The dark market was active, the shops were opening, the cyber-sex doll were being displayed behind glasses as the small robots were cleaning the dirty infested streets, flying drones were now laying lights on the top, illuminating the path ahead. The neon lights were now flickering on the streets.
Some people were drunk, and some were about to get high on drugs, but the guards ensured they weren't loitering near the stores.
Matt moved slowly, eventually stopping in front of the store, BBB Hook.
A "closed" sign hung on the door.
He approached and knocked, but there was no response.
With a swift move, he broke the door off its frame, clearing the way inside. The place was empty.
He left BBB Hook and headed toward a nearby vendor.
A man with crooked metal bearings on his head, antennas pointed downward as if searching the ground, was digging through garbage.
Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice called from behind.
"Where did the owner go?" A man with black veins running across his face gestured toward a run-down building.
Vendor scrutinized him. The man wore formal attire, a meticulously symmetrical gray suit designed to appear as dull as possible. His eyes were equipped with technology used exclusively by government officials, and lines on his hands hinted at fragmented tech, possibly for cleaning or analyzing. Any weapons he had were concealed, as none were visible. His pale skin contrasted with artificial black hair. If someone saw him once, they might not even remember. He was practically invisible to memory.
The vendor, speaking in a hoarse voice and slightly bowed as if in fear, said, "Yes, Mr. Spider left with the bags. He didn't... tell me. His transport went that way." He pointed vaguely in a direction.
"I see." Tossing the coin, Matt turned toward the direction where the con had gone.
He raised his hand slightly, using the brain's electrical signals to activate the Reconnaissance. The path ahead revealed the direction of the tracks, and he gave a faint smile as he followed them.
Following the tracks, he finally arrived at a massive warehouse, its entrance lined with mines. Drones and cameras were scattered everywhere, while guns on the walls and loaded turrets scanned for any movement.
"A base... well, looks like Ruther will have to wait."
He turned and headed into an alley, where a group of drugged-up armed men stood, oblivious to his presence. As he passed through them, he pulled out a glowing spherical device and placed it among the group before swiftly retreating. The cyber-heads in the alley began short-circuiting, leaving them immobilized.
Now that the area was undisturbed, he retrieved his weapons. The rising cases of terrorism had allowed CIA agents and affiliated detectives to carry military-grade arms, with some even authorized to use alien weaponry.
He set a suitcase on the ground, which he had pulled from a spatial rift created using Beacon Spindle fibers, harvested from a creature of the dark universe whose species reproduced by consuming energy and mass of any kind.
From the suitcase, he pulled out a communication device, one capable of bypassing transmission-blocking technology. It operates through space drifts, compensating for the gap between two locations by rupturing the time when they were at the same position. This is achieved by either rendering them stationary and unable to react, then introducing a moment when they can respond. It allows them to send signals to a desired location in real time, but it also comes with clear repercussions, such as interfering with timelines and creating unwanted personas.
This technology is mainly used by the government against targets larger than a planet or a planet itself if it's big enough. Recently, however, some scientists managed to achieve it on a smaller scale. They ensured it was designed with a specific function to avoid unnecessary complications.
So, therefore apart from Matt, there wouldn't be many with such devices.
The device resembled a regular smartphone with a rectangular shape, its lights flickering as it powered on. Navigating through its terminal, he connected the call.
"Who is it?"
"It's Schrödinger. Take down the servers at coordinates ⟒47°⟆19'ᚾ / ☿–∞°3⟁•44'."
From the other side, the voice, a little bit startled, replied, "Alright, boss."
Checking his watch, Matt counted the seconds in his mind, then slowly moved toward the warehouse. Its turret, guns, and drones remained eerily stationary, not reacting as he approached.
He pushed the door open, revealing an empty interior with a few containers left open, seemingly for display.
Before he could inspect further, a man spun out from the corner, wielding a Doom gun and charging at him. Dodging quickly, Matt drew his pressurized gun and fired at the man's legs, blasting them into pieces.
"Don't move, or your head will be next!"
The guy smirked as worms began crawling out from his mangled legs.
"Rot, you idiot."
With that, his entire body transformed into mechanical worms, scattering in various directions. Some attempted to attack Matt, burrowing into his skin, but they quickly melted away inside.
Matt glanced back towards the corner cyberhead had come from, but there was nothing. He activated his reconnaissance again, but still no clue. Frustrated, he grabbed his communicator and spoke into it.
"Find out the direction and destination of these worms."
There was a long pause before a voice finally responded.
"Alright, boss."
As Matt exited the warehouse, he activated the reconnaissance system once more, but still, nothing. There was no sign of anyone leaving the building.
He muttered to himself, "Underground... Should I wait, or should I request backup from the CIA? It's too dangerous to investigate the headquarters of a gang alone..."
But he couldn't quite follow his own train of thought; for him, it was better to avoid challenging a gang in their own territory.
He had already violated them by taking down their system, even harming one of their members. If he kept digging around, what he might uncover could be even worse for him.
There were both good and bad reasons why the law rarely took a stand against the dark market.
Also, he could always search for the Bron Bronte Brosque Hook later.
Matt's face darkened as he exited and moved toward the main market, leaving the cold, shadowy storage behind. Slowly, the drones and turrets began to stir, scanning for any movement.