HOME, SWEET HOME

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Will swayed in his seat as the armored bus rode down the tunnel. Through the window, he saw other heavy vehicles moving past them, most of them burdened with raw materials and trade goods. Suppliers had been forced to take the more expensive land route with the skies unsafe. Their bus traveled together with the supply trucks under the bowels of the earth in one of the many tunnels heading towards the Tower.

Remy yawned and stretched beside Will. He shifted in his seat for a while before he spoke. "It won't be long now. We are almost at the Tower."

"Yeah," Will nodded.

Together they stared out of the window. There was a rise in traffic as they got closer to the Tower. Loud honking came from ahead and Will frowned as the bus began to slow down.

"What's going on?" asked Remy, craning his neck to see past the windows.

A large tanker truck blocked their view, but there were shouts and loud chanting. The bus slowly inched forward, and they finally spotted the crowd of protesters who were blocking the road. They waved signs and placards, and Will spotted several flags displaying a splayed red hand.

The honking grew more insistent, and a couple of uniformed policemen approached the crowd. They herded the mob off the road with the help of a couple of massive drones. Will watched the agitated masses. The fluttering white flag with the red palm print was the last thing he saw of them as their bus pulled ahead.

"That's not good," Will muttered.

Remy scratched his head. "Looks like the riots reached the Tower."

"We haven't received much news from Undercity while we were out," said Will, looking pensive.

"I doubt anything has happened," said Remy. "We would have received word if it did."

Will said nothing as the bus took the nearest exit. They arrived at a military depot where the LTTV finally made its stop. The front doors hissed open, and the cadets got up from their seats and made for the exit. Will and Remy followed the crowd as they made their way towards the transport trucks that were following the bus. Along with Becca, they quickly retrieved their baggage amongst the milling cadets.

Remy grinned as he slung his bag over his shoulder. "Training's done and we're free. What now?"

"We're not free," sniffed Becca. "I still have to submit our project progress report to the academy."

"I have to check up on the situation back home," said Will. "Don't know what's going on in Undercity while we were away."

"Guess that leaves me to look into the doctor's whereabouts," said Remy.

Will nodded. "We'll meet up again in the evening and see what we can dig up."

"Evening it is," said Becca, glancing at her slate. "I've got to go. Call me when you set up the time?"

"Roger that," said Remy, offering Will a fist bump.

The three spent a few more minutes discussing their plans for the evening before going their separate ways. Will took one of the side tunnels and got into one of the freight elevators. He joined a couple of temp workers making their way down the Tower. Undercity was a lot deeper than the transport tunnels, and it took Will about half an hour to reach his destination.

The city looked the same as ever. The giant foundation pillar stretched on below Will as he climbed down a set of stairs. He descended down the metal walkways and soon reached Little Belgrave.

The gateway to the compound was manned by a couple of guards wearing black exo-suits. Will gave them a wave and passed on through. He jogged the rest of the way to his housing complex and was at his door a couple of seconds later.

"Will!" Ellie flung herself at him as soon as she opened the door. "Did you finish your training?! What was it like being outside the Tower?"

"Easy there, kiddo. Let me have a seat first," Will smiled.

For the next hour, he spent explaining the training and life outside of the Tower. Ellie drank in every word, her eyes shining. She had been stuck indoors since the riots and was desperate for some stories. Mom had forbidden her from leaving the compound, a good choice considering that the riots had only abated in the recent few weeks.

"Can you please take me out of the compound?" asked Ellie. "I've been stuck in here for so long."

Will sighed and relented. The city looked safe enough, and he was there to look out for her. A minute later, they were out of the compound, walking towards the bazaar.

The marketplace was as busy as ever. Vendors hawked their wares loudly as shoppers passed by, many of them wearing cloaks and keeping their faces hidden. Will kept an eye out as Ellie happily perused the goods.

A whiff of rust and metal lingered in the air as a group of cloaked individuals walked by. Will examined them through the corner of his eye. Peeking from beneath the cloak were chrome hands and metal feet. Even their masked visors had a raspy quality to them.

Will frowned as the group of cyborgs passed and caught sight of a symbol etched onto their cloaks. It was a red splayed hand.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"When did the Undercity get so many cyborgs?" Will muttered. The group made their way down the bazaar, and the faint hisses and creaks coming from their metal limbs soon faded into the background.

Will moved his prosthetic right leg out of habit. His artificial limb was well-oiled and didn't make a single sound. He too, in essence, was a cyborg, but the group had gone further down that path than he had. From the looks of it, they had replaced all their limbs with machine parts, and judging by the way the leading cyborg was breathing, he had gone as far as replacing his organs.

Will looked around the bazaar and found many shops flying the colors of the cyborgs. There was tension in the air as everyone kept a wary eye on every passing shadow, as though waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Will kept Ellie company until she was done with her shopping. Happy with her purchases, she readily agreed when he suggested visiting Uncle John's.

They made their way down the side streets and found the hardware store. Uncle John manned the front desk, and his eyes lit up when he spotted Will.

"William, my boy! And little Ellie too," the old man guffawed. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes."

"You too, old man," smiled Will. "How's your health?"

"Fine," Uncle John waved a massive hand. "Did you just get back?"

"This morning," said Will.

Ellie stepped forward and handed the old man a can of soup. "We were just at the bazaar. You should eat some more, Uncle John."

The old man gave a dry chuckle and accepted the can. "Thank you, Ellie. Aren't you supposed to be in the Belgrave compound?" He shook the soup can. "And is this supposed to be a bribe?"

Ellie smiled mischievously and stuck her tongue out before skipping off to check the many shelves of machine parts on the far wall.

Uncle John shook his head and glanced at Will, who smiled. "I can't win against her."

"I can see that," Uncle John chuckled, "but don't let her wander too much. Undercity ain't what it used to be."

"Yes, about that," Will leaned on the counter. "What's going on here? I spotted half a dozen red palm flags as I got here."

The old man sighed. "The troubles since then have never really stopped. You heard about the riots happening in the special administrative zones?"

"Yes," Will nodded.

"It's the same here. Most of the smaller gangs have been absorbed, and the biggest organization in the city is them."

"Who are they?" asked Will.

"No one really knows," said Uncle John. "The gang popped out of nowhere. There are rumors that they have ties to interests outside the Tower, but there is no way to tell."

"They did have a lot of cyborgs," mused Will.

"Those desperate fools," Uncle John shook his head.

Will nodded. Cyberizing oneself would provide an immediate boost in strength, but it limits one's potential. While the metal parts boost one's combat ability, it reduces their total internal reserves. You also lose the ability to control your field, which in turn hinders your ability to control a mech. As for signature control, the less that was said, the better. Overall, it's a shortcut to power that only the most desperate or needy attempt.

"Where do you think they got the money?" asked Will. "It's no battle suit, but maintaining those parts must cost a lot."

"They made a killing during the embargo," the old man sighed. "They are a major force here now, so be careful."

"Should I be worried?" Will glanced at Ellie, who was still examining the shelves with interest.

"Belgrave is safe for now," said Uncle John. "Make sure that Ellie stays in the compound for now."

Will gave a terse nod and called Ellie over. "By the way, have you seen Damian lately?"

Uncle John shook his head. "No, I haven't seen him since your training started."

Will scratched his chin. "That's odd."

"Damian can take care of himself," said Uncle John. "You worry about yourself and watch your step around the city."

Will nodded. "Hopefully by the time we talk again, all of this will blow over."

"Here's to hope then," Uncle John raised the soup can.

Will chuckled as he stepped out of the shop. Ellie bounded beside him, chatting all the way back to Little Belgrave. They passed the guards and made it up to their housing complex. As soon as they were in their apartment, Will placed Ellie's shopping on the table.

"I have some work to do," said Will. "You okay unpacking by yourself?"

"I'll be okay," said Ellie as she reached into the shopping bag. She brought out a package and began unwrapping the cover.

Will yawned and stepped into his tiny room. The door clicked shut behind him, and he moved carefully not to bump into anything. There was barely two feet of space between him and the bed, which lay flush against the wall.

Will sat on the bed and pulled up his right pant leg. With the other hand, he began unfastening the prosthetic. He pulled the metallic limb loose and carefully placed it off to the side before pulling his stump sock off. The flesh-colored tube sock was meant to be worn over the residual limb for cushioning, but now he wore it up high to hide his blackened, shard-pierced shin.

The corrupted region was a lot larger than when it started, and black veins snaked up his leg. Will winced as he felt it throb. He channeled his field down his leg until the twitching stopped. Will grimaced as the burning sensation lingered. He needed to get to initiate level as soon as possible.

A ping came from his pocket, and Will pulled out his slate. Several messages were in his inbox, and he checked to see if any of them were from his student service coordinator. He had been regularly checking for updates on his scholarship, but so far, there was no proper response from them.

He scrolled through the list when a mail caught his eye. It was from the coordinator, asking to meet to discuss the issue with his financial aid. Surprised, Will nearly dropped his phone in a hurry to respond and quickly agreed to the meeting.

The slate pinged again when the message was sent, and Will breathed a sigh of relief. His leg twitched again, and Will felt lightheaded. Feeling sleepy, he decided to take a little rest. He had been traveling since morning, and the fatigue had finally caught up to him. Before he knew it, sleep took him.

Lights and colors danced before his eyes in a haze, and Will felt himself sinking deep into a dream. The world vibrated like a taut string, and time seemed to stop. A rapid set of incomprehensible images flashed by in quick succession, and Will was pulled into one of them.

Skyscrapers crumbled as a colossal, spindly leg, taller than the high-rises themselves, thrust up from beneath the earth. Eight more legs followed, and people ran away screaming as they came crashing down.

Will woke up with a start, clutching his head. In his fitful sleep, he bumped his head against the wall. The dream faded rapidly, and his leg stopped twitching. The transition was so abrupt that it left Will feeling disoriented. He was pretty sure that the crystal had activated itself while he was asleep and had gone back dormant the moment he woke up. The knowledge left him feeling a little queasy. How long had this been going on?

Will stared at his right leg for a long while before a familiar buzzing coming from his pillow snapped him out of his reverie. Will fished out the slate hidden underneath his pillow.

"Hello," answered Will.

"Heyo," said Remy. "I found the doctor's location."

"What?" said Will absentmindedly, checking the clock on his slate. It was already evening. He had slept for five hours straight.

"Yeah," continued Remy. "I found his current residence. Are you ready to make the move?"

Will glanced at his right leg. The crystal was embedded deep into his flesh and was no longer visible. The dark veins spiderwebbed out of it and pulsed with the beat of his heart.

"Yeah, I'll be there soon."

Will grabbed his prosthetic and fastened it on. There was something going on with his leg, and he wanted to know what. If the crystal was influencing him without his knowledge, then he was in big trouble.

Will stood up and let out a breath. It was time to call in the doctor.