"This just in, a human trafficking bust yesterday has taken the whole city of Olympia by surprise. An anonymous call informed officers last night that a previously abandoned warehouse in the slums of Sector 72 was being used as the headquarters for a human trafficking ring. The police had just arrived on the scene when a fire erupted, killing a large number of gang members and five S.W.A.T. Team officers. One of the survivors is back at the scene this morning to debrief on the event. Can we take it over to you, Esteen? Why do you believe this fire happened?"
The camera changed to a man with a slightly burned face in a police uniform.
"Hi, Jill. My name is officer Esteen of the Olympian Police Department and I think I'd regard myself as one of the lucky ones despite my face right now. The rest of my squad was caught up in the fire. My partner, Officer Jamis, has survived but his condition is far more critical than mine. He happens to be in ICU in the hospital right now and has a dismembered limb according to the doctors. My personal opinion is that a gang war happened in the reason. Things like this go on all the time, though they usually don't end up in arson. Gangs try to keep various buildings for themselves and take more from rival gangs in gang wars. It's a very rare case these days that they'll actually burn a warehouse to the ground. They more often than not use those facilities to manufacture weapons or to synthesize illicit drugs. From what we found in the remains after the fire department cooled the burning, they were indeed engaging in human trafficking. We found the mutilated corpses of many victims who had obviously had more done to them than just burning. Who knows how long the poor sods were suffering?"
"How do you know it was a gang war and not just a tragic accident?" asked the reporter.
"Let's just say there were a few signs of a fight as we were entering the place. First, there was a broken bookshelf that had obviously been battered recently with a blunt weapon. Second, there were bullet shells littering the ground as though there had been a gunfight. Nope, there's no doubt in my mind that this was a gang war."
"And what do you think they were doing with these corpses?" asked the reporter.
"I'd bet you 1000 crypts that they were harvesting organs." said the officer with a look of genuine certainty.
Melbourne turned off the TV and took a drought of beer. This was the first time he had ever drank alcohol. Though he had promised himself never to do it, he decided to break his promise after the stress of what had happened last night. Someone who saw him walking in such a depressed manner suggested he should do it to numb his feelings and he decided he might as well try.
[*Warning: toxic substance injected
*Chemical constituents consistent with that of alcoholic beverages
*Would you like to block theeffects of the foreign substance?
Melbourne selected
He had succeeded in his first mission with the Red Cyber Rebellion flawlessly according to their standards. The target was dead and there was no public evidence of cybernetic research. However, Melbourne did not feel so good right now. Despite the fact that the victims had felt a deep desire to die, he still felt a heavy weight on his shoulders for granting that desire. Also, five cops had been killed trying to rescue those people as well. The only thing Melbourne could do to make himself feel better this day was drink and tell himself that he would have been arrested and thrown in with Schoff's men if he hadn't lit the fire. This was intellectually true and he was sure that Agent Rune would tell him the same thing. Still, all he wanted to do on this Monday was drink himself to sleep and not wake up again for days. These were his last thoughts as he finished his beer and finally did fall asleep.
***
The next day, Melbourne woke up with a nauseating feeling. He had heard stories of people suffering from hangovers, but this was a bit more insane than any story he had ever heard.
[*Daily Mission Failed
*Punishment Commencing
*Complete yesterday's daily mission and today's to end punishment.]
Melbourne got up slowly and felt overly emotional. The smallest sight of disorganization made him feel a deep, sorrowing depression the likes of which he'd never felt before in his life. As he looked at his dresser, he simply wanted to cry.
Forcing himself, he put on his gym clothes and walked to the nearby gym where he had been doing his daily training since getting off the Seeker.
His regimen had returned to the normal gravity bound workouts which he had found much easier after the months of training he had already put in. It wasn't that the Aclito System took it easy on him though. Oh no, the machine was sadistic about enforcing his training. He was able to do the 50 reps of each workout he had been doing in May with ease now, so the system had quadrupled his numbers upon his return according to his increase in strength.
It wasn't all bad. Melbourne's muscles were much more toned now compared to the scrawny figure who had left into space in early June. There was still much more room for improvement, however, and the System wasn't about to let him relax over a bout of depression.
"Damn System, most people have to see shrinks after going through experiences like that!" thought Melbourne in anger as he fumed about the double training he was being forced to engage in today. "Can't you let me be for just one week?"
The double training was going to be harrowing enough, but Melbourne had to do it through a pounding headache provided as a courtesy of his hangover and through the added depression provided by the dopamine repression that his System was conducting to punish him. Shirking his training really did have consequences. Quite frankly, Melbourne thought that if he had to feel like this for a lengthy period of time that he might just throw himself off a building to die that he would never have to feel this pain again.
Luckily, after an exceptionally arduous and painful workout, the depression began to subside and Melbourne began to feel well again.
As he walked out of the gym and down the streets of the city, the natural depression he felt yesterday had returned as the sweat removed the remnants of the alcohol from his body and his mind began to sober.
Remembering the numbness of yesterday, Melbourne decided to walk into a nearby liquor shop again. He decided he might as well drink for the rest of the week and detoxify on Sunday right before his meeting with Agent Rune that evening and his subsequent enrollment into the Fort Relecon Military Academy.
***
After a full week of constantly being hung over or drunk, Melbourne walked gloomily over the massive causeways of downtown Olympia towards a suspended park set about 200 stories above the ground level. This park was about one square kilometer in diameter and contained a few single story buildings including one relatively cheap looking restaurant entitled "Green Dragon Buffet".
Melbourne unenthusiastically walked over to the small building to find Agent Rune leaning against the brick wall.
"Good evening, young Mister Acliate." said Rune, looking over at him as he approached. "I must say you look like you've been through quite the bad time."
"I guess you could say that." said Melbourne.
"Did you see that news report about the human trafficking den a week ago? Somebody did a really good job cleaning up that mess. Most of the gang is dead and the killers, or 'killer' has not been identified. The police assumed it was a fairly normal gang war and that the warehouse was just being used to harvest organs of victims."
Rune winked and smiled, giving Melbourne the hint that he was very satisfied with his work.
"Yeah, I heard." said Melbourne with less enthusiasm. "It was a shame that all of those innocent victims had to die though. That's really been biting my neck. I feel bad for them."
"Such is life." said Rune somberly. "Things happen in the heat of the moment and no one really has control of the situation. React or die. That's the cruel truth of life, my friend. I can still call you friend, right?"
Melbourne understood the subliminal messaging behind Rune's last sentence. He was asking if Melbourne was still willing to work with the Red Cybers.
"Yes, of course, Mr. Rune." said Melbourne politely. "I think we can still be good friends."
"Ah, that's what I like to hear." said Rune, smiling. "Here is a present."
Rune tapped Melbourne's smartwatch and transferred 500 crypts to him for completing the job according to the parameters set forward.
[Crypts: 18,120]
"Come, come, let's get something to eat. I unfortunately don't have anything going on at the moment but I'd love to talk to you about the military academy. You must be excited to start tomorrow. Later, when we have some private time, I'll tell you about how to find some of the best information in the school's library. They do have much information about military history that is quite hard to find easily on the exonet, among other knowledge of interest."
The two walked in, continuing to talk in this subliminal way.