Book 1: CyberPunk Londinium

Conspiracy Conundrum

We were on our way back to Anonymity's old base to see if we could salvage anything for our plan, when all of a sudden a car slammed into the wall in front of us. A group of people hopped out and started spraying the walls and floors with the word '6R1FF1N' and then ran off. "This is insane" said Ron "it has to stop." I told him that it shouldn't stop, because it gives the people of Londinium something to believe in. Also, we could use it to our advantage. Which is exactly what happened.

As we arrived in the alleway near the destroyed base, we noticed a Superior Guard at the entrance, with thermal scanner goggles on. "We need a distraction" proclaimed 54R4H, "but what would work?" I surveyed the streets around us, before I knew what to do. I told 54R4H and Ron to wait there, and proceeded to jump onto a pile of rubbish and yelled to the people nearby while pointing at the Superior Guard "They don't rule us! They're just pawns in CyberCorps's evil scheme! If, like me, you believe in 6R1FF1N, then let's take down that Superior Guard once and for all! For Londinium!!" All that happened next can be summarized to one word: 'pandemonium'.

The Superior Guard immediately opened fire on those that listened to me, but they could only focus on one direction at a time before they were overwhelmed. The civilians were eventually able to throw the Superior Guard's gun away, but before they attempted to murder them, I called out to them, saying "People! Before you indulge in your violent ways, I only ask that you allow me to see who they truly are for myself" As the people parted for me to move through them, I kneeled down and stared at the Superior Guard. "Do you see now? Why we are far more dangerous than CyberCorps? Oh, you don't? Well, my friend, it's because you have the numbers, but we have the tactics, and this city has been our home since we were born. And if you think that you can take it from us, then you all deserve what I'm about to let these people do to you." I told them.

I leaned over and clicked both sides of their helmet, causing it to loosen, allowing me to remove it. But when I looked back up, I was petrified. It was Jake. I screamed, stumbling backwards as I did this. The Superior Guard was extremely injured, and they struggled to do what they did next. They reached up and pressed 3 times on their earpiece, revealing that it was all-new cloaking tech, and that they were really just another cliché male soldier. "Aww, is the..*cough* *cough*.. little cyborg sc..*cough*..scared?" he said mockingly. This enraged me. This man had willingly decided to disguise himself as my deceased companion, and then laughed when I had a panic attack because of it.

"ENOUGH!" I yelled, seizing a dented hammer that was in a crate next to me in the alleyway. I sprinted forwards, fueled by the same rage that consumed me when I saw Jake and 54R4H with bags on their head, that fateful night. The night I lost him. I grabbed the Superior Guard's neck with my left hand and struck him on the cheek with the hammer. As he laid on his back, I knelt on his stomach and repeatedly slammed the blunt hammer into his face, until he looked like mince meat. But I wasn't going to let this man live after what he had done, oh no I wasn't. I turned the hammer around so that the next blow would pierce him, ending his life, but as I swung forwards, Ron pulled me backwards, and prevented me from ending this man's existence. "No, let's leave this man's fate to the people, not for you." he told me. I, however, was fueled only by the wildness of bloodlust. I shoved Ron to the side and (using my new eye for precision and my arm for strength/speed) launched the hammer at the man's head, causing it to stab his brain, and for him to collapse.

"Why did you do that James?!" yelled Ron. "What did you call me?" I replied, confused because no one had called me that since I chose to be Maverick. "I called you Ja- ow!" I slapped him as an interruption. "Ron, let's just get our supplies and leave. Also, if you want my attention, it's Maverick. Not James." I told him, with a stern face. All 3 of us entered the base and headed in different directions. I headed for the medbay, while Ron and 54R4H headed for the sleeping quarters and planning station. I wanted to get in and out ASAP, so I went for valuable supplies first, including medical supplies and prosthetic equipment. As I was storing these in a duffel bag I grabbed when I entered the room, 54R4H walked in, and asked if I knew where her medical cabinet was (everyone had their own, but only Karim was SUPPOSED to know where they were. But I had spotted them around a year ago) and so I said it was in the far corner of the room. I assumed that she had just wanted to grab more medical supplies, but instead she tore down the '54R4H' sign and wrote in marker 'Sarah'.

"What's the point? We'll never be back here anyway." I told her. Her reply ws simply "It's my name, so I'm letting anyone who comes here know it. I don't want to be '54R4H', Sarah's better when it's spelt normally anyway." I understood this, as having your name spelt with numbers would feel weird. As she went to walk out, I called out to her. "Sarah?" I said to get her attention, " I'm sorry for how I was outside." She told me that she would have done the same thing, which is why only Ron stopped me. As we all exited from underground, however, we saw that many soldiers had rounded up the people who had assaulted the Superior Guard earlier, and began interrogating them. I wasn't going to let that stand, so I called out to them, saying "Hey! If you want me, come and get me!" and instructing Ron and Sarah to hide in the dumpster.

I ran down the side alley. I vaulted over a disabled electric fence with ease, and as a soldier attempted to climb it, I activated it by hacking into it's power source with my phone. I kept on running down the street, thinking that I was in the clear until a huge screen appeared on the side of one of the buildings that I was in between. It showed Karim. He began talking to me. "Hello James, how are you? Just kidding, ha ha, I don't care. I just thought that I would let you know that, while you CAN hide from my normal soldiers and Superior Guards, there IS something that is much, much, MUCH more difficult to avoid." he said. I didn't believe him, so I replied with "Oh yeah, and what's that?" I wish I hadn't have asked.

Suddenly, out of the blue, a soldier in an ENORMOUS mech suit burst through the wall next to me, calling out "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" I was in big trouble, and I knew it. And, even worse, since I didn't know the blueprints for this behemoth, I couldn't disable the suit with my hacking skills. I had to just make a break for it. I noticed that they turned really slowly, so I ran at them when they were facing my direction and slid between their titanium legs. I ran down the path, and didn't stop until another one of them grabbed me through the wall to my right and launched me through the front of a bus.

'Great. Now there's two of them!' I thought to myself. I spotted one of them about to inspect the bus (with only one hand as well) to see if I was alive, so I positioned my body in a way that made me appear to be dead, and somehow that worked. As the Superior Guard slowly turned around to call for backup, I rolled out of the side window, and ran as fast as I could until I reached Ron and Sarah. When I got there, Ron ran up to me and embraced me. "Thank God you're ok Maverick! We saw it on the news on our phones! What was that thing?" he asked me. I wasn't entirely sure, so I replied with "Well, I saw a name on one of their arms, which read 'Mecha Guard-20' meaning that they are called Mecha Guards...annnddd that there are more of them. Now, let's get out of here before they realise that I'm alive."

We sprinted back to our safe area from before, and began to plan our confrontation with CyberCorps.