Preparations

Television's popular as always even in this world. Idol culture propagated. Though there are times where you realize that even these so-called pop stars need help.

I looked at the data. It was exactly January 10, 2100. Been two years since I came to this world. Time went fast. There are exciting days and awfully slow days.

The last months I spent on Karagi weren't that exciting. Mainly blackmailing kind folks into doing what I want them to do. And mostly it was done by sending anonymous emails.

And now I'm in my office alone. Marion entered the door. She carried paper documents and placed them on the desk.

"Paper existing brings terror into my eyes. If I didn't have my scrubber. I'd rather go back to storage."

"You don't tire. No complaining."

"I don't. But I still have a brain inside this perfect vessel of mine. Heart as well, so it breaks my heart being this overworked."

"Have you taken care of the problems?"

"I have."

She leaned on the table.

"Most of the Karagi Clans still know my name. The synthetic skin helps in making them recognize me. They are old, but they know that I was competent. Besides, Trixie has her own sphere of influence that makes my work easy."

"Nix does well."

"One thing however."

Marion throws a data drive.

"You have been friends with the black hats of Karagi. Your information network itself is scary that they even think that you have an algorithm that predicts the future."

"Information and a good look at the state of Karagi usually helps. Let's just say that Pacifica is the eye of the storm. And I'm benefiting from the winds that blow from them."

Marion nodded. She shrugged.

"Oh well, I'm not that particularly against being the dragon."

"It benefits you, no?"

Marion smiled. Her synthetic skin formed into this human-like curve. The husk that she was using was of the early prototypes of the synthetic human project. It made her quite human enough. Her arms however are clearly prosthetics.

"Documents are mostly about the flow of cash. We have clans willing to employ our service. They are interested in your files. Question is how much you'll sell them for."

"Not that they'd ever pay enough. Like I said to them. The price of my info is biased to certain individuals and are related to them."

"That doesn't make sense, but hey, you're the boss."

Marion didn't ask. She explained the documents to me one by one. Thing about Marion was how she simply didn't care about her state. Her mental strength is quite monstrous-- and that she's probably used to being inside a cybernetical body.

"How's the body?"

"Alright. Younger so it's lovely. Synthetic skin is much smoother than human skin. I have to do little maintenance. I do miss my human body, but it's better than nothing."

"I still have your copy. Do you really wish to let me keep them?"

"Why not, boss? I mean it's not like I don't know that you're using me. If anything as long as that copy of me exists. I remain eternal. I will keep on existing. That's good enough."

She stared at me.

"That program is valuable. Hell, this body is quite valuable. The technology is valuable enough. You could sell me for millions."

"I could. But the thing is that your body would plunge this shithole into flames. Imagine the folks who'd want a sure way to keep on existing."

"Yeah, good thing that you have thought about this, boss. Guess I'm the only one who has this now."

Her tech doesn't exist. She's a blackbox and her creator itself made sure that all her tech dies with her. She's the last of her kind and I know this because even the copy of her was made so meticulously that the only thing I could do was keep her from going rampant. I couldn't extract any blueprints and even touching Marion's hand made it clear that she cannot be copied.

She's a one of a kind anomaly like I am.

"So most of the papers are in here. Do you even read them?"

"I do. I store it in my head."

Having a mental note and journal made it easier for me to track my objectives. The notes itself allows me to have a quick summary of what the paper tells. I do read some of the important details, but I do it simply for appearances sake.

"Wish I had that."

Marion has a human brain so she cannot just rewind back to specific memories. Not to mention that most of her functions are made for combat and for dull paperwork. She's a combat secretary, hence why I kept her instead of selling her for a million dollars. Connection and influence was far better than selling her for one time.

"That reminds me, Marion. Have we gotten Nix to check up on the clans of Pacifica?"

"We have. Heard of a swordswoman there making a ruckus with this little girl. Do we make a move against them?"

"Let them be. We're far from Pacifica right now so what they do is not profitable to us."

"I don't want to mess with them right now. The duo fighting for that little girl is quite good. I doubt that they'd go down easily. Heard that they allied with someone who knows one of the girls and has quite an alliance with one of the top dogs of Pacifica. Pacifica politics seems more like they aren't eager to get beaten down by the government there. I'm surprised that the government there is taking action at all."

"It's a controlled crime policy."

"No wonder. They must be hoping to get in-control and earn money while at it. Not that Karagi is better. Do we really have to involve ourselves in the affairs of these two-bit thugs?"

"We need bodies. Besides, you heard Trixie say that it's necessary to get some of them to work with us."

"I'll leave it to Trixie and Nix. Anyway, the documents are all there."

She left the office and returned to her work.

Most of the documents were about our recent agreements. I had already transferred some of the assets from Marion's bank account to mine. She wasn't against it since technically she was indeed dead and the only way to take what was hers is through inheriting the account in the first place.

We got her gear back. Nix made sure to take them. Thing is that she doesn't have any ghost tech other than the built-in shielding on her skin. Anyway, with the paperwork mostly done, I get to finally have some field work that she can help me with.