" Is this where you're building it " His government contact spoke as they stood in a giant underground bunker , A hatch in the ceiling leading to the surface that would ultimately be used to launch the project into space .
" Naturally " Rubbing the sleep out of his eye , Sebastian maintained a vigilant eye on his little girl. Now thirteen years old , currently reaching into a small crate of panels " Careful there sweety "
" Okay dad " She responded , Lifting a panel up to the light and looking at the reflecting light.
" We'll have the teams ready and resources brought by the afternoon. We're building the modules that'll carry it into low orbit , Due to their conolexity , they should be ready in three years for launch. I know they're probably not going to like the answer , but they want to know how long it'll take to complete construction of the cradle " Everything was on the timeline , With the atmosphere outside becoming more and more hostile , Many of the more influential people around the globe were becoming... anxious .
" Well " Sebastian activated a hologram that came to life at the centre of the warehouse , a shape of a ring made of odd shapes and impossible physics rotated , visible to everyone observing it.
" Well ... due to the nature of the project. We're going to have to be very ... careful with how we build it. Every node , every cable ... every connection we make will be permanently sealed in a vacuum , We won't be able to open it again no matter what we do , that means we'll have to take our time making it right the first time , Otherwise we're wasting time and resources. We mess up once ... we have to start from scratch... and that is something we absolutely cannot afford . Seven years at the latest ... tell them that . To live forever ... they have to wait seven years " Sebastian didn't break eye contact with the shifting hologram , Already picturing the process within his head with deep pondering .
" I see ... they're just going to have to deal with it. But it's already been approved . Your budget is unlimited. Time is the only thing against us. They're asking you to live on sight ... if you like I could " The contact , His old friend gestured to his daughter currently staring at the interlocking grid of the panel she had previously lifted .
" No ... I'd like her to stay with me. Should this fail , I'd like to have spent all the time I could have with my daughter . Should we succeed , I'll have all the time in the universe and forever more to watch over her . This is where she'll stay " Sebastian replied , the contact ultimately nodding , not pushing the subject any further.
" I'll leave it to you then , These are yours " He handed off a port folio to sebastian whom tucked the folder under his arm , simply nodding his head .
" Stay safe ... and stay well ... prepare to hear some good news for a change " Sebastian turned to see his angel back in the crate , pulling out and tossing several thing here and there " hm "
" You too , The world's future rests on your shoulders ... no pressure right " The contact joked , making his way to the armoured truck that had delivered them to the warehouse .
" No pressure "
....CURRENT TIMES .... 2074 . .
" Can I keep it " Leon's eyes shot open as he sat up in his bedroom , Cold sweat running down his brow , Optics turning to the window that oversaw night city. Rain pelted the window as the night sung its song over night city.
' Do you want to learn how to swim ' His own voice repeated in his head as he rose from the sheets of his bed , making his way to the window and stating down into the city from the tower he now lived in .
A tear ran down his cheek , Only for a moment before it was wiped from his face, The fresh scars on his face from the new implants contorting as he sneered .
' If I'd had what I have now ... ' He chewed his lip in thought, His passive state turning into a harsh glare .
His eyes slowly left the reflective window , Instead they settled on the small plastic cube that sat on his night stand. That one pink flower sitting entombed for eternity within that case .
That fierce glare on his face turned into a burning hate filled snarl , As he whirled arpund and stormed to the entrance of his room .
...
[ Subject has left the tower ] Orange eyes flew open at the information , As he spooned Victoria whom hummed .
[ Subject is requesting field release, What do you suggest creator ] Sebastian slowly unwound his hand from Victoria's waist , Planting a gentle kiss on her cheek before rolling off the bed .
' Approved , supply him the armour and weapons '
He made his way quietly down the stairs of his rooftop abode , The lights dimmed throughout the abode as he made his way towards his office .
' Set up live feed and tracking '
[ affirmative ] He entered his office to see the wall wide display turning itself on to show leon making his way through NEW HOPE towards an armoury tailor made to hold his supplied weapons and armour .
" hm " Sebastian plopped himself down in his rolling chair , Planting his chin onto the back of his knuckles as he watched the live feed .
" make sure to reroute NCPD responses and routes away from where he's operating . Maintain a vigilant eye on corpo dispatches , contact Maine and his crew and have then on standby " Sebastian instructed, The key moving to do all three simultaneously.
A moment later , A call was made to Maine, said man groggily waking up , Squinting at the live feed before immediately sobering up apon Noticing it was sebastian whom called .
" You got a job for us " Maine asked , Dorio waking up beside him before shying away from the feed , not wanting to be involved with Sebastian in the slightest.
" In a way . I have an operative in the field you'll be backup for ... nothing major just need you to look over him and intervene if things go south "Sebastian looked at his finger tips as main threw the covers off , Grunting but ultimately getting ready without much complaint .
" When ... " Maine asked , Throwing on his jacket over his Torso , The fabric stretching to cover his massive frame . In the background , Sebastian spied dorio hiding her nude form under the blankets , His lips curling upward slightly .
' as if I'd want to see a woman like you ' He sneered , His eyes dancing with mirth before turning back to Maine" Pretty much immediately.. he'll be leaving within ten minutes soooo ... I'll send you a life tracker of his location"
" On it ... I'll get the team together. Keep you updated " Maine grabbed his weapons, Tossing his head to the side to get dorio to start getting ready " About pay ... "
" Got something I'm sure you'll like . How about an all you can cure cyberpsychosis cure ... a permanent one " Now that got maines attention , The old soldier whirling around , Pinning Sebastian with a deep gaze across the feed .
" No shit "
" Wouldn't even pretend " Sebastian drummed his fingers as maines face lit up .
" You just ensured your boy just got the best protection this cities got to offer ... I'll be leaving now " Maine laughed ready to shut off the call , Already receiving the ping of Leon's location.
" I know you will , Afterall ... this ... is your lifeline " Thise words as sebastian cut the call made Maine freeze .
' How the hell dies he know about it ' Maine wouldn't admit it to anyone that didn't deserve to know , But his cyberpsychosis had been getting worse lately , and for sebastian to just put it in the air so openly , Caused Maine to shudder slightly.
...
" Fuck sake " Rebecca cursed , Her and pilar sitting out the front of the apartment building , a bag of their guns sagging onto the concrete behind them as Rebecca kicked at the dusty concrete below .
" I was just about to ask a guy out on a date and now this ... fff " She blew raspberries whilst pilar gave her a raised eyebrow .
" You ... ask a guy out on a date ... you seen yourself in the mirror lately " Pilar joked , Only for Rebecca to suddenly swing the barrel of one of her rifles straight into his stomach .
" THE FUCK DID YOU SAY " Pilar gagged , Spittle flying from his mouth as he doubled over .
" Nothing ... " He held his stomach just as a screeching van came to a stop ifnront of the sibling duo .
" OI Get the fuck in " Maine yelled as dorio tore open the door , not waiting for the two as she tossed their bag of guns into the van.
" Fuck jeez alright what's got your knickers in a twist " Rebecca climbed in , Seeing Sasha holding a laptop with a map and a ping moving across the map at speed .
Maine didn't respond, Instead he focussed on the road as Sasha gave directions for some reason , Pilar and Rebecca chose to be silent apon seeing the determined , hard glare on maines face , His whitened knuckles curling around the wheel of the van .
... HEYWOOD ...
Wearing an unmarked pitch black bikers outfit. Motorcycle helmet in place ,Leon rode across the city on his arch nazare racer .
Weaving between traffic in the heavy rain , Leon maintained a steady gaze on a digital display of night cities streets.
' A team has been dispatched to assist you , They're will not interfere unless you need rescuing or are in a pinch ' Leon didn't reply to the message from whoever was communicating with him from the tower , he didn't see the need in replying. He knew he was being monitored , Apollo himself had explained he would be during his first couple of missions so it was to be expected .
[ Target name : Neil cognus .
Corresponding charges : human trafficking. First degree murder , Kidnapping. ] The list of his first target went on and on , He didn't see the need to test the validity of the information. Over and over new hope had displayed the capability to have their fingers in more than enough databases they shouldn't have had access to.
And so , With a trace of the target picked up by a traffic camera, His Assistive targeting HUD showed a path that would lead to his target .
And so he followed the track layed out before him , Weaving between traffic, Passing cars trucks and bikes .
His speeding only came to a stop thanks to a red light Halting the floe of traffic , His bike crawling to a stop as he split between two lanes , a van on the tight and a car on the left.
[ Target distance : 1.5 km ]
..
[ Target 45 metres ] Sure enough, In a car exactly that distance ahead , Sat his target , Speaking on the phone with a client whom was making a rather unsavoury order .
Behind Leon, A couple hundred metres back , Maine and crew pulled onto the street , Spotting Leon from afar as Sasha pointed him out .
[ projectile launch system ready , Shots primed : 3 ]
Leon leant forward ,Swerving to the left around a car , Lane splitting once more as he surged towards his target .
Husband bike roared between the traffic as he came up beside his target , Slowling down to come up side beside the vehicle .
Looking through Neil's window. The man finally took notice of Leon's presence .
' Red light ' The lights ahead immediately turned red as his rudimentary ai assistant hacked and changed the lights .
Coming to a stop beside Neil, Leon simply stared down at the man's face , Eyes flickering across his features as he commit the man to memory, Storing his face in his databanks.
Winding down the window , Neil stuck his face out of the window .
" Do you fucking mind asshole , I'm... " Neil didn't say anything else as Leon's arm suddenly split apart , Projectile launch system activating as he rounded his arm , aiming directly at Neil's stomach .
....
" OHHHH " The explosion that followed caused mass panic , A firewall erupting from within Neil's car visible even from where Maine and his crew sat .
Two more explosions immediately followed as the doors to Neil's car blew clean off. Glass exploding everywhere as the man himself was liquefied in his seat .
" Fucking hell.. that fuckers crazier than you are " Pilar elbowed Rebecca in the ribs as the crew sat with their mouths hanging at the blatant out in the open assassination.
And as the lights ahead turned green , The crew were alerted by the chime of her laptop indicating the movement of their boy .
" He's on the move " Sasha spoke up as Maine cursed and put his foot on the accelerator , The van bumping into several cars as they bloke through the cloud of soot and fire , Seeing the man they were tailing simply riding off into the night , With nothing but a trail of smoke trailing off of his jacket .
" That fuckers tough "
....
[ Next target : Ohara Chelsea
Crimes : First degree murder ... ... ... ] Leon didn't bother reading the list of crimes , He was doing his job , Cleaning up the worst of night city where Apollo couldn't. And he'd wear that bage with honour.
' Can I keep it ' A tear rolled down his cheecl , That sweet innocent voice tolling around his head as he turned right, Keenly aware he was being followed and already knowing their purpose .
Leaning back ,He performed a wheeling between two cars driving slowly. Ripping between them as the bottom of his bike broke the mirrors off of their frames.
" Yea ... you can keep it " His next target was no more than 1 km away , So he B-lined it directly in their direction .
Following the path , He was lead to a two storey building , And this was where he was presented with a dilemma.
You see , This wasn't a single bad man killing , Kidnapping and human trafficking . It was a man with a family , kids and a wife who killed a man , butchered people under the pretence of surgery and more often than not disposed of their bodies by selling them to the scavs , Keeping his relatively small company of less than effective surgeries going .
Hopping off of his bike , Leon approached the front door , He pondered how to do it , Should he just go in guns blazing , gunning the guy down and most likely traumatising the children . Or should he ...
He reached up and hit the doorbell , A chime echoing throughout the building beyond.
" FUCK SAKE ... ONE MINUTE " A woman yelled from within , walking down the stairs angrily before coming to the door and opening it with a angry huff " What can I help you with "
Met with the black motorbike helmet , The woman nearly crumbled , Immediately shaking like a leaf at the sight of the man standing at her door in the middle of the night.
" Is your husband home " His voice flat , Leon looked at the face of the woman , looking last her into the corridor beyond .
" I'll... " She stated at her reflection in the face of the helmet " Go get him "
" That would be appreciated " She slowly closed the door , And leon stared ahead.
' He'll most likely make a break for it , I'll get him outside away from the family ' And sure enough , The trace adjusted his path , His target had left the premises out the back and was now fleeing through the back alley .
' predictable ' He jumped over the railing of the stairs , Landing on the rubbish covered pavement beside the staircase.
Vaulting over the mesh fence beside the residence , Leon sprinted after the ohara.
With each step he took , He gained momentum , Raising his arms in a cross as he broke through the fence on the other side of the alley , Planting his feet as they slid across the ground. Head turning as he spotted ohara making a dead sprint through the street .
Leon , Taking the chance, raising his smart pistol , Targetting systems activating before he fired six times .
He didn't wait idly as the bullets left the barrel , he knew how tough the bastards of night city could be , And he was right , as he pursued ohara , He watched the bullets strike the man's back , Yet they failed to bury last the flesh , no doubt due to some subdermal armouring.
Ohara kept running , Teeth grit from the pain erupting in his back .
" Fuck " He pushed a bin to the side , Throwing it behind him as he arrived at the end of the street .
He didn't even bother looking at the streets as he ran across. Nearly being howled over by a passer-by whom screamed at him , Yet he continued on .
Pursuing behind him , Leon grunted , vaulting over the Yelling civilians car , raising his gun once more.
[ Locked on ] He shot three more bullets , Landing on the other side of the car , Leon saw ohara had ducked into a diner serving late into the night .
Entering the building with a flurry of movement. Yells echoed from within.
Patrons ducked as leon burst through the employee only area , Passing by a woman whom had been serving before running through the back on the shop and into the back alley.
Skidding to a stop behind the shop , Leon followed the tracking of his assistive cyberware , Head turning to the left as he stared into a dead end at the end of the alley .
[ Warning ] Out of the shadows , a Thornton galena burst forward .
His reflexes kicked in before he knew what happened , his assistive cyberware yanking control of his body for a moment , propelling him up and onto the wind shield of the Galena .
His head jerked as he was suddenly moving along with the car , Fingers finding purchase as they broke out of the alley , Trash flying away as ohara turned the car to the left.
Watching the car peel off. Maine cursed punching the steering wheel as Sasha started tracking their movement.
" MAINE , this roads on a loop , They have to go around to flee " Without thinking , Maine threw open the door of the van , having reached back and Grabbing a hold of rebeccas jacket .
" WHA " Rebecca was suddenly dragged out in a blur , Hoisted onto maines shoulders as he broke into a dead sprint through the alleys between the buildings .
Breaking through the other side of the houses , The two turned and watched as the thorton rounded the corner , Whilst leon was currently housed atop the vehicle , Tearing the left door open to gain access to the interior of the vehicle.
Tossing the door behind him , of which slammed , bounced and rebound across the ground until it skidded to a stop in the centre of the road .
As that happened , Leon swung himself into the passenger seat , Grabbing ohara by the side of the head , wrenching him closer as his wrist mounted launcher activated.
As he prepared to fire , The thorton passed Rebecca and Maine, their eyes widening as they saw his current actions. On the other end of the street , dorio had taken control of the van , Circling back around and blocking off the cars escape .
" He wouldn't " Even from here they could see , Maine Cursing as both he and Rebecca watched leon shove his wrist mounted launched directly into his targets mouth.
And without any hesitation , Just as the car was about ti cross the threshold of the intersection , Both leon and the target were consumed in a fireball that consumed the interior of ohara's getaway vehicle.
" fuck " Rebecca was thrown back whilst Maine tanked the explosion , The other watching from the van as their target and his prey were consumed by the resulting fireball .
The van screeched to a halt fifty metres away from the expanding fireball ,Maine and Rebecca standing on its other side , Their heads rising as the biting heat and shockwave struck them like a punch .
Rebeccas arms sagged , her gun dropping from her grip as both she and the test of the crew watched their pay go up in a fireball .
" Should we " Rebecca whispered as the light around them began to settle , The dim night returning to its previous state only to return as another fireball swept from the crash .
" I have to make a call " Maine slumped , Prepared to spill the bad news , Dialing Sebastian's number .
" Hey Maine " Rebecca poked his elbow , Yet the ringing in his ears kept him distracted .
" Maine " Rebecca hissed , Poking his elbow harder .
' I can kiss that cure goodbye ' Maine closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. ' Sorry dorio '
" FUCK SAKE " Rebecca grabbed the butt of her gun and swung it into her boss's gut " MAINE "
" WHAT REBECCA " Maine hunched over , Wincing as Rebecca simply pointed at the collapsing second fireball.
Following her pointed finger , Maine felt the need to stumble , Clearly visible was a silhouette, Walking at a relatively relaxed pace straight through the fireball , It was obscured yet they could clearly see the figure , Each step they made echoing despite the rumble of the the fireball .
A second step caused the hairs on the back of maine's neck to stand on edge , Rebecca flinching at a third , The silhouette just behind the veil of the dying explosion.
And as Maine and Rebecca watched , the shadow stepped out. Flames licking at the shoulders of his jacket , A crack running across the surface of his motorcycle helmet where his eyes were now somewhat now visible through the visor .
" Holy shit " Another explosion warped the ground behind him , Burning away the back of his jacket entirely to reveal the exo skeletal armoured spinal plating , Glistening under the light , Glowing orange as its yet cold surface shon brightly .
He walked by , Not even soaring Maine and Rebecca a glance as he simply marched into the alley they had rum through , Completely ignorant nor caring about the wreckage he had left behind.
...
Staring at the wall wide television , Sebastian sat with a bowl of cereal produced by the new food production industry of new hope . Afterall he personally tried and tested everything they produced , From beef created through the genetic printer being repurposed for the manufacturing plant . Tothe wheat they had genetically modified , which now say as a bowl of wheat bix he had them produce in a bid of nostalgia.
[ a devastating series of attacks were performed in the early hours of the night ... sixteen Individuals have been confirmed dead at the perpetrators hands ] Sebastian watched , Eyes half lidded as aerial snapshots showed wreckage of cars , Deceased people on the sidewalk and in other precarious places and situations.
' Casualty report 'Sebastian requested , The red key recieving the information several moments later .
[ Assigned targets casualty rate : 100%
Civilian casualty report : 0%
Estimated completion time : 2 hrs 35 minutes
Area location : Heywood
Returning time: 5 am ]
' An exemplary performance ' He looked to the side as Victoria walked out of the bathroom , Hot water steaming from her body as she approached the bed with her towel wrapped around her body, snugly, exentuating her curves .
" Enjoying the sight " She puckered her lips and leant forward slightly , allowing Sebastian a clear view of her bust .
Stopping chewing , Sebastian smirked slightly, Picking up his bowl and placing it on the night stand.
He didn't answer verbally , Instead he raised hismelf up , moving the blanket across the bed and out of his way and crawled onto the edge of the bed .
" Well " He reached forward, And before she could react , Dragged her onto the bed , her giggles echoing throughout their abode as he proceeded to ravage his lover .
... 4 hours later ....BELOW NEW HOPE - MANUFACTURING CHAMBER 1 ...
Connected to the cockpit remotely , Sebastian stared at the incomplete machine as it was suspended from the ceiling , It's inhuman head full of sensors and cameras staring down at him like a creature of myth .
Now mounted to the cockpit frame , Intake vents sat on either side , with various boosters and thrusters pointing in all directions , Whilst three large thrusters mounted to its back , now completely integrated into its frame .
[ Armour integration complete] covering the intake vents and thruster exhausts , The plating Sebastian had previously been developing was installed over its exposed points , Whilst leaving the joints and ports and connections points where the rest of the body would be joined onto .
Hanging below the cockpit , Several servos and a rotor were being constructed several feet below they canopy. Exposed wires mounting the rotor and servos that reached up and vanished under the armouring next to the cockpit .
With a slot above the large rotor that sat at the base of the Torso, A large empty fuel tank was being connected to the frame , and on the opposite side of the frame , A reactor was being slowly, and painstakingly constructed that would provide near limitless power to the body once it was ready.
Although the rest of the Torso arrived the cockpit was essentially a bare bones skeleton, One could see several flight control flaps being integrated into the frame , To allow for seamless omnidirectional control whilst in flight .
[ System test complete . Current status : airtight ]
' Good , it would be unfortunate to have the pilot dying in high orbit or space due to a leak ' Sebastian adjusted the control vectors of the machines on board computer and behavioural matrix.
For several hours more , Sebastian maintained a keen eye on overseeing the construction of his robot , only leaving the lab once the skeletal body reached a certain threshold of completion .
...
ALDECALDO'S
...
[ Matrix updated ] Glowing eyes stared out at the aldecaldos it had lived with for the better part of the last year .
Equipped with a new faceplate , entirely replaced cyberware and having rewritten its coding , anyone who didn't know the identity of the body would assume it was decard , as now there was no was anyone would be able to link the decard that had left night city with Terry to the one now sitting next to Mitch.
" Here , have this , You look hungry " Mitch handed D a skewer of meat .
Taking the skewer , decard took a bite of the meat , reducing his taste buds to zero as it worked to keep its inhabited body in peak condition .
" Thanks man. Appreciate it " Decard nodded , taking another bite of his skewer.
Though nobody ever said anything , The hate for biotechnica's processed foods was real . Though they routinely ate eezybeef and synthetic foods, It could see how many would subtly cringe while eating the slop they were forced to eat , and so adjusted its reaction accordingly .
[ Matrix updated ] Doing so over the last year had produced an interesting effect on itself . After repeatedly updating its matrix with the Designation to disliking eezy beef and most synthetic foods. When it encountered the oh so rare real , Taste filled food . It found its body had produced a near euphoric reaction to the food , and the AI itself seemed to ... enjoy ... the food , It wasn't just something like programming giving it joy at the new sense of taste , It was ... something else ... something the matrix had to create a new directive for.
' I ... miss ... that cache we got earlier ' It thought to itself , something it had been doing more and more of recently . Not just routines running in its head , but contemplation.
" We're going out tomorrow to scout out a group of rafen , they've taken residence in the old rail yard ... you up to joining us " Mitch slugged D in the shoulder with a friendly smile on his face.
" I suppose I can spare the time " D readily agreed , Afterall it had come to the agreement it would pull its weight during its stay in the aldecaldos. And whilst it could have left at any time during the last year , It acknowledged there was safety in this nearly off grid group. It didn't draw attention here. That ... hunter .. hadn't come look , whether it was luck or something else . Decard preferred to bide its time , grow stronger through new cyberware it could gets its hand on , and wait until it was the appropriate time to return to the larger world .