4: Capsule Corp

In the middle of the night, Rayne was like a streak of light across the streets. Behind him were the same pursuers who wanted to take the packet away.

Shouts and cries of confusion became commonplace once they stopped fighting. Because of Rayne's unexpected speed, they never managed to catch up to him and were forced to keep following him even amidst the crowded street.

Time passed and neither side knew for sure how long that game of catch had lasted. As a premonition slowly rose in his heart, Captain Pen was about to say something but a shout came from the place ahead before he could even open his mouth.

"Look! It's those bastards from Red Ribbon Army! Raise the alarm and turn on the security bots!"

Just when Rayne stepped inside Capsule Corp, shouts resounded around him. Guards rushed out with batons in their hands and some people helped Rayne get inside.

On both sides of the entrance, the ground opened revealing a deep square-shaped iron tunnel with rails on each side.

The ground shook and soon after a big humanoid robot appeared. The edges were sharp and it glistened in the areas illuminated by the light of poles. Rather than guns, each robot had a pair of large hands with small snake-like flashes of electricity charging across.

"S-shit! Retreat, retreat!"

Captain Pen cried out in shock once he realized his mistake, but some of his useless soldiers weren't quick enough to notice that they had crossed the line.

"But captain, he-" Before the soldier could finish his words, the robot reached out and lifted him from the ground with one hand.

"Aghhh!" The soldier cried in pain and was soon dropped to the ground. One look on his face was enough to know that he passed out from the shock.

"Run!" They cried in unison and separated. Nobody was willing to go through that treatment.

Rayne was taking deep breaths on the side, his chest going up and down like a roller coaster. 'Fuck this! They dare to chase me but don't dare to get inside?'

While complaining silently, a man approached Rayne and sized him up and down.

"Rayne, isn't it? I heard you are a courier or something similar? Why are you here?"

Looking up, Rayne saw a man with a well-cut beard and bald head, he was wearing the protective uniform of CC's guards and had a blue armband.

"Sorry... let me just..." Rayne had yet to catch his breath when the guard approached. Only after a few minutes did his lung gave way for him to talk. "I'm indeed here to deliver something. Drawar-san asked me to give this packet to Dr. Brief. Can I-"

"Oh, I see!" The guard interrupted with a nod of his head. "We were told you were coming, Dr. Drawar asked us to keep an eye and help just in case. Wait here for a moment, I'll go tell the manager that you've arrived."

***

In an office on the third floor of Capsule Corp, Rayne sat across a middle-aged man wearing a lab coat. The man adjusted his glasses and spoke with a smile on his face.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, I was busy and got delayed because of an ongoing project."

Rayne hurriedly shook his head a little embarrassed. "Mr. Manager, please, it's my fault for coming up here so late at night! If it wasn't Drawar-san's request, I wouldn't dare to come at this time."

The manager laughed and shook his head. "Let's not get ourselves too entangled in this. It's but a simple matter, after all."

"Yes!" Rayne nodded and put the packet on the Manager's table. It was only at this moment that he noticed a plaque with his name too. "Mr. Conut, this is the packet I was told to give to Dr. Brief."

Seeing it intact and even without dirt, Conut nodded satisfied. "You did your job rather well. But you must know this is merely the first step!"

Seeing the serious-looking Conut, Rayne gulped and looked at him in confusion.

With a smile, Conut explained that Dr. Drawar has noticed his situation long ago and had been preparing to give him something since then.

"... Knowing your situation, he left something here with us and was preparing a task for you specifically so that you came here and took it yourself. Although this wasn't the situation he had in mind, Dr. Drawar was indeed in need of help, and this time you saved not only him but also our Capsule Corporation.

"What Dr. Drawar left for you is this packet with one hundred thousand Zeni. It's enough for you to buy your own house and pay for your education. Of course, that's obviously not all. Dr. Brief heard about you directly from Dr. Drawar and was moved by your story. Honestly, if you leave the packet here, this can be considered as having finished your job. But if you're ambitious and are willing to work hard, Dr. Brief said that you can go to West City and meet him personally at the company's main HQ. So... What do you say? Are you willing?"

Conut stared at Rayne with curiosity in his eyes. Truth to be told, he doesn't expect him to accept. Just the money alone is enough to make any kid his age smug and complacent, thinking that all troubles are solved and that there is no need to work hard anymore.

They would just take the easy money and lose interest in honing themselves. Dr. Drawar praised this kid as being smart, but besides some talent for fights, Conut couldn't see that light a truly smart and shrewd person should have.

Rayne's answer, however, was completely unexpected!

"Thank you, Mr. Conut! I will accept the offer!"

What?! How could it be? There is not even a drop of hesitation! Isn't he attached to this city? Won't he miss Dr. Drawar and his friends? What about the fear of the unknown?

Conut was a master of managing the execution of projects, but his abilities in the HR departments were a little low. He forgot to consider that Rayne was living at the edge of society for as long as he could remember. He wasn't afraid of a fight or the unknown. If anything, he only lived long enough to meet Drawar because he was smart enough to learn the laws of the street from a very young age! Seeking opportunities was something already ingrained in his mindset. How could he pass the opportunity to get acquainted with one of Earth's brightest minds?!