1 The Courier

Neon lights flickered, lighting up the alley for a third of a second.

There, the shadow of a figure was reflected off the neon rays, along with the fog of smoke that cascaded with the air. The face of the figure couldn't be seen.

On his head was a hat and in his mouth was a large cigarette. His eyes lit up as with the micro LED installed along with the Optical cyberware in his pupils enhanced his vision, granting him limited night vision with ten meters of range.

The figure was leaning against an half-destroyed dilapidated wall with one feet against the wall.

The alleyway was once again engulfed by the impenetrable darkness, leaving nothing visible except for the faint, eerie glow emanating from the smoldering orange tip of the cigarette, lodged firmly between the figure's lips.

Approximately thirty seconds had elapsed, when the unmistakable sounds of footfalls permeated the silence. The audible pattern, akin to the rhythmic tapping of a stick against a hard surface, reverberated through the quiet and constricted alleyway.

Gradually, like the gradual crescendo of a tidal wave, the sound grew in intensity, reaching a peak before subsiding as it ceased. Stopping ten meters away from the enigmatic figure's location.

With an unmistakable rumble, a voice emerged from the darkness, it's figure casting shadows across the narrow alleyway.

In a moment of distraction, the lit ciger clenched between the first stranger's teeth tumbled to the ground, it's glowing ember slowly being extinguished from the stick.

"You are late," He spoke, voice dripping with irritation.

"A minute late. Had to make sure I wasn't being followed." Upon saying this, the new figure reached out behind him and opened up his bag pack, pulling out a well wrapped package.

"Here's your package." The package drifted forwards through the air.

"Thump."

With a dull thump, It was snatched before it could touched the ground.

The figure with the hat inhaled the package in his hands and then asked. "You sure this is Valentino's new product?"

After placing his bag pack behind him, the figure responded with a low tone that betrayed no hint of emotion. "I have no idea what you are talking about," he said.

"I am just the courier." He continued. Without saying another word, the figure turned around and began walking away.

As he strode through the dimly lit alleyway with no hesitation. He had only walked five steps when the voice growled again, this time with even more intensity. "You wasted my valuable time,"

The figure could feel the gruff voice of the man following him like a shadow "No matter how small you think it was, the fact won't change. Don't you think you think you should compensate me for that?"

The courier immediately stopped dead in his tracks, his body frozen in stiffness. Then, without warning, he turned back ever so slightly, his eyes narrowing as he fixed his gaze on the man in the hat.

In that moment, patterns of micro LED began to slowly light up along the courier's skin like the fibre of an augmented muscle implant. Starting from his heart, the glowing network of circuitry expanded outward to cover his entire body, pulsing with a faint electric hum.

The man in the =1hat could feel the hair on his arms and the back of his neck standing on end as he realized the true nature of the person before him.

"Mechanoid!" The man in the hat screamed internally, his mind racing with fear and uncertainty. He knew he had messed with the wrong person this time, and he could feel a cold sweat breaking out across his forehead.

Letting out a nervous chuckle, the man tried to mediate the situation. "I-I was only joking," he stammered, his voice shaking with fear. "Don't take things too seriously, sir. If you don't mind, I'm just gonna take my leave."

Slowly inching sideways, his neuro chip calculated the shortest route. Without waiting another second, he immediately made a dash for it, leaving the alleyway faster than one could say run.

Not until he had gotten at least a hundred meters away from that place did he slow down. Catching his breath. He would never have expected to meet a Mechanoid in this part of the continent not to mention the city!

The courier regarded him for a moment longer, his glowing eyes flickering with something that might have been amusement, disdain or nervousness. Then, with a casual shrug, he allowed the patterns of micro LED to fade back into his skin, leaving him once again looking like an ordinary person.

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

Two seconds after the figure left, the neon lights flickered once more, casting a sickly green glow over the alleyway. In the sudden illumination, the hooded figure became visible, covered in droplets of sweat that glistened like beads of dew on his skin.

The figure was actually trembling, his body racked by slight convulsions as he tried to calm his racing heart. His trembling hands fumbled with the wires and circuits of the micro-light device that he had strapped to his face and body, desperately trying to make it look like he was a Bionetic being.

The LED lights that he had glued to his eyes fell off, hanging precariously by the wires that connected them to the switch in his hands and the battery in his pocket. The hooded figure cursed under his breath, knowing that his charade was almost certainly going to be exposed.

The figure was no Mechanoid, that much of it was clear. But in the grimy world of the slums, appearances could mean the difference between life and death. With the use of the LED and the cover of darkness, he had pretended to be something that he was not, hoping to avoid the attention of those who might do him harm.)

If the figure had glanced backwards once more, the youth knew he would be in huge trouble.

The slums has no mercy for the weak. Gangs and criminals rule the slum with an iron fist, preying on the weak and vulnerable. Violence is a daily occurrence, and the screams of victims echo through the alleys at night.

If he isn't careful especially in his line of work, he would robbed and when they realise he has nothing, he could be killed with his organs taken and sold. What better way to get rich than stealing healthy organs.

While organs aren't as expensive as the old era, it could at least feed one person for three days. Everyone within this district is starving and is desperate!

The youth hurriedly left the alley, not daring to wait a single moment.