038: The Hunter's Ally

John left the city, his head spinning with confusion.

He tried to strike up a conversation with Aden:

"How did your sister's funeral go?"

"Mostly settled. All the living friends and family were able to make it. The room key you gave me was placed right next to the flowers, buried along with her ashes in the family plot... It’s a narrow space, but certainly much cozier than those cold, metal boxes in Eden City."

"Sounds decent enough. I’d like to be buried in a garden myself. Heh, it hasn't even been a few days; I thought a trip home would take you at least a week or two."

"Things are hectic in Eden. A few days ago, a cyberpsycho smashed up a technical warehouse belonging to Plato Corp. It caused such a stir that my bereavement leave got canceled."

"I thought you were the boss. Is there actually anyone who can override Aden Waitz’s vacation?"

"Looks like you’ve done your homework. That’s fine. Haven Company doesn't print employee handbooks; if you want to understand something, you’ll have to use your own eyes and ears to see and hear it."

John drove toward the outer ring road.

[Eden City - Suburban HR18 Interchange Gas Station]

Beside the ring expressway stood an abandoned gas station. The billboard for Ka-Petro was reduced to a faded, tattered scrap of cloth, and the rusted iron frame creaked in the wind and sand.

There weren't many gas stations left in the Eden City suburbs. Most had been looted clean by exiles and gang members. The ones that were still operating either hugged the perimeter of a corporate facility, paid protection money, or were under the thumb of a street kingpin.

The one John was looking at was a wreck—the windows were shattered, and there wasn't even a decent door left.

A reconnaissance drone whistled overhead. A sentry drone equipped with scanners circled above. Outside the entrance were two military armored vehicles, the same model he’d seen at the corporate headquarters, both emblazoned with the Haven Company logo.

[Scanning...]

[Primary Weapon: Twin 25mm Autocannons]

[Secondary Weapon: 3x Optical-Guided Thermal Missile Launchers]

At a glance, John knew this was on a completely different level from the street brawls and gang skirmishes he was used to.

Seven or eight people were gathered inside. In the center sat a portable folding metal table, cluttered with several monitors. John caught a glimpse of words like "Launch Sequence" and "Vector Targeting," along with streams of data and tactical systems he couldn't begin to decipher.

Aden leaned over the table, beginning the mission briefing. It was primarily for John’s benefit.

A few days ago, a Plato Corp warehouse had been hit by a terrorist attack. The cyberpsycho had already been neutralized by a special operations team, but a large quantity of experimental technology had leaked into Eden City.

"Plato Corp has issued a bounty on every missing item. The one we’re tracking today has the highest unit value. Once we complete the job, the payout will be distributed according to the old rules."

Aden gestured toward John with his chin.

A short-haired woman stood up in the corner, wearing a hacker's cooling suit under her tactical vest; her neck was covered in matte silver leather.

John immediately associated her with the hacker known as "Tin Foil."

Her gaze was cold and sharp. She flicked a chip through the air; it sailed over the heads of two hulking men and the metal table, landing squarely in John’s hand. He slotted it into his neck, and information flashed before his eyes.

[Authorization Request Accepted / Approved]

[Open team voice channel connected. Mission files decompressed. Images and relevant appendices downloaded. Expanding.]

"The target is a black metal sealed case. Recover it with care; do not damage the technical files inside."

Aden’s cybernetic eye flickered.

John received a scanning plugin in the team channel, its database linked to Plato Corp.

Aden continued, "In addition to the recovery, there is an extra kill target: a traitor from Plato Corp. It’s said they acted as an inside man during the warehouse raid and are currently on the run."

"Other corporations will want to snatch them up, so Plato has issued a high bounty for the kill. They only want the corpse, not the living person."

Someone in the room asked, "Who are we killing? Where’s the photo?"

"No specific image," Tin Foil replied, pulling over a computer bearing the Plato Corp logo to start her work.

Everyone, including John, received a notification that the newly installed plugin was active.

Tin Foil continued, "When the fighting starts, scan every body. The info will link to Plato’s temporary database. As soon as you identify the target, a notification will pop up."

*Beep. Beep. Beep.*

The transmitter on the table received the specific coordinates.

Aden gave a military hand signal. Everyone in the room grabbed their gear and evacuated at lightning speed; the makeshift conference room vanished in an instant.

John drove the car he’d arrived in. He wasn't carrying tactical gear, so he was relegated to the role of driver. The map system had already simulated the pursuit route.

Aden grabbed a Plato technical rifle from the back seat and handed it to him.

"For self-defense. Just keep your hands on the wheel."

"Our patron for this job is Plato, right? Damn, am I working for a corporation again so soon?" John sighed helplessly.

Aden checked his magazine. "If you have psychological issues, tell me early. I can kick you out of the driver's seat."

"And then what? Hail a cab back to the city from the middle of nowhere?" John joked. "I’ve been hungry, I’ve been poor, and I’ve almost died in a scrap heap. I just don't want to die for a corporation."

"Die for them?" Aden gave a cold laugh. "Haven never dies for a corporation. You can abandon a mission at any time, and I don't allow anyone under my command to take a bullet for corporate dogs."

"Then what are we doing here?"

"The bounty, you understand? Maximizing profit. Besides the case and the person we have to hand over to Plato, everything else we take back is ours."

Aden pulled the bolt and aimed, his electronic sight synchronizing. "Our partners change all the time. The ghosts under our guns are all corporate-bred. Maybe tomorrow we’ll take another job and bleed some Plato people in return... hmm, that’s perfectly normal."

"You don't like corporations either?" John asked.

"If you lined up every corporate dog and shot them, you might accidentally kill an innocent, but if you shot every other one, you’d definitely miss a few."

Aden spoke with cold indifference and said no more.

The shuttle had already scanned the target and placed an electronic tag. A countdown of data popped up on the vehicle system.

[Distance: 4.15km ↓]

"Target is within visual range."

"Just one car?"

"He’s a traitor on the run from Plato. Did you expect him to beat drums and parade in a convoy?"

...

John floored the accelerator.

Tin Foil’s voice crackled through the team channel.

"Alert! There are armored vehicles. God dammit, it looks like they're about to extract the target!"

"The target has unknown tech; they might have found a buyer."

"It’s people from Gaia Cell. The body armor data has been uploaded. Switch to electromagnetic magazines."

...

"Welcome to Haven. Clashing with corporations is our daily team-building activity."

A smile touched Aden's chiseled features. He adjusted his tactical rifle and then reached over to help John switch to a fresh magazine.

[Mission Objective Updated]

[Defeat Gaia Cell soldiers 0/24 (Incomplete)]