprehensive repairs to the entire body at once. The patient is submerged in a bath of thick biomass and attended by a host of auto-surgery filaments. Limbs are regrown, organs reformed, bones knitted, and toxins neutralized in a matter of hours or minutes. Because of their vast chemical and electrical demands, regen vats are contained in large, heavily financed facilities. Most vat regenerative technologies use clone tissue stockpiles, which are heavily regulated by Clone Laws.

	Cortizac (white)	Non-addictive stimulant promotes immediate healing. Overdose potential.
	Wire (white)	Powerful stimulant temporarily counteracts fatigue. Can cause neural damage.
	Painkiller (white)	Staves off shock, other debilitating pain side-effects. Can worsen mental instability.
	Crediline (yellow)	Temporary euphoria can moderate psychotic tendancies. Long-term delusional side-effects.
	Hypercoagulin (green)	Adaptive blood-clotting agents rapidly treat external bleeding. Dangerous in high doses.
	Superstim (grey)	Rapidly induces consciousness. Extremely dangerous overdose and drug interaction side-effects.
	Hyperdramamine (purple)	Counteracts Space Adaptation Syndrome and spatial disorientation. Dampens senses.

	Sandman	Potent depressant causes instant unconsciousness; used by law enforcement.
	Bloodfoam	Stops internal bleeding, correct dosage must be administered by experienced medtech.
	Traumastat	Counteracts system shock; proper diagnosis and correct dosage is critical.

	Synthetic caffeine	Widely-used food and drink addetive; provides mild, short-lived benefits to quickness and alertness.
	Synthahol	Synthesized alcohol substitute has depressant effects: Reduced brain function and depressed motor response.
	Zombie	Street-adapted military enchancer suppresses motor functions, enhances strength and trauma resistance to superhuman levels.
	Cyano-nicotine	Extremely potent nicotene variant; high doses suppress motor skills and lung function.
	LSD	Popular "old-school" drug among upscale elites; radically alters sensory perception, often interfering with motor skills and alertness.
	Dazzle Juice	Black-market adapted drug originally used by assault troops. Speed, strength, agility increased with severe mental side-effects.
	Omega-THC	Harvested from super-cannabis clones, an extremely potent marijuana version: Enhances mental calm and empathic emotions. Severe munchies.
	Dreamweed	Popular, gene-spliced cannabis variant; stimulates pleasure centers with pronounced motor skill and sensory degradation.
	Viperweed	Stylish dreamweed variant marketed to upscale customers and celebrities. Widespread appeal.
	Dryad	Fashionable among bikers, street samurai; heightens reflexes, euphoria while suppressing coordination and judgement.
	Guts	Synthed from stolen megacorp plans distributed online; endurance, toughness, single-minded focus come at the expense of long-term mental stability, alertness.
	Berserker	Highly controlled enhancer replicates cyberpsychotic rage while boosting strength, trauma resistance, endurance.
	Dancer	Common gang/thug drug suppresses coordination, sensory perceptions while boosting physical strength, toughness.
	FTS	Clone-tissue cell extract, highly illegal; boosts metabolic output, quickness, physical power. Mental burnout side-effects.