Chapter 120: The Visit
A black Rayfield Caliburn roared like a metallic beast as its accelerator was pushed to the maximum, causing its tires to screech against the pavement. Trying to get as far away as possible from Night City's Landfield and the tide of Cybersycos chasing them. No matter how many streets they turned onto or how many they left behind, more were waiting for them on the adjacent streets.
In front of the car's front windshield, right in the middle of what should be the driver's normal field of view, there were a pair of boots with their metallic parts illuminated by several blue lights, as their magnetic function was activated, enabling the owner to cling to the moving sports car while firing their two Malorian 3516.
One black and silent, firing smart bullets that elegantly serpentined through the air, pursuing their targets like nocturnal predators. The other one silver and noisy, obliterating everything in its path with a thunderous boom.
The recoil was so intense that only Sora's black cybernetic arm could handle consecutive shots. Unlike his black Malorian, the shots were so smooth that it almost seemed as if it were considerate with his injured left arm.
Sora, despite the continuous fire from his two Malorians against the seemingly never-ending wave of cyberpsychos, turned to the person who was also shooting at their pursuers, half out of the car through the passenger window, and yelled amidst the chaos, "I TOLD YOU THIS WAS A TRAP! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"
Morgan responded with a mixture of anger and frustration, "MY FAULT? THIS IS ONLY BECAUSE THAT THING IS DETERMINED TO KILL YOU!"
Sora, swaying due to the young driver's abrupt movements, shouted while firing, "YOU LAUGHED AS MUCH OR MORE THAN I DID. WE SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT MAX TAC!"
Morgan replied ironically, "WELL, I'VE CALLED THEM AS YOU WANTED... YOU'RE WELCOME."
Amidst the chaos, Matthew, the nervous 14-year-old driver with half of his face covered by a helmet, resembling a mix between a racing and military aircraft helmet, cried out, "GUYS! I NEED HELP UP FRONT!"
Erasing his nervous but excited smile, even in these circumstances, by being synchronized with Morgan's Rayfield Caliburn. When about 120 meters ahead, more Cybersycos emerged from the sewers, blocking their path, aiming their dangerous cyberware made from scrap metal toward them.
"MORGAN! HOW FAR IS MAX TAC?" Sora asked, thinking it wouldn't be a bad time for reinforcements to show up.
Morgan checked the distance once more and replied, "NOT CLOSE ENOUGH, KID, IT'S UP TO YOU! WORK YOUR MAGIC!"
"DAMN! THIS IS THE LAST CHARGE I'VE GOT, DO YOU HEAR ME?" Sora responded, tucking his two Malorians under his jacket. He then raised and held his black cybernetic arm forward as if aiming it like a weapon.
Revealing the last of the three expensive batteries he had left at the end of his forearm. When activated, the interior of his cybernetic arm lit up, and various compartments filled with Xenon gas while multiple lenses synchronized with nanometric precision. Sora added, "I'M SENDING THE BILL TO LAZARUS!"
"SEND IT TO NIGHT CORP!" Morgan replied.
As Sora's illuminated arm began to release violent electrical discharges, and the noise of the compartments ceased, Sora opened his black hand, revealing a large lens in his palm. It began to glow brightly as it released all the energy stored in his arm in a violent, flashy blue flash that moved as Sora moved his arm, cutting/fusing the Cybersycos blocking their path in half, leaving both ends that were in contact with Sora's powerful laser flash red-hot.
The pavement bore a burning and molten mark, like a radiant scar. At the same time, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief after Sora's impressive laser attack, thinking they had finally cleared the way. Matthew, connected to the car and monitoring the rear cameras, detected something unsettling.
Two Cybersycos in a row connected the cyberware on their right arms, creating a strange configuration resembling a large-caliber cannon. The one in front knelt to act as a tripod, while the one behind aimed the strange combination of cyberware, looking like a powerful antimatter rifle of a large caliber.
Without wasting time, Matthew instinctively maneuvered the Rayfield Caliburn to dodge the imminent shot with a sudden and violent maneuver, successfully moving the occupants of the Caliburn from the path of the powerful projectile fired from the antimatter rifle. It impacted instead on one of the rear wheels, separating the right rear wheel from the axle with an explosion that made the car wobble, generating a shower of sparks from the rear.
Morgan sat back in the passenger seat and, taking advantage of one of Matthew's turns while trying to control the car, extended his arm through the window. Then, when a direct path was created, he shot with precision.
The bullet flew through the air, entering the mouth of the huge cyberware cannon made of scrap, making it explode and causing its two users to disappear in the violent explosion of their own cyberware.
The Rayfield Caliburn, with one less wheel and sparking against the pavement, began to lose speed, allowing the Cybersycos chasing them to quickly close the gap. With the situation becoming more dangerous as they got closer. Sora, while firing, shouted, stating the obvious over the noise of the car scraping the pavement, "WE NEED A NEW VEHICLE!"
Morgan struggled to accept the abandonment of his car. He gripped the collar of Mathew's coat, still synced with the car, and just as he was about to shatter the windshield to hurl Mathew towards Sora, so they could escape while he stayed behind to buy them some time... Eco, perched on Sora's shoulder, started barking enthusiastically,"¡Wa-af, whaf, waaf!"
Morgan halted, raising an eyebrow, and inquired; "WHAT DID THE DOG SAY?"
Sora, somewhat incredulous, replied as he continued to shoot, "HE SAID THAT... 'NOT TO WORRY, HE HAD CALLED A FRIEND'"
-
One hour earlier.
Amidst the silence in the room, as they couldn't believe how the Netrunner had turned into a cyberpsycho before their eyes, Sora, while smoking, said right in front of the Netrunner, who was now pounding the glass with blood, "Interesting, isn't it?"
A few seconds later, after overcoming the initial shock, Sienna instructed the two operators, "Cut the signal!"
By doing so, the frantic pounding ceased, and the Netrunner, injured in the head, collapsed unconscious to the floor.
Sienna instructed her assistants to transport the Netrunner back to the infirmary, and with her gaze fixed on the blood staining the glass, asked; "How is it possible that a simple melody can control someone?"
Morgan, who had witnessed the dangerous influence of the signal, kept silent, waiting for Sora to respond. With his encounter with the Master in the BD fresh in his memory, Sora explained, "It's not the melody itself... it's the traces of scattered code they couldn't identify." While speaking, Sora turned to the two operators and added, "Show her."
Within moments, on the one-way glass in the room, several windows filled with code appeared. Two of them displayed the Cyberware's software and the Netrunner's IDn. The third window revealed new lines of code that had activated upon hearing the melody. These lines were composed of fragments of code hidden in the IDn's software and Cyberware, merging with the remnants of unidentified code.
Sora continued to elucidate, "The Netrunner didn't become a Cybersyco because of the melody but due to this code." He pointed at the third window on the glass. "This code immobilizes the consciousness of the infected person, takes control of the body, simulating the symptoms of cybersicosis. Normally, it connects to the network to receive orders, but in this case, the code already had a predefined command: to leave no loose ends, compelling it to end his own life."
Sooner or later, when you release it, it may happen during everyday situations – perhaps while taking a public elevator and hearing the background music, or waiting at a traffic light for the signal to change, and behind the beep to cross. The melody could be concealed in any of these scenarios, acting as a trigger that would lead them to end his life, just as he attempted now."
Morgan, who had been listening attentively in silence, asked, "How do you know all this? The code is encrypted, unreadable."
"One part assumption, the other... I know because the 'Master' tried to use it on me within the BD," Sora responded.
"The Master?" Morgan inquired.
"Yes, the one behind the Night Corp attacks," he revealed.
Morgan, more concerned about the dangerous code than it seemed, asked, "Do you know him?"
"Yes, the first time was in Night City's Landfill, where Masther proclaimed themselves as the owner..." Sora took a small breath before recounting his encounter with Masther and the subsequent exchange of threats with them.
-
35 minutes after finishing recounting his encounter with the Master, and after, despite his warnings and complaints about it being a trap, Morgan rejected the reinforcements suggested by Sienna from Night Corp.
"Are we really going to enter this place? All the Night City drifters know how dangerous it is, especially at night!" Mathew said, clutching his backpack tightly, just as Morgan's Rayfield Caliburn, with the four of them in, entered the dirt road leading to Night City's Landfield.
"What have you heard about this place, Mathew?" Sora asked from the copilot seat of the crowded Caliburn.
Mathew looked out the windows and said, "I was too young back then, but in my first year on the streets, I remember that drifters used to roam the Landfield looking for something to sell for some Eddies. But around my second year, they stopped when people who went in didn't come out, especially at night. About half a year ago, a rumor started circulating that; people like us, who had nothing, could find anything we wanted if we met him."
Growing increasingly concerned, Morgan asked to confirm, "With who, kid?"
"With the Landfield Master. Even younger kids than me went looking for him and never came back," Mathew replied.
With a mixture of a grunt and a sigh, Morgan stopped the car and said out loud, "Voice command, automatic system, security mode."
A few seconds later, the car's robotic voice confirmed the order through the speakers, saying, "Voice recognized. Command accepted. Executing security mode. Destination 'Hotel Continental' established."
"Kid, if something happens, take this coin and go into the building the car takes you to. Tell them I sent you, and they'll give you a room, alright?" Morgan said, tossing one of Lazarus's gold coins to Mathew as he exited the car.
"No, wait! I don't want to leave you here!" Mathew exclaimed.
"Calm down, Mathew. I don't think anything will happen to us. If I were you, I'd be more worried about being alone in this spooky place." Morgan joked as he closed the door, causing Mathew to realize his position and nervously look at the eerie, dimly lit areas around the car, intermittently illuminated by the flares of the gas extractors, surrounding the Landfield.
Sora bid farewell to the paranoid Mathew as he exited the car, and headed to the Calibur's trunk, where Morgan was equipping himself, concealing his rifles and long arms under his trench coat. Sora had some suspicions but wanted to be sure, so he asked, "Why didn't you accept Night Corp's reinforcements?"
As Morgan reloaded his multiple weapons and grabbed more spare magazines and a few extra grenades from the trunk, he said; "What do you think Night Corp would do once they secure the source of the signal and can study the code? Sell it to some government? Another corporation? Or maybe... use it on Night City's citizens? I can see them doing it, or at least using it on the less fortunate residents in the conflict zones, arguing it's for everyone's safety and well-being..."
After considering Morgan's words, Sora asked, "So, do you plan to destroy it...?"
"Something like that. If I could, I'd like to get an unencrypted sample of the code to learn how it works and how to defend against it. According to Night Corp's operators, with the type of encryption they mentioned, without the key, the code would be wiped," Morgan explained.
"So, Lazarus wouldn't use that technology to his advantage?... I doubt it," Sora's skeptical comment was interrupted by a loud noise.
When Morgan forcefully closed the trunk and, before responding, looked seriously at Sora, he said, "I don't care what you believe, kid."
"Oh! So, you're not trying to recruit me anymore? I thought you'd tell me the story of how Lazarus isn't what I think and how a war is coming and all that jazz..." Sora retorted.
"No, the situation has changed. I have more important things to worry about now," Morgan said as he checked his weapons for the last time.
"What do you mean?" Sora inquired.
"I mean that the reason I thought I was in Night City has changed. I don't know how that woman did it, but somehow she must have known when she sent me to Night City," Morgan replied enigmatically.
Sora, puzzled, began, "Morgan, what are you-"
Before he could finish, Morgan cut him off, saying, "You mentioned it yourself when you referred to the Master as 'it' at Night Corp. I'm sure something capable of creating a code like that... isn't human. This case has started to stink of AI, and, from my experience, one of the dangerous, one from behind the wall. And that fearsome woman, the Boss of Lazarus's, somehow knew it and sent me here... to eliminate the problem at its root."
"I... have doubts that the Master is an AI," Sora added; "He claimed to have memories of running Night Corp."
"..." Without changing his gut feeling, Morgan eventually responded, "And you believed him?"
"Why would he lie about that?" Sora replied, trusting the Master's statement.
"If he's human, why would he believe that he could become whole by attacking Night Corp's servers?" Morgan's rhetorical question failed to convince Sora, who continued to gaze at him. Morgan sighed and added; "Perhaps it's not lying and it's some old AI they used to run Night Corp before the Datakrash."
-
At the same time, in a private room at the Parkview Tower Penthouse.
An elegant elderly woman with gray hair, aged gracefully by time, was engaged in a video call with a blonde woman sporting icy blue eyes.
"Sienna has informed me about how your two agents, the ones who had been avoiding her for days, immediately departed on their own once they were informed of their mission, heading straight to the supposed location of the 'Master' I told you about," the elderly woman expressed.
["Knowing Morgan, it doesn't surprise me that he's been playing all this time. From the way you describe it, you haven't met them yet. Do you still want them to search for... his servers?"] inquired the blonde woman with icy eyes and an unyielding demeanor.
"It depends on whether they can stop the culprit or not. Since the beginning of it's attacks, I've been worrying about his servers... that he's been hiding them even from me... even in death, he keeps bothering me with his eccentricities," she replied.
["You've always been elusive when I ask about them, but I'll have to ask once more; what do his servers contain that worries you so much?"]
With an enigmatic smile, pondering the secrets within the private servers constructed and hidden in the city by Richard Night, Miriam answered, "They hold the essence of Night Corp, or you might say, the one of the city itself."
Boss responded with a tired sigh upon hearing her obscure answer, stating, ["Ahmm... As enigmatic as always. Well, if there's anyone capable of uncovering something like that, I can't think of anyone other than Morgan to do it."]
"Oh! It's rare to hear you speak so highly of someone, my dear. I also hope that a legend like him can pull it off, but so far, the one who has surprised me the most is your new recruit."
With another sigh, this time filled with exasperation even before meeting him, Boss replied, ["I've heard about it and seen the footage of his confrontation with Smasher in the middle of the gala..."]
"Yes, that surprised me too, but I'm referring to-" Miriam couldn't finish her sentence when Richard Night's hologram appeared in her room and said, ["Miriam dear, Sienna has just arrived to inform you personally about the situation and what the agents of Lazarus have discovered regarding the culprit's modus operandi."]
Miriam affectionately acknowledged the hologram of Richard before turning to Lazarus's leader and bidding her farewell, "It seems we'll have to postpone our conversation for another time. I hope it won't have to be too soon..."
-
Back in Landfield,
A distorted voice from his helmet said, "Here it is."
The other person accompanying him skeptically asked, "Is it here?"
With the same distorted voice, Sora repeated, "Here it is..." until he noticed something on the ground, "Hm?" that caught his attention.
"Did you really meet them here? There's nothing here!" Morgan exclaimed, visibly annoyed by the desolate and foul-smelling place Sora had led him to.
Ignoring Morgan's complaints, Sora approached a large concrete block buried in the ground and closely examined the hole, filled with small concrete fragments, as if someone had emptied a shotgun magazine into it to retrieve something inside, leaving something in its place that appeared to have been unearthed.
After scanning the area and the worn-out tracks in the dirt around the concrete block with his nanobots, Sora saw, on his helmet visor, a holographic simulation of two figures dragging Greyson's body into the Landfield
While Sora investigated and searched for clues, Morgan got distracted, kicking some of the metal plates on the concrete block with his foot. He stopped when he noticed one with an inscription, possibly made with a knife, which piqued Morgan's curiosity as he read the improvised epitaph:
[In this desolate place rested the remains of a Legend, a Rocker, an Asshole, and also... a Father. Now the body of one of those who put him here rests.]
Morgan was surprised to learn where the 'asshole' of Johnny had ended up after the assault on the tower. And smiled at the thought of the "asshole" of his son gotten him out of here.
"Oi, useless old man, I've got something," Said the "asshole" Son, earning a sour look from Morgan, as he covered the improvised epitaph again with a kick to one of the metal plates.
"What have you got?" He asked as he approached Sora who was squatting down, with his left arm still pinned in a splint. "Drag marks heading in that direction" Sora replied as he stood up and pointed towards the path between the mountains of debris in front of him.
Morgan first looked at the partially erased dirt tracks and then at Sora before saying, "If you say so..." Unable to see any traces in the Landfield's darkness, illuminated only by the distant lights of the city and the gas extractors' flames. Morgan then added, "Oh, the fucking stench," taking out two small cylindrical nasal filters from his coat and inserting them into his nostrils.
"Eco, light the way," Sora said, with the filters on his helmet activated since they entered the dirt road leading to the Landfield.
"Woof!" Eco, perched on Sora's shoulder, barked as his eyes illuminated brightly like two powerful flashlights, casting light several meters/feets down the dark path.
"Ooh-" Morgan's amazement was interrupted when Sora, not yet finished, raised his metallic arm to allow one of the Fool crows that had been following them to land on it.
"Fool, keep an eye on Mathew in the car, okay?" When he finished, Sora helped the raven in his arm to take off, as Fool responded to his creator's request with an energetic "Kaah!" caw.
Observing Sora's pets' display, Morgan inquired, "Hey kid... how much one of those cost?"
Sora smiled under his helmet and replied "These two are unique; they're priceless." As he began to follow the worn traces of dragging between the piles of waste. Prompting Eco to respond with an enthusiastic bark "Whaf!" while nodding his little head in agreement at Sora's high appraisal.
Without receiving an answer, Morgan, while taking out a small rectangular flashlight and magnetically attaching it to his coat's shoulder, commented, "I don't need anything fancy, as long as it's armed to the teeth it's good enough for me."
After a few minutes of following the drag marks on the ground and with more eyes on them, Sora took the opportunity to ask, "Hey, Morgan, do you know a guy named Patrick Bale from Militech?"
Sora's seemingly casual question made Morgan come to a sudden stop and ask with a touch of resentment creeping into his voice, "Where have you heard that name?"
Somewhat surprised by Morgan's reaction, Sora honestly replied, "I read it in the transcript of the conversation that Mayer's son had in a panic with this Patrick guy after my accusations at the Gala regarding the Blackaquila."
"Hmm," Morgan recalled the alarming connection that the President's son seemed to have, which he intended to inform about, to mark Andrew Myers a person of interest inside of Lazarus.
Morgan suddenly realized the implications of Sora's words, which made him exclaim fearfully, "Kid... you haven't hacked into the President's son, have you?" Aware of the dangerous team of the Federal Intelligence Agency (FIA) guarding the digital and physical security of President Rosalind Myers and her family.
In response to Morgan's accusation, Sora indignantly said, "Are you crazy!? Of course not..." calming Morgan, until he added, "A friend did it. Imagine the look on my face when I found out."
Morgan stopped again, opening his eyes in disbelief at what he had just heard, causing Sora to point at his face with a finger and say, "Exactly, that's it! That's the same expression I had when I found out... nice work Morgan!"
He had to put his hand on his face and rubbed his tired eyes, then asked seriously, "Have you actually hacked a Mayers' IDn?"
Sora responded with the same seriousness, "No..." calming Morgan again, thinking it was one of his jokes, until he added, "She hacked something else... and it happens that 'that' something was connected to the President's son's encrypted pad, with which he had a conversation with this guy, Patrick."
Knowing how vengeful the young man before him could be, Morgan assumed that he had probably hacked the Blackaquila, with the intention of stealing it from Militech, just as they did with his holographic technology. Morgan sighed before asking, "Do you have a copy of the transcription?"
"Of course! But are you going to tell me who this Patrick guy is?" Sora replied.
"Imagine the embodiment of the corporate world in flesh and blood, cold, intelligent, with zero empathy, and insatiable ambition; that's the kind of person Patrick Bale is, one of the most important and authoritative executives within Militech," Morgan thought so low of Patrick that he wouldn't be surprised if Patrick had a few decapitated heads in his freezer.
"So... an old school psychopath" Sora concluded after hearing Morgan's description, unable to resist adding while moving his cybernetic arm as if he were naming a movie title: "New American Psycho" using the "New" from "New United States of America" as a silly double entendre.
Morgan chuckled, being old enough to catch the reference, somewhat surprised that the young Sora in front of him knew that old movie. He added, "Do you know what the Sandevistam creator's last name was?"
"I thought Sanders was his last name, but based on your question, I assume it was his first name... so I'll say it was 'Bale.' So, Patrick is his son?"
"Stepson, as I said. He's clever; he took his stepfather's last name shortly after he died, knowing it would open many doors. I never liked him. I still believe he was the one who killed his stepfather, and my suspicions against him were the reason I got promoted/fired from Militech shortly after the assault on the Arasaka Tower in Night City, sending me to Lazarus as Militech's representative."
"Yeah some of that says in conversation" Sora added.
"Come on, give me a copy. It seems... we're running out of time," Morgan said, aware of the eyes on them and how as they delved deeper into the landfill, more shadows moved over the piles of waste.
"Sure," as he didn't have any more chips with him, Sora sent the transcription Cortana had managed to "acquire" sending it directly to Morgan's IDn.
-
Andrew: [Patrick! He knew! He knew as soon as he saw it!]
Patrick: [Relax, Andrew. Tell me what happened.]
Andrew: [The mercenary knew... he knew that the Blackaquila designs were from behind-... they weren't ours.]
Patrick: [Huh? Interesting, but why does it matter that a measly mercenary knew?]
Andrew: [Measly?! He... he defeated Smasher, damn it! He approached amicably, until he threatened me to "cut the grass" for my dealings with them...]
Patrick: [What the hell was the security team doing? Did it happen in front of the General Lee? Her finding out could bring us problems.]
Andrew: [Yes, she was present! On the way to the hotel, she hasn't stopped asking me questions! The security team received the order from Morgan Blackhand, the person General Lee herself had chosen as the team leader. After what happened afterward when Smasher lost control... it seems that Blackhand and the mercenary know each other, so I asked... it seems the mercenary is a new Lazarus Agent.]
Patrick: [The annoyance of Blackhand again, and Lazarus, huh? We sent Morgan when he was of no use to us, as Militech's representative... but whatever he's doing in Lazarus, it seems they've gained the loyalty of the old Morgan...]
Andrew: [That's why I'm telling you I can't keep accepting... their help. General Lee will undoubtedly inform Mother about this!.]
Patrick: [Calm down, Andrew. You can always count on me. This is just something unexpected. For now, let's focus on what's in front of us. Concentrate on the Aquila project. Once it's completed, we'll decide what you want to do, okay?]
Andrew: [Okay...]
Patrick: [Take your sister and the Blackaquila to these coordinates. It's a heavily guarded Militech base under my command, 45 miles from Night City. I've prepared everything so that your sister has everything she needs to work on the project. And about your mother, don't worry. Maintain your version regarding the satellite and the deal with the Nomad clan. If they ask anything else, just mention me, alright?]
Andrew: [Yes... thank you, Patrick.]
Patrick: [Hahah, Andrew, don't worry, that's what we're here for. With our help, you'll reach heights that neither your mother nor grandfather reached!]
-
After finishing reading it, Morgan frowned for a moment before refocusing. Aware that they were surrounded, and how the number of onlookers was increasing with every step. Though both appeared indifferent, they kept their hands close to their weapons, ready to draw them at any moment.
That moment didn't take long to arrive when the people who had been watching them finally revealed themselves. But instead of attacking, they remained still and silent. Their eyes seemed vacant behind their fixed gazes, observing from the top of the garbage heaps, creating an unsettling feeling that sent shivers down Morgan and Sora's spines.
Their numbers continued to grow, rising above the trash mountains that surrounded them, surpassing a hundred. Sora, raising his silver Malorian, turned slightly toward Morgan and quipped, "Regretting not bringing reinforcements yet?"
Morgan, keeping his gaze fixed on them, replied cautiously, "Why aren't they attacking?"
Morgan's question received an unexpected response from the more than a hundred people, who moved one of their arms in unison, some with bizarre modifications made from garbage, such as large axes up to their elbows or disproportionately massive gorilla arms, all pointing in the same direction, like a chilling invitation into the heart of the Landfield.
"It's a trap!" said the "Commander" Sora.
"No shit Captain Obvious!" Mogan exclaimed.
"It's 'commander,' for your information," Sora responded, twirling his Malorian on his finger before holstering it under his jacket and heading toward the trap they were being invited into.
The two continued walking, passing through several areas covered in garbage, serving as a sort of camouflage that made Sora understand why, despite sending several Fools to investigate, they couldn't find a trace of their base.
Both arrived in front of a massive garbage mountain, with various antennas of different styles protruding from the top. All of them were partially covered with trash to shield them from the prying eyes of any AV or drone flying over the Landfield.
The mountain had no apparent entrance until something moved from within, causing the rusted metal plates camouflaged among the garbage to reveal a circular entrance, resembling a cave's entrance.
Upon entering, Sora instructed Eco to stop illuminating due to the dim cave lighting, with walls and ceilings covered in cables of various thicknesses, all originating from within the cave.
Following them, Sora and Morgan reached the interior of the mountain, where the walls and ceilings opened into a massive dome made of trash and rusted metal, with hundreds, if not thousands of cables converging at the center, without anything connected to them...
Just when they thought the room was empty, a voice echoed from the back, "You've arrived earlier than I expected... at first, I thought of letting the 'Empties' take care of you, but I changed my mind, we can fill that time with a conversation."
Sora and Morgan acted in the same manner, drawing their Malorians
-Colts, respectively, and aiming at the figure who spoke, with the body of a dead man.
"I'm not the biggest Greyson fan, especially since I'm the one who 'delta' him, but even I dislike what you've done with him," Sora said when he saw "Greyson" walking again.
With dozens of cables, like the ones filling the room, directly connected to his head in an unpleasant manner, with the cables passing through his skull as if most of his brain had been removed.
"Look where I live... I just make the most of every resource at my disposal, even if they're... used." 'Greyson' replied, opening his arms to emphasize the space around him as he walked upright.
"'Empties'? The Master, I assume," Morgan intervened, still aiming his Colt.
"That's what humans called me when they found me, and you, must be the Legendary; Morgan Blackhand, right? As for the 'Empties' that's the name I gave to the consciousness-less bodies of the humans outside" the Master declared, and observing how Sora and Morgan tightened their grip on their weapons upon hearing his words, he added calmly, "You don't need to look at me that way."
"Really, I just tried to help them. Taking them into incredible stories where they were the successful protagonists, unlike their continuous failures in everyday life, or I reunited them with the lost relatives they had," the Master continued, with his hands crossed behind his back.
"However, like everything in this world, there's a price. When consciousness leaves the human body for too long, bit by bit... it starts to fade slowly, as if one can't exist without the other, leaving the body... 'empty'... Isn't it almost poetic?" the Master commented with a polite melancholy. Then, with apparent regret, he added, "It's a pity that it's like that. But, since I helped them, I still take my payment by keeping their empty bodies."
Morgan, feeling disgusted by what he heard, went straight to the point and asked the Master, "I won't beat around the bush, what are you?"
Unperturbed by the weapons pointed at him, the Master walked calmly around the central column of cables and replied, "Does it really matter what I am?"
Morgan calmly retorted, "It depends on what you are; that will dictate how we proceed."
Seemingly surprised, the Master asked, "A bit unfair, don't you think? And what do you think I am?"
Morgan continued, "Just by looking at you, I wouldn't hesitate to call you an artificial intelligence, but this young man insists that you might still be human in some way. If you are, we could help you, but if you're an AI..."
Before Morgan could finish his sentence, 'Greyson' interrupted, "I'll be destroyed."
Morgan nodded and argued, "Yes, given what we've seen outside with your 'Empties' and your recent attacks on the servers, it seems that human lives hold no value to you."
"Of course, they have value to me, a low one, but they do. Are you really going to be the ones to judge me? You who dedicate yourselves to killing? One of you has so much blood on his hands that he might as well drown in it." Replied the Master in an indignant tone.
Sora, who had been silent until that moment, said to Morgan, "If you think about it, he's right. With all the people you've brushed aside in your hundred years, you could probably fill a swimming pool with their blood."
Morgan'sgaze seeming like he wanted to shift his target to Sora, made him add; "What?! I'm not judging, just making an observation."
After Sora's "observation," the Master revealed with a proud tone "As I was saying... It may seem like I'm only giving the answer that benefits me. But, despite my condition and how I perceive the world now... I believe I was a person, and not just any person. My memories... running the company... designing the city... make me think I was... Richard Night."
"..."
"..."
In the sudden silence created by Sora and Morgan, who were finding it challenging to process what they had just heard, Eco quickly scoured his databank for an audio file he had been eagerly awaiting to use at a moment like this. Playing a ["Ba-dum-tss"], the sound of a drum at the end of a joke.
That prompted both Sora and Morgan to react once more. "Hahahahahah..." x2 Laughing even harder to the nonsense of what they had just heard, which had even seemed funny to Eco.
Not wanting to laugh in the presence of 'Richard Night' himself, Morgan attempted to excuse himself. "Hahaha, I'm sorr- hahaha..." With little success.
The same situation repeated with Sora. "Yes, I'm sorr- hahaha, but really? Richard? Couldn't you have picked anyone else, hahah, I can't- hahahaha."
Sora and Morgan's laughter upon hearing his supposed identity didn't sit well with "Richard." Given his lack of memories, he had always harbored doubts about his identity, and their laughter only served to exacerbate those insecurities, as well as his longing to be whole again.
"Are you done? Although I don't appreciate being laughed at, I couldn't care less about the disrespect from two dead people, because... I've already gained all the time I needed..." said the Master, just as the sounds of metal clashing metal, and a chilling hum began to emanate from the only exit.
The Master turned toward Sora, while making Greyson's Kiroshi implants glow green, and added; "I warned you... that you would regret it."
-
Meanwhile, 14-year-old Mathew knelt on the pilot's seat of the luxurious Rayfield Caliburn, nervously surveying his surroundings through the windows. Taking advantage of the gas extractor flares to scrutinize the dark surroundings for any signs of danger.
In the 'last' instant of the 'last' of the flares, Mathew thought he saw a figure. His heart raced as his trembling voice murmured, "I-it was nothing, probably nothing," trying to convince himself that it was just his imagination playing tricks on him. For Mathew, the seconds until the next flare felt endless as he waited for confirmation.
When the flare finally illuminated the area, Mathew saw nothing. Feeling relieved, he sank back into the pilot's seat, releasing the breath he had been holding.
However, when he opened his eyes again, he was alarmingly confronted by an old vagabond right in front of the car. This disheveled man had torn and tattered clothing and appeared to be more metal than flesh, with multiple green lenses that seemed to stare intently at Mathew. The young boy felt frozen in his seat, his pulse racing. The vagabond was so close to the car that Mathew could see his face, or what was left of it. His expression seemed vacant, and the eerie green light from the lenses added a creepy touch to his gaze, which remained unchanged even as he lunged toward the car.
Just as the old vagabond lunged at the car, the autopilot's safety mode kicked in. The Rayfield Caliburn's engine roared, and the car started moving before the vagabond could touch it. Mathew let out a sigh of relief as he watched the man fall behind, but his peace was short-lived.
When a loud "thump" echoed through the car's frame, causing the dashboard and interior lights to flicker, and the vehicle's traction to go haywire, the wheels spun erratically, as if something were hacking into the car's system. Mathew pressed himself against the pilot's side window, nervously peering through it, and spotted a black cylinder affixed to one of the wheels.
He had no idea what that cylinder was but knew, it was causing the car to malfunction. As he attempted unsuccessfully to open the car window, Mathew quickly rummaged through his backpack, pulling out the last memento of his father: his old racing helmet with multiple stickers and two blue stripes on a large white stripe in the center.
Knowing how sturdy it was, Mathew attempted to break the window with his father's helmet to remove the cylinder from the car's body. As he desperately pounded the glass, the hunched old vagabond was not the only one approaching him. Two more "Empties" emerged from the shadows, surrounding the car and Mathew.
Due to panic, thinking that his time was running out with the old hunched vagabond practically in front of him, Mathew didn't notice the faint whistle that echoed above the car, nor did he see...
How the "Empty" approached him, through his back from the passenger door, was impaled by a silver lance, pinning him to the ground. Mathew only became aware that something was happening when the old vagabond in front of him stopped and looked up-.
As the old "Empty" gazed at the night sky, he saw a point that seemed to be getting closer to him... shining. In the next moment, Mathew inside the car witnessed a silver spear impaling the old vagabond in front of him, making him fall backward.
Without knowing what was happening, Mathew looked around and saw another one of the vagabonds already impaled. Quickly turned his head to see the third, who, upon seeing his two companions impaled, tried to escape. He didn't get too far when three new silver spears fell from the sky, piercing his shoulder, a leg, and his stomach, pinning him to the ground.
When Mathew wondered what had happened, the answer came in the form of a loud "KAH" squawk from his savior, standing with wings outstretched above the tip of the spear in front of him. Before Fool could move to remove the cylinder from the car, Mathew stopped him with a hand gesture and said, "Wait!"
Assuming what would happen when it was removed from the car. Holding his father's helmet, and knowing that it was not a normal crow, reminding it of Eco. Mathew addressed it with a trembling voice, "Could you help me with something?"
The response came in the form of a gentle peck from another crow that perched on the car's hood, tapping the windshield with its beak while looking at Mathew, tilting its head curiously.
-
Sora and Morgan aimed their weapons at the room's sole entrance, opening fire as the "Empties" advanced down the narrow corridor. Gunshots reverberated in the room as more "Empties" fell one after another, some exploding into sparks and wires when the bullets found their mark.
Sora fired his Malorian Silver 3516, with each massive .577 Nitro caliber bullet obliterating the bodies of the "Empties" it struck, causing the targeted part of their body, whether metal or flesh, to... fade away
Meanwhile, Morgan kept his Colt at the ready, his movements precise and efficient. Each shot was a response to a threat, their shots illuminated the room, leaving a trail of cables and sparks in their wake.
The Master observed with a cold and calculating expression, patiently waiting as Morgan and Sora fought. They despite their efforts and devastating shots, had to begin retreating due to the unrelenting number of "Empties."
They continued running like cybersycos through the narrow corridor. Some clung to the ceilings and walls like creepy spiders thanks to their cyberware, while the rest trampled over the victims of Sora and Morgan's shots.
While firing, Sora didn't miss the sudden grimace on Greyson's face, and, knowing why, he quipped, "What happened? You thought of using the kid as a hostage... and in the end, they ended up nailing you?"
The Master let out a slight grunt of annoyance, but his response remained cold and calculated, "Indifferent. Though with the 'kid,' I might have saved a few of the 'Empties' you're destroying. The outcome remains unchanged."
Unappreciative of the Master's unusual calm, Morgan and Sora exchanged glances, aware that they needed to understand what was happening. Sora said to Morgan, "Old man, I need you to cover me for a few seconds while I figure out what's going on."
Morgan smiled upon hearing this and replied, "Take it for granted, kid." He holstered his Colt and shook his trench coat, preparing to unveil his arsenal. With his left hand, he picked up a Militech Viper Submachinegun, and with his right, a powerful Malorian Arms Assault Cannon.
He activated his sandervista and, with the viper submachinegun, made a sweeping fan-like motion parallel to the ground. Despite seeming more like a move from a gang band, Morgan's shots were precise, eliminating all the "Empties" that had entered the room with accurate headshots. Before he finished firing with his right arm, the Assault Cannon at the end of it launched .75-caliber smart-grenades that exploded in a small blast at the entrance, preventing more "Empties" from advancing.
Meanwhile, Sora, under the Master's watchful gaze, holstered his Malorian, crouched down, and raised both his arms above his head, shattering the split of his left arm as he dropped both arms like hammers onto the rusty metal floor, creating a loud clang that echoed throughout the room, and under it...
The Master raised Greyson's eyebrow, questioning the human's intentions. Not believing he was stupid enough to try to escape by hitting the ground. However, Greyson's expression of superiority quickly faded when Sora, after a few seconds closing his eyes and with both hands touching the ground, focused on the echolocation of his nanobots, following the wave from the impact he had just made, rises and exclaims, "We need to get out NOW! That bastard wants to blow up the mountain and us with it!"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
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