Chapter 20 (Part 4)

May 12, 2065, 12:19 PM

Incoming message - "best hacker in the universe"

"Alex, I have urgent news... Here's the deal, I stumbled upon a group of kids in cyberspace being used by Arasaka Corporation to search for data lost behind the black veil. They're all incredibly talented and could be a great asset to us in the future. Let me know if you're in for this little adventure."

"P.S. All information has been transmitted through a secure channel and encrypted. Use Vega to make future handling of such matters easier."

I had barely started to eat when I received an unexpected message from Raych. After reading it several times, I had to put all my other tasks aside and work on my upgraded suit. Operations like this simply cannot be pulled off alone, which means I'll need assistants. The complex averages about a hundred security guards, as well as a dozen scientists conducting highly dubious experiments on children barely ten years old. Installing implants at such a young age is already a huge risk, but Arasaka hasn't stopped there; to ensure success, they also pump the subjects with a potent drug that dulls their sense of self-preservation and fear. Of course, the effects are much weaker in cyberspace, but in reality, this cocktail literally turns them into docile puppets, blindly obeying orders.

"Creator Alex, why are you angry? These children are strangers to you, and you have no contact with them," Vega distracted me from my thoughts, drawing my attention to the question asked.

"One of the forms of complex-expressed empathy. Simply put, at this moment, a person unconsciously places themselves in another's position, thereby projecting the situation onto themselves. In the course of such subconscious operations, they start to empathize with the other person. That's essentially how empathy works," I mentally give a detailed answer to the AI, feeling somewhat relieved after being able to distract myself from the unpleasant topic.

"Analyzing received data... Thank you for the detailed response, creator," the girl replied in her usual manner.

"I hope my conclusions have at least slightly expanded your understanding of the world," I mentally smiled and returned to the rescue plan.

It looks like I'll need to enlist the support of brothers Han and Shiro, and Kiwi. According to the data, the laboratory holds fourteen children, and one vehicle won't be enough to transport them all. Also, considering that someone might get injured, medical assistance will be necessary. Han and Shiro have been involved in similar operations before, and as for field medical support, there's Kiwi. She's a medic qualified beyond her years and can handle any complications, including patching up a few through-and-through wounds.

It also wouldn't hurt to prepare protective suits for the brothers. The children are held separately and it won't be possible to rescue all at once. Each is contained in an individual cell and, in addition, different groups are located in different parts of a long corridor. I simply won't be able to physically cover that many people.

I'll have to quickly assemble several sets of armor. In a week, I should be able to prepare the people and be ready to rescue the children. Going in there alone now would almost certainly doom the mission and endanger those I want to save. Arasaka won't leave such compromising evidence behind and will try to eliminate everyone involved, including their own employees. The corporation's resources will allow them to hire similar specialists many times over without harm to themselves, but as always, everything will take time...

I need to consider what I have at the moment. A few sets of shields. A couple of discarded breastplates no longer needed, and various remnants of armor suits that, with some modifications, can be forged into a single mechanism.

"Vega, please calculate a Class 7 protective suit based on the given conditions. Also, I authorize modifications. You may use the nanofabricator to reproduce parts if necessary. I'm setting the highest priority for this task and granting administrative permission to use all available resources."

"Compiling the received request... Request processed... Initiating prototype creation. The initial variant of the 'Nomad' combat exoskeleton is used as a template. Twenty-three minutes remain until preliminary calculations are completed..."

While Vega was busy with this task, I decided to go to the brothers and inform them in advance about the upcoming trouble. I'm almost certain they'll agree, and Kiwi won't refuse me either, but first, I just need to tell everyone about my plan...

***

Finding the guys took a bit longer than expected. I went to the workshop hoping to find them there, but it seemed they had decided to take a break from their usual routine and were not around. Wandering around the camp, I finally located them near an improvised shooting range. Along with the two brothers, I spotted Vi, who apparently also wanted to practice his shooting skills.

"Han, Shiro, are you guys free right now?" I called out cheerfully, raising my hand to get their attention.

"Need something?" Han half-turned to me, putting his gun on safety.

"Not for extra ears," I nodded for them to follow me.

"Look at you, Mr. James Bond," Vincent snorted in annoyance but continued shooting, letting the brothers follow me.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"You rarely ask us for anything, Alex, especially in such a manner," Shiro chimed in.

"To put it bluntly, how do you feel about messing with Arasaka Corporation a bit?" I asked the burning question directly.

"Arasaka?" Shiro asked in surprise. "When did your interests cross paths?"

"And more importantly, how exactly do you want to mess with them?" Han frowned and crossed his arms in front of him.

"Actually, I need to pull someone out. It's going to be very dangerous, but I have a plan..." I paused dramatically, playing on the guys' emotions. The proverbial thorn in their side wouldn't let them just refuse.

"I hope this won't be like rescuing Sue?" Han snorted, giving an unspoken agreement.

"You wound me; this time it's going to be far more dangerous and unpredictable," I replied with a broad smile.

"Who else is going in?" Shiro asked, hands behind his head and feigning cheerfulness.

"Kiwi," I paused again, calculating something in my mind. "Of course, four people might be a bit few, but we should manage."

"What's the problem, we can also take Vincent; he's one of the best shooters in the clan and can provide some decent fire support," Han suggested, nodding towards where the gunfire was coming from.

"Vi, you say..." I pondered the proposal, recalling all the guy's traits that could either help or hinder us during the operation. He had been hot-headed, but he had calmed down significantly, and indeed, the boy could shoot well. For covering fire, the younger O'Brian could be a good fit... "Alright, but I'll also need at least two vehicles."

"Maybe we should ask John to help?" Shiro looked at me quizzically, tilting his head.

"Don't risk the lives of family," I quoted one of the six fundamental rules of the nomads, which I fully supported. "But you're right, we should notify him or at least Susan that we will be gone for a while and that we'll be taking the vehicles. So guys, I'll leave Vi to you, and I'm going back to my place. I need to prepare all the necessary gear for you. We have about a week, so get ready..."