The Deadman

Magic’s relatively hidden in this era. It’s a method, technique, and knowledge that is still protected despite the loss of it. Finding anything related to magic is akin to searching through millions of unrelated articles. The Net’s choke full of information that does not relate to whatever Magic truly is. Its essence is lost because of the information.

Robert can tell what was wrong and right however. As a real enlightened, who got taught the basics of magic, met a paranormal creature, and then defeated demon dogs. It was easy to find related creatures that he could find. The information is so massive that changing it will not make a difference in the treasure trove called the internet.

Do you expect to read all myths, rumors, and even legends regarding magic and believe a single thing about it? Although strangely, he did find a video on the net about magic that was the closest to what he knew.

50 thousand views, the video had some things right, but it fails because there’s a certain important part that the video creator missed. You cannot wield magic unless you had reached a certain level or had avoided the millennium bug.

Magic does not exist to those who did not have the knowledge or the requirements to achieve a level. To use magic means that you have to gain enough relics to strengthen yourself into becoming a true mage.

That is impossible without the wealth and the information. And there are anomalies like Robert who have evaded the process by being in a coma and trapped inside a shell that allowed him to retain his powers.

Robert had already learned what happened to CASE. Or at least know that the old base he remembered had been abandoned. After that, there really wasn’t much he could say about it.

Life continued on for him.

Magic and all of that did not affect his way of life. The all-sense he had was used as a tool and even then he knew that it was nothing more than a tool for him.

Above the surface, on the second layer of the megastructure, Robert waited in line to get access to the police headquarters that had asked for a delivery. It was strange in the first place. For a police headquarters to request a semi-legal item to be delivered on their doorsteps. When he got the order, Robert sincerely thought he was being thrown away, and wanted nothing more than to refuse until Gu convinced him by letting him see the previous order request from the same police station.

Robert heard the voice call through the intercom.

“Robert Oswald. CIN-chip identified. Please come inside and present your proof of purpose immediately.”

The clerk sitting behind the glass partition raised his eyes. Accepting the delivery form, he called the one who ordered, and told Robert to come in. His voice remained professional.

“The Officer will see you on the third floor. Granting you temporary access. Please put your eyes forward.”

The clerk held his face while checking Robert.

“No implants. No bioware. Organic eye…”

He changed something and scanned Robert with it. Robert allowed the scanner to take a shot of his organic eyes. The operator typed on the system before sending a temporary token in Robert’s CIN-chip.

“Access granted. You may come in.”

Robert entered the elevator and let the biometrics on the ceiling scan him.

“Record found. Access level is temporary.”

Robert leaned on the elevator until the digital display showed that he had reached the third floor. Cold air entered the elevator and a pristine white hallway that was too sterilized and clean came to view. The moment he took a step in he was stopped by a drone that scanned him from head to toe.

“Detecting no traces. Please proceed to the chamber on the left for the sterilization process.”

Robert took a step and got sprayed with chemicals that sterilized him. He smelled like medicine and his nose stung because of the stench of the chemical sprayed on him. He took a step out of the sterilization chamber and waited on the drying chamber before proceeding to the office where the customer was.

He entered the room and looked around. He found the customer inside his office, through the glass wall separating the customer from the hallway. Robert entered the office, and presented his CIN-chip identification, and then placed the scanner and signer on the table.

“So meticulous, and careful,” the man said. “But assurance is what your Boss sells. I am fond of Pei. I have invited that man to be an Officer of the law. Could have done something, but he chose to be a business owner.”

The man said while signing the package. After pressing his thumb on the scanner, he took the package out and then looked at it. It was a strange object that Robert did not recognize. He could tell that it was a storage device, but whatever is inside the device was something he didn’t know.

“800TB of data. Pei’s connections really are one of a kind. Then again, fence-sitters like him profit more than those who affiliate themselves. Even the Corpsec don’t trouble Pei because of his donations. A smart man who knows how the world works.”

Robert’s professional demeanor remained. The customer showed Robert a smile. His augmented finger fondling the storage device. He places the device on the table.

“A lot of people died to get this. What we have here is data in regards to a certain terrorist organization operating in the black seas. Pei told me that he will get me his best delivery man, and you did not disappoint.”

Robert had heard about the situation. Like all premium packages that he had to deliver lately. There was always something at stake. A package that needs to get to the right hands. The delivery of the package to Pei’s warehouse cost a lot of men, and if it wasn’t Robert who was delivering the package.

A lot of premium delivery boys would have died getting this package to the client. He did notice the unusual amount of hostiles trying to get to him. They had trackers on them, but he had masked himself with the lightshield cloak and set up jammers to disable any tracking devices eyeing him.

“The delivery is done. I will go now.”

“Here’s a tip.”

Robert received the tip. Escaped the police station and broke the dummy chip that he was using and drove his bike out of the megastructure. Weaving through the congested highways was mostly expensive, and didn’t have the old and ill-maintained look that they have.

Passing through the tollbooth. Steering his motorcycle down the skyway and into the even more congested road of the city. He stopped by a red light. He checked his messages and then entered an alley, stopping his motorcycle outside the coffee shop. It’s a chain shop that was similar to the bar he frequents. Difference was that the shop sold coffee instead of booze. He entered the front door, hearing the chime. A bored barista lifted his head and asked what he wanted. Robert scrolled through the menu and found a cookie and cream iced latte. He ordered some chiffon cake. Took a seat in front of the window and waited for his order while chewing on chiffon cake.

He checked his inbox and chatting app.

[Yo. Going to get booze today?]

[Might be. Are you working now?]

[I’m not working during the day.]

[Must be nice to be devoid of worries. Which reminds me, I heard that there are certain malfunctions when it comes to liver implants.]

Robert took the latte from the bored barista. He settled it down and then ate and drank while chatting with his new self-proclaimed buddy. Outside, the salty rain came down again. The barista pressed something on the shop’s control panel and the smell was gone.

[It’s raining again.]

[I can see it.]

[A certain someone told me that you brought some goods to Hilton's place.]

[It’s strange to me, Rob. How are you so well-acquainted already? Must be a really small world we live in.]

[I get out a lot. And that we are literally living in one district? Besides, it’s easy to know which place is best. Speaking of best, we need to eat at Uncle Chao’s place.]

[I got a feeling that you’re not treating me like a damn lady.]

[What? Don’t tell me you’re that kind?]

[And I got a feeling that you’re the kind that says you can give me equal rights and equal lefts.]

[Dude. You are even more aggressive when it comes to trying to get girls. I saw you eyeing that chick that visited the bar two days ago.]

[The real question is how in god’s bald earth did you not even bother?]

Robert sincerely thought that she was a lady’s woman herself. At least she pretends to be, but she lacked the charm that would want a woman to deal with her. She does have nice legs, he thought.

[Not that you want any action. Coward.]

[Says the guy who doesn’t even want to go to a stripper club.]

[Julie, that’s how I know you are like a bro to me. I didn’t even know that there’s a private club like that. Funny thing? A chick named Maria said that she knows you. I got curious. And so far you have visited that club for forty-nine times. And even told Maria how you’d like to suckle on her chest, bury your face on her crotch, and then make her step on you.]

[How in the fuck. Wait, you went there?]

[I got a delivery for Mr. Phil.]

[Fucking hell.]

Robert looked at the message and then grinned.

[How much did you pay?]

[That’s confidential. But let’s just say that I did her a favor. Man, things are bad in her case, eh?]

[Phil usually protects them. But there are assholes that don’t listen. Must be nice being strong and buff. Wait, you didn’t do her, right?]

[What do you think?]

[Nah. You’re too hung up yet. No way.]

Robert took a bite of his cake and then ordered another. The coffee he had was definitely just chemicals that mimicked the taste of cookies and cream. It’s actually not bad, but he’d have to climb up the second layer of the city to get actual real coffee that doesn’t ruin your bowels.

[One day we won’t talk about anything sexual.]

[Maybe if you bash my head enough. I’d forget about your account and addiction to POVs, man.]

[Shut the fuck up with that already.]

[Tip me. I need some chiffon cake, man.]

[I’ll poison you.]

[Is that what you say to your customer?]

[I do when he’s a judgmental asshole like you.]

Robert sent a dumb icon and focused on his drink. She replied back by spamming him.

[Tsk. No fun.]

[Heard that there are cultist pieces of shit around the district again.]

[Around the slums. Heard that the killings have made them paranoid. Boss told me to avoid that way since they’ve been at it. I’d tell you to avoid that place, but I got a feeling that you can just scare them.]

[Aww that’s sweet of you.]

[Yuck. Kill yourself, Rob. Imma sleep.]

[Don’t itch the ditch, friendo.]

She sent a middle finger before going offline. Robert searched the local socials, filtered the keywords, and started reading the posts of the locals living in the area.

“They keep on shooting anyone coming their way. Fucking hell. At least the Vultures don’t.”

“When will LCPD kill them all? I can’t spend ten minutes going around them.”

“I bet those fucks are staying in that junkyard. My friend got his chest shot, if it wasn’t for the implant, he’d be dead.”

“I’d pay the Vults to fuck them over.”

Most of the locals were cursing the cultists. If there was one thing for certain, it was that they were hanging around a junkyard.