CHAPTER 2.2.1 VERDICT OF INNOCENCE PART TWO;
THE DRAIN OF THE CENTURY
Mr. Bobine gripped the steering wheel tightly, the hum of the engine his only companion as his thoughts ran wild. The Riconalds worker had left him in shambles.
“I've had droughts,” he muttered, his voice tinged with disbelief, “but none have sucked me dry as much as she did.” His tone carried a strange mix of admiration and despair as he adjusted his rearview mirror. The neon lights of Tecnomas celebrations cast a kaleidoscope of colors across his tired face.
In the passenger seat, Sable leaned back, still savoring the last remnants of his Rikesa meal. With a satisfied sigh, he wiped the sauce from his mustache.
“Bro, that was the blowjob of the century. I can’t feel my mustache anymore. They sucked me so hard,” Sable declared, his tone half-joking yet entirely sincere.
Carla, seated in the back, burst into laughter. The sound filled the car, a stark contrast to the mechanical whirr of the vehicle.
“Hahaha! You two sound like you’ve been rusting in the desert for years. If something that simple left you stiff, you must’ve been in worse shape than I thought!” she teased, her grin wide enough to rival the crescent moon outside.
Bobine raised an eyebrow, clearly not amused but unable to suppress a chuckle.
“Hey,” he shot back, “at least we’re better off than those morons from the old government. Our… assets are definitely bigger.”
Sable couldn’t help himself and started laughing as well.
“Bro, hahaha! I didn’t know you were carrying that much insecurity around! But hey, no one’s doubting your… size.” He patted Bobine on the shoulder, a smug grin plastered across his face.
Carla chimed in, leaning forward to join the banter.
“Yeah, you’re definitely… unique, Bobine. Or at least, that’s what your ‘special’ size tells me.” Her eyes flickered downward, making her meaning abundantly clear.
THE HAMMER OF FREEDOM:
Carla’s playful smirk shifted as she shifted topics.
“Anyway, let’s talk about something more ridiculous. You know what’s even more useless than Bobine’s sense of pride? That godforsaken app, PersonaAI. Seriously, how does it still exist?”
Bobine smirked, regaining some of his confidence.
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“You’re not wrong. The last time I checked, they banned someone just for showing their udders.”
Sable chimed in, leaning forward with a conspiratorial grin.
“Everything’s been downhill since that stupid mouse took over the corporation. What’s it called again? Pesos? Tesos?”
Bobine snapped his fingers.
“Quesos! Mill Quesos. The greatest techno mogul of recent times.”
Sable raised his hands in mock celebration.
“Thanks, my milkgga! But wasn’t the greatest mogul supposed to be that princess? The one who owns White Cisney?”
Carla rolled her eyes, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
“Sure, if we’re talking monopolies. But she’s more into… fairytales. White Cisney hasn’t invested in tech. Yet.”
Bobine laughed softly.
“Yeah, ‘yet’ being the keyword. With the chokehold they’ve got on entertainment, they don’t need tech. For now.”
Sable tapped his chin thoughtfully.
“Speaking of monopolies, what’s the deal with Hammer Corporation? Last I heard, they were pushing those lightning cars… what were they called? Sparking Bolts?”
Bobine nodded, his expression serious for a change.
“Yeah, but now they’re branching out. Something about robots… Community Bots, I think. And then there’s their app… HammerAI.”
Carla groaned.
“HammerAI? Please. My parents invested in FreedomAI, and even that was a joke. Why waste money on digital gimmicks when real innovation’s out there?”
THE OLD BLACKS OF THE PAST:
Sable was about to respond when something caught his eye. His tone shifted, sharp and uneasy.
“Wait… what is that?”
Bobine and Carla followed his gaze, squinting at the dimly lit horizon.
“What exactly?” Bobine asked, his voice tinged with annoyance.
Sable pointed toward the train, his voice insistent.
“Look closer. There’s a shadow… no, a car. It’s completely black. You see it?”
Carla raised an eyebrow, skepticism evident on her face. But as the train’s path took it through the neon glow of a nearby building, the shadow took shape. Her expression shifted to one of shock.
“What the hell is that?!”
Bobine’s jaw tightened as he finally noticed the vehicle.
“Damn… that’s not one of ours. It’s from…”
Carla finished his thought, her voice trembling.
“The old government? But they’re dead. My family always said they died out long ago.”
Sable’s voice wavered.
“And our boys? They were supposed to secure this zone. Where the hell are they?”
THE DAZZLE OF TRUTH:
Bobine clenched his teeth, his nerves fraying.
“I don’t like this, not one bit. Let’s get closer. I want to know what the hell is going on here.”
He maneuvered their vehicle as close to the train as he dared, killing the engine to avoid detection. The three of them strained to hear the voices coming from the shadowy sedan.
Muffled Voices:
“And this is what you want?”
“Yes. Although the dinosaurs are irrelevant. Leave them.”
“And the armor, sir?”
“Take it. But leave the thunder and radiation suits. They’re useless to me.”
“Understood. BaWeh… it’s time to blind the truth.”
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Before Bobine, Carla, or Sable could react, a strange black glow erupted from the sedan. It pulsed with an unnatural rhythm, consuming their vision and their thoughts.
Bobine fought to stay conscious, his hands gripping the dashboard as if it were a lifeline. Carla reached for the controls, managing to guide their vehicle onto one of the train’s container wagons before the darkness swallowed her as well.
Sable’s voice was the last thing Bobine heard before succumbing to the black glow.
“What… the hell… is…”
Then, silence.