The machine god

Overlooking the city , Sebastian leant on the dam overlook , Looking towards night city with a soda in his hand .

The sun bore down on the city, Lowering across the horizon as it slowly became evening .

[ Remote access granted ] The red key informed him as he smiled softly to himself.

Over a week had passed since the raid on the maelstrom warehouse , The police had been rather interested in the whole affair. Only for show apparently as they hadn't really put together much of a profiling or investigation.

" That Michael is an interesting fellow hm " Sebastian chuckled to himself, Drawing the last of his soda to his lips before dropping the soda over the edge of the dam .

" Though the maelstrom have been rather ... cautious since the death of Patricia ... the scavs are keeping their heads down for the moment ... but that's not going to do much to help them " Sebastian grunted , Interlacing his fingers and cracking his fingers as the C3 came up to his side , Grunting in agitation as it primitive ai surveyed their surroundings .

" Yes I know where they are ... let's go " He gripped the handle of his bike, laughing in joy as it ripped across the asphalt. , Hurling his forward as he laughed all the way into the distance.

...

Late night

...

Arriving at the surgery, Sebastian unlocked the doors , Eyeing the dimly lit reception with the only source of light being from the emergency exit light still on .

Walking in , The door silently closed behind him , He moved silently , Passing by the desk as he headed towards the surgery and storeroom behind.

Opening the door to his office , Sebastian moved around the chair at the centre of his room and came to a stop on his office chair , Leaning down into its soft fabric as it gave a soft creak.

' Hm what should I do ... I need something more for my legs and feet ... Let me think ' Sebastian interlaced his fingers and closed his eyes ... thinking back to recent events with a critical eye.

' Bring up System diagnotcis '

The red key responded immediately after , A display of his current cyrberware appearing over his left eye .

[ Head

Red cyberdeck - 100% - Activity restored

Red key - 100% Active .

Kill switch - Inactive

Torso

Red genesis spine - 100%

Red genesis ribcage - 100%

Red Genesis Sandevistan - 85%

Spring-lock - 100%

System notification ... Internal damage repaired .

Arm -

Smart link - 100%

Sword link - 100%

System commands restored, Returning to base functionality ]

' Okay... the main issue I have with my current implants is the cost of using speed based implants . Without reinforced muscles and bone structures, I run the risk of tearing muscle from my bones should I so much as twitch the wrong way . Ontop of that ... I should install a relay in the base of my spine for a quicker response time ... Yes ... I like this plan ' A hum started in the corner of the office where the synthesiser began to produce exactly what he wished , The red key adding its own personal touches so it could assist its master to the nth degree .

Drumming his fingers , Sebastian sent a message to the only ripper he somewhat trusted .

[ Are you available to come by to perform a surgery ] Sebastian asked , Receiving a response in short time .

[ Of course ... be there shortly ~ fingers ]

...

" This is alot you know , Mitigation nodes in the base of your spine ... synthesised bone structures and reinforced muscle structures ... " Fingers looked over Sebastian's back , Leaning down to see the external plating , His fingers gliding over the six isotope nodes between Sebastian's shoulders with curiosity .

' I wander what this one is ... And this one ' Fingers felt his hand gently touch the column of Sebastian's back ' I know what a sandevistan looks like ... even one as alien as this '

" So that's why you need the reinforced bones and muscles in your legs , we wouldn't want you to cdipply yourself would we " Fingers chuckled as sebastian gave no response , The man completely unconscious with the injector mask over his face .

A low hum drew fingers attention , The base of Sebastian's neck glowing a sinister red , Releasing a pulse when his fingers got near it .

" Sorry ... I'll start the surgery now " Fingers lips quivered as he looked at the location he knew held the piece of technology that he feared the most .

' Sewn into the flesh personally by Sebastian no doubt , Whatever it is its the most hidden and reinforced part of his body ... not even his brain is so proceed as much as that thing ... Whatever it is ... it's alive ' Fingers pulled out the scalpel , Beginning to open up Sebastian's legs and lower spine , Looking to the side where the soon to he installed cyberware was currently sitting.

... 6 hours later - 12 pm ...

" Thank you fingers ... I'll he sure to send you new supplies shortly enough " Sebastian called out to the flamboyant man whom was slowly departing.

" Think nothing of it ... We're friends afterall ... good company is hard to find these days ... " Fingers bid him farewell as he studied his toes , His feet crunching together whilst the newly informed tendons in his legs twitched violently under the flesh of his legs.

" On that we agree "

' Display installations '

Once more the display of his cyberware shon in his left eye as he rose , Nearly falling over momentarily before he regained his balance .

[ Head

Red cyberdeck - 100% - Activity restored

Red key - 100% Active .

Kill switch - Inactive

Torso

Red genesis spine - 100%

Red genesis ribcage - 100%

Spine -

red genesis sandevistan 100%

Spring-lock -100%

Lower spine -

Sandevistan & springlock overclock mitigation nodes - 40% functionality - increasing.

[ sandevistan recommended used before mitigation nodes required - 7. Sandevistan time per use - 40 sec ]

Arm -

Smart link - 100%

Sword link - 100%

Legs -

Reinforced tendons - 70%

Reinforced bones - 60%

It is unadvised creator installs further cyberware until peak efficiency is reached ]

' Thank you ' Sebastian felt the warmth of the red eyes response in the back of his neck , Smiling to himself as he pulled an expensive looking tux from the cupboard.

' There's a party on in the city centre ... let's see how they do things there huh ' Sebastian smirked , Pulling the tux over his shoulder , Turning off the lights to the surgery before heading back our the front of his clinic.

" Teleyoshi should still be asleep out the back .. Let's keep everything locked " Sebastian relocked the building , Turning to face down the road , Seeing fingers vehicle slowly driving away.

" Let's go " His sandevistan activated the next moment . The world crawled to a stop the next movement, His pupils dilating as the red key gave a low hum at the base of his neck.

Leaning forward, Sebastian broke into a dead sprint , A single step carrying him a dozen metres less than the fraction of a second , He passed by his apartment building in two steps , Flying over the hill next to his apartment before Plummeting into the ground below .

' Three steps , Less than a fraction of a second to travel over a hundred metres ... ' He tore down the road coming to kabuki square less .

He laughed in joy , Ignoring the tearing sound of the atmosphere in his ears . He danced, jumping between the cars, His hand straying across the hood of a convertible , Admiring its beauty in a fraction of a second before he danced last the next five cars with ease.

He passed by an intersection , The light above still dimming , very slowly turning from red to green .

By the time his sandevistan came to its first cool down period , Sebastian slowed down in little China, Slowing to a slow jog next to the bridge to the city centre .

' The waters actually quite beautiful tonight ' He felt his core muscles tighten and constrict momentary , Still reacting as if he was using his sandy.

Cars roared by behind his back as he came to a stop next to the riverbank , The tux slung over his shoudler being tightened momentarily as it slipped momentarily.

A passing boat gave a loud honk , Several walking people looking to the boat before continuing on with their business.

" Anyway ... onwards "

....

EMPATHY NIGHT CLUB

....

Coming to a stop out the front of the empathy club , The sun had finally set across the city , With the illuminated billboard casting long rays of light against adjacent buildings . The metal city was lit with ethereal light as it was every night .

Sebastian straightened his tux , Groaning slightly whilst his orange eyes glowed behind his blackened shades .

' Welp ' Sebastian heard the loud music originating from within the club , A sort of techno that became louder momentarily whenever to doors to the club opened .

A large crowd was gathered outside the front of the building , With teens and young adults loitering around . Some drinking and laughing amongst eachother whilst others remained in small gangs they were affiliated with.

He fit right in . Being no older than eighteen physically , He looked mature enough , Young but not too much so .

" Lines here bud " A fellow teen standing amongst his friend stopped Sebastian from just entering the building , Placing his hand on Sebastian's chest .

" Actually kid " Sebastian lowered the boys hand , Stepping the boy " I've been invited in "

The teen , No doubt an arasaka tech student or someone close , Glared at the back of Sebastian's head as he simply walked through the doors , Cursing him to his friends whist Sebastian ignored him .

Stepping into the clubs front doors , He shouldered past everyone within , As people grunted and laughed at eachother , Others simply yelling at the desk attendants over the loud noise of the club.

Instead of heading to the front desk , Sebastian walked to thr right to the private entrance .

" Excuse me dear " Sebastian stepped past a girl laughing amongst peers , Stepping past the bouncer infront of the private entrance .

" Thanks mate ... Larry in yet " Sebastian asked , The man reaching up to his earpiece for a split moment.

" He's upstairs in the private booth ... go ahead " The man opened the door to the back rooms where the clubs dancers changed, Allowing Sebastian's entrance despite the glances from several onlookers .

The loud noise of the rest of the club stopped with the private entry closing behind him , Sebastian sighing as he stepped past a small kitchen and through the dancers change room .

" Atleast we've got the night off , Shame we've gotta hang around till closing though " One of the dancers , A blonde dressed in skimpy black clothing sat at her booth , Talking to her coworkers , Ignoring Sebastian's walk through as he walked up to the second floor.

Now on the second floor , Sebastian exited the private backwoods and stepped into the second floor of the clubs , Looking to one of the four private booths , Their doors closed as the people within didn't want to be disturbed .

' Ah ... I see ' A DJ had been set up on the stage down below , With dancers , More appropriately dressed than usual , Hyped the crowd within .

" Hey " Sebastian got the attention of the security guard stood infront if the private entryway doors . The man leant over to offer an ear to Sebastian.

" Which room is Larry in ... " Sebastian motioned to on of the four doors currently closed .

In response, The man simply pointed at the most leftward one , The one farthest away from the entrance .

" Alright ... thanks ... here's my business card , Come for a consultation some time ... " Sebastian stepped away , The man pocketing the sleek black card Sebastian had handed over whilst Sebastian himself moved to the booth Larry was hidden in .

Walking up to the door , Sebastian rapped his knuckles on the frame before stepping in , Spotting his target lounging against the wall long couch on the far wall .

A circular display hung from the roof with various videos playing , With a table below housing several drugs and alcoholic beverages . Sitting next to Larry were four people , three men and a woman ,said woman was currently going through a bd as she ignored everyone.

" Who the hell are you " a man , Obviously corpo , a British man with blonde hair and blue eyes , Regular build with a large hooked nose. The man growled at sebastian .

" Oi ... " Larry grabbed the main attention and made a hushing gesture before turning back to the ripper.

Rising Larry laughed , Spreading his arms wide before grabbing Sebastian in a hug .

" There you are my friend , I was worried you weren't gonna make it ... come in come in " Larry closed the door , Dragging the ripper towards the couch he ajd been sat on , Quickly cleaning the soft fabric with his hands before pushing the four people on to the adjacent couch , Giving Sebastian room to sit on the couch alone with Larry.

" No porn tonight huh Larry " Sebastian asked , Adjusting his shades for a momiute before reaching forward and pouring himself a glass of bourbon .

" Oh .. no not tonight, Some big wigs kid wanted to throw a party " Larry motioned to a screen showing the rest of the club , Where some teen was standing on the stage popping open a wine bottle and spraying the crowd with the froth .

" Little shit payed me a half a million eddies to rent the club for the night ... " Larry shrugged , Turning back to his friends , The three paying attention laughing to themselves " Who am I to deny good business "

" Fair enough " Sebastian raised the glass to his lips , tuning out the shuttle music outside that started playing instead turning his head to the British man that didn't seem to appreciate his presence .

" Hey Larr ... who's your friend " Larry's face slackened slightly before he laughed aloud .

" Ah forgive me my friends ... meet Sebastian Martin... best dam tech I've ever seen , Ripper doc and cyberware designer . Fuckers got cyberware that would scare the shit outta ya huh " Larry laughed , Elbowing Sebastian slightly with wiggling eyebrows.

" Sebastian meet salz " He motioned at the British dude .

" Carra " He motioned to the Asian woman currently locked into the BD before Motioning to last two .

" Dino " A latino man raised a glass to Sebastian.

" And dinos right hand uh he doesn't matter " The man shrugged, Accepting the words as Dino leant forward .

" You make tech huh , Whatcha got " Dino tried to press , Earning a side warning glance from Larry, The Latino raising his eye slightly.

" Doesn't matter too much .. just know I've got the interest of militech , Night Corp and arasaka ... though they're keeping their distance for the time being. Militech especially since I.. well ... we have a mutual agreement to stay out of eachothers way until I impeach out " Dino mulled over Sebastian's answer , Leaning back , Sending a glance to his lackey to look up the supposed ripper.

" Got then on their toes huh , Must be good then " Salz spoke up , Glaring at sebastian whom stayed silent for a moment, Instead he reached up to his shades , gently pulling then off his face as his orange pupils glowed in the dimly lit room.

" I strive to be the best in everything I do ... " Sebastian shrugged , Slipping his shades into the breast pocket of his tux , Taking another sip from his beverage .

" Say ... sebs... you got what I asked for " Larry asked , Earning a grunt from the ripper whom pulled out a vacuum sealed bag .

This bag drew the attention of the three men in the room, AmStaring at the contents of the bag .

" Your new cyberdeck , Don't know what you want it for ... , Better than anything on the market ... I wouldn't go showing it to anyone important " Sebastian sent a small glance to salz and Dino, Glaring slightly as Larry took the deck with great care .

" I will have to alert you ... I have it monitored , As I do all my tech , Can't have it falling into the hands of any unsavoury characters you know ... just locations and stuff you know " Sebastian explained , Larry shrugged before sliding the bag into his own clothing .

" That's fine ... atleast I know someone's got eyes on me you know , Can't have too much protection eh " Larry laughed , Before transferring a hundred k eddies straight to the ripper.

" Thank you friend ... feel free to stay ... the club is open to you any tune you want , Anythings on the house " Larry expressed his gratitude , His hand occasionally straying to his breast pocket to make sure the cyberdeck was still on his person , A trait of someone with great paranoia .

They broke into small conversations for the majority of the hour . With Sebastian learning Dino was infact the city centre fixer , The man responsible for most merc work in this region .

' Something to keep in mind ... and someone to keep tabs on ' Sebastian thought as the red key took liberties and recorded dinos signature so he could be tracked whenever it needed to do so.

Salz himself seemed to be some kind of up and running manager at one if the corpo academies .

And the woman , Carra was also corpo , Having been friends with salz for most of their lives. They had taken seperate paths alongside their friends from years ago , But always remained in contact , Occasionally meeting in private to catch up together.

" Alright ... I'll leave you guys to it , Might check out the party outside you know " Sebastian shrugged , Shaking Larry on the shoulder as he rose .

" Here take this " Larry tossed a bag of narcotics to him , With Sebastian catching it with a raised eyebrow .

" Huh ... " 'Cocaine... anyway ' Sebastian shrugged and tossed the drugs into his pocket , Reaching to his breast pocket and pushing his glasses onto the bridge of his nose.

" Catchya later friend " Larry waved him off.

" Come by some time ... I'll be releasing a lost of available wares ... don't get yourself killed now " Sebastian stepped out of the room , Earning a loud rousing laughing from the owner of the club .

' Red ... turn down my resistances for let say ... six hours ... ' The red key did as was asked as he made his way around the second floor towards the bar , Moving through the crowds , Having to occasionally shimmy past the partying teens before he finally made his way to a stop infront of the bar .

" Hey mate can you just give me that vodka there " Sebastian pointed to the vodka , The man nodding and Tossing it across the Sebastian whom caught it , Giving a two fingered salute before turning around and looking at the club goers with a critical gaze .

' They're all so ... ' He didn't quite know what to say , Instead he kicked off the bar counter and made his way to the second floor railing , Removing the lid of the bottle as he came to lean on the railing , Occasionally bringing the bottle to his lips and taking a swig .

' Don't want to lose these ... just incase ' He took off his glasses again , Placing them back in his pocket before drinking once more.

" eugh" he cringed slightly , shaking his head as the warmth of the drink ran down the back of his spine .

' Room temperature vodka ' He sighed , Looking down into the crowd, Feeling the eyes of someone on him for a moment , And so he searched .

The first one he recognised Was the boy amongst his friends from earlier , The one who had tried to stop him from simply skipping the line earlier.

The second was a candy pink haired girl with lip and cheek piercings looking up at him with wide blue eyes .

' She looks familiar ... ah yes ... I wander how her father is after I broke into their apartment 'The girl ducked away , hiding away from his gaze after they maintained eye contact for several long seconds .

( all oc characters in this story have a real life counterpart or manga inspiriations . Sebastian looks close to a 29 year old cillian murphy . Tekeyoshi himself will eventually look like a skinnier gun from lookism . The girls design would be of the woman alienxbaby if anyone wants to know )

' Hm ... I didn't leave any lasting damage so he'll be fine 'He finished the first quarter of the bottle , Shuddering slightly before moving away from the railing.

' This place makes me weary ... ' He grunted , hands flying to his pocket as someone tried reaching into his pocket , Earning a glare as the teen looked away and walked off into the crowd after failing to pick pocket him ' And there goes my fun '

' Time to go ' Sebastian grunted and walked back down the stairs , struggling to move through the bustling crowd jumping up and down , screaming to the music.

" Shit ... " Sebastian grunted , The bottle of vodka being knocked from his hand , Falling onto a girl wearing a dress as she froze in shock .

He lips parted and her hands flew up , Frozen as alcohol covered her .

" I'm so sorry " Sebastian apologised , The girls friends rushing to her aid.

" Oh my God oh my God " She began to freak out. With the ripper doc cringing as he turned away and pulled a cloth from a tray quickly bringing it to the girl .

" You asshole why the fuck did you do that " One of the more aggressive girls pushed his shoudler , Looking him up and down as she cursed him out.

" Hey it wasn't my fault, Some prick knocked me hand " Sebastian rebuked , Handing the cloth to another as it was ripped from his hand and quickly used to day at the skin of the girl .

" Uh huh shut the fuck up " She bit out .

" Ladies is there a problem here " The boy from the entrance came to the situation alongside the guy whom had rented the club and a few other friends .

" This prick just poured vodka all over Candace... " One of the girls explained as the boy from the start approached .

" Whats your problem huh " The boy got in Sebastian's face , Staring up into his orange eyes whilst the guy who rented the club raised an eyebrow .

" Who are you ... you don't go to our school ... How'd you get in here " The renter asked , His friends approaching.

" I had business here ... and now I'll be leaving " Sebastian grunted , Shouldering past the boy from the start and moving towards the exit .

" You just gonna let him do that " One of the harpies surrounding the doused girl shrieked .

Seeing the chance to get on the good side of one of the girls , The boy from the entrance rushed Sebastian, Fist locked back before Swinging and punching Sebastian on the back .

Stumbling into the wall , Sebastian caught himself. Not particularly fussed by the punch before he turned to face the rocky teen who smirked at him.

" Going somewhere you dick " The teen threw another punch , Punching Sebastian straight into the mouth , Cutting his lip slightly but not doing much else .

" How's that feel huh ... paybacks a bitch " The teen laughed , Only to see Sebastian slump his shoudlers and shake his head .

" I gave you two free hits. Don't complain to anyone now " Sebastian responded , Right fist crunching into a clenched fist before his hand rocketed forward , Being planted directly into the neck of the teen .

A crack sounded out , As the teen dropped to his knees , Clutching his neck and trying desperately to breath through the throat punch he had just suffered.

" Stay the fuck out of my way " Sebastian proceeded to kick the kid in the side of the head , Knocking him unconscious where his friends rushed to him to make sure he was alright .

" HEY " an angry boy , No doubt a friend came forward, Only to freeze as sebastian finally had enough, Pulling out a m-10a f Lexington and pointing it straight into the eyes of the other teen.

The blood on his lip ran down his chin , as the teen stepped back .

" Don't make me get another body kid , Get the fuck out of my way " He grunted , The haze of alcohol beginning to properly take effect before , Turning away as he made his way out of the club , shouldering past the reception and out of the empathy club .

Sliding the gun back into the waist band of his pants , Sebastian made his way to the right , Leaning against the wall as he pulled out a vanilla flavoured cigarette, Placing it in his mouth .

' Fuck ' Sebastian grunted , Patting his pockets in frustration , failing to find the lighter he had brought .

' For fucks sake ' He grunted , His ears perking slightly before he heard the sound and smell of his cigarette being lit .

He opened his eyes to find the girl from earlier standing beside him , Her arm extended before her hand slid into her very much oversized jacket .

" Hello Victoria " Sebastain grunted , Taking a puff of his cigarette, Breathing a deep breath in before blowing the cloud of smog into the air between them.

" How's your father ... mister olivia " Sebastian asked , Crossing his arms , taking another puff of his cigarette.

" He's... " She didn't really know what to say , Leaning on the wall next to the man whom beat the shit out of her father , Scratching at her leg with her acrylic nails before answering " Better now ... abit shaken up after ... you know ... but he's better "

She reached over and took the cigarette from his fingers , Pulling to her lips before taking a puff herself before giving it back .

" And your mother " Sebastian asked , Not particularly caring that she had taken a puff , Rather more annoyed by the others currently bustling in and out of the club.

" Better than dad , But she's investing in better security than before .. guess she didn't think anyone was gonna come in from outside " Victoria shrugged , Flicking the lighter in her hand on and off .

' A German accent ... who would've thought ... they're from oversees ' Sebastian mused , Picking up the heavy accent that came from the girls lips.

" True enough ... and you " Sebastian asked , orange eyes straying to the girls as she looked up at him , The blue of her eye-liner glistening slightly .

" Me what " She asked , Taking the cigarette again , Looking he off hand around her waist .

" How are you coping after " Sebastian asked , The girl Shrugging , Returning the cigarette again.

" Fine enough I guess " Her answer was short and to the point , Blowing out the breath she had taken .

" Good ... " Sebastian didn't say much more, Simply choosing to enjoy the rest ofbthe cigarette in silence, the sound fo the lighter on Victoria's hand being lit occasionally breaking the silence.

" Anyway ... " Sebastian drew Victoria's attention , The girl looking to him with curious eyes .

" Enjoy the party " Sebastian dropped the cigarette at their feet , Rubbing it into the ground with the tip of his shoe .

He stepped away from the buildings wall , Grunting as he stretched , Undoing the button on his shirt before crossing his arms behind his head and beginning to whistle .

" So where are we going " He stopped at those words , Finding victora was currently walking in sync with his pace .

" Well IIII am going to be heading back to Northside ... you can go do whatever you want " Sebastian grunted out , Walking along the sidewall towards the metro station not a hundred metres away.

" going to Northside I guess " she shrugged , Fully intent on following him , Ignoring the blatant dismissal he had given her.

" Do whatever " He pulled out another cigarette , Holding his hand out , Of which Victoria slid the lighter into his hand .

" Thanks " He grunted out before cupping his cigarette , Dipping his hea DNA lighting the second deathstick .

He didn't remove it from his lips as he blew out the breath took , Smoke parting around the cigarette before he handed the girls lighter back.

The bright lights from the billboards above irritated him , And so he replaced the shades back over his optics , The glow of his eyes still visible through the blackened lenses as the girl looked at him from the side .

" You got a car " Victoria asked , Earningba shrug in response .

" Could get one if I really wanted... for now I'll just use my bike ... " Sebastian winced as she came closer .

" So you got a bike ... where is it " Victoria asked , Looking around eagerly .

" In my garage ... no too fussed about using it tonight " They crossed the streets , with Sebastian making a b-line towards the metro.

" Can I see it " She asked , Getting a grunt from the man she was pestering, Smiling slightly to herself.

" Absilutely ... not ... im working on it at the moment " He responded , Crossing the road again towards the metro , Walking down the stairs and entering the metro systems doors .

" Alright " He sighed , He could practically feel Victoria's gaze on his back as he rushed onto the tram , As he came to sit down and wait for the tram to leave .

" Sooo " She sat beside him , Making herself comfortable, Leaning her head in the seats headrest as she stared at him .

' Okay this is getting uncomfortable ' He looked away whilst she simply gazed at him , Watching him have another puff of his cigarette , Just as the tram began to move .

" Why are you following me " Sebastian asked , Leaning his left elbow onto the seats head , Turning bavk to the girl.

" Curiosity ... " She responded , Ignoring the people getting themselves comfortable, The tram officially leaving the city as it became suspended over the river below .

' Not going to say anything else huh ' He shrugged , Allowing Victoria to take the cigarette from his fingers and use it herself.

" We're you really going to shoot him " She asked , Looking at the Lexington in his waist band .

" Do don't something unless you've already made up your mind to accept the consequences of performing the action . I wasn't Bluffing " Sebastian grunted Pulling the gun from his waist band , Looking it over before Shrugging and Tossing it to the girl .

" Take it ... don't really see the fuss about em " He watched Victoria slide it into the pocket of her drastically oversized jacket , In turn giving him back his cigarette for him to take a another draw of .

" More of a sword guy " Victoria pressed , Remembering when he jumped from the apartment with that blade of his .

" More of a don't lose guy " Sebastian shrugged .

' Speaking of ' His toes curled, Cracking under his shoes whilst he stared at his organic knuckles ' Could do with some extra armour in hy hands '

" Anyway " He shrugged , Groaning as he leant his head back against the headrest , The tram now half way across the river.

" You should probably get home before around 2 am ... wouldn't want your parents to worry " Sebastian tried shaking off his followers, Appealing to her about her parents worry but only revived a shrug on her part.

" They won't mind , I've been out longer and they didn't care " She rebuked , Turning to look out of the window as the tram finally crossed the river, Arriving at Ellison plaza .

" Hm ... i see " The two sat in comfortable silence for several more moments , the two not particularly caring for conversation .

They simply sat , Watching the locals coming onto the metro , Shimmying together , one such person , A man of Asian descent sat himself down next to Victoria, His face covered in tats as he leered in her direction.

" Hey doll , Names ozeki " He growled out in heavy Japanese, Looping an arm over her shoulders whilst scooching closer .

' Tyger claw ... ' Sebastian raised an eyebrow in the man's direction , Victoria Grunting and Shrugging off his arm .

" Your place or mine bub " The guy scorched closer despite her obvious disinterest .

" Hey ... " Ozeki ran a finger along the girls chin before forcefully making her look at him. " don't fuckin ignore me bitch , You know who I am "

" No .. now leave me alone " She pulled her blazer closed , Glaring at the Asian man who let out a tsk and grabbed her by the hair .

" Now you listen here " Ozeki growled , Pulling her to him , With the rest of the occupants completely ignoring what was going on .

" This is my turf , I know what I want , And I want you ... now why don't " Ozeki grit his teeth together , Only to be knocked to the side , His head smashing into the window with blood erupting from his lips.

" That's about enough of that " Sebastian shook his hand ' Fuckers got a steel jaw '

" You mother " Sebastian stopped the Asian man again by grabbing the side of the tyger claws head and slamming it back into the window again .

" Shut the fuck up before I cripple you " Sebastian growled , Motioning for victoirs to slide down the seat to where he had been sitting .

She smiled slightly, Holding her hair , Running her hands through her strands to check if there were any knots .

Sitting sown in her previous spot , Sebastian stared into the man's eyes .

" Now shut the fuck up and stay away ... or fuck off and move " Ozeki held the side of his chin , Massaging his jaw whilst Sebastian turned back to Victoria.

" We're getting off at the medcentre " Seabstiam brokered no argument , The girl nodding , Running her hand along her scalp .

" You'll pay for that fucker " Ozekis hand moved to his pistol , His hand freezing when Sebastian reached into Victoria's jacket and pulled out the Lexington, Whirling around and placing the barrel right under ozeki's neck .

" Try it ... " Sebastian whispered , Victoria watching behind him with Unblinking eyes , Wild and ready.

" Tsk " Ozeki raised his hand , Leaning away before rising and moving to the others side of the Cart .

" Good " He tossed the gun into his left hand , sliding the gun back in the girls pockets .

...

Watson medcentre

...

They exited the cart with little fan fare , With Sebastian looked over his shoudler as ozeki stumbled out , Glaring at their backs before heading the other way .

" Now I see why everyone carries ... i should probably atleast bring my sword next time , Can't just punch a guy with a subbed jaw huh " He looked at his knuckles , Noting the bruised and cut skin , Some red marks visible ' That's gonna bruise isn't it ' .

" That might help next time " She looked up at him , Poking him in the ribs with a small smile on her face as he grunted .

" Hey can't blame me for just trying to relax for once " He shrugged ,The two of them ascending the stairs outside the metro station and taking a left , Facing the medcentre building .

As usual , The front of the medcentre was bustling with movement. No less than eight police officers standing out the front of the entrance whilst a couple of trauma team employees on break stood across the road , Smoking together as they talked about their last mission.

' Fucking corporate health care ' Sebastian rolled his eyes , Turning away from the trauma team members , Whilst he felt bad for the bullshit they had to go through, Sooner or later they became emotionless monsters simply focussed on getting the client in and out . No matter who they had to gun down in the process.

" Whats with that face " Victoria asked , Seeing the deep frown that made its way onto his face .

" Its stupid " He responded, As he walked past the medcentre up the winding side walk .

" Hm what is " She asked in genuine interest . Moving closer to him as they passed a group of intoxicated adults.

" The whole system ... from arasaka to medtech ... It's all stupid , Dwsigned to take advantage of the regular man. Hell even the cyberware everyone has is infected with viruses enough to endure cyberpsychosis " He rolled his eyes , Grunting as they turned left towards the kabuki market .

" Cyberwares infected " She asked , Pulling a piece of candy from her left pocket as he began to explain .

" Pretty much anything is . From the military versions of anything to the regular man's cyberdeck . All controlled by the maker to monitor and snuff out anyone they deem fit . Hell I'm pretty sure nightcorp can just turn on cyberpsychosis in anyone they don't like " He went on a tirade , Explaining the How's and whys , As they entered the market area , Walking by the tygers with little care for the attention .

He was aware however , A notification from the red key informing him they were being followed by atleast one tyger claw at that current moment .

" And that's why I make my own tech , Corpos can't do anything to me if my techs more advanced , more robust and more adaptive . Can't force me to go cyberpsycho if there's no way in . Hell it'd probably backfire on them " He explained , Ligfting his right eat to show where the cyberdeck was slotted , The end of the machine glowing a sinister red in the night.

" So that's what's up with your optics " She exclaimed , Looking at each of his eyes slowly .

" Gotta keep with the theme , Yellow , Orange or preferably red , It's my whole business identity " He shrugged , Tapping the side of his head " red rippers , produce and sell the best hardware you could get ... "

" These bad boys do everything . Can zoom in to see the pores of your skin . Scan anything, Records anything. Several different cycles of vision from heat to vectors. He'll they have adaptive predictability ... tracking ... movement prediction ... There's not much they can't do . I see you once it's stored in the database ... " He shrugged , Rubbing his chin momentarily " Only down side was adjusting to lights but that was sorted ages ago "

" They're amazing ... and you made them " She asked , Studying his eyes for a long period of time as sebastion stopped ifnront of a stall and ordered a plate of dumplings.

" Of course , I don't trust anyone else with the things I put in my body " He grunted , Sending the required amount of eddies and taking the plate of dumplings .

" By the way " He tossed one into his mouth, Letting the girl take one for herself as they exited the market and began to walk up the hill towards longshore north road .

" We're being followed ... tyger claws ... Probably friends of ozeki " He grunted , The two of them Crossing the road and beginning the trecl past the massive oil reservoirs.

They made their way past pinewood Junction, Stepping onto the winding road that leas to the apartment , On either side of them was a large concrete wall topped with a barbed fence.

She looked over her shoulder , Squinting to see through the haze of lights that obscured her vision , And sure enough , Walking at a leisurely pace no fifty metres back . Was a woman of Asian descent simply trailing behind them , Looking around as if she wasn't entirely focussed on them.

" What do we do " Victoria whispered , Her hand straying to her pocket , Gripping the Lexington in her jacket with a white knuckled grip .

" They'll have to avoid the maelstrom that's between ourselves and my shop , That'll give us about ... fifteen minutes before they find a work around to not butt heads with the cyborg gang . Plenty of time " Sebastian shrugged nonchalantly, Raising his arms and crossing them behind his head without worry " We'll deal with em at the shop , Then toy can probably head home after that "

" Maybe " Victoria unpackaged another lollipop and skid it into her mouth , Following behind him as they made their way up the winding road , Finally coming to the top where a series of warehouses stood between them and the apartment and the red ripper shop .

They walked at a slow and leisure pace , With Sebastian beginning to whistle a slow tune into the night. Passing by a trio of maelstrom Leaning on a wrecked car.

" What you looking at meat " A bald chick growled , Crossing her arms as she sniffed in their direction.

" Just keep walking.They aren't gonna do anything with me here " Sebastian rolled his eyes , The two keeping a keen eye on the road behind them , Where they saw the Asian woman from before still following.

...

Red ripper

...

The front doors slid open with a chime , The door unlocking and allowing them passage as the lights above turned on , Giving the room a clinical blue hue .

" Go round the back , Don't want to get caught out in the open in here " He left the front door open , Stepping around the receptionist desk and through the surgery door .

Victoria adjusted her blazer , Stepping into the surgery with a curious eye .

" Whats this " The candy haired girl asked, Picking up the clear see through mask with hoses attached to its mouth piece.

" Anestetic mask , Knocks you out when I need to do surgery ... " The hoses attached to the mask were suspended from the roof directly above the surgery chair .

" So just like " She turned the mask and brought it to her face , Turning to Sebastian with mischievous eyes .

" Just like that , Though you'd usually be either face down on the chair or just sitting , Depending on what I need access to " He reached forward , Pulling the mask from her face , placing the mask on the seat .

" I see... aaand " She turned , Walking to the cabinet of drugs in the far corner " These "

" Pretty much anything you'd need . Anaesthetics. Autobiotics ... immuno blockers ... Proteins for nanites ... whatever I'd need " He watched Victoria reach into to cabinet and pull out a bottle of pills , Opening one and taking a sniff .

" Doesn't smell so bad , Can I " She reached in with her acrylic nails , Pulling out a blue coloured pill .

" Sure ... it won't do much right now but be my guest " In response she swallowed the tablet , Shaking her head thanks to the taste before pushing the bottle of pills into the cabinet .

Meanwhile Sebastian sat himself down at his desk , Opening up the security feed , Leaning back and Interlacing his fingers.

' There she is , Alerting ozeki to our location no doubt ' Sebastian mused , Looking at Victoria out the corner of his eyes as she leant her chin on his left shoudler , Looking at the display .

" Can you... " Sebastian pointed at a locker next to the second door way across the room , The one that lead into the store room behind the clinic " Open that locker abd get my sword .. "

" Okay " She seemed mighty pleased , Skipping over to the locker before pulling it open .

" Grab it by the sheeth not the Hilt , it'll hurt you if you hold it by the hilt " He yelled over his shoudler , Hearing a grunt in affirmation .

" Boss " A new voice caused Victoria to whirl around, Pulling the Lexington out of her pocket and pointing it a weary tekeyoshi .

" Uh ... " The kid rubbed his eyes , Grunting whilst turning to face Sebastian in his chair " Whats going on boss ... who's she "

" She's a stalker ... and we're about to be attacked by the tyger claws ... do you mind going out the back ... Victoria go with him , Toss me my sword " He stood up from the chair , Watching as several bikes pulled up out the front of the clinic , With ozeki easily visible amongst the herd as they stepped off in their armour , Holstering their weapons as they approached.

" I am not... " Victoria blew a raspberry , Tossing his sword at him to which he caught it from the air , crossing her arms and looking away.

" Shut up just go out the back " Tekeyoshi grabbed Victoria's arm and forcefully dragged the girl out the back into the storeroom .

" Turn on those robots while you're at it " Sebastian told tekeyoshi , Holding thr hilt of his sword with his right hand while holding the sheeth with his left .

He positioned himself next to the surgery room door , Hiding in the corner ready so sweep his sword up through the head of whoever would walk through the doorframe .

" Three ... " He began , Looking at the desktop camera , Seeing one of ozekis men approach the door , Finally stepping close enough for the door to slide open .

' Two ' He thought , Stepping against the wall before the man stepped into the room , Pointing his gun into the room .

' Dead ' His blade flashed upwards , Singing as it was drawn from its sheeth in a fraction of a second , Passing through the base of the man's Torso, Passing through his torso amd through the back of his head , Allowing his head and the front of his torso to slide apart . Blood erupting as his heart was severed in half in one movement. .

" Bleurgh " The man blew out chunks through the opening of his kabuto helmet , Falling to the ground as the door closed , Hiding the corpse from view .

' I'm gonna have to get tekeyoshi to clean this up later ' Sebastian held his nose as he noticed the dead tyger claw had shat himself in his death.

" Oi ... they in there " A chick yelled out , Approaching the door from the other side .

' What a bother ' Sebastian rolled his eyes, Raising his blade , Pulling his arms back as he prepared to thrust the blade through the soon to open door.

The door opened not two seconds later , The woman's eyes widening behind her visor as she found a blade puncturing through the woman's open surprised mouth , The blade piercing through the back of her skull.

He quickly pulled the sword from her skull, Grabbing her shoulder with his left hand and pulling the gun from her hand with his right .

The corpse in his grip went slack , But he pulled her flush against his chest, Stepping out into the reception while bolsraising the gun and opening up into the room with a spray of bullets .

Two claws had their heads erupt as bullets flew Into their naval cavity.

His optics caught sight of the tygers raising their weapons in his direction , And so he crouched behind the woman's corpse , Pulling her close as her body was riddled with bullets .

" Gunna have to do better than that Asian twats " Sebastian yelled out , Blood splattering on her face from the corpse he used as a shield, Returning fire with pinpoint accuracy thanks to his optics aim aid.

A bullet flew through the barrel of a tygers gun , Blowing their weapon up and peppering him with shrapnel , Whilst another found his neck slashed by a passing graze .

" Fuckers ... " Sebastian rose from behind the corpse , Seeing the line of claws now dead or dying on the floor .

' Only six ... insulting ... ozeki isn't as important as he thought 'Sebastian growled , Dropping his meat shield and walking out of the clinic .

' Where is this little fucker ' Sebastian looked down the road , Growing annoyed as he saw ozeki fleeing the scene with one of the bikes, Dissapearing over the crest of the hill and into the night .

He gripped his sword in his left hand , Debating on hunting the guy down by activating his sandevistan ... 'No ... not like this '

He slumped , Loosening his grip on his sword and returning to the reception of the clinic .

" TEKEYOSHI GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE " He bellowed into the bowels of the clinic , Said child coming running not ten seconds later with Victoria looking over the kids head .

" Oh my " She whispered , Looking at the splattered blood that coated the wall of the entrance and the wall behind the reception desk .

" Can you get the robots to clean this up , gonna head home for abit " Sebastian walked past the two , Walking to the locker where he reached in and retrieved his helmet , hooking it under his arm and marching back through the reception area .

" On it boss , What about her " Teke asked , Yelling through the door .

" Up to her she can do whatever she wants , She's a big girl " He waved with his helmet in hand , Walking up the hill towards his apartment building .

'First the fucking maelstrom , Now the fucking tygers , Fuck ' He kicked dirt , Passing the building that stood between his warehouse and the longshore north apartment block .

He stormed into the building , Passing the fawyer and marching up the stairs.

" Hey ... " Pillar yelled out in greeting as he passed the second floor .

" NOT NOW PILLAR IVE GOT SHIT TO DO " He yelled back , Making it to the third floor , Turning left towards the double doors that opened up to his apartment .

" Later then " Pillar yelled back, With Sebastian Grumbling under his breath as he entered his apartment, The door stayed open for several seconds a, Tossing the helmet of his onto the couch as the tele started up .

" Need a fuckin shower " The door to his apartment closed as he grabbed a hoodie and a pair of track suit pants, Moving to the shower after Leaning the sheeth if his blade on his bed frame.

....

The water melted drying blood from his body , The caked body matter dropping from his hair onto the shower floor as he leant against the wall .

' Just wanted an easy fucking night to relax ... thus fucking city man ' He raised his head into the jets of water.

" AAARGH " He groaned aloud in frustration .

Five minutes later he turned the shower off , having scrubbed himself clean of blood and viscera ,Pulling his track suits pants on before pulling his hoodie over his head .

He made to brush his teeth , Putting the brush in his mouth before opening the bathroom door into his apartment.

He froze however as one candied haired girl was sat on his couch , Scrolling through the TV whilst she smoked an S-keef , Very obviously tripping balls as she slacked into the couch.

' Sigh .. my God... she's persistent ill give her that ' He groaned , Leaning against the bathroom door as the girl turned to him .

" What ... "