Underground Headquarters of Bandit-Bonenaz
"What the heck did you bring to our door?"
One of the Bandit-tech members aimed a heavy-duty, military-grade rifle at Spider.
He stumbled through his words, tripping and falling onto his audio device. "I didn't know he was coming today; he said it would be after a week."
Another member drew a neon-shining sword, pressing it to Spider's temple.
"Who is he?" they demanded.
This member wore a different uniform from the others. Bandit-Tech members typically had red hoods with black masks covering their lower faces; even those without faces still adhered to this. But this member was different. Instead of the usual attire, he resembled Spider, with six arms—one of which held a controller, likely for some virtual game.
Spider could tell this wasn't an ordinary employee, probably someone important who didn't need to follow orders. He bowed calmly as he spoke, doing his best not to anger the other side. "He's a detective, trying to extort money from me. If I don't give it to him, he threatened to jail me. This time, he said he'd come to collect it next week, but he suddenly showed up early."
"Is that true?" the leader of the group asked. Spider couldn't see who he was asking.
With clattering of foots on the pavement, a shadow was emerging.
Footsteps echoed in the room as he came closer, eventually standing beside the leader.
His frame was more human-like than the others, the only difference being an extra mechanical tail. His face too was concealed by a mask and covered with a red hood.
Scrolling through a screen with spikes flickering on and off, he said, "No."
"Wait, I can explain!" screamed the Spider in revolt.
The bandit leader and members turned toward him, their eyes reflecting the struggling Spider as he squirmed to escape.
----
Detective Matt's office.
A signal came through, providing a location and requesting his presence.
The speaker began, "Detective, head to 6th Avenue and Promela Street."
Matt was lying in his chair, lost in deep thought, the sound of the speaker jolted him back. He looked up at the location in his device, grabbed his coat, and hurriedly exited the station.
Detectives and CIA officer associates were all given devices called the Threat-Detection Device, popularly known as the TD. They were assigned locations along with general directions to reach them, indicating the best portal stations nearby. The device also allowed them to view emergencies or road blockages if any occurred.
He scurried toward the station, his enhanced legs allowing him to run at a speed far greater than any civilian, making him appear as a blur as he passed by. However, his mind was in turmoil, forcing him to briefly slow down and occasionally come to abrupt stops.
Walking down the road, he passed by several children with augmented legs, heading eagerly toward the playground. For a brief moment, he glanced at them before quickly shifting his gaze away.
He had reached his destination.
His mind wandered as he approached the teleportation portal. With his detective ID, he managed to secure an emergency passage to Promela Street.
Once again, he found himself drifting back into his thoughts.
His research and the CIA information chart revealed more than he had anticipated.
A persona who was killed, and a "Forever" roaming at the end, this "Forever" isn't an ordinary one or a lone wolf; he was the leader of a revolutionary army, which might suggest...
There was a significant plan, possibly a terrorist attack.
Scratching his head in confusion, he accidentally spoke aloud, but there was no one beside him at the portal, so it didn't matter.
"But the Revolutionary Army had already been divided, with the main forces stationed in the capital city. However, the emergence of a prominent leader suggests they might be planning something for Delaroid."
The "Forever" were few in number, but the presence of one near the City of Delaroid signaled impending danger.
'I need to visit the dark market again, this time with an officer. I might be able to gather information about the steam weapons used in the XWorm-Bond shipyard and perhaps even retrieve Ruther's chip in the process.'
The portal lights shimmered as the space before him fragmented into bits and pieces, each defying the laws governing the universe. Soon, it reformed again, and with a heavy thud, it stopped. Matt's coat was knocked out of his hand during the sudden jolt, so he bent down to pick it up.
After retrieving his coat, he headed towards the door. As he exited, the technicians and staff at the Promela Street station quickly approached to check if he was alright. He assured them as he tried to slip through the crowd.
"Sir, if there is a problem, please contact the firm," one of the staff called out, running behind him and handing him a card with the number for Vayu Portal's customer support etched on it.
Giving a small nod, Matt turned and jogged toward the site.
The incident area was cordoned off with tape to prevent entry from passersby, blue and red lights illuminating the whole scene.
Flashing his ID, Matt moved closer, carefully observing the people around him.
The house was marked off, CIA agents bustling around the area, until one of them approached him.
"A murder. The suspect is her mother."
"Name: Esilo Lenford. She appears to have been strangled with cords. The kid was fully human, with only augmented legs for running, a gift from her father, according to her brother."
Matt glanced toward the ambulance, where a man was sobbing uncontrollably. "Is that the brother?" he asked.
The officer gave a firm nod.
"And the mother?" Matt inquired.
The officer pulled out his GPS tracker. "She's on the run. She's already disconnected herself from the terminal. Her last location was at the house; we found the tracker with her amputated arm."
Taking a deep breath, the officer muttered, "The government should make chip implants in the head mandatory. It would make things easier."
Catching Matt's side-eye glance, the officer raised his hands in mock surrender with a grin. "Relax, it's just a joke, my friend."
Matt didn't hesitate as he stepped inside. The scene was outlined with markings, blood trails leading from the kitchen to the bathroom.
"She cut her arm and went to the bathroom."
On the kitchen table lay a bleeding hand.
"Too clean," he muttered.
He followed the blood trail to the bathroom, where it ended near the window.
An officer suddenly appeared behind him. "We searched the back of the house. The blood trail stops at the neighbor's yard."
Matt turned to face the officer. "So, what does the neighbor say?"
"He's out of town. Checked his registry, and the portal marks him as currently in Macrow City."
"What about his house?"
"We're creating the necessary documentation. Permission will soon be granted."
"Alright."
Waving his hand, Matt headed towards Esilo's room, tucked away in the corner, adjacent to her brother's.
"Interesting...."
The officer glanced at Matt, his face puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Ignoring the officer's question, Matt entered Esilo's room. It was small, tidy, and clean, with toys and dolls neatly arranged along the bed, a huge teddy bear propped at the head, and a body lying on the bed, copper wire tightly woven around her neck.