Datapad (3)

Looking up at the sky, Thirteen was beyond frustrated by the presence of dark rainclouds.

'It's going to rain… of course, I didn't bring my jacket.'

Cursing his luck, Thirteen grew more irritated as the storm approached.

He didn't have to wait long. The dark clouds gathered thicker, and the rain began to trickle down slowly.

Drip. Drip.

As the water continued to fall, the rain began to pour even harder.

'This is why I don't like to leave the house. God damn it.'

Thirteen started to run to Doctor Parker's, not wanting to stay out in the rain.

Rushing through the streets, he saw other dwellers seeking cover from the downpour.

'Poor bastards can't handle the rain.'

Thirteen knew the reason—cybernetic mods enhanced them.

Normally, those with enhancements had mods capable of withstanding water, but not these.

Living in the tenth district, obtaining quality mods was impossible. Even if they managed to get mods from the black market, the quality was too poor to survive water.

And once these mods came into contact with water, they would break down inside the poor bastard who wore them.

Cybernetic mods were necessary for some, despite the problems they caused. They were essential for certain types of work, like contracted killers. Jin didn't need mods because he was a Cypher.

Cyphers were always hated by those who modified their bodies, and vice versa.

This inconsistency between the two groups led to ongoing conflict, even in the tenth district, the one place where the corporations couldn't reach.

Thirteen continued to stride through the streets, relatively calmly, though the rain mildly irritated him.

Rushing through the streets, he opened his holographic watch to look at the map. Jin wasn't the only one bad with directions.

He placed a marker on Doctor Parker's office, instantly showing the quickest route.

Thanks to that, Thirteen could easily continue his way there.

'Let's just get this over with. I have a bad feeling about this whole operation.'

And he was right to feel that way. Even though they destroyed the electric outlets near the place, the cameras still managed to capture Jin's face.

They no longer used skin masks to hide their identity; they were finally facing Genesis head-on.

Luring them out was necessary, and what better lure than showing their faces to those they were fighting against?

After almost fifteen minutes of constant rushing through the streets and getting drenched by the rain, Thirteen finally reached Doctor Parker's office.

'Such a shitty day.'

Thirteen opened the door to Doctor Parker's office, finding the doctor in the middle of the room with bloody hands.

"Thirteen? What are you doing here, is it time already?"

"Yes, doctor. Were you finishing up a surgery?" Thirteen asked innocently.

"Ah yes, I just failed it. My hands were shaking with the scalpel, and I killed the poor lad by mistake."

Thirteen could only stare at the old man with a dumbfounded expression.

"Honestly… you should just retire now."

"Shut the fuck up, kid. I was expecting this from Jin but not from you," Doctor Parker snapped, his veins bulging on his forehead as he fumed.

"I'm just being honest, doc. But anyway, I need to get back as soon as possible. Can you hand me the meds I ordered?"

Doctor Parker brushed his nonexistent hair in frustration while Thirteen continued to extend his hand.

"Honestly, fuck both of you, but yeah, I know that you don't enjoy being in the open for long, I already had them ready, give me a minute." 

Doctor Parker left to the end of the office, opening a pristine white door and heading into the room, by the look of it that Thirteen managed to see, that was the place where the Doc stored the medicines.

He didn't have to wait long for Doc Parker as the old man walked out with a small plastic bag containing two packs of Med X.

"Thank you, Doc. I already sent the payment we agreed on."

"Yeah, I saw it on my watch…"

Doc Parker was silent for a moment, slowly massaging his chin as if deep in thought.

"Thirteen... please look after Jin. He's overworking himself... just like you, but unlike you, he doesn't know when to stop."

Thirteen's expression turned solemn. He agreed with Doc Parker completely; Jin was reckless, too focused on the mission to see he was killing himself.

"I will. Don't worry, Doc."

He began to head out of Doctor Parker's office but abruptly stopped in front of the door.

"Doc... thanks for everything."

*** 

Stepping out of the shower, Jin's body was finally clean after spending almost half an hour under the water.

His skin was nearly red from so much scrubbing.

Taking a red towel from next to the shower, he began to dry himself.

'Feels so great to finally take a shower.'

Jin felt tranquil after the pleasant hot shower, only stopping when the hot water ran out, leaving him with only ice cold.

Drying himself thoroughly, Jin wrapped the towel around his lower body and left the shower room.

The smile on his face instantly faded.

'Look at this fucking mess…'

He was beyond frustrated; his living room was littered with corpses.

The soldiers who had tried to attack him were all dead.

Their blood flowed from their mutilated bodies, staining the living room and filling it with a stench.

Now, the whole building was deserted. Everyone was dead, not even their neighbors survived.

'I never really talked to them…'

Yet Jin still felt immense guilt for their deaths. He and Thirteen were the true targets of the corporations, yet innocent lives were taken because of them.

'I'm so sorry.'

He had to ignore the feeling of guilt.

Walking across the dead bodies, tiptoeing around the blood, he moved to his setup, opened a drawer, and picked up one of the earpieces Thirteen bought for him.

He was never cautious with his electricity, causing most of his equipment to get destroyed.

He put the earpiece in. Without a watch, he relied on Thirteen's foresight, who had already linked the earpieces so they could communicate immediately.

"Can you hear me?"

After a moment, Jin heard Thirteen's voice.

"Yeah, I can. I'm heading home, what's up?"

"Don't come home. Everyone in the building is dead. The bastards killed everyone here."

"Fuck."

"I'll bring everything. I'll get the masks and coats. Let's live with the Liberation Front guys for a while, leech off them."

"Okay, let's do that. After we're done with the datapad, we're going to kill those fuckers, wipe them out completely."

Muttered Thirteen, his normally calm voice now overwhelmed with rage.

"Don't worry, we are wiping them out!"