“Okay, deploy the security team,” I called out to Thorne, who was beside me with the new security guards we hired behind him.
“Okay, you guys, set up position,” He watched the team file through the door. A minute or so later, he nodded at me. “They’re in position now.”
I issued a command for my SAID to double-check my new implant to ensure the settings were all correct.
“Sounds good. I’m heading in now. No need to notify them.”
Passing by the metal ...
2023-10-11 22:47:33 +0000 UTC
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When I woke up, it felt like only a few minutes had passed since I fell unconscious. Claire was focused on the medical terminal while Thorne was still standing there in the same spot facing me. He quickly noticed me and tapped Claire on the shoulder.
“You’re awake! How are you feeling?”
I sat myself up, “Like every morning, tired. How long was I out for?”
“Just a bit over an hour!” Claire exclaimed.
That wasn’t too much longer than expected…Looking ov...
2023-10-11 22:43:57 +0000 UTC
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I held onto the ledge as I peered through the open window at the two men facing away from me. Off to the side, a man and a woman were kneeling before them.
“Doctor, are you certain that this clinic is worth further investment? I lost a squad already, and this is proving to be quite a hassle. I won’t be able to cover up further damages and if the higher-up finds out, they’ll be hell to pay.” One of the men sitting down facing away from me said as he took a puff from some tube con...
2023-10-11 22:39:27 +0000 UTC
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Claire - Rollo Halls Associate
“Forget it then. Don’t risk exposing yourself and go back to the clinic first.” Rollo, her current boss, dryly commanded.
“What W—”
Before she could voice her complaint, he cut her off, “We’ll be fine. We can still keep in touch while you head back. There’s no point for you to be so close to danger anymore.” Then he hung up.
“Damn it!” She slammed her hand onto the dashboard.
She couldn’t b...
2023-10-11 22:36:15 +0000 UTC
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A few hours later, I picked up Thorne and Claire and we drove off to one of the megabuildings in our district.
“Boss, plug this into the network for a bit and I’ll be able to get access to the cameras.” Claire handed me a small lipstick-shaped device.
“Got it. Remember, don’t leave the car.”
Having warned her, Thorne and I strode confidently into the building and went up to the elevator. There were a few people just hanging out on this floor we went to, but they ...
2023-10-11 22:32:23 +0000 UTC
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The first thing we did when we went inside the clinic was to head straight for the security control room. From the cameras within, we saw about a dozen masked men outside, all armed and wearing ballistic vests who were trying to enter our building. They were only waiting for their vanguard to finish prying open the front doors with a crowbar.
Meanwhile, at the back entrance, there were also two men there, but they didn’t seem to plan to enter the building.
We ensured the turrets...
2023-10-11 22:29:50 +0000 UTC
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One day, when the clinic had just opened, I tinkered around in my new workshop while there weren’t any clients yet.
I placed a pair of boots on the workbench and disassembled it for maintenance. There was barely any wear and tear, which was good news, but it wasn’t flexible enough yet. I needed to expand the programming so that it could account for the change in different surfaces and conditions.
My current skills in software engineering were barely enough to do more than ensu...
2023-10-11 22:25:48 +0000 UTC
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First thing in the morning, I ventured to an electronic store I found online with positive reviews. There was an entire street dedicated to electronics with only pedestrian access, and it was crowded even this early in the day.
Disembarking from the car, I watched it drive off to auto park itself in a nearby parking lot.
Taking in the crowd of people, I couldn’t help but note the cybernetics people had, as it was my current field of work.
I slid past the crowd while follow...
2023-10-11 22:15:01 +0000 UTC
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“Wake up!”
I opened my eyes to the words everyone definitely wanted to hear first thing in the morning.
I don’t think I could ever be a morning riser. Especially when I stayed up late the previous night, setting up the various rooms with the proper equipment and surgical tables.
Hounded by Claire, she dragged me downstairs for breakfast, and to help her direct the delivery of the new furniture along with Thorne, who looked much more energetic than me.
Good thing ...
2023-10-11 07:39:47 +0000 UTC
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Thorne - Rollo Halls Associate
“Stay there and watch, don’t do anything unless I say so or you’re spotted.”
“Yes, sir, I’ll do my best. I think I’m getting the hang of how to stay out of sight.”
For the past month, he had followed his new employer out during the night to hunt down miscreants of society. He had been taught how to stay away from them his entire life, so it was strange to be searching for them instead.
His employer nodded ...
2023-10-11 07:36:03 +0000 UTC
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“How may I help you, sir?” asked the well-dressed salesman with Premier Arms’ pin on his collar.
“I wanted to browse your handguns that have greater armor-piercing capabilities,” I inspected the various models around the shop.
“Of course, sir. Please let me show you some options that meet your specifications,” The salesperson said with a glint in his eyes.
While the man fetched various firearms to show me, I kept an eye on Thorne, who was browsing a distance aw...
2023-10-11 07:34:20 +0000 UTC
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The thunderous loud noise rang out again, though it was quieter this time from inside my car. Seeing nothing but the junkyard around, I moved to a better vantage point to assess the situation.
Cautiously hugging the warehouse, I peeked around the corner to find two men wearing eye-catching red plate carriers in a maroon uniform underneath. They were both facing away from the warehouse, toward the scrap cars piled up. One of them had a hand raised, pointing it toward the rusty vehicles. ...
2023-10-11 07:31:34 +0000 UTC
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Having met up with our reinforcements, Flo’s team, who frankly looked like they needed more saving than us, we returned to the surface level with the entire group without incident.
I witnessed the aftermath of what shook the entire building earlier as there was an enormous hole in the wall, next to the backdoor I entered from was.
Once we were outside, it became a lot more chaotic as the former test subjects went their own way and scattered. Our group immediately went back to ou...
2023-10-11 07:28:26 +0000 UTC
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Once I regained my balance, I quickly left the room. The way was clear as researchers scrambled back into rooms and the guards congregated by the entry points.
I carefully approached a group of guards from behind who were fortifying their position against the staircase I had entered from. There were six of them divided into two groups to form a crossfire.
Once their sergeant finished giving out commands, their attention was entirely on the entry point. I took the opportunity to...
2023-10-11 07:23:02 +0000 UTC
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“Rollo, are you free right now? We could really use your help.”
“Flo? What’s going on?” I put the car back into auto drive to focus on the call.
“An idiot on my team got picked up a few days ago, and we finally located him. The problem is that he is being held in some corp facility, so we can’t just go in guns blazing this time.”
“I’d love to help Flo but I don’t think I can go against some corporation even you’re hesitant to antagonize…”
...
2023-10-11 07:19:07 +0000 UTC
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I was able to return home by early evening after having my new Nova Tech cyberarm installed. When I stepped into the apartment, both Sarah and Caleb sat on the couch, watching TV.
“You guys all good?” I asked as I placed down several bags.
“Yes, we are fine. What did you bring back? The two walked over to sate their curiosity. “Woah, is that a new arm there?” Caleb’s eyes sparkled as he stared at my new arm.
“Yeah, the old one wasn’t in the best of condition ...
2023-10-11 06:58:02 +0000 UTC
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Once I finished what should be the last enemy, I immediately went to examine the rooms near the big, dangerous cyborg I had taken out first.
Unfortunately, with one arm injured, I didn’t have any leeway to leave anyone alive to question, but judging from the reaction of the last group I dealt with, it seemed like he was someone important. I found the dropped key the man had tried to use earlier and unlocked the crate.
Inside the shipping container were neat stacks of crates with...
2023-10-11 06:55:13 +0000 UTC
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Yuri Kasakov - Outland Marauders
“What the fuck is going on, Yuri?” The six-foot-five tall man walked towards Yuri with anxiety in his voice. His face was stoic as always though, likely because he could no longer display any facial expression due to all the augments he had.
“It seems someone attacked the other warehouse, everyone there is dead. We spotted a person running from the scene and a team is chasing them right now.”
“Everyone is dead?! How...
2023-10-11 06:52:24 +0000 UTC
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