" Have a good evening tekeyoshi " Ryan , Sebastian's first successful artificial humanoid bid the young boy well for the night , Said child smiling , Waving off as he ran out of the shop with three of his friends who had been waiting out the front of the building despite the sixth street gang members who were loitering around.
" BYE RYAN " The boy had his uniform slung over his shoulder before the three children ran off , The chuckles of the sixth street gang members clear in Ryan's audio sensors .
Standing before the entryway to red rippers , Ryan turned to one of the sixth street whom pushed himself up from where he was leaning , Walking over with a small smile on his face.
" I guess we'll be off , You need us to drop you anywhere " Brian , the one in charge of guarding the ripperdoc asked , The others beginning to walk towards their van that was parked around the back of the shop .
Thinking for several moments , Ryan inclined his head " If you wouldn't mind dropping me off at the nearest metro , That wouldn't be too big a ask wouldn't it "
" Not at all , We'll be waiting round the back " Brian turned and left , Leaving Ryan to close up shop for the day.
Returning to surgery , Ryan made sure to lock the front door , Engaging the automated defences before flicking off the lights and walking back itno the surgery room .
The first thing he made sure to do was shut down the printer , Locking it away and securing it in a lock box that would destroy it should anyone tamper with it .
The second thing he did was put away and lock away all loose belongings , Placing them within fingerprint locked cases before finally approaching his laptop sat on his workdesk , Sliding it into his backpack before finally walking through towards the back storage room .
" Brrr " A deep baritone chime drew his attention, His father's bike hiding in the corner of the workshop infront of the shutter garage door.
" I'll ask father " Ryan responded , Walking to the bike , It's singular red lenses watching him as he approached " I'm sure he'd be more than willing "
" Brr " The bike growled out in the only way it could , As Ryan made sure the power cable was inserted into the bikes socket.
" of course he would , He loves us remember " Ryan finally rose , Petting the bike on the head " Anyway I'm off ... I'll address your wishes to father shortly ... "
He reached down and grabbed the shutter doors , rolling them up .
" Br " The bike stated once more as Ryan stepped out, Closing the door and locking it as he spotted the van waiting for him.
" Don't worry " Ryan whispered before standing , Marching across the dirt below to the waiting van which had its passenger side door open.
" Climb on in " Brian Pet the seat , Cigarette in mouth as he leant over , Blowing smoke out of the window.
" Thank you " Polite as ever , He didn't put on his seat belt as they peeled around the building , Rocking from side to side as they rode onto the road .
" No worries mate , You do more than enough for us anyway " Brian replied , With Ryan's optics scanning the right side of the man's head.
Whilst the side of Brian's face looked completely normal , The reality was entirely different.
For his entire face had been rebuilt after having his face blown off by high impact ordinance . The replacing faceplate was a complete copy of his origional , Just more robust and capable of shifting to whatever he desired it to look like .
' No complications ... everything seems optimal ' Ryan looked away as they rounded the kabuki markets , Heading in the direction of the H11 mega building .
" So how did you meet the boss " Brian asked , Having started calling Sebastian boss not two days after their initial operation on the higher ups of sixth street due to his newfound ' status ' Amongst the gang .
Remembering what his ' Credentials ' Were detailed as , Ryan spoke of how Sebastian had approached him right out of graduation, Immediately hiring him for the shop with an offer he couldn't refuse.
" Ah ... got a good head on your shoulders then , You made the right choice " Brian slugged Ryan in the shoulder as they passed by the mega building .
After a small lull of silence , Ryan and the sixth street members pulled up to the Ncar station , With pedestrians and the like walking to and from whilst others simply loitered around as they waited for their cart to arrive .
" This is us , Oh ... and if you need anything... anytime ... " Brian gave Ryan a pointed look .
" I'll know who to call " Brian smiled , Leaning over and handing Ryan a pistol .
" That you do , Here , I know you don't carry any iron , in a city like this you know you'll need it " Accepting the offered pistol , Hiding it in his jacket as he slung his backpack over his shoulder.
" Can't be too careful no " Brian whispered as Ryan closed the vans door " Anyways , See ya tomorrow "
" Until then " Ryan waved them off as Brian pressed the accelerator, The van peeling off and leaving Ryan on the side of the road .
" Hey watch it " A kid hissed as he stepped away from the roadside , Nearly pushing the child to the ground as he did so .
" Sorry bout that" Ryan scratched the back of his head as the kid flipped him off and continued on .
" Fuck off " The kid continued , Vanishing Into the crowd whilst Ryan shrugged , Turned and walked towards the Ncart station .
This particular Ncart metro was connected directly to the medcentre , With a barricade of police guarding the entrance as people bustled on by , Many angry or dissatisfied with the service they had recieved.
" How much longer for that to be true remains to be seen " Ryan walked into the Ncart , Walking into the station and stepping onto the newly arrived cart .
Sitting down directly across from the door to the cart , Ryan calmly leant against the railing as people stepped onto the cart , Eyes darting around . Studying ... learning .
He watched them all interact , singular civilians attempting to keep other people away, Couples taking a pair of seats together. A gangster Glaring harshly throughout the cart. All the while he simply observed , Desiring nothing more than to experience such ... nuances .
' I suppose I get that from father ... ' Ryan's lips rose slightly , A phenomenon he wasn't entirely aware of , Yet the uncomfortable tension of his skin made him raise his fingers to his lips .
' So this is what it is like to truly smile ... ' Ryan leant his head against the window , Turning his gaze to the outside world as the cart shuttered , Beginning to move across its set track ' I could get used to this '
....
NEW HOPE HQ - CITY CENTRE
....
" Hnnnggrrrrr " Frank growled as he sat in a stark black room , The only things in the room aside himself being the chair he sat and his captor standing over him .
High pitch ringing erupted in his ears as Sebastian stood over him , Left hand stretched towards Frank's face .
" What are you .... " Frank drooled , saliva and spittle running down his chin as his head erupted in a terrible migraine " Doing to me "
" Simply stripping you of information " What Sebastian said was true , With precise use of the MR and a recipient data core , aka anything he so much as desired from a blank cyberdeck to a open file on a laptop , He could strip data from any form of magnetised device , ranging from the old world's credit cards to nigh impenetrable datafortresses before pasting the Stripped data and code onto whatever he sought.
It was difficult to do at first , Where his first attempt to do so had been trying to transfer one set of data from a laptop to a blank copy .
His first attempt had simply torn the laptop apart , Pieces flying out in every direction . The Second, the laptops screen had gone blank, It's interior data completely fried from a botched pull .
But within five minutes , He had gone from breaking a laptop, To seamlessly stripping and copying a datastream and replicating it through the use of the MR's ability to produce precise magnetic waves . All it took was shaping and replicating the target to produce a near 1 to 1 copy .
As such , As he directly ripped the data from franks cyberware , Slamming said data directly into a data core held in his left hand.
" I appreciate your compliance. Thank you " Sebastian held the now full datacard , Thumbing it in his grip as he left the chamber " Until next time "
" Go fuck yourself " Frank rasped as the door closed , Leaving him alone in the dimly lit room with nothing but his thoughts .
Stepping away from the room , RN02 stood outside , Staring unblinkingly through the walls directly to where Frank was situated .
" Shall I dispose of him " RN02 asked , It's eary stillness annancuated by its refusal to blink .
" No , he shall be handled by the proper judicial system " Sebastian responded as RN followed ,Watching its maker head for the next chamber where two members of trauma team were currently kept .
" Please go fetch me a laptop " Sebastian spoke over his shoulder , his fingers fumbling at the card as he came to stand outside of the rooms where two members of trauma team sat .
' Chelsea Sinclair ' Sebastian scanned the first individual , Eyes glowing as her whole life's data was presented to him.
' And Claudia Jean ' He turned his eyes to the second , Both having pledged their loyalties to trauma team in a genuine effort to attempt to help the people around . Atleast mostly , some form of it was the protection and money but who didn't have their own agenda .
" Here father " RN02 gently slid a closed laptop into his father's grip , Awaiting further orders from his benefactor.
" Thank you , If you would , should you have the time , would you able to organise transport to an NCPD station for Frank and have his ... dealings presented to an investigator , I want there to be a show of what comes to those who move against us " Sebastian spoke calmly , his intentions clear. He didn't have to say what he needed done for his creation knew.
" I will do so immediately father " RN02 turned to leave , Stopping momentarily as Sebastian drew his attention for a moment longer .
" You've done good. .. thank you " Sebastian smiled kindly at his creation , RN02 Inclining his head slightly before departing again.
" Of course father " Sebastian heard before approaching one of the two rooms presented before him , Hand pressing against the key pad . A chime sounding out as the door slid open.
" Greetings Claudia... " Sebastian stepped into the chamber , The door closing behind him , Walking to the table and placing the laptop down and opening it " Its a pleasure to make your acquaintance without corporate agendas Weighing down on us "
" Why am I here ... " Claudia was quick to the point , Staring at her captor with harsh guarded eyes.
" Well I am hoping to poach you from the medicorps and trauma team if that's what you would like to hear " Sebastian didn't hide his agenda , It wouldn't do anything well to hide his wishes from the woman.
Her dyed red hair hung down her shoulders as she sagged. Stripped of her armour and weapons , left with nothing but her undergarments and a shirt and pants , Her gaze turned and remained fixed on the table.
" Why ... " Claudia's voice started as a whisper.
" Because I have a soft spot for those trying to genuinely help , Three of your four team members were simply monsters under the guize of saviours " Sebastian began , Sliding the laptop around and showing the data he had collected.
" For example, your temporary team lead , Frank ... trauma teams hired assassin , Meant to neutralise any threats to trauma teams agenda , His directive being to neutralise both me and your team should any of you prove ... non ideal " He showed the manuscripts between trauma team and Frank himself , even having a file detailing the specific requests to have Claudia and her team neutralised after the mission .
" Trauma team has decided you and your team are less than ideal , Wishing to oust you during a prime moment ... if which I was in a perfect place to stop " Sebastian explained before showing the next file.
" 03 of your team ... designation hunter, Rather than really caring for the people his track record points at a more trigger happy persona. With a less than 50 % success rate , he more often than not botches all medial related tasks , neutralising those he was supposed to assist and gunning down anyone not part I'd your team " Sebastian showed a Caucasian man , an ex felon who Claudia knew to be her team mate .
" 02 on the other hand. Doesn't even attempt to assist , Rather just putting in bare minimum effort , coasting along with your and Chelsea's efforts , Claiming to have performed many of what you did himself ... taking credit whilst accepting all of the approval and none of the negatives "
Sebastian finished , Sliding the laptop to Claudia to which she slowly raised her hands , Scrolling through the compiled data with pressed lips.
" You see , Claudia, if I may be so informal " Sebastian leant back , interlacing his hands " Your team has already been targeted for summary execution ... "
" I ... " Claudia reached forward and closed the laptop , Sliding it back to Sebastian with a analytical gaze " But why would you go out of your way to do this ... I don't trust you not since you haven't explained why "
" Claudia ... new hope isn't a medical corporation. New hope has many faces , Dipping its hands into all areas from technological advancements to everyday health care , My goal with New hope is exactly as the name suggests . Removing the blight that effects every day people. Giving hope to those that grieve, Those that go cold at night because they simply can't afford to keep the power on , A child shouldn't have to grow up starving. A parent shouldn't have to waste away so their child can exist ... I wish to break humanity away from the control of those who wish to see their destruction for their own gain ... new hope is my arm that moves where physical might can't " Sebastian explained , Reporting the laptop to bring up the page of NEW hope on the net , a catalogue of what they're available to do , from general assistance to mobile task force units rivalling Max tac itself .
" I'm going to save this city , This world , from itself . The people in charge should be those who help those below , to raise everyone around them. Only when you do that can we truly prosper . I can destroy the world if I wanted to... but I don't want to . I want happiness for all ... peace ... justice. .. and I want your help " He slid a datacard across the table , already manufactured to have Claudia's data imprinted on it .
" But I am also generous to those who work under me . You'll never have to starve , your loved ones will recieve free unconditional help in all facets of life. They'll never have to worry about their next meal , About a house they can't afford ... you'll never have to worry about what school your sons and daughters might not be able to attend ... this is the bare minimum I offer to my employees "
" At your level , Should you accept , will be placed into the response teams , You will be working in much the same regard as the pilots of my deployment machines ... each one is remotely controlled by a pilot to work in much the same as trauma team. You will be given the same level access as them , Your safety is as much my priority as theirs ... only... if you accept , should you decline ... I will have your memories stripped of this interaction and placed back at your residence in the commercial district . . To you ... this conversation would never have happened ... I leave this laptop to you , And your choice. Don't make it immediately, I shall he conversing with you teammate Chelsea in the meantime while your ponder... if you need anything , Simply speak allowed and new hope will provide ... I shall be back within the hour ... " Sebastian rose , pushing in his chair as he left the laptop for the woman to use until he returned.
Turning to the door , Sebastian stopped before stepping out " I do hope you make the right choice ... "
He stepped out without looking over his shoulder. The door closing behind him as he left the woman alone with her thoughts .
...
SANTO DOMINGO
...
' They're coming ' The red key whispered in the back if his head , a voice slowly becoming more and more audible with each passing moment .
Of course they were , Within 6 hours Frank would be brought and trialed thanks to the fast moving actions of the NCPD under the pressure put apon them when Frank was brought forward .
Coming off as a corporate representative was rather fortunate, Especially one without a presence seemed to scare the NCPD into doing their jobs , they afterall didn't want to face the wrath of an unknown powerful corporation with a bone to pick .
And so , Standing on the dam overlooking night city , Sebastian waited alone , the sole source of trauma teams anger . They had hired a hit squad in retaliation ... of which he was sure would attack within the hour.
Turning his head , He made eye contact with a security camera that had no doubt flagged him in the system .
Well ut was either a hitsquad or a representative on the way , or both if things went sideways , But he wasn't fussed , as he abesntmimdely ran his fingers of the humming device sitting in his sternum .
With one last drag of his cigarette, Sebastian cringed , looking down at the packet within his grip , And with a grunt , Simply tossed the rest from the cliffs , No longer interested in partaking any further.
' Raise to one percent ' The light under his shirt glowed with greater intensity , Just as three black vehicles pulled up behind Sebastian, Surrounding him as their doors all opened.
" Greetings gentlemen , I am surprised to say I'm not particularly surprised to see your arrival " Sebastian pushed off of the cliffisde railing , Turning to face the group of twelve corpo grunts stepping out of their vehicles , a rather immaculate dressed business stepping out of the centre vehicle.
A neatly kept man approached , black suit with two brief cases in either hand .
" Sebastian markus , I am here on behalf of those in power of trauma team . I am here to discuss a disclosure agreement and offer in terms a contract for faculty and facilities of new hope , please " The man lowered one of the brief cases , opening the other to present a datapad with several items trauma team wished to acquire.
In short terms, Trauma team and all allied companies wished to acquire new hope and all facilities, Machines and technologies for a place on the board , a percentage income and other related things Sebastian wasn't interested in .
The non disclosure agreement itself was a method to silence franks involvement and the information he had been given by trauma team to perform to the best of his abilities . They wanted to have Frank amd the involvement silenced and the case thrown out before it could be aired .
" An interesting proposal I suppose " Sebastian could see from the corners of his eyes the weapons the corpos had ready at their disposal .
"But one I'm afraid I can't accept " Sebastian pushed the dataoad away , The corpo rep Sneering and stepping away as he did so " My goals and your own I'm afraid don't quite align as much as you believe they do "
" I see ... that is unforntunate, is there no way we can convince you at all , You have proven to be a rather resourceful and intelligent man afteral " The rep stated as he folded the datapad back into the briefcase , Stepping away as there was no use for the second which was simply full of Eddie chips.
" That is ... unfontunate then ... " The rep stepped away , Turning around and walking back towards his vehicle " Neutralise him "
Raising their weapons , Sebastian crossed his arms behind his back, Squaring his shoulders and spreading his feet slightly. Peering from left to right as he made eye contact with each and every operative present , his confidence clear despite the fact they were aiming their weapons squarly at his chest .
" This is the only time I will make this offer " Sebastian inclined his head slightly, the smile on his face slipping slowly to form a neutral frown " Vacate and abandon this course of action at once "
His gaze swept around once more , Staring through the helmets of those present, Before finally settling on the rep who was now opening the door to his vehicle .
" You may proceed "
Without further ado , The operatives pulled the triggers to their weapons , thunder claps echoing in unison as they blasted everything they had at Sebastian.
Letting out a slow breath , Sebastian's eyes dilated , His features scrunching up slightly before falking once more.
" Very well "
The first bullet to reach stopped abruptly five centimetres from his Torso, Completely unnoticed by the gunmen , As did the next ten , twenty, thirty .
Five long seconds passed before anyone actually realised something was amiss , Noticing their target hadn't fallen and was simply staring directly ahead with a very displeased countenance.
And when their weapons clicked empty , The so sure gunmen took notice of the shivering mass of metal currently suspended infront of Sebastian. ,The hundreds of bullets vibrating against eachother violently as the pushed against eachother , their stored power halted , focussed , causing them to violently vibrate in place as they began to ring a chorus of loud metallic screeches.
" A regrettable series of events " Sebastian unclasped his hands from behind his back , Letting out a slow purposful breath even as the gunmen slowly reached for new mags.
[ Paramaters set ] The key whispered as a series of lines appeared in Sebastian's view ,new trajectories of the bullets that had been fired apon him .
' Release ' A magnetic pulse escaped from Sebastian's sternum as he waved his hand , Causing a localised distortion in electronics that very same moment .
This wasnt the target however , As the screeching bullets over his chest suddenly , and without warning , inverted their paths, Violently exploding in the direction they had come from , Creating a spray of metal that turned everything before them to mulch.
In less than a second , Everything infront of sebatsion was shredded , Exploding apart as the car doors simply exploded apart . Bone , metal and meat exploded into viscera as the converted bullets continued onwards , Passing over the dam where they would strike some distance away .
Even the rep himself wasn't spared , as glass from the car window fell to the ground , The rep slumping against the door of the vehicle , Eyes vacant , he hadn't even registered what had happened before he died. His brain case very open to the world around him as sebastain could see clearly through his skull .
The hum in his chest slowly died down , Turning the scene to utter silence .
" Requesting pickup " Sebastian turned away from the blooded scene , Turning back to the railing , Half lidded eyes simply staring out towards night city .
" Confirmed , Deploying to your location " New hopes AI responded , Launching one of their AV's from their building as it zeroed in on Sebastian's location , Flinging itself across the city at breakneck speeds .
" I shouldn't have thrown them away " Sebastian grunted , Lamenting he had decided he didn't like cigarettes , He could use one right now .
....
" Whats our performance rating at " Sebastian asked , arriving into the command centre of New Hopes main building , A series of screens lining the wall where Benjamin stood , Watching a live feed of several deployments across night city .
" eighty six percent success raiting , steadily climbing the more familiar our teams become with the environment " Benjamin explained , Looking towards a display on the far left , Showing the current list of all employees on duty , their body readings and how well synchronised they were with their machines .
" Very good , Very good indeed " Sebastian smiled slightly, very much pleased by the opening performance of those he trusted to perform in the name of New Hope .
" Should I ask what occurred earlier while you were away " Benjamin wasn't particularly interested in the answer if he was being honest , Rather the scene displayed through the surveillance equipment of their AV's shed light of a scene that was rather... disturbing , What with the couple dozen corpses looking like they had been through a blender .
" Trauma team wished to ... silence us and our efforts , then resorted to forceful neutralisation, I responded in kind " Sebastian exploded simply. Giving a simple nod as he was satisfied by his stop by , Turning away from the screens to face Benjamin once more.
" I will be coming and going for some time . Should anything major occur while I am ... attending to my own business... you know how to contact me ... in the meantime ... I leave the overseeing of new hopes facilities to you ... lead director " With the impromptu promotion , Sebastian turned away , Leaving the stunned Benjamin to do his thing while he himself headed for the elevator , Intent on visiting the laboratory for a moment before heading out.
....
Arriving at his apartment , Sebastian already guessed that Victoria was present in his apartment. Proven true when he entered, Seeing the girl eating a bolt of cereal whilst she watched Frank's trial live on the television.
" Wanna see that fuck go away " Victoria asked as she pointed at the TV , Where a representative was speaking on a podium to a crowd about what happened.
" Not particularly " Sebastian didn't hesitate, He didn't care what happened to Frank, Public opinion was pressing down harshly apon the NCPD , They'd handle it themselves.
" Oh ... " Vicitoria slumped into the couch , Her hands dangling over the back of the couch as she watched Sebastian began to boil water.
" But ... maybe you should go put something nice on ... I'm thinking about heading heywood later ... would you like to accompany me " Sebastian looked over his shoudler , watching Victoria's eyes crease as she smiled , jumping up from the couch as she put the bowl on the table and rushed for the pile of clothes she had started forming at the foot of his bed.
" What should I wear " Victoria called out as she simply picked up the pile and rushed to the bathroom .
" Something casual ... " Sebastian called out , Pouring his coffee before taking a tentative sip , A small satisfied smile coming to his face as the bitter taste collided with his taste buds .
' This is ... something I'm going to have to get used to a bit bitter for my tastes right now ' He cringed slightly , Placing the mug down as he heard Victoria clutter around in the bathroom .
Less than 10 minutes later , Victoria and Sebastian stepped out of the building , Walking past Rebecca and her brother as they each nodded to eachother as they passed .
" Where should we go first " Victoria lay her head on his shoudlers as they stepped into the street , Her candy pink hair falling to the side , smiling in satisfaction .
" Wherever the wind takes us " Victoria looped her arms through Sebastian's left , the two falling in step , a hum of affirmation and something else responding as they just walked with no destination other they heywood in mind .
CHAPTER COMPLETE
I APOLOGISE DEEPLY FOR THE ABYSMAL RELEASE DATES . MY LIFE HAD BEEN GREATLY UPTURNED IN REVENT EVENTS , BUT NOW THAT THINGS ARE SETTLING DOWN I WILL HE STEADILY PICKING UP ON THE SCHEDULING OF NEXT CHAPTERS AND GOING BACK AND EDITING THE STORY .
I THANK EVERYONE FOR THEIR PATIENCE , IF ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS OR IDEAS PLEASE LET THEM HE KNOWN . UNTIL NEXT TIME FRIENDS
NEXT CHAPTER : CLEANSING HEYWOOD