Chapter 11: 11 - normal girl
"Antonio. How are you doing.. I hope everything is feeling better now that a couple months have passed.. no reoccurring problems with the equipment or anything?" Dante wanted to get to the point, but didn't want to be impolite to a former client..
["Doctor Ripper.. how nice of you to call.. I have been great.. the first week had some discomfort like you said but after that everything has been going smooth.. but why did you call, is there something you need?"] Antonio wasn't a fool, someone like Dante wouldn't call without a reason..
"Well… it has recently come to my attention that you are a member of a foundation.. and I have had the pleasure of meeting the son of one of the other members.."
["Mhh.. I understand that some of our members can be.. lets say arrogant.. it wouldn't be a surprise for it to trickle down.."]
"Yes… but just moments ago the member, Aali Abadi has interfered in some of my business, causing me to lose valuable time in the Spanish heat if I didn't book a new flight.. now normally I would get the a small pay-out for the inconvenience form the company.. but seeing as to why they did it I thought it more fitting for Aali to pay.."
["What do you have in mind.. I am sure I can help you deal with any issues, or you wouldn't have called.."]
"I was thinking of something light.. lately I have been spending money more regularly, that paired with the new car I have, would seem suspicious to anyone, even if I explain them.. so I have been searching for a company that can cover for me… and it seems like I have found the right one.."
["Tell me.. I can force a transfer within the day, as long as it isn't to costly.."] Dante liked men like Antonio, as they were pragmatic.. Aali wouldn't have bothered to deal with his sons complains if he was any reasonable person.. so losing a small twenty precent of his fortune for it would do him well..
The companies listed under TAO were mostly oil based, but he did have some manufacturing companies under them, like Renault. A French car manufacturing company with a market cap of around thirty billion, Aali owned around halve of the company, holding the mayor share even if all the others banded together..
It was twenty percent of his fortune, but he only profited dividends if he were to hold it.. so the loss was really only superficial to someone who was a billionaire… it would hurt his pride, but something like that was not something he could express if he didn't want to anger Antonio.
"Renault.. I would like the stocks he holds to be transferred.." It wasn't to outrageous of a request even if it would not be accepted without counterweight.
["If I recall, he owns the majority, worth around fifteen billion.. he will not accept it without gaining something…but I can get him a deal to mitigate his anger.."] As expected Antonio knew of things that could make it work.. but that would mean holding a favour over his head..
"I can do something myself if it is to difficult.." Dante didn't want to promise to much..
["What would that entail?"] He was being probed, likely wanting to know the other skills of the miraculous doctor..
"I can shut down his whole building until he agrees.." The stocks he held were valuable but if his system was down for more then a week than it would mean not only losing credibility, but also business..
["That won't be necessary.. but I do trust that you could do something similar to someone else.. if the need arises?"] Dante didn't mind to much.. the security of the net was child's play for someone who experienced the web of cyberpunk..
"Just call when you are in need.. if it is to costly we can negotiate after.." A laugh could be heard coming from Antonio..
["I will hold you on that.."]
Putting down the phone, Dante entered the web once again, to search for any trace of Vibranium… almost all who had Vibranium were no longer operational, but the metal still existed in the black market.. Dante just had to dig deeper.. until he found…
The doors to the jet opened, and the stewardess along with one of the two pilots entered in together.. seeing the client already inside they raised their hands for a handshake..
Dante had closed his search.. holding of on ordering anything until he trusted the source.. and instead focussing on keeping up his appearance…
"Hello, my name is George, I will be one of the pilots that will be flying to New York, and this is.." George gave a firm handshake and brought attention to the young stewardess at his side..
"Hi, my name is Trisha, if you need anything you can call me.." This jet had more amenities than the original jet didn't.
"Its nice to meet the two of you.. I do hope that we can leave soon as I have already been delayed.." The crew likely didn't know of what happened to him, but did know that the they were expected to be on the plane as soon as possible..
"Of course sir.. I will prepare to take of the moment the other pilot arrives.." The pilot left to the cockpit, leaving Trisha with Dante..
"So mister Ripper, what can I do for you.. some coffee, tea, maybe some alcohol?"
"Some tea would be nice.." Tea in cyberpunk wasn't really that delicious.. tasting more like chemicals then herbs..
"Want something to go along with the tea?" Trisha went to the front of the plane, preparing some tea.
"You may choose.." After a while Trisha arrived with a nice cup full of hot water and two boxes, one with teabags and the other with all kinds of snacks..
As Dante was enjoying the tea and snack the last pilot arrived, complaining in Spanish about how he didn't get enough sleep..
The reason Dante could understand him was because of the auto translator that almost everybody had, except for maybe the Buddhist monks…
Seeing him sitting with tea in hand the second pilot came to greet him.
"Mister Ripper.. it is a pleasure to meet you.." Dante looked at the pilot approach with his arm stretched for a handshake..
He set down his cup and crossing his arms. "Its nice to meet you to.. and I do hope your lack of sleep doesn't slow us down.."
"ah.. of course it won't.." The pilot looked somewhat surprised, but got the message and went to the cockpit to get the last things ready for take off.
Trisha who could hear the conversation approached Dante who had finished his tea..
"You know Spanish mister Ripper?" It wasn't extremely uncommon to see a Spanish speaking American, but most didn't see the need to expand their language past English..
"I know many languages.. but I rarely use them.." Dante simply didn't have the need, any person in cyberpunk had the same translator allowing everyone to speak in their native language..
"Oh that's a shame.. anyway we will be tacking off any minute now, the pilots are just waiting for the runway to clear." Dante nodded, waiting for the plane to leave as he relaxed into his seat.
Seeing Trisha leave, Dante decided to get back on the web.. closing his eyes to not be seen as a dead fish, he re-entered where he previously was..
-
He had found a source for black market Vibranium.. the sad thing was that he could only get it through a smuggler in Africa, so either he needed to go to Africa himself or he needed to send someone to bring it..
That paired with the extreme price he had to pay in advance caused scrutiny..
Dante decided to hold of on purchasing something that he couldn't get to him.. He still had projects on his hands now that needed his attention, and going on many business trips would just slow progress on the rest
He could simply wait and see for the time being, for any other sources of Vibranium.. either found outside of Wakanda like the Vibranium captain America's shield, or a source on the black market that could deliver outside Afrika..
Either way he was in no rush.. his current cyberware would put him leagues above anyone that wasn't a powerful mutant, and even then it would be a coin toss on who had the upper hand..
Thinking off the mutant, Dante decided to check in on them, he hadn't seen them for a couple of months and wasn't really focused on the news containing them, as he was focusing on getting the eternal's core out of Kingo..
What he found was quite shocking.. A new branch of a pharmaceutical company developed a 'cure' for mutants.. researching into it he found that he himself had helped find some of the security leeks of the new branch.. Gaining access through the smaller holes as to not alert anyone he crossed records and files filled with data of the supposed 'cure' but seeing as how it was made caused Dante to doubt its effects..
The 'cure' they hade made came from the gene of a other mutant that suppressed others x-gene in the persons vicinity.. and they made the 'cure' using that persons blood which contained the X-gene that suppressed other x-gene's.. but just like any other cells. X-gene's were replaced with time.. so either they found a way to make gene's non aging, or the effects were temporary..
Apparently the US was quite turbulent right now.. no mayor news sites really talked about anything but the positives of the cure, glossing over the apparent uprising.. The FBI seemed to treat the situation completely differently from the media, apparently actively searching for the base of a mutant uprising with the help of a new informant..
Now that he saw her report, informant wasn't really the right word.. Raven Darkhölme also know as Mystique, a mutant with the ability to alter her body and shapeshift into anyone who had recently been captured after being left behind on a raided prisoner transport were she was a 'guest'..
Dante couldn't help but get interested in her blood.. she was in principle the perfect mutant to extract the x-gene from, and now that she didn't have that power he could even look into reawakening it by either removing the 'cure' or overpowering it through other means..
Contacting her wouldn't be hard for him.. she didn't have a phone but she was currently in a interrogation room with a camera and speakers mounted inside..
Gaining access to the camera, Dante first put up a repeat recording of the last hour, and took over the speakers..
-
Raven Darkhölme, better know as Mystique was inside of a interrogation room, she had been left there after giving her testimony.. she would be free to go after they had confirmed her information, as that was the trade she had made..
As she was idle wondering about what her future would bring a voice came over the intercom..
["Miss Raven?.. how nice it is to meet such a unique person.."] A voice could be heard coming from the speakers in the room..
"Who am I speaking to?" the introduction the person gave hinted that they hadn't met each other before..
["While I would love to introduce myself.. it will have to wait, until we meet in person.. only if you are interested of course.."] The voice was strangely robotic, as if the speakers were having problems picking up the right frequency..
"What would I be interested in.." She had completed her revenge.. on someone she considered close, but abandoned her the moment she wasn't one of them anymore..
["Your powers.. or do you want to life without them for a couple of years?"] a offer like that seemed impossible..
"How.. What.. a couple of years?!" She didn't know what the other person was talking about.. getting her powers back, was that even possible..
["Yes I can get you your powers back, if we meet in person.. or you can wait and life like a normal human for a century or two and then get them back.."] That didn't sound like a couple of years.. but at the same time, hearing that even if she didn't want to work with him that she could still recover her powers.. eased her somewhat..
"Where do we meet?" the possibility of gaining her powers was too appetising for her.. losing them seemed like it had ruined her life, but now..
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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