Hollow Point Happiness

Data Entry: 4/4/2298

"I've sent you the last of what I could find. It was pretty easy to find out what you wanted, just about anyone could find it."
"I think you unstate your abilities Cypher."
"Maybe. Thanks for the business."
"I'll send you the money now. Goodbye."

Defrag ended the call and mentally transferred over the money. Looking down to their hand they held a rolled piece of paper.

"You're revenge is near Mana."

Defrag climbed into the car, 9 days had been too long to spend in one place, Mana would have gone mad. Robert had been more patient and had finesse to his work so longer visits didn't bother him, but that was a long time ago. It was time for the present. The car took off through the biodome's airlock.

Pulling up the coordinates for a small city on Pluto Defrag began to plan the next step. Unrolling the paper they laid it out on the seat and replayed the talk from earlier:

"Are you sure?"
Cypher made the skull mask grin, "Trust me, I've never gotten bad info before."
"I live by my User's means, you know that Cypher."
"Yes, yes. You kill me if I get it wrong."

Cypher clapped their hands together, "Anyway, moving on to the other thing you asked about. I managed to get some old schematics, it was never tested but I ran some Physic AIs through it and they all said it should work."
"May I see it?"
Cypher produces the blueprint, "Here you go."
"It's old ALPHA Tech right?"
Cypher nodded, "Developed near the end of the Corpo Wars."

Defrag ran through it as well, it did seem to make sense but it was still riddled with uncertainty.

"Cypher where would I get this from?"
"Well, you'd have to build it."
"Build it?"
"Yep, and I think I know who can make it for you."
"Who and where?"
Cyphers mask smiled, "A small unofficial offshoot of Warmage and they would love to build an abomination like this."
"Send me the cords and I'll offer you a bonus for it."
Offering a hand, "Deal!"
Defrag took the hand, "It will be done."

Defrag ended the memory and simply looked out the window.

"So... vast. So... empty."

Silence for a while,

"So... cruel."

Defrag looked down at their right hand, inspecting the Hydra decal on the outside before rotating to look at the dried red on their palm.

"When will it end?"

And Defrag already knew what Mana would say, "Never."

"Have we gone too far?"

Again Defarg knew, "Not yet."

"Are... Are we evil?"

Defrag could almost feel the voice in the car, "Evil is what the weak call the strong."

That's what she would say, it's what Robert said when she had asked him. That fateful night, Defrag remembered Mana's first kill. The screams of the woman, her cries, her tears. There was no bounty, no purpose, no goal. Other than for Robert to set Mana down a path that would be the end of both of them. Defrag was deep in thought, play through the memory over and over.

The car landed and Defrag pulled the hooded trenchcoat on and grabbed the blueprint and a case from the trunk, Defrag didn't need a weapon but it would keep the locals from snooping. They set out walking. Eventually, Defrag reached the edge of the city and 'procured' an ATV and drove off into the desert, for almost 2 hours nothing until over the horizon the roof of a factory appeared. It was old and decrepit and was collapsing under its own weight but Defrag knew it was the right place, it matched the cords to a T.

Climbing off the ATV they walked inside, it was dark and the halls were cramped, forcing Defrag to hunch as they walked. Finally, they entered a rather large room, it was an assembly line at one point but now it was stripped and was just an empty room. Defrag's body stiffened, and slowly lowered into a crouch to slide the case off their back. With a quick motion, Defrag opened the case and removed the MDKR and loaded it. In fractions of a second Defrag spun and fired the rifle twice, the reverberations of the shot were deafening in the room but the sounds were accompanied by yelps and screams.

Lowering the still smoking barrel, "I am not an enemy, I've come to work with you."

The two men had stumbled back and dropped some batons, two bullet holes next to their feet.

The first spoke, "What the hell? A robot? What do you want?"

Defrag unloaded the rifle and put it back in the case, "I've come looking for Yellmen Juml."

The men looked at each other, the second spoke this time, "Yellmen? He isn't in right now."

Defrag lowered the hood, "Is that so?"

The first spoke, "Yay. He hasn't been here. Like ever."

Defrag lowered their head to look at the men, "I'm aware the Yellmen isn't real. I've come on the word of Cypher. I'm looking for the not real Yellmen's very real company."

The two whispered to each other, the second spoke, "You said you came from Cypher?"

"That is correct."

The second continues, "Then tell us, what are you looking for?"

"The men that made Warmage a galaxy-wide superpower, I'm looking for a company run by Yellmen Juml called Singularity Wartech."

The men nodded to each other, the first spoke, "Well, you're in the right place, I'm Al and this is Victor. What can Singularity Wartech do for you?"

"I'd like to prick your brains about an old acquaintance named Robert," they produce the blueprint, "And building this."

The two men look at it, Al speaks, "Robert? You got a last name?"
Defrag began to speak but was cut off.
Victor almost squeaked with excitement, "AL! AL! Look look look!"
Al looked over, "Is this what it looks like?"
Defrag to the chance, "The last name is Brighten, and yes. Its old ALPHA Tech but the blueprint is genuine."
Victor rubbed his hands together, "I'm sooooo ready!"
Al spoke, "We'd be happy to help."