My brain was so full of thoughts that I couldn’t come up with an apt metaphor for how fast time went by.
Roxy got the brief details of the mission from me and was off. There was a good chance she would be home before I had to go into the city… until we received a message from the hobgoblins that they were having trouble with melting some of the mecha parts. The super said she would swing by there after her meeting and lend her powers to see if that would help.
Clara ran through the mission briefing three times, before she shrugged and vanished off to the workshop. I sat in the garden and glared at the city.
A C-Rank villain and a dozen henchmen.
Bonemeal was his name. At first, I was concerned he was a necromancer since the location of the mission was a graveyard, but it was more mundane than that. A prolific graverobber, who used his powers to cause fear and obscure his acts of thievery. I assumed he was more dangerous than the briefing let on, given that he was C-Rank.
Tonight, he was taking his gang to one of the affluent inner-city graveyards. Not one used these days, but held the remains of some of the more influential families from decades ago.
I wondered if the League had slipped him a faux tip that there was something worth stealing there.
Desecrating the dead was a good enough reason to have me appear and knock their heads together, intended theft or not. They weren’t exactly built for the sort of combat I was used to, so the briefing all but said I should be able to mop them up with little issue. Clearly they didn’t know my aptitude when it came to getting knee deep into more problems than was healthy.
All I had to do was drop in while they were trying to pry open some of the maesoleums, and pump them full of Nerve shot. What could go wrong?
The rest of the afternoon, I slowly put together my outfit—the new one delivered the day prior fresh from the League—and loaded up my ammunition. More detail and care than I’d ever spent doing this ritual. If anything, this was just adding unnecessary pressure for my mission. It was much easier when I was dancing with death. I had memorized the steps, of course.
Once the sun started to crater down towards the horizon, Clara reappeared from wherever she had been hiding for the afternoon.
“Are you ready, Gunquake?”
I shuffled in my new trench-coat, turning to face her as she approached.
[No. Yes. I’d rather just skip back to the part where I am violent and have no accountability.]
She gave me a wry smile and looked past toward the city. “Well, if you get bored, we can always try to overthrow the League.”
[Hmm. Sounds like there would be plenty of people holding us accountable for that.]
“Plenty of violence, though.” She extended a hand, producing a small metal disc half coated with white resin. Two small lights of blue dotted one edge. “The League didn’t care to give you much in terms of equipment upgrades… at least until you have ‘proven’ yourself, but after bending their ears, I have procured two things.”
I took the small object, which was rather flat, and held it up to look at it.
“Burst Inhibitor,” she explained. “They wouldn’t let me take any energy shields, but this is the next best thing… which isn’t saying much. If you activate it with your synapses, it will absorb a spike in damage. Best used against explosions or supervillain attacks. Once used, it will be inert for a full day. I’m sure you can read between the lines, Gunquake.”
A singular last-ditch attempt to save my life, or a trump card in gaining the advantage in a clash against someone with superpowers. Risky to use it up, but riskier to not use it for its intended purpose. I slipped it into my belt.
[Thank you. No doubt it will save my life now that you’ve given it to me.]
“Something to make up for tempting fate earlier, perhaps?”
I nodded, ignoring the fact that she had acquired the tech before inviting malady on me. It did put my train of thought onto a parallel track, however.
[You said it is synapse controlled. When did you connect that to me?]
Clara shrugged. “If you didn’t notice, then it doesn’t matter. Do you have all your equipment ready?”
I stood and showed her. One drum mag of Nerve. A second drum of Tazer. Two mags of Smoke. Selectloader had a mixture of edge case use cartridges - none of the new variants were useful for not-murdering people. Bag of tricks in my belt pouches. Nothing out of place. Everything as expected. Grenades aplenty.
[What was the other thing you got from them?]
“Your next vehicle.” Her green-lit eyes finished giving me a run-down. “I actually had to bring in Director Kingston to tilt the scales in our favor. You’ll see why when it arrives.”
It was probably a good thing it was being kept secret from me. My brain could ignore it for now instead of adding further distracting thoughts to my busy mind. After spending our time bouncing between problems, having to wait patiently was actually mentally fatiguing.
“Could I show you something, Gunquake?”
I raised an eyebrow as my focus returned to the techie.
[Hesitantly, I consent.]
She rolled her eyes. “There’s no need to act like I have a one-track mind.”
[I’m still in awe that you manage to juggle so many things at one. Are you sure you don’t have a double?]
“Like I said before, if I did, you’d certainly know, Gunquake. Mostly because one of me would focus on work while the other would constantly flirt with you.” Clara furrowed her brow and looked at the sky. “Which would end with Rockslide murdering that Clara, so we’d be back to square one.”
[So, what is it you wanted to show me?]
She waited a couple of seconds, still lost in that daydream, before blinking out of it. “Oh. In keeping with the theme of me constantly overworking, Gunquake, I have a map.” From within one of her pockets, she withdrew a folded page.
I was expecting it to be of my mission area - perhaps to give me a vantage point or a plot to increase my efficiency. Or… somewhere to pose dramatically for the hidden cameras watching me. Instead, it was of a different scale, and showed the whole city surrounded by…
[Are those roads through the wastelands?]
Clara nodded and ran a finger around the lines moving around Goldarch like a spiderweb. “Not long after the Weather Wars, the city actually had a decent relationship with several large mutant and wasteland tribes. Before they were 'mutants'. Over time, things degraded and the larger settlements fragmented down to the distrustful and violent groups we have now. The ages have buried the roads beneath sand and worn stone.”
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[You think the World Government had a hand in that?]
“My legs aren’t strong enough to make that leap, Gunquake. There isn’t enough information or evidence to say what really happened.”
Sounded likely to me, either way. Even if it was decades or longer in the past, the Gov had proven themselves to be dedicated to shuffle all the city states into their deck. If Goldarch had the same power back then as it did now, then this was potentially a drawn-out attempt to grab power that made us even smaller pawns in the grand scheme of things.
[Even with the map, I don’t think we have the labor or technology to clear the roads for our own use.]
My assumption was that she had shown me this after the death of the quake-wagon signaled that powering randomly through the wastes was just rolling the dice. Roads between our mining and forge outposts would increase efficiency and allow us to support our allies better.
“Of course not, Gunquake. I just wanted to show you this… like a piece of art. The truth is, I often work in half measures. This is a puzzle, invoking images of the past and a potential future. Perhaps one day we will find the connecting piece and use this information as an actionable advantage for our goals.” Clara folded the map back up and gave me a wry smile. “I keep most fragments of destiny within my skull, but I wanted to share this one with you.”
[Only as you think that me knowing of the roads will be a core component of you finding the connecting piece eventually.]
“Clever, Gunquake. Perhaps you thinking that is actually a guiding line that will cause you to find the missing parts to other puzzles I have pending.” She tilted her head and glanced toward her office. “Now I must go finalize my own preparations.”
I nodded and watched her walk off. My mind feeling more uncluttered, focusing on what used to be, rather than my evening plans. It calmed me, even.
Her plan all along, I was certain.
----------------------------------------
My repeated glances at the clock in my goggle lens didn’t seem to assist with speeding up the time. Yet, the darkness was inevitable, and the sun gradually ducked away to avoid the events of the night.
The quake-bike was now outfitted with a holder so that I could rest my barrel on the handlebars. Any fresh annoyance at not having a hand fizzled away under the pressure of my looming mission. An apology from Roxy was sent through telling me she would have to miss seeing me off caused a little turmoil on my insides, but at the end of the day, this was something simple compared to what we’d been up to lately.
Clara gave me a hug before heading to her computer, where she would remotely pilot the drone in my backpack when I arrived. The tank beside it was filled with a type of oil that was less flammable than fuel, but more slick. Not so useful if the graveyard was soil, but if there was a stone staircase I had to…
The door to her office closed, and I was left outside alone. Sitting on my new vehicle, equipped to the gills with more tech and ammo than I’d ever used. Hard to kill. Standing above the targets in firepower and experience.
Still, I let the night soak in through me. Aside from where Clara was, the rest of our area had no light. I closed my eyes and sighed. Something inside of me clicked into a familiar groove. This was a kill mission. A contract that I could throw myself in and see what bloodied bodies shook out of the other side. Nerve shot would make the actual fatalities zero, but on my end it wasn’t that different.
In fact, I would have smiled were I capable of that act.
//Clara: Dynamic map updated with route to get you to location in time.
//Dubs: Understood.
I flicked the switch on the small control panel of my new motorcycle, and it hummed into life. Near silent, but the way it vibrated through my smile gave a hint of the power behind the quiet engine. While the roar of old tech was more intimidating, stealth was a huge benefit for the type of work I would be given. Feet up, I started rolling forward.
Just as soon as the wheels were in motion, I moved away from my worries and our home. Back on the road. Time to sharpen my blade.
The League had provided me with a list of suggested one-liners and phrases to spout at the criminals. As much as I was playing along with their game of heroes and villains, I wasn’t about to become a commodity like that. A toy with a pull string repeating catchphrases to be sold during the holiday period. I was a monster, and the more they tried to cage me…
Interesting how my mood had switched.
The dirt road switched to concrete as I approached the outskirts of the city. It was a reasonable distance, but I didn’t want to get there too early. About half a mile off from the League HQ, more to the east. Near enough to the more affluent areas of the city center, but out of the way so the bureaucrats of the past didn’t have to look at the graves of the fallen while they stacked up their wealth.
It would have been nice to have a little more information on who I would be facing. The League wasn’t able to tell if the henchmen had guns or more exotic and unusual weaponry. How they were arriving and leaving the scene. If they had something to break into the tombs or coffins. Sure, it might be simple… and to be honest, I usually jumped into these things with a scrap of knowledge and an itchy trigger as my only preparation.
//Clara: Updated map with location to stop and vantage point.
//Dubs: Understood.
I was envious of Roxy’s ability to leap great distances without breaking her legs. Dropping into my missions would make things a lot easier for me. Most of my work as a contract killer was inside buildings. Being out in the open put me at risk of taking damage and increased the worth of the grenades. Struggling through the insides of a factory or mansion made it a room-by-room problem where surprise and sudden violence could win out conflict in seconds.
Which just made me wonder how collateral damage would work. My actions reflected on the League now, and I probably couldn’t go around destroying the mausoleums and headstones without earning the ire of the owners. Accountability was rough.
Warehouses flashed me by as I hit the main streets of Goldarch. Lights overhead washed over me as I switched down a different road. Quiet at this hour. Most factories and construction sites devoid of their workers. Now that I was an official hero, I didn’t have to worry about being pulled over by the police… even after making a scene. I wondered if that officer I had run into had been collared by the League since they had been keeping an eye on me. That would explain the lack of follow-up, at least.
That district fell away as I entered the city proper. Taller buildings, rows of shops, and areas of residential buildings. Even though the quake-bike was heavier set than my previous motorcycle, it was easy to control. I followed the route Clara provided me, which updated to switch directions so that I would arrive at the precise time based on my speed.
Familiar places, to some degree. Soon to be even more so. I was grateful that the team would be stationed in the southeast quadrant.
//Roxy: Just finished at the League. On my way to the hobs.
//Roxy: Kick some ass x
//Dubs: Consider it done. I’ll get Clara to send you updates.
//Roxy: Please! x
There was a good chance that the super had asked for a live feed to my actions at least five times behind my back. I would be in minimal danger, but this was a step forward. All the talking turned to actual actions that would have consequences. Three more turns, and then my directions were telling me to pull in to a side street beside an alleyway.
//Clara: Rockslide will be getting the same basic information I am sending to the League.
//Clara: They don’t have direct access to my drone or our comms…
//Clara: But they’ll have cameras and will likely pick up anything you say in situ.
//Clara: Just to forewarn you, Gunquake.
//Dubs: I’ll watch my tongue, then.
She didn’t respond to the easy bait as I switched the engine off. A quiet street by some of the affluent office blocks on the left, and some smaller shops on the right of the road. Maybe a mall or something. Directly to my side was a darkened passageway between a hardware store and a shuttered jeweler. The faint light from the lamps illuminating the pavements picked up the edges of trash cans and a metal staircase leading to one of the rooftops.
I took a deep breath and swung myself off of the quake-bike. Further down the road on the left, a small group of people were talking in the glow of an open doorway, but no attention had been paid to my arrival. I adjusted my gear and dipped into the darkness.
A few steps through discarded debris and quiet things out of sight, and my map updated. It zoomed in further and showed my route through the alleys. Just a quick left and then right, and then up on top of a building and I’d be able to look down upon the graveyard. While I wasn’t sure I needed the higher ground to start with, it was useful for the drone to get out at that point.
I stopped as my foot caught something, realizing that it wasn’t trash - but somebody’s covered legs. Sitting hunched up against a wall in layers of jackets was an old man. He looked up at me, two shining orbs amidst a face thick with graying hair.
[Apologies, I didn’t mean to disturb you.]
There was some sadness or disconnect in his expression. His mouth opened and shook for a moment before he spoke. “If you intend to rob me, I’m afraid you’ll be sorely disappointed.” Surprisingly well spoken, his tone a lot calmer than his face let off.
[Nothing of the sort. I’m actually a hero.]
It felt odd to say that, and I didn’t sell it too well. The man gave me a tilt of his head, regarding me a second time. “You don’t look much like a hero.”
[I’m still learning.]
His expression of interest softened into a weak smile, and he gave me a nod. I tipped the edge of my hood in lieu of having a hat and excused myself. That definitely counted as my first interaction with the public, and I thought I aced it. It didn’t end up in violence, and I didn’t reveal my secret identity. Oh, I guess I didn’t really have that.
Despite all the worries of the day, I was still an unknown. Even to myself, to some degree.
I flexed out my cybernetic arm as I reached the stairwell leading to the target roof. My disposition neutral, I took the first step to actually seeing who was unlucky enough to have me turn up to stop their crime in progress.