3.7 laying low 2 - Expansion

Over a month had passed since the raid on kiroshi and zetatech , With not a whisper or word from the person's dubbed Apollo by the general populous .

Of course that didn't stop , Militech , Zetatech and kiroshi from pouncing on any leaks or leads they could potentially find , Performing arrests and interrogations at random , Yet none had found anything .

The city was in a sort of hushed whisper about the incident , Nobody willing to poke their heads Into the events other than already present parties .

Maxtac themselves were hunting the man , but were having just about the same luck as the other corporations .

Mercs and entire edgerunner teams were also keeping an ear out for rumours of Apollo's location , Intent on cashing in the bounty on the man's head .

Red rippers were becoming more and more popular amongst the citizens on Watson and little China, Drawing more clients to the ripper thanks to the preem wares and cutting edge tech . Some smaller tech stores had approached Sebastian during opening hours to attempt to purchase the ability to sell his tech. All were denied of course due to the dodgy contracts and the near attempted extortion of his persons .

Of course due to the increase in clients , Sebastian had been forced to ... " hire " ... assistance .

This new hire was a fully altered RN-01 with a completely new chassis and human like exterior , Complete with synthetic skin over the top , Nobody would be able to tell he was a robot unless they really looked close .

With RN-01 now fully autonomous and the ability to function on his own . With the full knowledge implemented into it's core by Sebastian , It had been allowed to use the catalogue of cyberware Sebastian sold . Taking place as the surgeon in the clinic five out of seven days of the week .

RN-01 Did good work aa the surgeon of red rippers , Quickly earning the gratitude and faith of their clients . It made Sebastian proud , Watching his creation grow in understanding , As it learnt through interacting with the community when it wasn't running the clinic with tekeyoshi .

This allowed for a large widening on Sebastian's timetable, Finally allowing him to do what he sought when coming to this world .

To live ... to experience. And that's just what he intended to do .

...

" FUCK HIM UP " A animal gang member cried out as chanting exploded above , The ring Sebastian stood shirtless in rattling as his opponent rushed at him angrily.

" GET HIM " A man above bellowed , As sebastian leant away from an explosive lunch to his right pectoral .

The knuckle past by him , Chipping past his shoulder with a grunt .

" Hha " He growled , Reaching up past the over extended animal brawler , Grabbing the man by the dreads and pulling the animals nose down into his rising knee .

He grunted, Raising his left arm, Dropping his elbow onto the back of the animals neck before he could recover .

" GET THE FUCK OFF ME " The animal pushed back, Launching your as sebastian jumped back , Avoiding the hammer drop that was sent his way .

He responded with a twirling back kick to the sternum , Pushing the animal back across the ring , The animal wheezing as blood ran down his lips.

Sebastian grunted , Sweat running down the sides of his face as he regarded the animal , The two standing across from eachother , Staring at eachtojer with harsh glares .

" COME ON REX I BET FIVE K EDDIES ON YOU FLATTENING THE WIMP " One of his opponent friends yelled out. The animal looking up momentarily with a blood thirsty grin.

" I'm going to flatten you little man " Rex , A Jamaican man turned absolute unit growled , His dreads swaying as he approached, Cracking his knuckles .

" Unforntunately not " Sebastian looked at the back of his hands , orange veins of light running under his skin , His knuckles clenching and unclenching as orange Sparks jumped between his hands .

[ Plasma cartridge ready ] The red key buzzed , plasma coils hidden in his knuckles beginning to glow orange , His skin heating up with a small sizzle .

" RAAAGH " The animal activated his berserk, Rushing Sebastian with reaching hands, Intent on crushing his skull in his massive clutch.

' This has been fun enough ... I feel no sorrow for ending this criminal ' Sebastian crouching bouncing forward straight into the guard of the animal , Knuckles turning bright red as he thrust his right arm around and up directly into the chin of the animal , A surge of red plasma escaping Sebastian's knuckles , Erupting and being pressed directly into the flesh of the animal fighter .

Sparks erupted and blew from the side of the man's head and ears .

As the glow in his knuckles began to die down , Sebastian pivoted , Gyrating on the spot , Rotating and slamming the top of his foot directly into the temple of the animals head in a single devastating sweeping overhead kick .

Rex stopped moving entirely , The Sparks around his cranium dying down as his arms went slack , Falling to the ground completely unresponsive.

Sebastian slumped , Sighing as silence reigned supreme above , Raising hisbhead to glare at each of the spectators.

" well "

" THE VICTOR ... SEBASTIAN MARKUUUUSSSS " The announcer cried out, A cackle of joy laughing as tekeyoshi pulled in his well earned spoils .

Retrieving his shirt , Sebastian walked to the ladder that lead out of the ring , Shaking his knuckles before grabbing the ladder and climbing from the ring.

" You should probably get a cab home soon tek , They don't seem very happy to have lost " Tekeyoshi looked up , Scrutinising their surroundings before making a hasty retreat .

" SEE YOU AT THE CLINIC BOSS " Tekeyoshi waved him off , Leaving the animals warehouse and dissapearing entirely .

" Little shit " Sebastian laughed , Putting his shirt on as he too left the warehouse .

" HEY WAIT " A deep feminine voice called out , Turning to find a large female animal approaching.

" What can I do for ya " Sebastian asked , Approaching his bike that was parked nearby on the side of the road .

" What was that last move you did " Rhino asked , Looking him over with an appreciative eye , Which made Sebastian feel mighty exposed under the large woman's gaze .

" Do you want the move or do you just want the martial arts " Sebastian asked , Mounting his bike , Pulling out his ballistic gloves and sliding them on .

" If you have the whole martial arts, That would be great , Was impressive " Rhino didn't entirely know what to say , With Sebastian Shaking his head , Eyes lighting up as he compiled a file composed of all the kickboxing techniques composed by his old human world .

" Take it... you'll make more liberal use of it than I will " He sent the file directly Into her neural ware , The woman shuddering slightly at the amount of data dumped onto her .

" preem thanks man ... "

" I'll be back next week... Wanna check you guys are putting it to good use " Sebastian replied , Earning a challenging smirk in turn .

" We'll be ready " Rhino cracked her knuckles and laughed .

" I hope so , I won't go so easy next time " He replied , His bike lurching forward and away from the animals warehouse .

Riding from Santo Domingo, Sebastian rode all the way to Heywood with little fanfare .

[ Incoming message from RN-01 .

Client has requested the following , Red genesis cyberdeck MK 1 , Red genesis optics ... Red genesis cyberware mitigation relay ] The message flashed over the vision of his left eye as he weaved through traffic .

' Hm...'

[ Sending message to RN-01.

Client file ]

He revieved the file not ten seconds after sending his message .

' Hm ... armatech netrunner ... higher up in the chain ... Could be good business ' He prepared to send another message , Entering Heywood.

[ Sending message to RN-01.

Give them what they requested , However hide a second firewall in the system , I don't want them copying or reverse engineering our stuff ] Sebastian flicked the message off , Slowing the bike down to a crawl and eventual stop at a set off traffic lights .

[ Affirmative creator ] RN-01 replied before he stopped receiving messages from the robot, No doubt going back to performing surgeries .

Passing through Heywood, Sebastian entered the city centre , Passing by a specific building , Coming to a stop for several long moments .

" Hm ... " He looked up at the apartment building he knew Victoria lived in. He hadn't seen hide nor hair from her since the raid on zetatech .

Actually that was a lie , she had sent him a message that she didn't want to see nor hear from him ever again , stating she wanted to focus on herself and her life before doing anything she'd regret .

He was pretty sure that it was her parents doing , But at the end of the day , He didn't want to cause more trouble for the girl .

And so he replied by simply stating he wished her well , Thanking her for everything she had done for him , Expressing his care for her and her future , And if she wished to reach out that he would always respond and welcome her with open arms .

He hadn't recieved a response after that , But he knew she saw it , And so that was that apparently . Regrettable , He had come to like her afterall , Despite her obvious flaws , She had her own charm .

" Oh well " He kicked off the ground , The bike speeding up once more as he left the scene.

Crossing from the city centre to little China, Sebastian cruised through the traffic , Not particularly wanting to go anywhere .

His eyes did however catch a glowing dign to a night club .

' Riot should be open tonight ... I'll go round nine ' He thought , Passing by the riot club , Switching his brain off and simply enjoying the ride .

[INCOMING MESSSGE FROM RN-01

Surgery complete ... 250000 eddies deposited into accounts ] Sebastian whistled at the amount , Chuckling to himself , Taking a right at the lights , Choosing to instead of going to riot , He would simply enjoy the high life .

[ Sending to , Tek .

Hey tek , why don't you enjoy the night for yourself , Buy some games or whatever you want ... ] He sent the message , Looking at their saved funds for the last month , Well over a million eddies were deposited in their company accounts . The upkeep was around 150000 k eddies for one to three months of supplies depending on the consistency and size of orders .

At around a median net of eighty to a hundred k eddies per client for the more wealthy . And the lower wealth clients raking in about two to five k eddies depending on what they needed . Red rippers didn't charge a base rate , Rather they would tailor the costs to per person . A poorer person would cost at the minimum five hundred eddies to five k eddies . A middle class person could get ten to fifty k eddies costs . While the higher end specs and clients at the minimum were eighty k a surplus of more than five hundred k eddies .

So with a month's total of clients , With atleast one higher end client around once or twice a week . They had been coming in more often rather than not as the reputation if their clinic reached more circles.

They had racked to around 2 to

3 million eddies . And with the 3.5 million eddies remaining from his raid of militechs bank accounts .

They had around 6 million eddies to spend on what they want , With a minimum of 500 k eddies to fall back on if they need. That was alot of spending money . But he was wise enough not to spend anywhere near that amount , He wasn't willing to spend more than a million eddies on anything .

' Maybe I should purchase some more property , a more secure storehouse , Actually wasn't the warehouse near my clinic on sale ... oh well some food for thought for later ' He shrugged , Putting the thoughts to the back of his head , Leaving it to the red key to ultimately plan and decide .

Simply enjoying the rest of the ride to the apartment , Sebastian dismounted the bike , Allowing it to chug off after it grunted , Ascending the stairs to his apartment , Ignoring dorio chatting with Rebecca in the hallway.

' Here we are ' He entered his apartment , closing the door behind him , Locking it before deciding to pass some time in the shower and preparing something nice to wear .

...CITY CENTRE ...

" Excuse me " Sebastian approached the door guard , Wearing a crimson red tux with a black overcoat dangling , Folded up in the crook of his right arm.

" Your invitation " A large Hispanic male stood between him and the event going on behind the doors infront of him , The man wore a glowing red visor strip that covered his eyes .

" Here " His eyes danced across the people currently in view behind the door , Breaking into their systems and looking for the invitation they had been given , And when found he tailored a new one for himself and transmitted it to the guard .

" Carry on " The man didn't look too hard , Simply judging Sebastian by his look of apparent wealth , Accepting the invitation and stepping to the side.

" Thank you my good man " Sebastian pet the man on the shoulder , Walking past into the lobby of the event centre .

" A drink ser " A waitress walked up , Holding a glasses of blood red champagne .

" Appreciate it " He gave his platitudes before accepting a drink , Taking it from the tray before moving past the server to mingle with the crowd .

Booths lined the side of the room , Where various corporations higher ups sat segregated , Glaring across at eachother whilst their lower ranks mingled through the party.

' Arms dealers , career criminals . Academy principles ... corpo agents ... they've got everyone who is someone here ' He tipped the champagne back , Drinking it in one go , Placing the glass on a nearby tabletop and moving on .

He made his way through the crowds, Blending in whilst gauging every single person within , Eyes scanning from left to right and back again .

' I want to know ... everything about them ' The red key buzzed , The hairs on the back of his neck standing on end momentarily before settling back down .

[ of course creator... engaging now ] The key informed him , This time he paused , Not only had he perceived the message but he had somewhat been able to feel a sort of voice , A faint whisper in the back of his head from the red key .

' Ever evolving ... You do me proud ' The key physically frilled in delight at its creators affirmation and affection for it .

[ Thank you... creator ] The whisper was a little louder than last time , but settled down non the less and no less revieved and understood by its maker .

He chuckled , Lowered his gaze. Shaking his head with a proud smile before rasing his gaze and continuing on through the crowds ,this time however , there were displays above their heads before his gaze . Each holding a photo of the individual, Workplace , residence , associations , Wealth , Recent activities and what the red key gauged to be the best and worst things the person had ever done.

' Not the worst people ... but some ... definitely the NOT someone to get along with ' He looked at an arasaka scout , Glaring through the crowd vigilantly , Searching for potential allies.

' Jeez is there ever a point where they aren't scheming ' He rolled his eyes , Ears perking up as he listened through the ongoing conversations.

" I heard miasaki was recently found ... you know what with you know who " A pair if midwives spoke in the corner .

" Michael backed out of the deal , Now I have to relocate the weapons " A pair of claws spoke in hushed whispers several metres away from everyone else .

" I heard you're running for mayor next tern... allow me to introduce myself " That one gained Sebastian's attention momentarily , Spotting a man and a woman being approached by what was obviously a corpo grunt .

" My loan was declined ... you wouldn't happen to be willing to lend me just the upfront costs would you ... I promise I'll pay you back it's only a hundred thousand " A bespectacled man with brown hair framing his face all but begged his long time friend .

What drew Sebastian's attention to the man was his occupation , and status .

'Medical practitioner ... recently broke away from a local med centre due to disagreements about how medications should be dispersed to everyone ] The red key informed him , Bringing Sebastian up short.

' Accidentally ' Bumping into a medical practitioner whom worker for a local chemist .

" My apologies good ser " Sebastian stabilised the bespectacled man " Are you alright "

" No my friend , I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings " The bespectacled man shook his head in apology and grasped accepted Sebastian's hand .

When he turned back to look at the friend he was begging for money from he noticed the friend had taken the chance to dissapear into the crowds.

" So much for brothers " The man slumped , Noticing the raised eyebrow sent at him from Sebastian " Sorry , My names Benjamin... "

" nice to meet you Benjamin, Call me Sebastian... I'm sorry , I have to be honest with you I didn't accidentally bump into you ... " Benjamin paused at sebastian admission " It appears you friend wasn't inclined to listening to your proposal. I've been watching since your declaration of resignation from the med centre , And I couldn't but help but be moved by your reasoning ... but tell me in your own words ... why did you leave the medicorps "

" I see ... I should've known " Benjamin seemd to give in , Taking a drink from a waitress walking by " Tommy wasn't just going to let me walk away was he ... how much is he paying you to threaten me ... "

" I can confidently tell you I have no idea who this Tommy is , Im a scout looking for people who match a specific criteria . Instead I'm actually interested in your wish to dispense medical services to everyone , Not just people able to pay. I want to know , why " Sebastian pressed , Accepting a drink from a waitress .

" From the lady at the bar " The waitress turned Sebastian's attention to a woman at the bar counter .

' A corpo scout , Looks like Benjamin's not the only one with attention on him ' Sebastian snorted , Raising his glass to the woman before turning back to Benjamin.

" Then who are you scouting for " Benjamin obviously remained sceptical , Eyes darting around to find a method of escape .

' He's cornered me without me noticing ' Benjamin realised with a tightened heart , Realising that he was indeed pushed to one of the booths away from view of everyone else .

" Myself actually . You see , I recently opened a ripper doc clinic with the belief that everyone deserves the help they truly need . It wasn't their decision to be burdened with life , It is our duty to help eachother , To bring eachother up and stand together, Even through these trying times . I mean , How can we hope to progress through the stars when even the children of our civilisation live in squalor and due on the streets alone ... and scared " Sebastian frowned , Staring into the mid distance for a moment before he seemed to recentre himself, Coming out of a state of distraction to look back at Benjamin.

" Would I have heard of it " Benjamin asked , There were many clinics , Some less reputable than others , Some truly shady .

" Red rippers , Trademarked of course " Sebastian offered his hand " My name is Sebastian marko , Founder of red rippers , And hopefully your business partner for you upcoming venture "

" Benjamin Riggs " Benjamin accepted the hand shake , Looking Sebastian up and down with critical eyes .

" Very good , Now tell me ... what is it exactly you wanted to do " Sebastian motioned to the booth he had subtly cornered Benjamin Into , The meek bespectacled man slumping , Sighing and seemingly accepting his fate .

Sliding into the booth , Benjamin looked up expectantly to Sebastian, Waiting for some kind of underhanded move now that Benjamin was out if camera shot .

" Now then , Let's talk business " Sebastian slid into the opposite side of the booth , Beginning the start of Sebastian's expansion .

...

They spoke at length about their agreed apon goal , With Benjamin's wish to open up a pharmacy that sold a wide range of medications hoarded by the med centres and kept away from the populous that needed it .

Before long Ben was passionately speaking about the injustice of it all , having to watch many , Many people die at the front of the med centres due to not having the funds to pay for any treatments.

" That's a good start Ben , But I think you're thinking too small . What if I told you this . I'm planning to open up a total of eight rippers all throughout night city , And each one will have an adjacent pharmacy attached, Where everyone from street urchin to elderly woman can come in and buy precious medications that they wouldn't normally be able to for an affordable price ... he'll we'd even offer discounts for those who truly need them , It is our duty to help those in need , Why not help everyone " Sebastian countered, Bringing Ben up short .

" But the corporations, They wouldn't simply accept " He stopped when Sebastian raised his hand , Shaking his head .

" I wouldn't worry so much about the corporations, At the end of the day , Empires fall ... but people continue on ... whether we succeed or not , The corporations will be wise not to stand in our way " Benjamin was taken aback by the sheer confidence that bled from Sebastian's words , Even the surrounding listeners turned and gave Sebastian and raised eyebrow and appraising glances , Others however gave him warning glares . Yet he ignored all of them in favour is pinning seabastian with clear determined eyes .

" How can you be so sure ... how can you know " Benjamin began to rise , but found himself frozen and lowered back down into the seat against his will by an invisible force , As sebastian leant over the counter , Bringing his mouth close to Ben's ears .

" Surely you've heard of Apollo " Sebastian leant in , Benjamin freezing in his spot , His hands beginning to shake at the mention of the growling ghost of night city.

" Im sure everyones been wandering just where he got the tech to defy the entire city " And with those words , Benjamin began to realise just how out of his depth he was in this conversation, Backed into a corner both figuratively and literally . And now he knew a secret that was worth millions , Enough to silence him over.

" I found him you know, Alone in the world , Sick and weak . He needed help , He was destined to die alone without anything to his name . I gave him everything he ever had , Everything he ever wanted " Technically Sebastian wasn't lying , He had done that for himself .

' I've been had ' Benjamin watched Sebastian leant back and slowly sip from his drink , Glowing orange eyes raised in mirth , He knew he had Benjamin, they both knew it .

" Its no use telling anyone either , the most that'll happen to me is I'll be hounded with offers from every Corp in the world to get their hands on the tech I can make ... and trust me , Without me that tech is all but useless . It's my design , My hand and coding .. without me ... it can't be remade or even copied "

" You know where he is don't you " Benjamin whispered , Barely heard over the loud audio of the background .

" Naturally ... as my number one deterrent and enforcer, He is a rather useful employee " Sebastian circled the rim of his glass with the tip of his finger .

" So he's " Benjamin began to look around the room in paranoia , Eyes darting from left to right .

" always watching , That's right... " The hairs on Ben's body stood on end as he caught sight of a pair of glowing eyes in the reflection of a glass , Whirling around on to find nothing , His breathing quickened , His heart rate sky-rocketing as he began to panic .

Everything became dizzy to the man , And he froze as he felt a reassuring hand on his shoudler , Grounding him back to reality as he found the concerned gaze of Sebastian looking at him .

' Maybe I was abit heavy handed here ' He gently let of of Sebastian " He's not a bad man you know , He's like me , More worried about those who are discarded by society ... you don't have to worry about him , He's not a monster ... nor am I "

" I would genuinely like to fund your clinic however , I don't care much about you paying me back , All I expect you to do his hold true to your values ... to care for those who no one else will ... how much do you need to start "

" One hundred thousand eddies ... " Ben whispered , Still shaking , But he slowly calmed himself with long slow breaths.

" I'll send you three ... I want you to find a location, And some employees , find some companies to fund and provide the medications , Start looking over everything you need for the stores upkeep ... and then come to my clinic to finalise everything... here " Benjamin froze as he watched three hundred thousand eddies be transferred to him , A warm buzz rising over the back of his head as he felt queezy.

" I think it's time you went home Ben, Here's my contact details ... " Benjamin's system registered an intrusion , But he was powerless to do anything as a new contact was added .

" if you need anything else ... feel free to reach out , I look forward to working with you my good friends " Benjamin gave a half hearted smile as he slowly extricated himself from the booth .

" M...ME to . I'll be by your clinic shortly " Benjamin quickly made himself scarce, looking over his shoulder every couple of seconds .

Sebastian couldn't help but sigh.

' I fear I may have intimidated the man more than gained a business partner ... I underestimated just how much fear people put on the shoulders of someone who can defy order ' Sebastian clasped his ahdms and placed his elbows on the desk , leaning his forehead against the tips of his thumbs in thought .

' Nothing that can't be fixed ' He heard someone else slide into the booth , a female , The arasaka agent .

" Now tell me , what does arasaka wish for me my dear " He raised his glowing orange eyes to look at the agent who was brought to short by his precise and percing words .

" You seem like a resourceful man ... I could use a man of your talents " The woman asked as she leant in ,whispering as her eyes danced through the crowds .

" And what makes you say that ... I have no idea what you're talking about " Sebastian accepted another drink from the passing servers .

" out of everyone here , You're the only person we couldn't get any details on . Your ice is on another level , Even now we can't breach you , Nor does facial recognition work on you , Every time the results are different . That means you don't want to he seen or recognised ... and usually people like that have things to hide . And to stay hidden... you need talent ... which is what I want to use " She stated matter of factly like she had just solved some kind of unsolvable puzzle , Looking mighty smug .

" Alright ... what do you want me to do " Sebastian shrugged, Humouring the woman with a small sense of mirth for her folly .

" There's someone in this venue I need you to get this to ... slot it in without them noticing and get it out again within two minutes, They can't notice ...or the mission is blown . You understand why we can't have this fall back on us " The woman pressed , Sliding a chip over to Sebastian who took it , Examining it momentarily .

" And who is the target " Sebastian asked , following the woman's gaze to a booth across the far end of the room , Two guards standing at attention whilst the higher ups conversed between themselves .

'Kang tao ' Sebastian looked at the Chinese speaking in their own language in hushed tones .

" Alright ... I expect payment shortly " he amde to stand , Reaching for the shard as the woman grabbed his hand " lets open comms "

" Alright ... " Sebastian accepted the call from the woman , taking the shard and leaving the booth , Circling around the rooms crowds , Making it look like he was simply flowing through the room , ultimately coming to a stop before the kang Tao employees.

' Let's make this abut more interesting ... key ... let's rework this chip ' He slotted the chip in subtly without anyone noticing .

He stopped infront of the two kang Tao muscle , Making to step past before one raised his hand and stopped Sebastian from entering the booth.

The employees stopped talking , looking to Sebastian with harsh judging glares .

" Screw off " One growled as sebastian grabbed the muscles hand .

...

" What is this idiot doing " Amber growled, Watching the man she had just employed being stopped by the muscle and beginning a series of hushed by very articulate and fast conversations in Chinese.

Raising her hand to her earpiece , The militech agent opened up comms to her team .

She wasn't arasaka , She was militech , Lying to the man and taking advantage of his assumption for working witb arasaka . It was all for the sake of being covert , Nobody could know militech had a hand in this . She was a deep cover agent, And of course she milked every situation for what it was worth.

[ Prepare to move out ... ] She glared at the fool who was throwing back words to the kang Tao muscle .

' Affirmative 'she recieved word from her teak dispersed throughout the crowds , If this fool fucked this up they'd have to leave quickly.

[ any idea what they're saying ] She whispered into comms , Watching one of the kang Tao operatives stand aggressively and approach the fool .

' Negative ... best guess they're about to throw him put ' And just as they thought , They watched the kang Tao employees grab the fool by the jacket and pull him close , All without anyone noticing.

' Red we've just revieved a link , The chips been inserted ' gifted the code name red , She froze , Turning back to the exchange with wide eyes ' The daemons being installed '

[ when did that happen , He hasn't even removed the chip from his pocket ] Thoughts rushed through her head a mile a minute , Watching the exchange with wide and curious eyes as they continued to berate eachother in fluent Chinese across the room .

' Thirty percent uploaded ' Her team told her , Red leaning on her elbows as she watched the apparent not so fool continue arguing with the kang Tao employee . Now another had stood, Pointing accusing fingers at the fool , Now beginning a two v one argument.

Another whole minute of arguments continued , Now three of the employees were arguing with the fool, Showing insults back and forward as they argued about whatever they were speaking in Chinese.

' Eighty three percent installed ' Her handler in the van downstairs I formed her , Red now gauging the conversation with curious eyes .

' Apparently not so much a fool ' Red thought, Squinting as she recieved confirmation the upload was complete ' Just how will you get out of there '

Curiosity gnawed at her as she watched the exchange with rapt attention , The man Hurling another struggle I'd insults before being pushed away from the group , The first one to argue with the man , The one whom apparently had the chip inserted pointed a finger at the fool , Berating him before turning away and returning to the booth .

She hadn't seen the chip be removed , Nor had the man acted in anyw as to remove the chip as he rose , Dusted himself off and threw one final insult back. Flipping the bird and turning away , Walking away to slowly return to their booth .

' The idiot forgot to remove the chip , We've been compromised ' She gnashed her teeth together as the man passed by the booth .

Sje was about to open her mouth and insult him as he passed by , Yet her mother froze as a small black chip was subtly thrown at her , Landing on the table infront of her as the fool she was about to berate simply continued on .

He looked over his shoulder subtly with mirth in her eyes , Smirking slightly as he waved over his shoulder and continued on .

Red turned her gaze to the chip sitting infront of her , Realising it was indeed the daemon installed chip . With shaking hands she reached up and slid it out of view , Hiding it in her jacket.

[ Did we get an ID on that man ] Red asked over comms , Watching him dissapear around a corner .

She rose from the booth , Following after with quick steps , Leaving the party and entering the hallway to the elevator.

She rounded the corner he had rounded , Only to find the room empty entirely , Not even the elevators were being used at that moment .

[ Anyone got eyes on that man ] Red asked, Pressing the call for the elevator , Stepping in and selecting the first floor .

' Negative ... unable to ID , After accepting payment from you subject has vanished from all security systems ' Red paused, the words of her compatriot bringing her up short .

[ Can you repeat that , Subject hasn't received payment over ] Ended she hadn't even spoken to the man let alone payed the man for his work .

' Negative , Recent activity shows subject has recieved payment for services rendered ' Red received a notification , Showing someone had directly breached their ICE , Pulling out their funds without their notice and vanishing from the scene .

The elevator, Now half way down the skyscraper , Was completely silent as she thought.

[ When was payment processed ] She squinted , Leaning against the elevator wall in deep thought.

' Approximately four minutes and thirty seven seconds ago ' Red felt her brow growing hot , her thoughts accelerating .

[ that's exactly after he accepted the job ... how did we not notice ... tell me you have subject ID ] Red asked , The elevagor arriving in the lobby , Where she promptly departed , Rushing out towards the van parked in a nearby parking lot.

' Negative ... scans we've performed have been unable to locate and identify subject ' Red growled , Entering the parking lot and rushing the van , Cutting the call to her subjects and tearing open the vans door .

" Tell me what the fuck just happened " Red growled as the three people within looked at her in confusion , they were sorting through video footage from the subnets camera system , Whilst the rest of the team was going through the data extracted from the planted daemon .

.....

Walking down the sidewalk seabstian whistled into the night , a tune he had remembered fron eons ago during his first life .

' Where did this tune come from ... ' He thought to remember ' Ahh I remember now ... a whistle from an old thriller called twisted nerve ... ' He continued to whistle the tune , Walking past several citizens mining their own business.

[ Creator. I have highjacked the link militech has planted on the kang Tao operatives , Whatever they see , We see ] The key informed him , Earning a chuckle from its lord creator .

' Excellent work ... ' It accepted the praise, Whilst it and its master walked into the night , Whilst the militech operatives analysed the footage , Realising he wasn't present in any feeds , Nor could anyone accurately remember just what the man looked like .

" What about the man he spoke to at the venue ... if we go through him surely " Red began as the recycled the footage , Going through the feed once more .

" 10: 53 ... he should be right there ... but he's not " She pointed at a spot on the feed where Benjamin should have been , But he simply wasn't, Even the friend he had been begging for money from wasn't on the feed .

" Are we sure this is the right time " She glared at her team , Each nodding as they brought up the adjacent information .

" 10:53:47 ... you're right there , Subject should be Bumping into him right now ... But nobody he interacted with is visible on the feed " A black American announced , typing away as he tried looking at their direction from a different angle .

Following her suspicion, She plugged herself in , Using a BD recorder to record the last couple of ours.

Ten minutes passed before the recording was completed, Before she sent the file to her crew for them to go over.

" Go through that " She all but ordered of her underlings .

Doing as told , they plugged the BD into the system and began watching the feed recorded through her optics.

They fast forward through the feed , each member watching in silence before they arrived at the approximate time she made contact with the subject .

" Okay ... what the fuck " Red glared at the feed , Showing her seated in the booth , Where she had been conversing with the man .

But in the feed , There was nobody infront of her , an empty booth accept for a drink depotired in the table , Like she had been talking to thin air , She watched as she slid the chip over the table .

" Right there " She pointed out, Infront of their view , a visible distortion appeared on the feed , A vague humanoid shape appearing and encapsulating the chip , Before rising and walking out of view .

It looked like a distortion of air , Similar to how the air distorts around intense heat, But this time humanoid in shape , Walking off and dissapearing.

" That's gotta be some kind of daemon ... I can't think of anything else that would've allowed for this " The African American spoke , Rubbing his chin in thought.

" At the very least . A skilled net runner , Subtle enough and fast enough to move fast enough to install and remove our chip without anyone seeing his arm move . We're dealing with a pro ... Maybe an edgerunner ... or a solo " Red glared at the distortion in the air , Humming in thought.

" So what do we say to the higher ups " the African, Dubbed with the code name percival.

" Mission was a success , We report that . Doesn't matter how , But we inform them of the ... anomaly " Red answered , Earning agreements from her team .

" Then we wait for orders from the higher ups "

....

NEXT DAY - RED RIPPERS

....

" Benjamin there you are " Sebastian walked into the reception of the red rippers , Arms spread wide as the pharmacist looked around , Unsure of what to do , Adjusting his spectacles " I was beginning to think you weren't coming "

" Not like I had much of a choice " Ben whispered under his breath , Looking at each of the people sat in the reception . Men , woman and children sat around awaiting their appointments .

" Come through come through " Sebastian brought his arm around Ben's back , Walking him through the reception and through to the surgery , And then through to the back warehouse.

" So you found a place " Sebastian asked as they approached a bench, Sitting down on either side .

" I ah ... " Ben froze as he looked throughout the storage room , Eyes landing on a bunch of arasaka robots stood stationary in the corner .

" I did yeah " Ben responded slowly , Gulping as he produced a data pad, Placing it on the table infront of them .

Picking up the data pad, Sebastian looked over the documents features within .

" That's alittle more than you proposed " Sebastian raised his eyes to look at the nervous Ben, The man looking anywhere but him .

" I ah ... I got to thinking after leaving the party last night. A couple friends had expressed their desire to do the same as me ... they're a bunch of doctors and surgeons , They're good in a bunch of fields but they were more than willing to accept the status quo , Fearing that they wouldn't be able to find work outside of the med centre " Ben explained , Displaying the blueprints for a four storey building , Completely empty within .

" So what are you proposing " Sebastian humoured the good doctor... Ben nervously wringing his hands .

" I want to establish a small doctors surgery , We'll function the same as a med centre , Doing all the same work ... just ... helping more people ... I know this is alot more than just a pharmacy, And we'll draw more attention from the corps ... but the benefits far outweigh the negatives ... we'll still sell pharmaceuticals , But ... I think this venture will be overall a while lot more beneficial " Ben explained , Looking through the lenses of his glasses , nearly pleading as he looked pretty pathetic infront of his would be donor .

" Hm ... I see . Well ... if I green light this path . I want ownership of the company , I'll over see everything , But i intend to create seperate branches specialising in different subjects . Your hospital will be a branch under my franchise specialising in pharmaceuticals and medical practices ... just as red rippers is apart of my upcoming franchise , Specialising in cyberware . You will be the head of your branch , Just as tekeyoshi will be the head of his branch here when he comes of age and understanding ... but I will hold over all authority ...Afterall it is my money , And my company you are going to be creating " Sebastian explained , putting his plans on the table for Ben to think over .

However Sebastian was surprised as Ben rose .

" I ACCEPT " Ben breathed heavily, His glasses nearly sliding off his face before he pulled them back .

" I thought you would be more adverse to this ... " Sebastian admitted honestly , Earning a shake of the doctors head .

" I don't care for owning the company ... I just ... want to stop the suffering " Ben looked as if he was going through memory lane , Something Sebastian noticed rather easily .

' There's baggage there ... I won't press , But I can't help but speculate ... is it genuine want to do good . Guilt ... or a promise ... I'll find out one day ' Sebastian shrugged , Sighing the document provided by Ben on the pad before sliding it back .

" Here is the account details for my company , Put everything through . At first you will have an overall budget of one million five hundred thousand eddies ... start up the company and in one month I will allocate more funds when revenue reaches a certain threshold... " He found his hand enraptured by the good doctor , The man's face snivelling as snot ran down his face , Sobbing violently as he knelt his forehead on Sebastian's hand .

" Thank you .... thank you so much ... I'll do right by you " Ben vowed , Raising his murky eyes to look up at sebastian .

" Don't do right be me ... do right by them " Sebastian slowly took his arm back, With Ben slowly looking at sebastian I'm new light .

" You're a saint of a man " Ben whispered , slowly taking up the datapad , Clutching it to his chest tightly .

" Go now Benjamin... I'll be watching . Come to me after you purchase the property deeds , I'll set up an employment contact in the meantime , Find your employees , Order your supplies ... And by the end of the week , We'll be opening up your new hospital " Sebastian smiled kindly at the doctor who rose .

" I'll be back by tomorrow at the latest ... I promise I won't let you down " Ben rushed out of the storage room , Through the surgery past RN-01 going through a surgery , And out of the lobby intona waiting car .

" What a good man " Sebastian thought , Looking at the blueprints that Ben had left .

" Why don't we set up a basement , Where i can ... do some experiments " He analysed the blueprints momentarily , before turning away and walking back out of the surgery.

..

NCPD HEADQUATERS

..

" What can you tell me ward " The head of the Apollo investigation asked as river ward entered his office.

" We think Apollo is about to be on the move , Maelstrom has started up its actives again , We have reason to believe he'll be striking shortly after " Rkver explained Bringing out the documents provided by the analysis team and investigators.

" Any ideas where " The head detective Michaelo asked , Accepting the provided documents and going over them with a critical eye.

" Here .. here and here ... one of those is bound to be a target our analysts are sure of it . What are your orders sir " River asked as michaelo looked at the map , Silence prevailing for a couple of moments.

" we let him deal with them , Make sure civilian casualties are at a minimum , and stay far out of his way " Michaelo explained , Rising from his chair and turning to his wall wide window .

" You plan to pit him against maelstrom " River exclaimed , Unsure of how to react to such news .

" Curbing maelstroms activities has always been difficult , With the rampant corruption within and around our precinct, We haven't been able to do squat about them ... but if someone was able to do the work for us ... so far he's only targeted the corps for who knows what and affiliated gangs ... if we can subtly guide the gangs to his attention, We can use him to wipe them out . Then when we have run out of use for his .... spectacular abilities ... we neutralise and imprison him . Of course if he attacks the corps again we'll have to intervene ... but if he goes against the gangs ... I don't see why he have to rush into apprehending him ... maybe we take our time ... let him do what he wants within reason... build a case , Find his identity , Get to know everything about him , and as long as civilians aren't involved ... " Michaelo finished explained , With River weighing the pros and cons before ultimately agreeing .

" I'll send out the word " River turned and exited the room , Leaving michaelo to state out into the city.

' Let's see what kind of catastrophe you lay apon those fuckers this time Apollo ' Michaelo thought vindictively about the maelstrom , Turning to his desk and simply putting away the documents about Apollo's movements ' I've bought some more time ... use it well '

....

CHAPTER COMPLETE

....

I Thank everyone for continuing along with the story so far . I hope you've all enjoyed the story just as much as I have enjoyed writing it .

If anyone has any comments or ideas of what they'd like to see , Please let me know , I appreciate all feed back and look forward to tailoring a great story for everyone to enjoy .