As they set about drafting the plans to fulfill their dreams, Nix and Grimes came to a crucial realization – namely that their parallel society could not function without parallel currency. This, as you might expect, created a crisis for the economist and the engineer, neither having the technical coding capability to invent a currency of their own, one which would create stability for the societies they sought to build. Forced now to outsource a crucial part of their work, they located another student at Princeton who they believed could complete the task without drawing the ire of the American Government, and more importantly, who they could trust.

His name was John Kuiper, a student of computer science with an odd interest in medieval literature. It was this interest that led the two to consider him for the role of currency coder, as Nix later reasoned “His interest in lasting traditions, and the works of the premoderns made it virtually certain that he would be at least somewhat skeptical of the prevailing narratives. Turns out we were right. In many ways actually, he was the most radical of all of us.”

From: A History of the Captowns by Hans Laurenz Gerstner

Chapter 2

“Damn it, cops are here,” Vik hissed, pulling the truck into a secluded alley.

“Did they find out about him?” Tatiana questioned in concern.

“How should I know? Usually, the government guys don’t really care if there’s illegal dealing going on. They’re too busy stealing people’s money and kicking the shit out of bums on the street.”

“Let’s do this quietly. Recon first, then we go in, see what we can find out.”

Vik nodded in agreement then climbed out of the driver’s seat. Tatiana sighed and brushed hair from her eyes before following.

The plan was straightforward at first. They heard of a small-time arms dealer who had recently expanded his operations even closer to the city. By order from the boss, they were to speak with the man, Gable if she remembered correctly. Though, Tatiana knew that when Malice told them to speak to Gable, he really meant vaguely threaten him.

With the cops involved, things were much more complicated. Vik and Tatiana couldn’t simply walk into Gable’s warehouse. The cops most certainly wouldn’t allow that, but their other options weren’t exactly out in the open. Vik peeked out from the alleyway, keeping himself as hidden as possible. His hand rested over the pistol on his hip, just in case while Tatiana hung back, awaiting Vik’s signal.

“Coast is clear,” Vik whispered. “Come on.”

Vik jogged off quietly just ahead of Tatiana. She followed behind, eyes darting about, searching for signs of danger.

Vik himself wasn’t new to this business. He was raised in it. With his greasy blonde mullet and bandana wrapped around his forehead, he looked every bit the smuggler. For Vik, the crime and smuggling were just as simple as visiting the local bakery. He was a young man, barely more than a kid at only nineteen-years-old, but he was no fool by any means. Vik had street smarts born of years living alone out in the slums around New York City where his natural capabilities for observation and stealth proved perfect for this sort of work.

They quietly snuck down more alleyways and side streets, remaining as unobtrusive as possible.

A blur of flashing lights passed by them on the main street as a police car crashed over the poorly made surface of the road, skidding as it slammed through a deep pothole.

Vik stopped with a hand up, checking up and down the street for more vehicles.

“What’s wrong?” Tatiana asked.

“The cops are surrounding the warehouse,” Vik answered. “It looks like they’re waiting for something.”

“Like what?”

“Beats me, but I doubt it’s anything good. Maybe we should abort, tell Malice what went wrong.”

“Abort? You’re kidding me right? We can’t abort this mission. We need those guns in that warehouse. Without them, we don’t meet our quota for Ryan.”

“I know that, but we can’t go in there when the building’s surrounded by cops. We’d get caught and hauled off to some federal prison. Neither of us wants that, and Malice doesn’t either.”

“If we don’t get those guns, Ryan’s gang will be all over us inside a week. We can’t fight him. The only way to keep him off our backs is to get him the guns. Let’s find a way to make this work.”

“Well we don’t need to get inside now. We could wait for them to leave. Hopefully they won’t confiscate the weapons.”

Tatiana remained silent for a moment, thinking over their options. Sneaking into the warehouse was not a realistic option. They would be spotted quickly, then disposed of even quicker. There was a chance that at least one of the cops would take a bribe, allowing them into the warehouse. It all depended on the purpose the police had. She doubted that either she or Vik would be arrested. They hadn’t done anything – within view of the cops – that was illegal after all.

She took in a fortifying breath, then walked straight towards the warehouse parking lot. It was just as ramshackle as the rest of the surrounding area, only an odd black van sat in the back corner of the lot, disguised from any security cameras. There were four police cars waiting in the lot with open doors. Additionally, there were ten men dressed in police garb armed with plasma rifles. Two of them leaned their heads into the back of the van, removing bits of technology Tatiana had never seen before.

“Tati!” Vik hissed. “What are you doing?”

“Getting us into the warehouse,” She answered without turning back.

Vik grumbled to himself but hung back. Seconds later, a message appeared through her Animachip.

Keep me updated.: Vik

Understood.: Tatiana

Tatiana calmly approached the officers, trying to remain casual. Nobody noticed her until she reached the first cop car.

Two men standing on the other side of the car turned their attention towards Tatiana. They both wore nondescript looking clothes, a poor attempt at going undercover it seemed, but neither man appeared morally reputable. The man on the left was dark-skinned with deep sunken eyes. The man on the right had blue eyes that seemed far too wide. Based on his appearance, Tatiana figured the man on the right was equipped with poorly implemented cybernetics. The enlarged irises gave it away.

“Ma’am, this is an active police operation,” The dark-skinned man said. “I’m going to have to ask you to step away.”

Tatiana cast her vision around, looking for any alternative entrance into the warehouse. There was only one door, but if the roof was even mildly weak at any point, then they could gain entrance there. Though, the cops would surely spot them standing on the roof and either shoot or arrest them.

“I just want temporary access to the warehouse,” Tatiana returned. “It won’t be long.”

The cop who spoke to her laughed while the man with the blue eyes continued staring disquietingly. They knew something she didn’t.

“We’ve got a situation inside,” The cop explained. “Armed gangsters. The slightest provocation will set them off. You probably don’t want to go in.”

“You mean there’s a faceoff going on in there?” Tatiana asked for clarification.

“Open investigation, I can’t give you any details.”

“I just need five minutes.”

“No can-do ma’am. Sorry.”

Tatiana eyed the men for a moment, thinking over the problem.

They won’t let me in.: Tatiana

Shocker, get back here so we can wait this out.: Vik

Tatiana sighed, knowing Vik was right. There wasn’t much she could do at this point. She didn’t want to admit her reasoning as to why she wanted to enter the warehouse, but, at the same time, she couldn’t leave her mission up to chance. Their livelihood depended on the success of this mission.

The distinctive sounds of plasma rifle shots punched through the silence. There were only two, and they came from inside the warehouse.

“What the hell was that?” The dark-skinned cop asked.

In response, the pupils of the blue-eyed man darted back and forth quickly as if he was searching for something. Tatiana glanced over her shoulder, finding nothing of interest. The man with the blue eyes had to be using cybernetics to gain entry to the warehouse cameras.

“I can’t access the cameras,” The blue eyed one said. “Something’s blocking me out.”

“Then get access,” The dark-skinned man growled threateningly. “I want to know what’s going on inside.”

“Hey!”

The shout came from the van, and everyone responded almost immediately. They all looked over to the voice. A man held an odd spherical object in his hand, nothing like Tatiana had ever seen before. She was no technological genius, and she had no hope of divining the object’s purpose, but even she could guess that it was unwise to simply pick it up.

“What?” The dark-skinned cop questioned in frustration.

“You might want to check this out Sergeant Manson,” The man jogged over with the sphere in hand.

“Somebody just fired a plasma weapon in there,” The dark-skinned cop, who Tatiana now assumed was Sergeant Manson, gestured vigorously at the warehouse. “I don’t have time for this. Get your weapon officer. We’re going in.”

The sphere suddenly levitated up from the officer’s hand with no propulsion system evident. From the inside, a small barrel poked through the metallic exterior and fired a single shot at the officer. He dropped back with a circular burn on his chest.

Promptly, Sergeant Manson blasted the sphere out of the air with his own plasma pistol. His face was twisted into a dangerous scowl.

“What the hell was that?” One young officer questioned.

“Should’ve figured he’d be able to get at us even while he’s trapped inside,” Manson mumbled to himself.

He continued mumbling, but his words became unintelligible as more shots echoed from inside the warehouse. This time, plasma blasts were joined by traditional gunfire.

What’s going on? You okay?: Vik

I’m fine, but I have no idea what’s happening.: Tatiana

You should probably get out of dodge before things get worse.: Vik

Tatiana knew he was probably right, but she remained anyway.

“Arm up!” Manson ordered loudly. “We’re going in.”

He turned towards the man with the wide eyes and cybernetics.

“Get into those cameras Blaine,” Manson hissed.

With the same intensity, Manson rounded on Tatiana. His sunken eyes seemed to indicate that what he was going to say was serious and shouldn’t be questioned.

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“Ma’am, as a Sergeant of the New York City branch of the Federal Police, I am ordering you to leave,” Manson said sternly. “This is the last time I will ask nicely.”

That was Tatiana’s cue to leave. She turned her back and made her way towards the alley where Vik lay in waiting. Looking over her shoulder, Tatiana noticed that every cop, including Manson and Blaine, was lined up in front of the door preparing to force their way in, glancing back and forth again between the alleyway and the cops.

If she could sneak in behind them, Tatiana might have a shot at taking the guns. She knew it was stupid and extremely dangerous, but Tatiana had never been one to shy away from the dangers life threw at her.

The cops slammed through the door with explosive breaching rounds, then went in guns at the ready. This was her chance, and she probably wouldn’t have another one.

Get the truck ready to go as soon as I come back.: Tatiana

Don’t do anything stupid.: Vik

Tatiana ignored Vik’s words of caution and dashed after the policemen.

What are you doing? Stop!: Vik

She felt the punch of the words hit her almost physically. The desperation lying in Vik’s message was obvious, but Tatiana continued on anyway, sprinting inside the door. She hoped Vik would listen, remain on the outside, and bring the truck to the front door for their quick escape.

The instant she entered the warehouse, it became obvious that her death was unlikely. Bodies were strewn around the single hallway like ragdolls. Most had blast marks or bullet holes littering their skin. A few lay on the ground, clutching their heads in their hands, the telltale sign of hacked cybernetics.

Tatiana spotted Blaine as one of the men clutching his head, helpless on the ground.

She quickly drew her concealed plasma pistol, holding it cautiously as she scanned the hall for threats.

A single blast came from the last room on the left, then the warehouse was silent apart from the groans of men with hacked cybernetics. Tatiana heard a vague grumbling from the room but was unable to distinguish any words.

She had no idea where the guns were, and she didn’t want to be anywhere near whatever group of men which had taken out cops and gangsters alike.

As a silhouette appeared in the doorframe, Tatiana quickly ducked into a side room that had no door. Inside was what looked like a rec room. There was a nice bar situated along one wall and a pool table taking up the center of the room.

Tatiana heard rummaging coming from the back rooms, but still couldn’t specifically define any sounds. She waited with her back against the wall and her pistol gripped tightly in her hands.

Footsteps echoed down the hall, signaling the approach of a single figure. Tatiana couldn’t hear anyone else, but a single man couldn’t have been the source of all this chaos, not unless it was Malice himself, which Tatiana very strongly doubted it was.

The man passed with his back to her and a bag full of guns slung over his shoulder. Running though her options, Tatiana determined she couldn’t let him leave with one single weapon, no matter how dangerous he was.

Tatiana stepped out from the doorway and centered her sights on the back of the man’s head.

“Stop,” She ordered sternly.

The man did so, huffing in what was obvious frustration.

“Now turn around slowly.”

With a slight shake of his head and a sardonic demeanor, the man turned to face her.

His hair was long and straight but somewhat unclean, and when combined with his long grisly beard it gave him the appearance of a man who hadn’t called any place home for a long time. The man’s eyes were covered by dark sunglasses. Blood speckled his black jacket.

“Hand over that bag of guns,” Tatiana said, gesturing with the barrel of her pistol.

The guy with the long beard removed his sunglasses, revealing dark brown eyes, almost black. A deep-seated intelligence lay in those eyes.

“Who are you?” The man asked.

Based on his accent, the man was not an American, but Tatiana didn’t recognize the sound of the man’s voice.

“The lady telling you to give me those guns,” Tatiana responded.

“What if I said no?”

Tatiana blinked twice in confusion. Most people, if a gun was pointed to their head, would quickly comply with the demands of the one threatening them. The man questioned Tatiana like he knew she didn’t want to shoot him.

“Then I’d have to shoot you.”

A small smirk formed on the man’s face, then he chucked the bag of guns towards her. Tatiana reacted as quickly as she could. She ducked backwards, avoiding the flying bag of metal. It slammed to the ground heavily, but the man was already on top of her.

His large hands clapped around her gun and shoved it straight up towards her face. Tatiana pulled the trigger, hoping to throw the man off balance. He rammed his shoulder into her gut and knocked the gun from her hand. It flew into the wall, cracking sharply, and the gentle blue light went out as it hit the ground.

Now Tatiana was facing a much larger, probably more skilled opponent with no weapon.

Get here as quick as you can. I’m going to need help.: Tatiana

As she finished her message, the long-bearded man attacked with a kick targeting the outside of her thigh. Tatiana’s leg buckled, and she just barely managed to avoid a punch to the face by leaning back away from the man.

His attack continued on anyway, trapping hold of her wrist and in one swift motion flipping her over his shoulder.

Tatiana slammed against the ground with a grunt of pain. She reacted immediately, reaching for the back of his knee, then using her feet to trip him.

The man followed her to the ground thanks to her takedown, but he immediately reacted by straddling over her chest. Tatiana brought her hands to cover her face in response, only for him to drop directly on top of her face with his elbow.

It wasn’t a strike, rather it seemed that the man pressed his weight on her head to keep her from moving. He weaved one hand through her guard and locked hold of her left arm. With a deft move, the man swung a single leg over her head and laid back, holding her arm in a seriously compromising position with her elbow in between his legs. If he raised his hips, her arm would break.

Tatiana fought back, turning towards the bearded man and simultaneously snatching her trapped arm backwards. The elbow popped free, and Tatiana used the leverage provided by her position to clamber towards the man’s back. Using her heels to tighten her hold on the man’s back, Tatiana struck him on the side of the head and tried to wrap her arm around his neck so as to choke him.

What’s wrong? Are you okay?: Vik

Tatiana didn’t have time to answer Vik’s return message, as the man pressed off the ground with his legs and drove her backwards into the floor. The air whooshed from Tatiana’s lungs, leaving her gasping for breath. Yet, she was not given time to get her own breath back as the attack continued.

The man twisted towards her, throwing punches at her face. Tatiana covered up again, doing her best to protect herself. Clambering over her legs – the only measure preventing him from controlling her upper body – he quickly turned pressing the back of his shoulder into her still struggling lungs and used his arm to lock her head in place.

He landed a powerful blow to her face, then another, then another.

Tatiana saw stars, unable to focus or think. All she could do was react, and, in the only way she could act, Tatiana furiously bridged her hips upward, off balancing the unkempt man. She tried to turn towards him to flip him over, but with strength far surpassing her own, he pressed her back into the ground.

She felt like she was suffocating. She couldn’t move his weight or act against his strength. Tatiana threw her free hand towards the back of his head, clawing at his long hair, trying to use it to pull him off her. The man ignored her hand and punched her in the face again.

The will flooded from her body with the strike, and Tatiana’s body flopped back against the ground. She was simply incapable of mustering up the strength to fight any longer, exhausted by the man who far surpassed her own combat capabilities.

Then came sweet relief. A clang reached her ears as though coming from the end of a long tunnel. The man’s face went slack, and he collapsed forward. His dead weight pressed against her, leaving her unable to move, but seconds later the body was rolled onto the floor, the man face down on the concrete.

Standing over her, Tatiana saw Vik. His blonde mullet and bandana were never such a comforting sight to her.

She finally relaxed against the ground, breathing a sigh of relief.

“What took you so long?” Tatiana groaned.

“I had to get the truck,” Vik answered. “Now we should get out of here before anyone else shows up.”

Tatiana touched her face lightly, feeling her swollen right eye and bruised cheek. The skin was sensitive, sending lances of pain throughout her face. She hissed and quickly withdrew her hand.

“He did a real number on you,” Vik said as he bent over to help her up.

Tatiana grasped his hand and leaned against him as he pulled her to her feet. Rubbing her forehead, she looked down at the man who had attacked her. Blood slowly pooled on the floor from the back of his head where he’d been hit while the pipe which Vik had used to brain the man clattered to the ground from her companion’s hand.

“Let’s take the guns and get out of here quick,” Vik said.

Tatiana shook her head, trying to clear the fogginess from her mind as she leaned down to inspect the weaponry. She removed a gun from the bag, a Delta EV12. Meanwhile, Vik looked up and down the hallway with his eyes narrowed.

“What the hell happened here anyway?” He asked.

“No idea,” Tatiana replied as she opened the power unit housing.

“There’s gangsters, cops, and whoever this guy is.”

Tatiana glanced back to see Vik eyeing the bearded man suspiciously.

Turning back to the gun in her hand, inside the housing, Tatiana saw the power unit, but more importantly she saw it was broken. A long crack ran along the length of the unit.

“This one’s broken,” She said.

“What?” Vik asked, coming to her side quickly.

“Check the others. If the guns aren’t in working order, then we came here for nothing.”

They rifled through the bag, checking every power unit. Nearly all of them were broken. Of the twenty odd guns in the bag, only two were functional.

Tatiana sat back in frustration. Not only had she taken a beating today, but that beating had been pointless. Now they had no merchandise to provide to Ryan. They could all be in serious trouble.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Malice stared into first Tatiana’s eyes, then Vik’s. His gaze was smoldering, and his lips were twisted into a viciously wicked smirk. The sight unnerved her, but not so much as to make her afraid.

That smirk and the hard stare were natural pieces of Malice’s resting state. Malice, nobody knew his first name, was a tall man yet razor thin. His muscles were wiry strong, and he had a pension for wearing sleeveless shirts. Atop his head lay flaming red hair left rather messy on top but nearly shaved on the sides.

Malice smoked an e-cigarette with his feet propped up on the desk in between himself, Vik, and Tatiana. He looked calm as always but perturbed by what he was told.

“You did what?” Malice asked, his voice grating like two rocks against each other.

Tatiana met Vik’s eyes.

Do you want to explain or should I?: Tatiana

You were the one who fought him. You should do the honors.: Vik

Tatiana sighed to herself, then plunged straight in.

“We captured a man while we were retrieving the guns,” Tatiana said. “Most of the weaponry was destroyed, and we didn’t want to return empty handed, so…”

“So you brought back a street bum?” Malice questioned raising an eyebrow.

“He’s got some skills boss,” Vik said. “He took out a bunch of gangsters and then a whole team of cops by himself. Based on the way the bodies fell, I’d say he has top level cybernetics.”

“Was he the one who gave you that beating Tati?” Malice asked, gesturing to her face with his chin.

Tatiana grumbled to herself, slightly embarrassed she had been so badly defeated. Meanwhile, Malice’s gaze only smoldered further while she ducked her head, hiding away.

“Why’d you bring the bum back?” Malice continued somewhat indifferently. “What do you want me to do with him?”

“Well, he was one of Gable’s customers,” Tatiana replied. “Maybe he knows something about why Gable’s supply was so understocked.”

Malice stared at the desk thoughtfully but said nothing.

“Besides, even if he doesn’t know anything, think of all the help he could give us,” Vik said. “We haven’t had anyone with cybernetics since-”

“I know,” Malice interrupted coldly. “You’re suggesting that we force him to work for us Vik?”

“Yes,” Vik answered quickly, glad to avoid Malice’s ire.

Malice nodded slowly, remaining silent for a moment before speaking again.

“How about the cops?” He asked. “Why were they there?”

Tatiana met Vik’s eyes, then the young man shrugged.

“No clue,” Vik answered. “They could’ve been looking for Gable’s guns.”

“He’s a small-time arms dealer,” Malice shook his head. “They weren’t looking for him. The cops don’t care about people like that. My guess is they were looking for the bum.”

“But why?” Vik asked. “If he’s just a bum, then why would he be any more important to the cops than Gable?”

“You saw the tech we took from his van Vik,” Tatiana said. “That guy isn’t just a homeless kung fu master. I’ve never seen tech like that before.”

“What kind of tech?” Malice asked.

“That’s just the thing,” Tatiana returned. “I don’t know what it is, or what it’s supposed to do. The only thing I recognized was some kind of energy shield, but it was highly advanced, way better than the politicians have. There were four extendable poles too, but I couldn’t figure out what they were supposed to do.”

“I’ll get May to look at the stuff,” Malice said. “In the meantime, I want to talk to this guy.”

Malice stood from his chair and dropped his e-cigarette back in his pocket. Vik and Tatiana both followed him to their feet.

As they exited Malice’s office, Malice walked uncertainly forward like he was using his Animachip to display information on his retinas. Tatiana herself followed his example tapping into the camera feed of the bearded man’s cell.

From the top corner of the room where the camera was located, Tatiana saw the man standing by the barred window. His cell was fairly comfortable. It had a bed in one corner, a desk up against the wall, and the aforementioned window, but there was a distinct lack of an exit. To make things doubly difficult for the man, a powerful signal blocker encircled the room preventing electronic signals from leaving but not from entering, allowing them to observe him while he was unable to make contact with the outside world.

Vik unlocked the deadbolt to the door and pushed it open. The room’s air conditioner, which was shoved up against the wall rather slapdashedly, roared at full blast. The chilled air made Tatiana shiver.

The man’s eyes whipped around to face them as they entered the room. He didn’t appear cold in the slightest due to the air conditioner, as his eyes bored into each of them individually.

As Tatiana stared back at him, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was familiar somehow. Yet, as far as she remembered, she had never met anyone like this man before.

“Hey again,” The man greeted Tatiana specifically.

Tatiana said nothing, only staring at the man with the long beard. She still couldn’t place his accent.

“Do you mind if we sit?” Malice questioned somewhat politely.

He gestured to the chairs next to the desk. There were two of them, meaning that one person still had to stand, or sit on the man’s bed.

“Something tells me you’re going to sit no matter what I say,” The man said pointedly.

“Correct,” Malice replied with a smirk.

He turned one of the two chairs to face the man who still stared out the window. Vik looked to Tatiana, silently questioning if she wanted the chair. Tatiana shook her head and leaned back against the door. Vik took the other chair, leaning sideways against the desk.

Then suddenly, Tatiana realized why the man was familiar. She knew who he was, not because she had ever met him before. Tatiana had seen him countless times in news articles and on publicly broadcasted interviews. The man she was looking at, though his hair and beard were vastly longer than they had been three years ago, was still recognizable thanks to his calculating dark eyes and casually confident disposition. The man was Roy Jansen, the former head of Viratech.

“You’re Roy Jansen,” Tatiana breathed aloud, her words hushed.

The words just slipped out of their own accord. Tatiana couldn’t hold them back. Now, her mind sprinted through the events of the morning, and they made sense where they formerly had not. Everything fell into place once she knew the identity of this man.

Roy’s mouth twitched in a slight smile that disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. Tatiana had no doubt now that it was Roy Jansen she was looking at.

“What?” Vik questioned whipping around to face Tatiana in confusion. “That’s impossible.”

“No,” Malice said slowly, beginning to see what Tatiana did. “She’s right. We just caught Roy Jansen.”