Secret satellites... part3: cyborgs.
Fosters. Again that cursed outpost. Getting my stuff for the next expedition, i noticed i had loads of garbage in my cabs. Ok, this will be quick: filling my backpack with junk, down to the hall taking the grav-lift, empty it out right in the mid of Tech Havens blue anti-septic technoid glory. Somebody surely will clean that away. I need this from time to time.
(secret satellites... part 2)
(secret satellites... part 1)
The way was familiar now: Crest village, waving hello to Reverend Father Morpheus, turning east. Always keep my eyes wide open. Mountains, up and down. At least Fosters. I wandered the hallways, talked to Ian. Had to admit i did't convince Maria for a talk yet. Left the outpost, started to circle the place. The circles grew bigger, as did my doubts. Nothing. I turned east, somwhere over there was Grant Mine.
http://www.elektroid.de/satellites3/subfosters0.gif
A valley before me, right down one of those buildings you never know if they are machines instead. My way led me close to it. I stopped: from a certain angle i could read letters: High Security Safe. What? A Safe out here? In Neocron you would see the strangest things. I looked around, activated my psi-modules, then my hack-tool. That safe wasn't easy to open. I hat to admit that, but i needed three tries.
http://www.elektroid.de/satellites3/subfosters1.gif
A grinding sound. A part of the cover went aside and showed a door, which opened with a short delay. I slowly moved on, driven by unbearably curiosity.
http://www.elektroid.de/satellites3/subfosters2.gif
At the end of the passage another door, that opened without problems. I could see a grav-lift, very different from what i knew from Neocron, Tech Haven or the Dome. I didn't have a choice, i had to use it.
http://www.elektroid.de/satellites3/subfosters3.gif
Arriving at the ground, i could not see anything, too dark. Slowly i got accustomed to the dim light, remembered the good flashlight i had in my apartment. Suddenly a giggling from a corner: „Hh, Hh, i was waiting for you."
There was a messy looking guy in a corner, grinning at me.
http://www.elektroid.de/satellites3/mike.gif
„Hi, i'm Torg", i said.
„My name is Mike, but that doesn't matter. You will not be able to tell anyone."
„Slow down, my friend. I'm after some hugely important matter, you could as well benefit from that."
„Hh, Hh, how should i benefit?"
„Money, weapons, drugs, informations..."
„I had all of that, until the damned Tech Freaks betrayed me, i had completed the research on the drive..."
„Drive?"
„Yes, for the starship.. uh, what am i talking about?"
He slightly moved his hand, holding a small device.
Crackling sounds behind me, a door opened, light beams coming out.
http://www.elektroid.de/satellites3/cyborgs1.gif
Unfortunately these weren't lightbeams but, laser, of a truly uncomfortable power. I got a few hits and had to hide behind a corner. Those guys were of a different kind than those ridiculous Cyberguards you could meet in the wastelands on occasion. I got my psi-modules running and drew my Ray Of God.
http://www.elektroid.de/satellites3/cyborgs2.gif
Those metal guys outnumbered me, hit me several times. The lasers seemed more like Healing Lights to me but simple laser pistols.
http://www.elektroid.de/satellites3/cyborgs3.gif
Gnawing teeth, i emptied several ammo packs. My permanent firing was showing results, their painful laser shots got fewer.
http://www.elektroid.de/satellites3/rog.gif
The air was smelling burned and sharp from ozone, my whole body was hurting. The room was quiet. No Mike, no Cyborgs. Sneaking forward, my foot hit metal: one of those Cyborgs. I started to search him, found a type-plate.
http://www.elektroid.de/satellites3/guardian.gif
These were the Guardians! No wonder one should stay away from them at all cost! The corpse was locked. All quiet around me i pulled out my hack-tool and opened it.
Behind me a thinly cry: „You pig! You spoiled it all! You will die with me!"
Without a further thought i grabbed something from the open Guardian and jumped forward, round a corner. Another door, unlocked.
http://www.elektroid.de/satellites3/door.gif
I ran, jumped, behind me a flash, a subsonic noise, an explosion that wiped me from the ground, throwing me at a wall. I was still alive. I crawled forward, saw a dim light, reached an exit.
http://www.elektroid.de/satellites3/exit.gif
I can't remember how i got back to Tech Haven, severly injured and on the edge of unconsciousness. I took me days to get back on my feet. Damn! Way down there all traces were lost. I felt like being in a dead-end street. And there was no more Cron 55 in my fridge. I grabbed for my backpack, touched a glove. Hold on! This wasn't my gauntlet! A closer look. I never had seen something like this before. The part i got from the dead Guardians corpse.
http://www.elektroid.de/satellites3/glove.gif
A Cyborg Resist Glove? Did this shield the tin guys so well? Compared to this, hunting Warbots was for childs. Stop! No relaxing yet. First i had to follow Maria's lead and sneak into Neocron. Which shouldn't be a problem.
Before dawn i arrived at the secret entries to Neocron. There are ways from the ouside to the sewers. If you know your ways, the sewers will take you to any place in Neocron. A stealth tool would be useful, too.
The Grav-lift doors closed behind me, re-opened. I hit the doorbell. A red-eyed man opened.
„Hello, Mr. DelaCroix, my name is Torg. The desert rose sent me."
„Oh. Come in."
He took a seat at the table, staring at his hands. I chose a chair, sat down.
http://www.elektroid.de/satellites3/delacroix1.gif
„You know", he said with a thin voice,
„i'm an artist. I made sculptures from rare raw materials you would only find in the wastelands. But now i can not work any more. Too much stimulants."
„I'm sorry for that, Mr. DelaCroix. Maria told me, you would tell me more. I was digging around Fosters Uplink..."
His body twitched, he shook his head.
„No, i'm out of that story. That cursed Guardian matter. Someone had stolen research results from NEXT-laboratories, years ago. The Tsunami-syndicate acquired the data cubes, they got support from Fallen Angels scientists. The City Admin somehow heard of it. Many people had to die. The cubes are spread over the whole world now. You'd need a lot of cubes to get a clear picture. Or one of the artifacts. A gauntlet or a weapon. Theolonius Miller knows all about it."
http://www.elektroid.de/satellites3/delacroix2.gif
His voice grew weak, died to a murmur. I stood up. He was staring at the window, his hands were shaking. One of the many drug victims in this city. I left. Who in hell was Theolonius Miller?
