The machine god

" Whats going on " A man asked as he strode up to his commanding officer , The group was mobilising with the rest of the task force within the city centre , Out the front of militech hq .

" Some fool broke into the server room , Breached the mainframe and started a mass download , MARK UP " he yelled out as several squads turned and pointed their guns at the front doors of the base , Infront of them were a wall of barricades , Along with large robots that aimed their missile pods at the doors .

" What do we got on em " The man at his side asked , The captain looking at the soldiers helmet with a raised eyebrow , Before turning his gaze back at the front doors.

" One most likely male , identity unknown , Black robe ... weird helmet or faceplate. All we know is that one , We haven't got any visual or audio recordings of the perpetrator, No surveillance as any form or recoding seemed to shut down before his arrival . Netrunning skills of the which we have never seen , Broke through our ICE in seconds. Downloaded our server data and breached our bank accounts , Funnelled them out before the trail vanished in the Web. Other than that , All we've got is they terninated several files from the server , Gone in an instant . We've been ordered to either capture or neutralise , Lethal force authorised " Leuitenant Shaw replied as rain slowly began to fall from the skies , Several more SUVs showing up to the scene as militech robots and soldiers piled onto the scene.

" You see anything solider ... " Shaw thought as he turned to face where the soldier had been not moments earlier , Only to find a blank space on the barricade beside him .

" Soldier ... " He got up and looked around , Seeing nothing but mobilising men as the rain began to pelt off the ground , Making it difficult to see through the sudden downpour.

" Anyone get that man's Tag " Shaw turned to the man beside him , The man responding by shaking his head.

" No idea sir , Never seen that man before in my life " Shaw frowned at what he heard.

" You wanna run that by me again " Shaw asked as he squinted, Silence reigning from within the militech hq , As if ... " Shit "

....

Sighing , Sebastian dropped his klept militch uniform onto the ground , Tossing the gun onto the pavement as he dissapeared into a dark alley near the city centre.

" Idiots " Sebastian grunted , His voice heavily synthesised through his helmet as it slid in place on his face .

Raising his hood over his head , Glowing orange orbs shon clear in the dim light of the alley .

Before coming to a stop at the mouth of the alley , Rain obscuring everything ahead as he stopped before the lights of the surrounding world could illuminate him .

Coming up ahead , A large militech robot slammed its digitigrade legs onto the ground , Its red eye like lenses turning to scan the alley .

He stood tall onfront of it , The red key keeping him from being detected by the machine as it scrambled its scanners .

Seemingly satisfied it hadn't found anything , The robot turned and promptly marched off deeper into the city centre.

Over his left eye , A live map of the current militech solder layout appeared , Showing him a map of the city centre and where they were mobilising their forces.

'They've blocked off all major roads and entry ways , Unfortunately for them ' Sebastian smirked as he made his way towards the bridge that lead towards Watson.

' Show me a display of militech and all related AV locations 'Sebastian asked as the red key gave a low warmth in response to his request , His optic display map updating to show incoming flight paths of several AV's scouring the streets.

Sirens blared overhead as he turned his eyes to the right , Spotting one such av turning onto the street he was running down .

' What is the current limit I can strain my muscle before I start encountering issues ' Sebastian asked whilst staring at the AV that was scanning the streets with soldiers and scanners , Its bay doors open as it scoured the street.

[ 82 % before muscle and bone structure begins facing structural integrity issues ] A popup showed over his left screen as he smirked .

' Good ' He cracked his neck and rushed the nearest building , Standing beside the wall of rightward wall where he ran into the alley .

Turning and getting low, He squinted , Letting out quick breaths before getting in a sprinting stance.

' Nul pain receptors , Isolate hands , Arms back and shoulders. Limit muscle contraction to 82 percent... we're about to climb ' Sebastian ordered as a sort of tingling began to overcome his arms , A ringing overcoming his ears causing him to shake his head .

" Adrenaline dump ... NOW " He roared as he sprinted at the side of the bulding , Feet causing stone below to rumble as he appeared before the wall , his right hand flashed out .

As his fingers collided with the wall , Steel crumbled and warped under his grip as he heaved .

His left hand followed the right as he turned steel to putty, Squaring his shoulders , His feet finding purchase . He lowered before using his strength and grip to surge upwards, Defying gravity like it was a laughable concept as he rocketed up the wall with one simple tug of his body .

' Again ' He came to the apex of his upwards stint , Before once more puncturing the wall with his fingers , A screech of Warping steel resonating from his hastily made handguns.

Flexing his right arm , He once more rocketed up the wall , Now well over twenty metres in the air with only two motions .

It was like sprinting up a wall with his hands , right , Left , Right , Left .

Before a minute had passed , The av having long since passed his position, Sebastian found himself standing one an overlooking balcony on a corpo apartment building , The high rise pent house apartment actually.

Down below , He could see the entire force of militech swarming the streets , Rounding up the night life civilians as they began to search through them.

' They'd never expect I just climbed fifty floors in a minute ' Sebastian grunted , Making sure there was no cameras around before removing his helmet from his face.

Taking off his helmet , He placed it on the balcony railing , Leaning on the railing with a small disinterested frown on his face .

' I'm abit famished actually ' Sebastian thought as rain pelted his head , Matting his hair as it clung to his face evenly .

Turning to eh penthouse apartment , He walked up the the door , Simply sliding the unlocked door open as he made his way inside .

' Let's see what they have in here ' He thought as he approached the fridge , Opening said fridge , Not particularly caring that the contents within rattled violently, Echoing through the kitchen.

' Let's see , salad chips and steak ... Left overs for four , There's a family here ... ' He pulled one of the plates from the fridge , Putting it in the microwave , Cooking the meal as he moved towards the cabinets where he found bourbon , Something he had decoded he rather liked over the last weeks .

Pouring himself a drink into an empty glass , Sebastian took the meal out of the microwave before it could go off and alert everyone within the residence .

" Hot Hot Hot " He grunted as he rushed towards the table , Placing the plate down with his drink as he went to fetch some cutlery .

With said cutlery acquired , The tier 5 entity sat itself down at the table , Removing the plates cover to show the steaming vegetables and stake within .

" This looks quite nice actually " He smiled , raising his cutlery and beginning to devour the meal .

" The food provided by a loving wife or husband ... it tastes ... nice " He frowned slightly in thought as he absent-mindedly ate the meal , Staring down at the plate in contemplation .

" why does it taste differently if I would have made it myself " He mused out loud , Having eaten half the steak already as his brows crunched up , Sauces caked on his lips .

He caught the fist that came from behind by simply rotating and raising his left hand to the ride of his head.

Having finished the lovely provided meal after a couple of minutes , He sat in silence in the unlit apartment , Bourbon in hand as rain pelted the outside of the apartment .

He stared at the lenses of his helmet before him , Its unblinking eyes staring into his own as he took sips from the glass containing his beverage .

Another five minutes passed quite quickly before he was alerted by a scuffing of the tiles behind him.

" That was rude " Sebastian grunted as he used a napkin to wipe the sauces from his face.

" You think you can break into our house and not expect retribution " An angry man yelled out as he got into a boxing stance, optics alight as the man made use of an instant skill shard , Years of MMA knowledge stored within .

Placing down the bourbon back onto the glasstop table , Sebastian found the lights of the apartment flicking on as he rose from the table .

Turning around, Sebastian found himself face to face with a forty year old man Squaring up on nothing but a pair of boxers .

Behind the man , Two women , One obviously older than the other.

The older of the two had blonde hair and tan skin , German descent if he guessed .

The younger of the two was around twenty years old if he thought correctly, Candy pink hair and a peircing on her lip and side of her nose .

" Eyes over here maggot " the father growled, Black hair damp with sweat as he began to approach.

" I'd advise against such recless action " Sebastian spoke evenly as he grabbed his helmet and tossed it our towards the balcony , The eyes of the family tracking it as it skidded across the ground .

" Yea I wouldn't want to fight me neither " Tbe man stepped up and threw a right hook .

' Slow ' The man's punch turned into a crawl as Sebastian's pupils dilated , his brain activity sky-rocketing as a warmth once more rose over the base of his skull .

' Lock at fifty percent potential , Don't want to kill the man or damage myself ' Sebastian ordered as he felt the muscle contractions in his arms become limited.

Raising his hand , He slapped the man's punch to the side , Followed by side stepping a left hook , Leaning back as an uppercut sailed past the left side of his face .

' Downloading a skill shard is all well and good , But it can't do anything if that skill is well under the skill of your opponent ' Sebastian mused as he blitzed , Right hand curling into a fist as he rocked the man square in the abdomen .

In slow motion, The man's face became slack, Eyes bulging as blood erupted into the man's stomach.

Sweeping down , rotating on his left leg , Sebastian swiped the man's legs out from under his body with his right leg .

The man began to fall as sebastian rose , Raising both hands overhead before slamming them down into the base of the man's back.

' Return to normal ' A thunderclap escaped the impact point if his fists on the man's back , causing the man to collide with the ground at force , His wife giving a frightful gasp as the man faceplanted.

" I apologise for the disturbance, Have a good night " Sebastian inclined his head , Turning to the open balcony door before walking through.

Leaning down , the man picked up his helmet, Sliding it onto his head as the lenses on its head lit up a sinister red colour .

With his departure , The wife rushed to her husband , Crawling over to him as she turned him on his back ,checking he was alive .

He was , Sebastian made so , so he ignored the woman's relieved hiss as he stepped onto the balcony railing , Pulling out his sword before simply stepping off to plumet to the ground far below .

He laughed out loud as he fell , Gravity taking affect as he turned his blade to the wall and thrust it clear through the sheets of steel to slow his descent .

The wall screamed as his rapid descent crawled to a slow stop .

At the top fo the balcony , The daughter rushed to the edge, Leaning over as she watched him do so , Eyes watching him dissapear into the night with his sword dug into the buildings wall, Watching him vanish into the night like a phantom .

" VICTORIA GET BACK IN HERE HELP YOUR FATHER " The woman cried out as their daughter turned back to them , Quickly doing as she was told .

....

' Blackmail acquired , video evidence of my existence removed ... Eddies gained ' Sebastian sat himself down in his warehouse , Choosing to return there instead of his apartment for the meantime as he slumped into his work chair.

A homely blue light enveloped the room , The lights in the ceiling of the warehouse being designed to give the room a comfortable feeling .

Leaning back, His turned on the computer monitor as several apps popped up .

' Let's see what he's up to ' He mused as he tapped at a personally designed app .

Popping up was a display showing fingers.

Well it wasn't fingers , It was actually a display and audio of what his optics were looming back, Looking through fingers eyes to keep tabs on him at all times .

The man didn't know this of course , He knew Sebastian would keep tabs on him but never would he suspect Sebastian could see through his eyes.

With puckered lips , Sebastian turned off the monitor , Turning away from the screen with dead eyes .

' I didn't need to see any of that nonsense ' Sesbatsian shuddered as a mental loop of the man doing the dirty refused to die .

' Alright. . Lets see what we've got ... ' He began to mentally scour the data he had stolen from militech , Files , Black listed shit nobody would ever dare look into , NUSA blackmaile , blueprints , everything, he pretty much took everything from their serves ' I'd wager my left nut that they'd have shit not found on the server too , Physical copies nobody can trace . But with this , they'd know to keep far away now '

' Let's see , I stole ... five million eddies ... I'll need to rework the keys so militech can't trace them but other than that ... I think it's time to officially purchase this warehouse , Turn on the electricity so I don't have to power it through a generator. Purchase some equipment ... and pay a years worth or rent ... whatever left I'll divvy up 'Sebastian shrugged , shimming left and right as he lifted his arms overhead and leaned back , Quickly falling asleep in his chair.

...

' A rudimentary design , basic nanites for everyone around the world ' Sebastian mused as he tweaked the canister of nanites , Redesigning them , Making them smaller , Boosting their capacity and ability to make more of themselves via using nutrients he ingested to keep themselves alive .

' Link them ' He instructed the red key , And it did so , Merging itself and Sebastian directly to the nanites that he would be injecting straight into his neck .

' And ... begin the changes ' He pressed the key to begin Initialising the changes he had implemented into the nanites .

They were now 2/3 of their original sizes , Faster with higher processing due to being connected to the red key .

' Isolate their activity to the brain and my muscle structure , I don't need them interacting with anything else at the moment ' Sebastian ordered of the red key , Watching as the nanites began Tearing eachother apart , Building their new counterparts as the new counterparts turned the old nanites into more of themselves .

By the end of the process , There was 1/3 more nanites in the canister they were held in , Of which were simply floating within as they waited to he introduced to their host .

Pulling out another canister containing several different nutrients , He interested them before roughly Grabbing the canister of nanites , A syringe bursting out of the cannister .

' We ready ' He asked as a warmth responded to his question ' Alright '

The nanites all began to flow towards the syringe as he raised it to the centre of his chest, Rather his heart of which he was about to puncture with a needle a thinner than a human hair .

' Let's go ' He ruthlessly crushed all apprehension he would have had as a Fiery pain erupted through his chest , The syringe bursting through his chest cavity as the nanites flooded from within the canister .

He watched the nanites empty , feeling them rush through his bloodstream to begin devouring the nutrients he had just forced into his body .

Seconds later, A cracking noise was heard, As the nanites tore apart the syringe head , Closing the wound in his heart as they turned whatever remained of it in his system into more of themselves.

[ Nanites entering brain , Introducing to mainframe , Localising around stem , Recording neural network , Integration with host 100% ] The red key informed him as the nanites began to surge around said key , Becoming a sort of armour around said technology as they surrounded the brain , Fusing with his mind as was their task .

[ Neuralware integrity rising .

Host compatibility with systems :

Red key :100%

Switch : 100

Red optics: 100%

Red cyberdeck : 100%

Peak efficiency achieved . Capabilities fully unlocked , Host body is ready to introduce new functions and systems ]

' So I'm good for new cyberware ... good ' He rose from his chair , Intending to go do said plans now he had the eddies to purchase what he needed .

...

Walking into his apartment , Now the proud owner of one RED rippers , Of which his warehouse was named , He stored the digital deed away in a sorted folder , Having already placed the order for several important pieces of equipment he wanted , Such as a synthesiser he wanted to tweak to streamline the ability to produce the cyberware he designed , Rather than having to make them by hand , He would now be able to simply print them out straight from his computer.

The warehouse officially had its electricity turned back on. Had workers ordered to fix the place up and furnish the place.

Other than that he had put a years worth of rent forward and actually purchased himself a bike , A black yaiba kusanagi CT- 3X .

It was currently stored in the warehouse , In time he would be upgrading and removing useless junk it wouldn't need .

But that was for after the furnishing of the building was done , Even now he could hear the trucks and workers driving by to do what they were hired for.

' Atleast they're on schedule ' He grunted , Ears straining as he heard heavy footsteps approaching his doorway.

" This the one kid " A gruff voice , Belonging to a middle aged man if he guessed , Sounded from beyond the steel frame .

" Yea that's the one " He heard a familiar vrats voice hiss before loud thunderous bangs assaulted his door.

' Ugh ' He rolled his shoulder as he slowly rose , Pulling his sword into his grip as he approached.

' Let's get this over with ' He grunted before leaning the blade just out of view of the people at his door .

The door slid open revealing two people , A man whose stature would barely allow him entry to his apartment , And the tiny girl he had seen earlier .

" This him " His grunted as he cracked his right knuckle with his left.

" Yea that's him " The blonde growled as she loaded her gun , The man stepping forward to get in his face .

" What can I do for you two fine specimens " Sebastian drawled out , Nonchalantly leaning on the doorframe with his hand toying at the handle of his sword.

" We're gonna need that chrome you took back , You see , pillars our boy , Either you give it back , Or we take its worth from ya " The large man wearing shades grunted as he crossed his arms.

" YOU GOT ALOT OF BALLS STEALING MY BROS GEAR CHOOM " That short blonde from earlier screamed in his face as she held a rifle to his face .

" Right ... that's enough " The red key buzzed to life as the skin at the base of his neck buzzed slightly.

" Why dont you ... settle ... Down " He pointed his right index finger to the ground.

The eyes of the two individuals widened in surprise and fear as their arms fell limp , Before seizing and coming to life , Locking themselves before their bodies as their knees folded on their own , Dropping the two to the ground in a kneeling position at his feet.

" What ... the hell " The man hissed through clenching teeth , His jaw fighting him every move of the way as blood began to pool in his gums " Is this "

" Now you're going to listen " Sebastian pulled his blade into his grip , Slowly Separating the hilt from the sheeth as a long screech of singing metal echoed throughout the corridor outside of his apartment .

" I took your brothers gear because I was kind enough to lend him a k worth of eddies " He pointed the tip of his blade at the girls gun , Pressing the blade clear through the barrel of the weapon .

Their eyes widened in surprise as the steel of the gun offered no resistance , The blade Separating the gun in half as the front half fell away from the back , Leaving the girl with a broken weapon .

" I went to collect when he said I would be able to , And do you know what he did " Sebastian lowered himself infront of the two , Their heads forced to lower to keep sight of his eyes as he crouched before them.

" He threatened me , Telling me that he'd kill me , I simply taught him a lesson in humility , Maybe I should exact my pound of flesh on you two as well " He lowered the shades on his face, Glowing orange orbs pinning the two with the unnatural chill that rose over their bodies .

An instinctual fear rose over the two , Yet they couldn't move. Locked in their own bodies , Prisoners behind their own eyes , Capable of feeling everything but doing nothing . They were powerless , Completely and utterly before him , And they knew it .

" Let's see " He pinned the larger man with unblinking orange eyes , The glow increasing slightly .

" Maine ... ex soldier turned merc , You apparently wanna make it big , keep chroming yourself up any chance you get ... atleast that's what the dosier says bout cha " He squinted at the man as he pointed the tip of his blade at the man's neck , The glowing code running along the blade turning a burning red , Casting a sinister light on the bottom of the man's neck .

" Say ... if I Sliced the chrome off your body , Leaving you nothing but the bare necessities to survive , How much do you think I'd make " He lowered the blade slowly away from the man's gulping neck, Before turning to the blonde whom had an expression of barely concealed terror on her face as she growled and struggled , Trying her hardest to resist the body lock he had forced them into .

" Rebecca , sister of the fool downstairs , Forced to stick together after parents abandoned you in the city , Leaving you stunted mentally , Always getting into fights at school causing you to drop out , Tense home life with your brother , relatively short In height due to your age , It seems to make you made that people underestimate you because of your height , Yet you'll grow ... atleast that's too , What your dosier says " He growled menacingly as his blade cane closer to the girls wide open eyes.

" I could kill you both right now , It'd be easy you know , A simple Nick of my blade will cause you to either kill yourself " He brought his sword back , Running his left hand across the blade as the code changed colour from purple blue to red every couple of seconds .

" Or maybe I should nick you with it , have you return to your friends and family under its influence ... and have you crush their skulls with your own hands . Taking out your own family members one by one until you are the only one remaining , Amongst their corpses... all alone in their world with the knowledge that all this happened because you took the word of the fool downstairs who bit off more than he could chew " He pointed the blade at them again , Raising it from Maine to Rebecca as they were very evidently shaking, Trying their hardest to regain control of their bodies .

" But I won't " The two had their eyes widen at him , As he sheathed his blade slowly . Leaning it on his doorframe before returning to crouch before them .

" I won't because I'm no fool , And I'm not a monster . I don't go around extorting and lying . I may break into and steal millions of eddies whenever I wish , But I am not unjust ... not without purpose ... fuck with me ... threaten what's mine ... and I'll rid the world of your filth " He growled , Pushing his shades back over his optics as even then , They could see a dull glow behind the blackened lenses of his shades .

" That was my only warning ... come before me with I'll intentions , Fuck with me in any way , fuck with my business of people ... I'll turn you into a murderous killing machine and send you after your families and friends ... as I said , One slice and you're done ... " He slowly rose from the ground , Staring down at the two with an apathetic gaze .

" Now get out of my face " He made a raising motion with his right index finger , Casuing them to rise to their legs , evidently painfully as their cyberware creaked .

" Until next time Rebecca " He made a pushing gesture , The legs of the two curling up with as much pressure as they could before launching them back across the hallway as far as they could , Causing them to topple over ontop of eachother .

Retracting the control of the red key from them , The two slumped as they were given access to their cyberware once more , Yet they simply sat their staring at the roof . The last two minutes of terror impacting them deeply as they tried their hardest to call their beating hearts.

They continued to sit, Even as they heard the man's door close , Leaving them alone in the corridor with nothing but their own company .

" What the fuck was that " Rebecca raised herself , Looking at Maine for any sort of help .

" I don't.... I don't know ... I've got to talk to someone ... Sasha might know something ... what's this gonks name " Maine asked as he cast a careful , Meaningful gaze from Rebecca to the now closed door.

" Sebastian marko , Showed up here a couple weeks ago I think " She replied as they slowly began to rise from the ground .

" I gotta go... in the meantime ... don't get in his face ... we'll deal with him later " Maine hissed as they made a quick escape , Whilst Sebastian listened to their words from behind his door .

...

" And I'll be waiting " Sebastian shrugged , Walking back to his couch and plopping himself down onto the fabric , Turning on the television as he tracked their progress with the red key , They had just entered Rebecca's apartment down below .

It was harrowing , Exhausting to he so ruthless , sewing terror into the innocent was not something to be taken lightly. It weighed heavily apon the mind , Causing guilt to pool, Simmer within his psyche . Atleast that's what it did for him , He understood things were different here , Psychos ran around rampant , Murders walked freely amongst the innocent.

So he blocked his heart, Crushed his feelings on the matter in favour of the belief that he was doing the right thing . For if he couldn't believe that , What was the point in any of it.

A silent tear ran down his cheek as he steeled his features , Cracking his neck as he rose from the couch and exited the apartment .

...

" BOSSMAN " Tekeyoshi yelled out directly from infront of Sebastian , Both of them standing infront of his apartment .

" Kid what are you doing here " Sebastian asked as he studied the joyous child with a raised eyebrow .

' He's doing good ' His shoulders slumped slightly in relief , Smiling little as the boy reached into his pocket and pulled out his Eddie chip .

" I'm ready for work boss " Tekeyoshi responded handing the Eddie chip to sebastian before crossing his arms and lifting his chin .

" What do you mean " Sebastian raised an eyebrow, Crossing his arms and leaning on the doorframe to the apartment , Keenly aware that Maine and Rebecca were still in their apartment with pillar.

" You said I gotta work hard for what I want right . I spent some time getting my affairs in order , Now I'm ready to do just that " Tekeyoshi , The child of not even ten years old , Responded to sebastian with all the conviction in the world .

" This works gonna be hard kid , You understand that right " Sebastian pressed the child , A futile effort to get the child to continue being just that ... a child .

" Boss , I live behind a dumbstruck in kabuki , Hiding from maelstrom everyday ... living in this city is difficult ... what's little more " The kid responded, Showing just what this city did to the youth it fostered , to live in this city and remain as such would be a laughable thought.

Sighing , Sebastian lowered his shades as he dropped to one knee , Coming face to face with the child's overly expressive face. He could see it all , The fear of rejection , The worry that was placed apon his shoulders. Everything from hatred of something unknown to the hope only a child could have in such bleak circumstances.

" Well then , As the first employee of the red rippers , I'm going to have to install some cyberware for you to commence your ensure under my tutelage... are you okay with that ... " Sebastian asked the boy who gave a quick but firm nod.

" Boss ... I am ready to start my work under you immediately " The boy spoke in the most professional tone such a kid could muster.

" Just what I wanted to hear , I'll get you a uniform at a later date , Follow me kid " He rose to his feet , Gesturing with his neck as he turned away and walked around the side of the building where his warehouse was .

...

" I'll also need you guys to leave a cot in the establishment , In the storehouse " Sebastian told the worker as they moved new hardware into the establishment, This being a set of L shaped couches that were being moved into a new fawyer that had been hastily built infront of the warehouse , With the large neon sign of thr red rippers blazing brightly out the front .

" Sure thing " The superintendent responded as he revieved the eddies he would ened to get such a request fulfilled.

" Thank yoy , Come on tekeyoshi " Sebastian motioned as they stepped through into the newly built fawyer , New cold tiles tapping under foot as they moved to the entrance built into the old warehouse , Specifically the offices connected to the warehouse that had been turned into the surgery.

Stepping into the surgery itself , The room was much the same , Apart from various cables hanging from the ceiling that would be fed throughout the building .

The door to the larger part of the warehouse stood across from them , on the other side with several workers walking around , Installing several shaves and crates alongside many other things.

" Alright tekeyoshi , Take a seat " Sebastian motioned to his chair , Of which the child eagerly did as told , Climbing up and looking around in wander.

' I'll need to size them down , Make them able to grow with him as he grows ' Sebastian thought as he settled down at his computer , Using the design software to alter the design of a few cybernetics he had been designing .

' Time to test out this synthesiser ' Sebastian thought as he sent the schematics to the device currently hooked up to the side of his desk .

It began to give a Lowe hum as a light blue light peeled from within its casing.

" Alright that will take a few minutes , Tekeyoshi , call me Sebastian from now on ... if you wish you can reside here in the warehouse , I have a fridge and basic amenities being Installed out the back in the store room , You can come and go whenever you want but I'll be placing a tracker and some other important wares within you , I'd that okay "

" You mean I can live here " The child's eyes became misty as it scrunched up. Fingers clawing at the surgery chair as he looked at sebastian .

' What a terrible city ' He frowned for a moment before smiling reassuringly " Yes child ... of course you can "

" Thank you .... thank you . I promise I'll do right by you from this point forever onwards , I'm ready for whatever surgery you need " He sat back , Folding his hands together as he waited for sebastian to begin.

" I know kid, First , here ... " A wine escaped the synthesiser as it opened to reveal three small pieces of cyberware , Whilst Sebastian pulled up the mask that would put the kid under .

" Sleep kid , Wake up to your new life " He assured the boy whom eagerly took the mask , Putting it over his face before his eyes rolled into the back of his head , Slumping into the chair instantly as his arms became slack .

" You'll never have to worry about your safety again " Sebastian assured as he walked over and took the cyberware , The light above the surgery chair turning on whilst the rest of the room dimmed .

...

Hours later

...

Returning to his apartment , The kid asleep in the cot that had been installed in the store room of the warehouse , Sebastian walked over to his couch in thought.

" He'll do well there , I know he will " He frowned as he connected to the child's cyberware from his apartment .

' Everything's running at peak efficiency ' He thought as his optics displayed the compatibility of the boys new wares.

[ Kill switch efficiency ... 80 %

Connection node efficiency... 76%

Red orion cyberdeck mk 1 ... 63%]

Sebastian sat back , Staring at the information offered to him with puckered lips.

' They'll grow on him, especially with the nanites rebuilding parts of his brain to make the strain easier ' That was one of the reasons he had the child sleep after the surgery , So no issues would arrive as the nanites did their work with the foreign wares .

[ when you wake up , Get yourself familiar with the warehouse , I'll be in tomorrow evening . Sebastian ] He sent the massage to the boy as the red key notified him on a new issue.

Closing his eyes , Sebastian became linked to the net , Dropping straight into the net as his consciousness left his body .

...

" What have you got on this guy " .fine asked as he stood behind a black haired girl in a netrunners suit and white coat.

" can it Maine she's doing her hardest " Dorio growled as they sat beside the girl sitting in an iced bathtub .

...

All around her , The black expanse filled with digital constructs stood tall around her .

" Okay... I have a job to do " Sasha thought as she walked forward towards the cache of data that she believed housed what she needed to complete her task.

" Where would it be " She thought as she began accessing several data streams , Squinting before moving onto the next .

Whilst it was impossible to scour the entire net at once thank to raiche Barton's destroying it . This forces the creation of subnets , Making sure nets the new trope which stored most if not all data pertaining to the localised data .

It made it significantly easier to scour and find things one wished to find . Whilst it was possible to break through into the larger net , It was almost guaranteed death to walk beyond the Blackwell.

She could only sigh in relief as she found the datastream she wished to find .

" Okay ... here you are .... Sebastian marko " She looked at the file that appeared before her , Yet frowned deeply as the code began ti become unintelligible gibberish as she tried to read it.

" What the hell " Sasha thought as the name became nothing but codes and streams , As she was ejected from the file and even forced away into a white expanse of data streams .

" You know " A new voice caused goosebumps to run down the girls spine as she whirled around to find a rather unamused Sebastian standing behind her , Composed entirely of streaming vibrant red code , Surrounding the body of sebastian were streams , Tendrils of red code that reached around the man , Corrupting anything it touched as the code at the man's feet became unintelligible and dead.

' That is ... not how a person is supposed to appear , What have you gotten me into Maine ' Sasha sent the alarm to dorio , Attempting to get the woman to pull her out of the net , Yet froze after several seconds of nothing happening.

" I haven't given you permission to leave girl " The construct of code walked towards her , The places it feet touching dying away as it ate at the net .

" what did you think was going to happen , That you would break into my files , Get everything g you wanted and get away Scott free ... I don't think so , Give me one good reason why I shouldn't end you here and now, Send a message " Sebastian asked as Sasha sent a message directly to dorio , Of which sebastian amusedly allowed the girl to do so " please ... I will deal with them presently "

....

Dorio stared at the message she had recieved with trepidation , Grabbing her rifle as Maine looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

" Get it together Maine, The bastards got Sasha held hostage , We need to flatline the bastard right now before he zeros her " Dorio relayed as Maine grunted and picked up his stuff , Pillar and Rebecca following suit as they got out of the van they were in and rushed into the apartment .

The building was completely silent as they ascended the stairs to the second floor , With Maine taking point as they made to breach the door to Sebastian's apartment.

Kicking through the door to the apartment , Maine froze as he , Rebecca, pillar and dorio found the man that was supposed to be in the net standing before them , Garbed in all black with a humanoid skull helmet with glowing red eyes .

" You know , I'm currently having an interesting conversation with your friend , She's got quite abit to say " The man reached up , Pulling his blade from its sheeth as a red glow rose over the apartment , The code on the blade illuminating the room amd Sebastian in a sinister light .

" Impossible " Dorio hissed as Maine tried to open fire apon Sebastian, Yet found his weapon unable to fire as the barrel fell away from its body " Nobodg can control their bodies while in the net "

" What you believe you can do , and what you can actually do , Are two Laughably different areas " Sebastian's voice came out low and robotic as he pointed his blade at the four people in his doorway.

" Come at me with one or a thousand netrunners , An army comprised of militech and arasaka ... and I will remain steadfast " Sebastian's presence became unbearable as he began to step forward , the group trying to fire their weapons to no avail as their components refused to fire .

" Let's settle this ... Maine " Sebastian blitzed forward , His face a smirk behind his helmet as he made a right ward slash towards Maine neck .

' Systen shut down ' He selected as Maine stepped back and brought his hands infront of his body in an effort to scathe of the damage he was about to take .

Dorio and Rebecca watched with wide eyes as the blade simply parted Maines forearms from his body , His arms flying in either directions of his body .

" MAINE " Dorio cried , Yet recieved no response as the man simply fell to the ground , Completely unresponsive .

" One and two " Sebastian brought his sword hand around , purposefully making a shallow cut on the exposed chest of Rebecca, Right between her breasts .

" Goodnight " Rebacca fell to the ground , Her eyes rolling into the back of her head as she became dead weight .

" YOU KILLED MY FUCKING SISTER " Pillar cried our as he threw a punch at sebastian , Yet found himself once more robbed of his arms and unconscious just like the other two .

Dorio froze , Keenly aware that she now stood alone against the man that had so easily rendered their entire crew inept and unconscious.

" Will you fight too " Sebastian asked as the red glow of his helmets lenses glared harshly into the blonde woman's eyes.

Gritting her teeth in outrage , The woman felt her canines cracking under the pressure as she holstered her weapon .

" I will not " Dorio looked down and away from the monsters eyes.

" Good , They'll wake up in fifteen minutes , I'll be keeping Maine's and pillars arms as payment for their lives ... get out of my sight " Sebastian kicked Maine in the stomach , Launching the man's unconscious body sprawling into the corridor .

He reached down and grabbed Rebecca by her oversized jacket , Tossing the girl after Maine, Followed by a harsh kick to pillars spine .

" I already gave them their one warning , now they've dealt with my heavy hand , Align against me again , Next time it's their lives ... go , Get your runner , I've gotten all I want from the girl " He hissed before the door to his apartment , Leaving dorio to collapse to the ground in terror .

....

They were quiet when he left, With Rebecca and pillar hiding in their apartment as soon as he passed them by , He made his way to the warehouse with a small smile on his face.

" Good ... they've learnt " He mused as he stepped into the now completed building , The work crews completely missing , Their tools gone with no trace they had ever been there .

"Bossman Sebastian " Tekeyoshi yelled out as he entered the surgery , The boy running into the fawyer before coming to a stop and giving a salute.

" None of that now boy , Here " He tossed a sack into the boys arms , Causing him to stumbled as he caught the bag in his hands .

" Take that and turn them in , Keep the eddies you , They're your weeks pay , Then go to a tailor to get the schematics I've sent to you printed , Its your new uniform ... " Sebastian's optics lit up for a moment as the boy recieved the data .

" On it Boss, I'll be back as soon as I can " Sebastian responded as he quickly exited the surgery to do as his boss asked.

" GET A CAB " Sebastian yelled out the the boy paused and nodded before doing just that.

" Now then ... I have some spare time before the surgery opens for business, Might as well work on the bike " He walked out the back to the garage next to the storehouse , Where his CT-3X was .

" Let's see ... none of this is needed " He smiled as he tore the entire top of the bike from its chassis .

" Prepare to be given the gift of life "