EONS AGO
....
" Daddy " An older sebastian , Maybe mid to late twenties turned to face the little girl standing in the open doorway to his office .
She wore a filtering mask over her face , a hissing escaping its base as it relased the filtered chemicals back into the air as it filtered the impossibly toxic atmosphere plaguing the dying earth.
Sebastian too wore the same mask as the little girl , His warm breath fogging the mask momentarily , Rising , Circling the table where his designs were being rendered on his computer.
" Come here angel " Sebastian knelt down , Opening his arms as she ran into his arms , Scooping her up and holding her flush against his chest " Whats wrong sweety"
" I can't sleep " She responded, her voice a low whisper , Mumbled yet audible through the mask " Its too hot "
" Okay , How about a story " Sebastian walked out of his study , Into the stark white halls that composed his home .
The air was warm , Indicating another leak in the house , Most likely from the southern frame . Corroded from the battering storm that wailed outside even now, as it had for the last three years .
The storms each year grew more terrible . Exceeding a hundred degrees in temperature and rising every year . Chunks of debris would be mixed in with the winds that exceeded 215 mph .
Sweat began to form on his brow , His suspicion confirmed as he stepped into the lounge room , shielding his daughter and immediately stepping out as he was hit by blistering heat , An instant burn forming on his arm as he stepped back into the hallway , No doubt everything in the llungeroom had been melted under the barrage of heat .
" I guess you're going to sleep in my room tonight " He balanced his daughter on his arm and placed his palm against the hand scanner next to the doorframe , Initiating a sealing process that lowered three more layers of reinforced plates , Ensuring the safety of the rest of the house from the lounge rooms breach .
' Its the window ... it's always the window ' He'd have to have it repaired immediately, He personally would have had the window removed , But his wife wouldn't allow for it , citing it helped her work through the stress being able to see outside even if the view was just pelting superheated winds and rains Slamming into the thick glass . And so they had to deal with the occasional breach , which of late had become more and more frequent as of late , And so sebastian had made everyone wear their filtration masks at all times in the house , For the air was no longer breathable when there was a breach , polluting all the air in the house as the air from outside mixed with the internal atmosphere.
" Walking down the hall , He opened another door making sure his back was facing the opening door just incase that room too was breached, Only to slump in relief as chilled air slammed into his back.
Stepping into the bedroom , Sebastian walked towards the sign sized bed within , Lowering the covers as he slid in with his daughter clutched in his hands.
Pulling the covers over himself, Sebastian gently began to stroke her back , the bags under his eyes Contorting as he closed his eyes.
" What story would you like to hear tonight hm " He smiled down , his daughter repositioning herself to get comfier.
" The one with the princess ... " She whispered, And so he spoke . Recalling a story he had long ago remembered every detail about. Not five minutes later her shallow , Laboured breaths were filtered out , She was obviously asleep, And he too fell into slumber not moments after that realisation.
NEXT DAY .
" What are you doing " He was Jostled awake by a smack to the head. Startled awake as he saw his outraged wide standing over him , Still garbed in her work attire , Her mask over her face , Arms crossed .
" I was just resting ... " He began explaining how their daughter came to him in the night , Yet she wasn't in the room currently, His wife shaking her head and turning away .
" We don't have tine for the excuses , The windows repaired , and I'm already Kate, get yourself together and dressed We're running another test for the atmospheric stabilisers " She walked into the walk in closet and began to throw his equipment onto the bed " and I swear to God if you were in that room working on those personal projects of yours again "
That last sentence passed Sebastian off , His gaze darkening momentarily before returning to normal . It wasn't so much a personal project , Rather a life saving project he needed to see done.
Their daughter , When born was born with an incredibly weak constitution especially in this day and age. Her lungs were weak due to emphysema . And the rest of her body's constitution made surgeries a dangerous task , and so her chances of survival were low ... but she lived on , Stubbornly Defying her imposed fate. His wife seemed to accept the potential end of their daughter , Putting it on the back burner in favour of working on her directive of saving the world .
Sebastian on the other hand , As the head of technological development , It's overseer. Routinely delved into old locked or dismissed files for subjects that had become redundant. His latest delve , He found a proposed blueprint for synthetic lungs , And so he took the blueprint and began to tweak and work on the project in a desire to bring it to fruition , Despite his wife's desire to focus solely on their task of saving the world .
' But what's the point of having the world return to what it was ... without my world ' He looked back at his daughter being strapped into her chair within the craft that would be transporting them through the perilous storm , A tank for all intents and purposes .
Seeing his daughter strapped in , She turned to him , A small smile coming to her face as she waved at him , And he waved back with a smile of his own.
" Let's go " His wife sat down beside him , Their chauffeur Inclining his head as they exited the house from what was essentially a hanger for their garage , the heavy winds from outside immediately Tearing apart everything within the hanger as soon as the doors opened .
Immediately the temperature within the cab began to rise , Their daughter huffing momentarily as sebastian reached back and gently stroked her hair .
" Let's get this done quickly , We don't have time to waste " The storm was nearly pitch black despite it being the middle of the day , The smog in the atmosphere absorbing the vast majority of light before it could even reach the surface.
" You okay sweety " Sebastian asked , receiving a nod as he turned back , Reaching for and opening the datapad .
" These designs aren't going to work " Sebastian began only to he silenced by his wife.
" They will ... they have to ... we've spent days with our best men to put this together " He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
" The sheer density of the particles in the atmosphere would smother the filters as soon as they start up ... they're not going to work ... " As the smartest man on earth , He knew he was right , But his wife's ego spoke for itself.
" You don't know what ... " She began to spiel , And this time he did roll his eyes , Closing the tab on his pad and opening his own projects.
" look if you're not going to help then stay out of the way , All I need you to do is be there to witness the activation everything else... " He tuned her out , Of course she didn't actually want him there for his insights it was simply to gloat about her product and to win the favour of the overseers . She was jealous of his status, always coveted his position and did everything she could to supersede his place. Even to the point of going behind his back or turning on him when it wasn't necessary.
' Oh well ' He didn't particularly care , instead he applied the finishing touches to the synthetic lungs designed specifically for his daughter , Sending the blueprints to the lab they were heading to , To he printed and to prime the lab for immediate surgery for his daughter.
' I'll sign off on my presence and the activation , Then I'll head to and perform the surgery , No time like the present ' He looked back at his daughter, Smiling again ' Anything for you sweetheart '
And so they continued on in silence , The transport shuttering every now and then as the howling winds were heard through the cab.
' Not long now '
...
CURRENT DAY
...
Music blasted all around , The atmosphere stained red by the lights being shiny throughout the club .
At the centre of the dance floor, Sebastian and Victoria danced within the crowd before the stage. The maelstrom logo being shon on the ceiling above their heads as they partook in the night's revelry .
The red glowing maelstrom lop hung behind the stage , the inverted skull looking apon the regulars with its everlasting visage.
His shades Jostled from side to side , Glowing irises hidden below the deep black lenses his glasses consisted of .
He reached down , Hands travelling over Victoria's perfectly toned stomach , Her tank top lifting ever so slightly as His fingers crawled up her skin.
She danced against him , Their minds numb , Both affected by the effects of the local drug known as Glitter.
Colours inverted before his gaze , her usually candy pink hair a cascade of the rainbow . Her skin twisted and morphed yet his hands travelled freely .
She rounded , pushing against him as she pressed him against the wall . Without warning he found her tongue in his throat , His hands lowering to cup her ass as her own fingers crawled under his black shirt.
Vision blurred and his sense of time faded , And the next thing he knew .
" WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT BITCH " Victoria threw a devastating right hook directly into the Jaw of a blonde who had disturbed them , Knocking the lady flat on the ground before whirling , Grabbing Sebastian by the wrist and dragging him away from the dance floor.
As they ascended , Sebastian looked across the club floor. Spotting each amd every maelstrom member present , Evening connecting to the subnets camera system to spot the others as Victoria dragged him around to a couch hidden under and behind the stairs into the club.
" Sit the fuck down " Victoria, Very much under the influence, Pushed Sebastian firmly on the couch before planting herself onto his lap , Squeezing her bust to his face , beginning to grind on him .
It wasn't just glitter running rampant through them , It was The drug tinnitus , Created and provided by the favoured band of maelstrom to enjoy their music .
Disconnecting from the camera system , Sebastian committed what he had seen and heard to memory , Having also broken through the ice of many of the maelstrom members and directly copied the data kept in their cyberware for later.
But as Victoria moved to unbuckle his pants , Despite the still somewhat public display, Sebastian found himself not minding so much since as there wasn't any around them in this part of the club.
He lost himself , falling directly into the haze threatening to overcome his senses , And he let himself go , falling to his baser urges under victorias touch .
...
" Where were you " Victoria's mother all but screeched as she entered their abode , Standing with her hands on her hips whilst the candy haired girl moved towards her bedroom.
" out " She mumbled , scratching at her tattooed stomach , stepping past her mother only to feel her mother's hand wrap around the crook of her arm .
" Whats that smell , Where have you been who have you been with. Why are you like this can't you just " Her mother began to prattle on , Rolling her eyes while Tilting to the side .
" Mum can you just leave me alone fuck sake " She wrenched her arm from her mother's grip , Storming the rest of her way to her room as her mother looked back at her aghast .
" You never used to be like this " Her mother followed , Pointing a ladle at her daughter.
" I'm an adult mum , I've got a life of my own to live , not this farce you and dad love to live " She began to open her drawers , Picking out a new bra to wear .
" Young lady you will "
" I WILL WHAT .. JUST LEAVE ME ALONE FUCK OFF ALREADY " Victoria yelled, finally losing her patience at her mother's nagging.
" DON'T YOU RAISE YOUR VOICE AT ME UNDER MY ROOF YOUNG LADY. ILL BE SPEAKING TO YOUR FATHER ABOUT THIS , YOU'RE GROUNDED " Her mother became hysterical the next moment, carrying on about all the punishments she'd be going through now.
" I DON'T GIVE A FUCK , I CANT KIVE MY LIFE WITHOUT YOU BUT I SURE AD SHIT CANT LIVE IT WITH YOU .. YOU'RE SUFFOCATING " Victoria cried out , Slinging her hand over the top of her wardrobe as various objects were flung from its surface.
" IF YOU'RE SO UNHAPPY THEN LEAVE " Her mother cried out , Pointing her ladle at the door.
" Fucking gladly " Victoria mumbled. Shoving past her mother , Heading back towards the front door with nothing but the clothes on her back.
" Young lady where are you going now " Her mother yelled put, looming through the doorway of her room .
" LEAVING ... AS YOU'VE SO POLITELY TOLD ME TO "
" IF YOU STEP OUT THAT DOOR THEN DON'T COME BACK YOU UNGRATEFUL.... AHHH " Her mother stamped down in anger , Only to hear the front door close a moment later .
Her heart hammered in her chest, Her hand rising to her bosum , Calming her breathing with slow deep breaths .
" She'll be back ... she always comes back " Her mother closed her eyes and made one more breath , Adjusting her outfit to head back towards the kitchen where she was preparing her husbands dinner for when he returned from work.
...
" They've finally arrived " Sebastian crossed his arms as three large trucks were delivered to the garage space at the base of NEW HOPE'S HQ .
The militech Behemoths fitted with the most up to date technology provided by militech , Sebastian watched the crews that transported the vehicles disembark the vehicles , Signing off the paperwork whilst handing them to RN02 whom immediately moved to file and copy the paperwork .
Now that the beginning of their fleet of their ground vehicles was now established.
' Two can be used for their intended purposes ... the last one however ' Sebastian promptly singled out one of the three behemoths ' Let's see just what I can do with you '
The Bay they were in was large , A garage space capable of fitting two rows of ten behemoth sized vehicles . Pillars reached up throughout the floor in between each vacant vehicle bay .
Clear white lights bathed the grey coloured vehicle storage bay , with two maintenance bays sitting on either end of the garage.
To the far right was the only garage door to the outside world , Guarded by several Automated drones and security oersonel posted uo at a booth and raised road block.
Finishing analysing the garage , Sebastian turned away and headed for the elevator , Having downloaded the behemoths schematic with a hum .
' Definitely room for improvement here ' Sebastian entered the elevator with RN02 , Mentally tweaking the schematics to pass the time.
....
" Terry I'm worried about D " Officer hews or more known as Stacy hews sat down beside Terry as they ate their lunch .
Terry's lips quirked slightly , It was rather public knowledge within the precinct that Stacy had a certain .... fondness for decard.
" Whats up " Usually the woman was pressed about decard getting close to another officer or being gone too long. But this time it was different.
" He's ... something wrong. He's not ... I speak to him and there's this , Vacant look in his eyes , like he's not really here , and when he is present it's like , they're not the same. Not the same eyes not the same comforting remarks or that small smile he has on his lips when I get jealous. .. There's just this ... wall ... cold detachment where his warmth used to be. .. Terry if you know anything please tell me ... I'm worried sick here " Terry chewed on his lip , Puckering them slightly as he mulled over what she said to him.
" I don't know " Terry began to pull away only to have his hands wrapped up in her own .
" Terry please I have to know " Stacy whispered, Nearly on the verge of tears as she clutched his hand in desperation.
" Alright but please keep it to yourself... " Terry whispered, Leaning in closer " A couple days ago me and D went to investigate a disturbance down in Heywood "
Stacy leant in , Listening closely as she focussed solely on what he had to say .
" Family of four, Three deceased , No signs of breaking and entering , no struggles , son and parents gave their brains leaking out their ears , Only person even remotely alive ... their daughter . D takes her put to the car ready to take her to the hospital , I come out .. little girls in the back of the car , Dead , and D ... pulled her out and held her body until backup arrived. He " Terry didn't look at Stacy any more, rather he was staring into the mid distance, reliving that day .
" He's changed since then. Though ... I suppose it's been coming for a while . Every job we take , every incident, it just ... takes abit out of him , us ... every dead child , ever mauled civilian , Just ... it just robs you of your humanity , over time ... I guess this one was the one that tipped the scale " Terry sighed , Slinking down into his chair .
" He's still there . I know he is , I see it sometimes ... I don't know . He's my best friends , I've known him since we were kids you know . I want to help him I just " Terry stared down at his lunch , Finding Stacy's hand gently closing around his own .
" We'll help him , We'll save him we just need... "
" Oh hey D " Terry suddenly sat up , Stacy freezing mid sentence as she slowly around .
Her gaze rose, Rising up the pristine uniform that belonged to the man she kept in her heart , Eyes finally landing apon his own .
Violet stared down at her unblinkingly , an eery silence passing between the three of them as Decard stared the two down.
Terry sat up , Analysing the new metallic fibres sticking out of decards cheeks.
" Got some new cyberware there huh D , Come on " Terry pulled out the seat at his side , Motioning for D to sit.
" Whatd you get " Decard finally broke eye contact with Stacy, Turning and near Silently walking around the table , sitting down in silence for a moment.
" Just some new neuralware. Makes thinking easier " Decard spoke quickly and to the point , The violet glow of his eyes not meeting their own , Instead focussing on his food as he focussed on eating.
Looking between D and Stacy, Terry thinned his lips , Leaning over and Petting decard on the back .
" Hey d , Got an idea ... what are you doing after work " Terry asked , Giving another clap to the back before pulling back and waiting for an answer.
" Resting ... Why " Decard turned to finally face Terry .
" Let's go out then huh , Just like old times we can hit the town , Hey remember that time in kabuki " Terry attempted to establish dialogue .
" I suppose I have the time " Decard replied, Not quite shooting down the idea.
" Can I accompany you guys " Stacy gave a pointed look to Terry.
" Be our guest "
....
SOLOMON REED
....
Reed stood beside thirteen other people , New potential prospects for NEW HOPES staff gathered up and invited by the company.
" Nervous "Reed walked up to another as they gathered in a stark grey coloured room , Smiling gently at a nervous bespectacled woman whom adjusted her glasses.
" Of course ... This place is ... you know the rumours " Of course he did. The only entity , corporate or not in night city capable of standing up to Apollo on relatively equal footing. Had drawn the attention of most corps in night city , wishing to procure assistance from new hope , to employ their security forces or get their hands on the armour that had fought the scourge of night city , All of which was turned down but the outreach to gain any sort of assistance from new hope remained .
And so he had another task , One Solomon dreaded dearly . Break into new hopes archives and tale the blueprint for the amour and its systems .
" Yea I know what you mean , I'm nervous too " He looked up at the corner of the room to one of the cameras stationed on them , Discreetly turning away . He felt like he was being watched , Always as soon as he stepped into the NEW HOPES facilities. He didn't know why but he had the suspicioun that were already onto him despite being deep cover .
...
" They all passed the vetting process " Benjamin handed the datapad to Sebastian I'm his lab , Shifting nervously as suspended arms were currently tweaking with Sebastian's back , Removing and replacing several nodes along his reinforced spine , slotting in several shards which were immediately covered up by armoured plating.
" hm " Sebastian , Performing his own surgery , Looked over the files , Splitting his focus between both tasks as he studied each file closely .
" Zing ti meng Is an arasaka agent , its an alias ... their name was removed long ago ... " Sebastian approved the agent none the less allowing them onboard much to Benjamin's confusion .
" And Solomon reed ... is a militech sleeper agent " He remotely connected to the room where the potential prospects were currently residing.
...
Solomon twitched slightly as a headache assaulted him , His brow twitching to which he rubbed his head " Argh "
Across the room zing ti meng did the same , neither paying attention to eachother as data was remotely ripped from their cyberware by Sebastian.
...
Tearing the data straight from their neural network and cyberware with clinical use of the MR , Sending out magnetic waves in a wave specifically in their direction. Stripping , copying and transplanting the data that was stored in his targets , Sebastian slammed and inscribed the data into an available port , The data compiling into a usable series of folders containing sorted data.
" Have that gone over , I want both zing and Solomon watched closely ... let then play their games ... realise how out of their depths they are " Sebastian instructed , The final shard being slotted into his hack as the casing for his spine was being replied , His back sewn up and closed with reinforced armoured plating slotting in over the spinal column .
" They're all approved none the less " Benjamin smiled , Inclining his head and accepting the datapad back from his employer , Turning and leaving the lab .
" Father " RN02 entered immediately after , flanked by the two ape like ai kneeling before him as he rose from his surgery chair " Do you wish for me to deal with them "
" No there is no need " Sebastian waved RN02 off , Reaching for and buttoning his shirt up, Hiding his extensive cyberware from view as an sep field manifested around him ,making it impossible to scan his cyberware at all .
" Assistant " Sebastian spoke up , Followed immediately by a red human snapped hologram projecting infront of him , A physical representation of the AI hiding in NEW HOPE'S servers .
" What is your bidding " It spoke , Capable of eloquent and truly complex thoughts now , It's own personality growing more complex the longer it remained housed in the server.
" Zing and Solomon propose an interesting prospect for us. I want then watched not just when they know their being watched , but when they don't... that's when you come in . Monitor all in bound and outbound net traffic from themselves and anything they interact with . If possible establish a link between yourself and their cyberware , create a back door without their notice. They can't know it was me so I leave this task to you " Sebastian ordered, the humanoid hologram flickered out , accepting its tasks as it retook control of the camera network.
" RN02 you will create a false file , research and all . Make it convincing but ultimately useless ... a paper trail for them to follow to their folly " Sebastian looked at a security feed directly at zing and Solomon, A small smile coming to his face as his orange optics burned their faces to memory .
' I am intrigued by this game you have brought before me ... let's make life more interesting ' Sebastian's teeth flashed as RN02 and the ape ai moved away from the lab , Leaving him alone in the chamber as he stared up at the display .
' Now ... ' His eyes became alight as he connected with the subnet ' Let's make some tweaks '
CHAPTER COMPLETE
NEXT CHALTER TO BE REALSED WITHIN 48 HOURS
I hope you guys like this chapter , Of anyone has any feedback or ideas I'm happy to hear them , I love receiving your feedback and comments . Let me know what you think my friends , until next time