Inside the Blazing Hand compound, a transport had arrived with the battered and bloodied members who were sent to Riggan's Point. Gin got out of the vehicle with a heavy heart, dread simmering beneath his stoic facade. He moved silently towards the Boss's room, every step weighted with anxiety about what awaited him. Masking his turmoil, he stood at the door and knocked without hesitation, preparing to accept whatever fate the Boss decided.
From inside, the Boss's voice barked. "Come in, Gin." His tone was harsh. Gin entered and closed the door. He strode toward the Boss, stopping in front of him before offering a slight bow. The man looks at Gin with a piercing gaze. The Boss dissected him with his eyes. "I know you failed. But I want to hear it from you. Explain how you failed."
Gin lowered his head and recounted the events of the ambush. "They knew we were coming, sir. We were ambushed chasing the teen from the droid boutique. The man in black armor orchestrated it. He knew everything, even our names. I fear he manipulated us from the moment the boy left the Droid Boutique."
The Boss falls silent for a few seconds. While his face showed no emotion, his eyes glowed a deep red. "This means we have a rat. It's not the first time this has happened." The man pauses again, gathering his thoughts. "We will begin searching for the traitor, but first, how did the armored man manage to defeat 18 of our strongest members?"
Gin's expression darkened as he recalled the encounter. "He brought two enhanced soldiers; they had to be. Some of the men struck them, but they didn't even flinch. Together, they crushed us instantly. Their speed, especially the man in black armor, overwhelmed us. The alley's confines and their pace meant most were down before we knew it. It was a flawless trap."
The Boss's face contorted in a mixture of disbelief and disappointment. "You let yourselves be played like children, falling headlong into that trap. And yet, he spared every one of you. Don't you find that...odd?"
Gin drew in a ragged breath, dreading the Boss's reaction to what he had to say next. "He said it was a warning, sir. The man claimed that Riggan's Point belongs to him. If we return... it'll be the end for us." His words hung heavy in the charged air.
The Boss rose from his chair, anger clear on his face. His white shirt began to smoke, dark patches spreading across the fabric. Gin felt the heat radiate. "How dare he? This thug needs to learn his place!"
Gin stared silently at the Boss's outburst. He had never seen the man so unrestrained. He feared the Boss would only unravel further. Something ate at him; that much was clear. But Gin didn't know the reason.
Trying to rein in the enraged man, Gin reminds him of the purpose of his visit. "Sir, we still have not addressed the issue of my punishment."
The Boss's burst of anger subsided. Gin helped the man regain focus. The Boss looked at him as his eyes dimmed. "You are not the only one at fault here. With more information, we could have avoided this. I know this is not fair to you, but an example needs to be made."
Gin started to remove his shirt. He then turned and knelt in front of the Boss exposing his back to the man. "I am ready, Sir."
With two steps forward, the Boss closed the distance between them. He gently placed the palm of his hand on Gin's back. After a few seconds, the hand began to emit smoke, and a searing sound emanated from the area where it had been placed. Gin squinted in pain, but made no sound.
The Boss removed his hand, revealing a handprint burned onto his subordinate's skin. "Your punishment is done. Go to the infirmary and get that treated. Take a rest, and tomorrow we will start getting answers."
At Riggan's Point, Mark scanned his messages while hurrying to the Droid Boutique. Some were concerned about the persistent GACT. Others were about the upcoming event. Mark was running late, and the event would start soon.
As he entered the droid boutique, Mark saw Rachel examining the three Mimi droids. She seemed fascinated by the machines. Mark glanced at them; the second and third droids appeared to be of better quality than the first. He was amazed at how much Rachel had improved with each attempt.
Rachel spots her son at the door. "Hey there, Mark, come take a look. I have finished the three examples needed for the patent. At the moment, I'm waiting to hear back from the Lishean Patent Bureau. They should send a message any moment now."
Mark took a closer look at the droids. "Mom, these look great. How did you manage to do this?"
Rachel had a smug look on her face. "I will have you know, Mark, that I was at the top of the assembly class back when I was in college. I have put together more complex designs than these."
Mark studied the Mimi Droids. "I guess it's like riding a hover bike; you never forget."
Rachel started running scans on the droids. "I have shown the design to an old college professor of mine, and she was intrigued by the design. She got me in contact with a few people to license this. We are just waiting for the patent."
The young man received yet another message from Scarlet asking him to hurry. "Mom, I have a thing I need to attend to. We can talk more about this tomorrow morning."
Leaving his mother to handle the patent process, the young man took the elevator to the third floor, his current home. Before logging into A.M.S., he walked to Melly's room and looked in on her to make sure she was OK.
The girl remained in her room. The empty plates clustered around her bed showed him that she often took breaks. Still, if this continued, her space would become a mess. He had to speak to the girl about it.
Mark returns to his room and logs into A.M.S. As he entered the hangar, he found it empty of players. While machines were being worked on, there were none of the usual patrons, the mech geeks, drooling over the machines being repaired.
He moved towards The Waiting Room. Going up the stairs, he found some of the patrons outside waiting for the event to start. Losing no more time, he entered the virtual space. Scarlet was waiting for him at the entrance.
The moment Scarlet saw Mark, she heaved a sigh of relief. "Good, you are finally here. Once the girls end their song, we will start the event. Are you ready?"
Mark nods his head at the waifu. "Yes, ever since I saw your messages, I have been mentally preparing for this."
Scarlet turns and starts to move. "That is good, let's get to the stage and wait for the song to end."
Mark observed the atmosphere as he walked towards the karaoke stage. Four of the girls he hired were performing a song, keeping the patrons entertained. The tune was catchy and joyful, and the patrons waved their glowsticks around, enjoying the moment. The place looked more like a concert Hall than a diner or an actual waiting room.
Down by the stage stairs, the Grease Monkey workshop members awaited Mark. As Scarlet and Mark arrived, their relief was obvious. Steve and Alex hurried over to greet them.
Steve spoke in his usual tone. The doubts and feelings from before were gone, or at least, they were not showing. "Hey, Marksman, what took you so long? We were all chewing our nails waiting for you."
Alex projected one of her text bubbles. "Are you OK? I was worried something might have happened to you."
Mark smiled at the teen clad in blue. He tapped her blue helmet as he always does to reassure her. "Don't worry, Alex, I can take care of myself."
The four of them walked towards the stage amidst the cheers and screams of the Patrons. The joyful atmosphere around them was pleasant and contagious. As they walked, the patrons' elation rubbed off on them. With smiles and laughter, the four of them reached the foot of the stairs and waited for the performance to end.
As the four girls finished singing, Scarlet walked up the stage and, with her characteristic personality, began the event. "Hello everyone, let's give a final applause to the latest members of the Grease Monkey Workshop, the girls from Colours." The gesture of her hands, along with her words, resulted in a massive ovation.
The crowd erupts in cheers. Amid the cacophony, Scarlet's voice is barely audible, so she gestures again to quiet the crowd. After a few seconds, she continues, "Now, the senior members of the workshop will make a few announcements." She signals Mark and the others, who ascend the stage.
The unruly crowd cheered wildly after seeing Mark and the other two teens. A few seconds later, they calmed down, and Mark began a speech. "I want to begin by thanking all of you, our dear patrons, who made all of this possible. Without your support, there would be no Grease Monkey Workshop."
Mark walks up to the middle of the stage, facing the crowd, and Steve, Alex, and Scarlet stand behind him. "The first announcement we are going to make has to do with a petition we have received from you, our patrons. We have created different optional combat roles for the McCain Reaper Version 2. Now you have six different roles to choose from.
An image of the McCain Reaper carrying a rifle appeared on the screen at the back of the stage. "This is the Vanilla version of the McCain Reaper version 2 in his rifleman role. It is the mech we all have come to love.
A second image appears beside this one. This time, however, the mech is wielding a heavy pistol and a sword. The crowd fell silent. They were taking in the sight. "This is the hero mech configuration. Providing a new software patch, the McCain Reaper can fulfill this role splendidly. The moment the simulation started, the crowd began to cheer.
After a few moments, the next image showed. "With two Sub Machine Guns, the McCain Reaper can shoot up a storm of laser fire. In this configuration, the mech turns into a medium-sized harasser." The image changed again. The mech was holding two Warren Laser Stings, one in each hand. Or you can also dish out fast punishment with this setup." As Mark looked upon the crowd, he saw that his audience was enjoying the new combat roles so far.
The man turns his head and looks around. "We are not done yet." A fourth Image comes into View. This time, the Reaper was carrying a sword in each hand. One was a regular arming sword, and the other was a smaller one mainly used to parry attacks. "Next, this is something we put together for the arena lovers. I give you the McCain Reaper Duelist." The crowd did not like this one as much, but it was to be expected. Most players rarely participated in arena battles. But more than a few of them were looking at the mech with gleaming eyes.
The fifth picture came on. This time, the Reaper was wielding a sword and a shield. The armor extension from the version one reaper was modified to fit the version 2. The crowd started commenting amongst themselves, ignoring this, Mark presented the next combat roll. "Do not confuse this mech for a guardian role. This role is the McCain Reaper Edelfrei. An offensive-type guardian mech that can lead a charge against the enemy." The young man let the players argue among themselves for a while. Apparently, the patrons were debating how best to use an offensive guardian. But overall, the mech role was well received.
Mark gestures to the crowd. His hand movement caught the attention of all the patrons. "The final role we want to announce is the McCain Sentinel." The image appeared on the monitor. Once again, the McCain Reaper was donning the armor extension, but this time he was wielding a shotgun and a shield. The patrons observed for a moment. Many of them love the idea of having an S-grade sentinel.
While simulations of combat played in the background, another discussion ensued. Which of these roles was the best choice at the moment? Mark had to scream to catch their attention once again forcefully. "People! These are the new combat roles we have created to fulfill your requests. The software patches will be available for purchase from tomorrow onward."
The crowd was cheering in expectation. The unruly youths could not wait for the new McCain Reaper software patches to come out. It was like having six different mechs in one. Some of the patrons even decided to buy more than one McCain and collect all the roles.
Mark had to call Scarlet to the front once more. Her bouncing ... personality caught the attention of the unruly crowd. "Hey guys, the best part is yet to come. If you flinch, you might miss it."