Hello everyone! After a long silence, I have decided to write a new fanfic. For now, I won't be continuing "Into the wild" fanfiction, I'd like to resume at some point, but first I would like to publish something shorter and of a less grim nature. I hope you like it :), as always, reviews are welcome. Also, please notice that this story may contain coarse language, violence and some sexual themes. This chapter is rather safe though, just some entertaining action for you :D

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Night was falling but I kept typing as if in a frenzy. I almost had it, just a few more minutes and the work of months would finally yield the desired results. My back ached, my eyes stung after so many hours in front of that stupid screen, I could feel my hair greasily falling against my forehead, it was driving me nuts, but the long-desired shower I was going to take would have to wait until I was done.

I had been sitting on the roof of that building for hours, wrapped in my thickest coat and wearing my warmest hat and scarf to fend off the cold Czech winter. For once, I felt grateful about my white synthetic hands, which moved like pale spiders below the spectral light of my Phantom 3.0 software. If I had had flesh and bone hands, I would have probably already lost them due to frostbite. A puff of condensed air rose from my mouth as I exhaled impatiently once again. I studied the bulwark before me with a mix of defiance and fear; behind those thick granite walls, inside that imposing ultramodern building of pure concrete, lay some crucial data I had been after the last few months. It had taken weeks of preparation, but I had managed to get everything ready to assault the database from the headquarters of Palisade Property Bank. I had finally found the trapdoor I had been looking for, I guessed some programmer had intentionally left it there in order to have easy access in case they wanted to change some code without bungling everything up.

I cursed under my breath when I perceived a beam of light hovering around the street below. I closed the lid of my laptop and squinted below. One of those fucking police drones, the city had been full of them during the last six months, with all the terrorist attacks and whatnot. However, the government's paranoia was the last thing I needed at that moment, so I huffed while I waited in the dark of the corner in which I was hiding, waiting for the drone to find something more interesting than me. It wouldn't really do for me to be found up there, in front of a high-security data vault in the middle of the night with a computer and a makeshift antenna, add to that my conspicuous augmented arms and the fact that I was a foreigner and I would spend a cosy few days in some dingy police station being questioned and, if what I had been hearing of late was true, being tortured in different ways to get whatever info I had. I sighed in relief when the drone hovered away and I quickly opened my laptop again. The download had stopped, but it resumed instantly, it would be ready in a couple of minutes and I would go home, take a shower, change into some comfortable pyjamas and drink a big bowl of hot chocolate.

Transfixed, I saw how the loading bar reached the end, at last. Elated, I rapidly encrypted all the info, sent it to a USB device, turned off my computer, put the thin chain with the USB around my neck and proceeded to cover my little antenna with a piece of grey tarp very similar to the colour of the wall behind me, though before I cleaned all my fingerprints with a piece of cloth and some disinfectant, better safe than sorry in case it was found. Once I had everything safely loaded into my backpack, I snuck away, trying to be as silent as possible. I found the ladder I had been using the last days to check the place and went down gingerly, praying not to slip.

I heaved another relieved sigh when I felt the crunch of gravel under my feet, I had finally reached the ground without any incidents, what excuse could I have come up with if I had to go to the hospital because of a broken leg? I yearned reaching the safety of my little apartment and cuddling under my warm bed covers.

Not a soul roamed the streets in that area of the city at that time of night, I guessed it would be a lot livelier in the Red District, but that was very far away. However, just in case, I slipped a pair of gloves over my hands, for even though I couldn't feel the biting cold, it wasn't really safe walking around flaunting augments like mine, not those days, at any rate. I made sure my beanie covered the two circuits on my forehead and slipped quietly out of the alley I was in. I tapped twice behind my right ear in order to turn on the I-EAR-U's advanced hearing system, I grimaced at the sudden change of frequency that caused a horrible noise in my polymer eardrums. The coast seemed to be clear, as far as I could hear.

All the streets were closed in that usually bustling street, the attack on that train station the day before had frightened people even more and almost no one dared going out at that time of night. I looked out for any kind of movement, be it for passers-by that could recognize me, unsavoury characters lurking in the shadows looking to make an easy buck to buy some neuropozyne or neon, or the police. During the last two years, criminals and cops were almost as dangerous, at least for a "clank" like me. The word left a bitter aftertaste in my mouth, and some unwanted memories came back to my mind. I shook my head violently, as if trying to dispel them, it wasn't the moment to dwell on that, not now.

Trying to stick to the shadows, I advanced as stealthily and fast as possible, ready to activate my glass shield at the least sign of danger. My house was only a few hundred meters away. A cat springing out of a trashcan gave me quite a fright and I swore under my breath at being so jumpy. Finally, I reached the building I was looking for and tapped the code into the keypad, a lot of tension went out of my body when I finally heard that blessed beep.

I snuck upstairs, ignoring the elevator, on whose door hung an "out of order" sign. Once I was on the last floor, I entered the code of my own door and, at last, closed it behind me. I turned on the lights, left my heavy bag on the sofa and proceeded to hang my coat, scarf, hat and gloves on the hanger behind the door. I had previously programmed the heat to stay at a comfortable temperature for when I came back. Rubbing my eyes, I filled my favourite cup with milk and heated it in the microwave. While I waited, I fished the little USB pen from under my pullover; the little silvery device glinted dully under the kitchen's lights. Finally, those sleepless nights had paid off. When my milk was warm, I poured some cocoa, turned on my laptop and plugged the pen. When I started opening the files I had downloaded from the Palisade's database, my eyes opened so much that they could have almost popped out of their sockets. I choked on the milk I was swallowing and coughed violently. I couldn't be, it just couldn't be, you had to be kidding me, I had heard rumours but this…this was just too much. I needed to get in touch with Janus as soon as possible, but he insisted on me using Alex as an intermediary, for added safety. Also, I needed to check whether Markus was alright, I hadn't heard anything from him that day, and he knew perfectly that I was to finally use the trapdoor into Palisade's system, something didn't seem to be quite right, and I hadn't come to think about it before because I had been so worried about accomplishing the task. I was seriously considering giving him a phone call right then, but he would most probably be sleeping and, if nothing was amiss, I would only end up making him even more nervous.

All that would have to wait until the next day, I downed the rest of the milk, turned off my laptop, unplugged the device, put it around my neck again and walked to my bedroom. Tired as I was, I didn't even take the time to fold my clothes and just flung them across the room and slipped under the covers. Finally, I checked the time, it was 5:17 a.m., I wanted to pay Markus a visit at 8:30 a.m. and then send a word to Alex, which left me but a couple of hours of sleep…I'd better try to make the most of them.

The old-fashioned alarm clock blared on my bedside at 7:45 a.m., I grunted into my pillow, I was so comfortable…but there was work to do that couldn't wait. I picked up my clothes and got dressed, I needed to see whether Markus was alright. I combed myself haphazardly and prepared myself a peanut butter and banana sandwich to eat on the go, I hadn't eaten anything the day before and now I was ravenous. Munching away, I closed the door behind me and started going downstairs in a pell-mell way. It was only a couple metro stations away, he lived in Dávný District, while my house was in Čistá Čtvrť. Of course, there would be those tedious controls in and out for us Augs but, provided they didn't see the circuits on my forehead and that my hands were well covered with my gloves, I could probably slip by, I didn't feel in the mood of being questioned or having my documentation examined as if I was a criminal. Pretending to be just another Natural going to work and feigning to be checking my phone (though with my Infolink I used as everything but a phone), I managed to slip by a heavily armoured cop who was already harassing a poor man with visible leg augments. I ignored the sign "AUGS" next to the turnstile I should have used and went instead through one of those for "NATURALS", as they called themselves now. Once on the platform, I stayed in the Naturals' area, divided from the one for Augs' by a metallic fence, as if we were animals, it was enough to make my blood boil.

I jumped on the wagon the moment it slid into view and waited impatiently for my stop, gnawing the inside of my cheek. Once out, I left through the Natural's area and went upstairs, still pretending to be nonchalant about the police control at the gate. Luckily, Markus' complex was right there, and I could get inside the building right then, as the door was still ajar after someone had gone out. I turned the glass shield on to go upstairs, just in case. I felt glad I had done it, as on the first landing I spied two women talking in hurried voices. I stopped next to them and listened to what they were saying, almost not daring to breathe.

"Yes, we were woken up in the middle of the night, some men went up, I think they were looking for Novák from the third floor…we were very shaken, of course. Wonder if they were from the police, that Novák always looked a bit shady, in my humble opinion."

"No, I don't think they were, the wore no uniforms as far as I could see through the peeping hole…but we heard quite a racket above us, a lot of screaming and glass being broken, and afterwards I saw them dragging something big away…I guess that's what happens when you mix with the wrong people."

I felt as if I had been dealt a heavy blow to my stomach, "Markus…God, this can't be true," I thought, desperate. I had to check his apartment, try to find out what had happened to him. I kept going as silently as I could, though my heart beat so fast that it was a wonder that pair of busybodies couldn't hear it.

When I finally reached his landing, I found the door to his apartment ajar, I felt a pang at seeing it. I slipped in quietly and, when I had closed the door and turned off the glass shield (I was beginning to feel a bit tired, it consumed quite a bit of energy), I turned to look at the chaos within. Markus' usually orderly and fancy apartment was shambles, chairs had been upturned, shattered glass covered the floor, the TV hung askew from its anchor points…I looked at the floor below me and I gasped at seeing a long streak of red on the pristine white tiles. But then, as I was trying to process everything I saw, my Infolink activated, almost making me squeal in fright.

"Aurora…Aurora, they've come for me…I'm so sorry, I'm so very sorry…I wasn't careful enough, I think they found out what I was up to and now they are going to make me pay. They'll try to get your name out of me, and I will delay telling them as long as possible, but I don't know how long I will stand the pain…please, forgive me. Run away, they will come for you when they know what you have stolen from them, please, tell my family I love them," Markus' voice pleaded inside my head.

I felt paralyzed, as if someone had surreptitiously poured wax over me and it had hardened around my body, turning me into a statue. How could it have happened?, we had taken all the precautions we could think of. First what I had learned through those godforsaken data and now this. My mind buzzed, desperately looking for a solution, as if this was nothing but some code I had to crack. I'd have to make a run for it, but first I had to get back to my apartment, as my laptop and hard disk were still there and had evidence of my attack against the Palisade Bank, even though the key data were safely stored in the USB I wore as a pendant. Then I would have to get in touch with Vega as soon as possible to let her know about what happened and ask for Janus' advice, see if they could somehow help me…but what if they refused to help me, what if they told me it was my fault? "Ok, not the time to think about that, let's check the apartment in case there's some clue or something they can have missed" I said to myself. I walked around studying everything, but besides the destruction, the kidnappers (I resisted myself from calling them murderers) had left no visible traces, not to my untrained eyes, in any case. I decided to follow the obvious path of blood, which led me to the bathroom. I guessed that's where Markus had recorded his message, as there was a certain echo that would fit with the tiled walls. Now that I felt calmer, if only slightly, I guessed that Markus had programmed a system beforehand with which he could deploy a message from the net the moment a sensor somewhere inside the house detected my presence, knowing that I would probably come there should anything happen to him.

The bathroom was in the same state of disarray, the glass had been shattered and was strewn all over the place in tiny pieces. There was blood there as well, but there was something else…then, I noticed that one of the glinting pieces of metal on the tiles wasn't a piece of glass, but a scalpel, covered in blood, and, next to it, a couple of tiny cables covered in congealed blood as well. I crouched so as to see it better, careful not to even brush it; if the police came later, I didn't want them to find my fingerprints all over. The cables were very small, the most common kind for cranial augmentations. Then it struck me; Markus, in his desperation and knowing that the next in line would be me, had cut himself behind the ear and extracted his Infolink, as whoever had taken him could eventually track the message to me. However, where was the chip? I guessed he had flushed it down the toilet, that would be the easiest way to get rid of it.

For a tiny second, the most clinical and cold part of my mind marvelled at how intelligent Markus had been, and it also admired de cold blood you would need to excise yourself a chip that was directly attached to your brain by those tiny cables. When I thought of it, I winced slightly.

"Ok, now you kind of know what happened. I guess they have taken him somewhere for interrogation, not much we can do right now for him. He'll manage to keep them off you for a few hours, but he will yield at some point and you will be neck-deep in shit…it's time to run." I muttered to myself.

I had to leave immediately, go home and pick all the incriminating evidence, some clothes, my visa and everything. Then, I would get in touch with Alex and ask the Collective for help, and also to tell them I had the information; we would have to discuss a way to send it safely to Janus, if I was taken as well, Markus' sacrifice and mine would have been useless, I couldn't help but shiver at this very thought.

So, carefully, I abandoned the place, remembering as well that Markus' family needed to know what happened, he had asked me to tell them he loved them, after all. The question was how. Anyway, for the time being, I had more pressing matters at hand, so I left the door as it was before I entered, turned on my glass shield and glided downstairs.

I felt too nervous to bypass the control once again, so I decided to walk home, it really wasn't that far away, not if I kept a brisk pace. Still, I tried to keep a plain expression all the way, otherwise some cop would get suspicious and stop me, and I didn't think I would be able to keep a calm façade, not with the turmoil inside me.

Reaching my apartment took me almost half an hour; panting, I climbed the stairs as fast as I could. However, before bursting into my apartment, I tapped my cochlear implant to activate the advanced hearing, the people who had attacked Markus could be inside, ready to ambush me. I stuck my ear against the door and waited for nearly a minute, expecting to hear some movement, some rustle, a sigh, the metallic sound of someone unlocking the safety of their gun. Nothing.

Warily, I opened the door and studied the room, it looked empty, but maybe they were augmented as well and had their glass shields on. God, I should have got installed that Smart Vision shit that allowed you to detect enemies even when invisible. Some time had elapsed and no one had jumped over me, so I could guess that, at least, the living room/kitchen was empty. I inspected the bathroom and then the room, no one, yet.

Once I felt confident that I was alone, I started picking up my things, first of all my laptop and external high-capacity hard disk. Then, I came back to my room and fished a big black sports bag from under the bed. I was nothing if not prudent and I had decided to pack some things in case something like that were to happen. Inside said bag there was a silenced 10 mm pistol as well, I took it out, checked the safety was on and tucked it under my waistband, I fervently hoped I wouldn't have to resort to it. Throwing one last glance at what had been my home for the last years, and before opening the door, I slid to the side a small picture of my dog back in Spain. Behind it there was a small button; I pressed it and closed the door. If those fuckers came for me, they were in for a little surprise. That button activated a system with a sensor in the door that, if triggered, would release toxic gas inside the room. It started working once you closed the door behind yourself, and could only be deactivated by pressing the button once more. I had had half a mind of adding another feature that would keep the door locked, but there was a slim chance that some innocent could trigger the system, and I couldn't bear the thought of killing someone who didn't deserve it. Once in the street, I walked to an alley and phoned Alex through my Infolink, I steeled myself while the signal reached her.

"Aurora? What happened? Did you manage to get the information? I told you I would call you, is something wrong?" I could imagine Alex' worried expression at the other side of the line.

"Yeah, Alex, it's me. I got the info alright but…fuck, something really bad happened, I'd rather tell you in person, if it suits you. This is something big, and I need your help, they will be looking for me at any moment…"

"Looking for you? Who could be looking for you? Did they detect you? Shit, I thought you and that Markus had everything under control…Alright, let's meet inside that abandoned warehouse near Pilgrim Station, you know the one, right? See you there in an hour or so. And, please, be careful, we shall talk there," replied Vega, clearly nervous herself, I felt a twinge of guilt at getting her in such a predicament.

"Yes, I'll be there, thanks a lot, Alex…" with that, I cut the call and got out of the alley, checking frantically whether my hairline was correctly covered and that my gloves were in place. I had more than enough on my plate without having to stand sidelong glances or nasty comments on my way.

I had enough time to go there walking, and I preferred it, as I was too nervous and had too much pent up energy to sit in a wagon. People went about their business as if it was another day, sipping warm cups of coffee inside hipster cafeterias, talking through the phone, looking at window displays…next to a police car stood two armoured policemen, one of them wearing a gigantic exo-suit that made them look like a creature come out straight of a science-fiction film. Those were very common after the Aug Incident, as every augmented cop had been dismissed, but they still needed some means to face any rogue Augs.

I could still remember that fateful day of 2027, two years from that day. Back then, 65 million people were augmented to some point, and that day, for some unknown reason, all of us had lost control over our bodies and provoked a psychotic episode in everyone wearing any kind of augmentation. It had been a massacre, fifty million people had died and hundreds of thousands had been injured. After that, only 7,1 million Augs remained in the world. It had been slaughter, pure and simple, I could vividly remember my part on it, and the horrible sensation of knowing that there was nothing I could do to stop it, that I wasn't the master of my body anymore…I shuddered and forced myself to stop thinking of the horrible images that came to my mind.

When I had joined the Juggernaut Collective, I had been told the truth. The Illuminati, the men and women who controlled the world from the shadows, had feared how augmentations could stop them controlling people as however they pleased. As a result, they had collaborated with Tai Yong Medical in order to create a chip that would help them control our augments. I still remembered how gullibly I had queued at the LIMB clinic, hoping to get one of those chips that would stop the malfunctions I had been suffering for a while. However, Hugh Darrow, the famous pioneer of augmented technology, believing he had created a monster that had to be destroyed, had sent a signal all over the world that tampered with all our biochips, forcing us all into a killing spree. Since then, regulations were being passed to control augmentation, to excise our augments or even seclude us in special areas in a mechanical apartheid. The Czech Republic, the country that had been my home for the last seven years, was under international scrutiny, as it was a country that had been heavily hit by this crisis and was taking the most draconian measures.

Deep in my musings, I hadn't even realized that I was near my destination. Relieved, I looked for the alleyway that took to the warehouse Alex had mentioned, I checked my phone, it was still early. I dodged under the yellow police line band and entered the derelict warehouse. It had been abandoned long since and no one came in, not even neon addicts wanting somewhere private to get a good high. Anyway, I took my gun out and kept it behind my back, in case someone unexpected appeared.

After a while, I heard some slight noises and Alex came into view, deactivating her glass shield. She was around 1.70 m, with a rather slender frame. Her hair was shaped into a complicated hairstyle, part of it in cornrows and another pulled back into a ponytail with thick streaks of blond hair in her dark natural one. She had a wide mouth and wide set dark eyes. Unlike me, she didn't cover the circuits on one side of her forehead.

"You alright?" she asked when she saw me.

"I think so…thank you so much for coming Alex, you can't imagine what happened," I told her everything about how I had hacked the bank's data vault and the message sent by Markus, her dark skin turned more and more pale as I told my story.

"Fucking hell, this is some big shit for sure…and you say they took him, didn't they? Do you have any idea who it was?" she asked in barely more than a whisper.

"I don't know, I overheard some of his neighbours and the men they saw didn't look like policemen, and looking at how they left his flat I don't think they were, it seemed far too messy for something official…someone found out Markus was up to something, I don't know how, but they decided to silence him before he even spoke, maybe it was the Palisade Bank itself, who knows…in any case, he said he'd try not to speak, but he didn't know how long it would take them to make him spill the beans…" my lower lip quivered slightly when I imagined what they could be doing to him at the moment.

"Ok, I'm sorry to say it, but we can't do much for him right now…I really feel for him, he seemed a decent guy. As for the info you found…are you sure it is legit? I mean, I don't doubt you or anything it's just it sounds so…preposterous," she looked at me quizzically, I acquiesced, I wouldn't have believed it myself until I had it right under my nose.

"Check it yourself, what I don't know is what we are going to do with this info…I wouldn't like to send it through the channels we have right now, it's far too sensitive for that, I guess me and Janus will have to find a solution," while I was talking, I pulled my laptop out of my bag, put it on a wooden crate and turned it on. After entering my password, I plugged my USB device and opened some folders, Alex started surfing through them, her frown turning first into surprise and then utter shock.

"Fuck," she swore.

"I told you it was big," I stated, staring apprehensively at the images she was examining.

"And you found it in Picus' vault, didn't you? I guess they didn't want to risk having this bomb in their own systems and that's why they stored it in the Palisade."

"I suppose so…the thing is, they must have destroyed all the evidence by now and the last thing they need to do is making sure that I don't speak…which is why I need the Collective's help, Alex, you have to help me, I have nowhere to go right now. My journalist visa from Spain is enough to keep me protected inside Prague, but with the attack at Ruzicka Station and whatnot an Augment getting out of the city will be most conspicuous…if I try to go out now the police will probably send me to prison as a suspect of the attack, or maybe something even worse if the Illuminati find out…" I reasoned.

"Yes, you are right…and don't worry, we will look for somewhere for you to stay. I would offer my own house, but I have already given asylum to two Augs from my office; besides, it wouldn't be really safe for you, and if those motherfuckers who took Markus were to find you, we wouldn't be a big match against them," she paused, deep in thought. Then, she smacked her hand against her forehead. "Right, I know of someone, you two have no links whatsoever and, being in the TF29 as he is, no one will try to pick on him, not even the government, at least not directly; yes, I think he would be the best option for you."

"You mean the American ex-cop you told me about? Is he really to be trusted?" I asked, skepticism plain in my voice.

"If you can't trust this man, you can't trust anyone. He's our double agent inside the task force at great risk for himself and, as I say, he can take care of himself alright, he's not someone you'd want to cross, but he's a decent guy, I promise," I frowned ever so slightly, I didn't really like cops or ex-cops for that matter, but if it was the only way…

"Ok, let's try with him, if you trust him, I will. I guess you will have to talk him into it…"

"Don't worry about that, I'll explain everything to him. I suppose he won't mind having you for a while, at least until things have cooled down a little bit, then we can look for something else."

"Right; in fact, I'd rather stay in Prague, I have many antennas here that are still very useful, and even though I'm going into hiding, that doesn't mean I can't keep helping however I can," I added.

"Yeah, some help wouldn't go amiss, not right now. Well, I have to leave you here for a while, I will talk to this guy and see if he agrees. We can meet at 19:00 p.m. in that old, abandoned LIMB clinic, can you manage on your own until then?" she asked, ready to take her leave.

"I think so. Well, take care until then, you need anything, you know where to call," I replied.

"You take care, don't do anything rash, if I were you I would stay here or somewhere secluded, just to be sure. See you, Aurora," she said before activating the glass shield and disappearing.

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I woke up with a strong headache, I was going to have a little chat with Koller, he had really fucked me up with those hidden augmentations. I sat up on my bed and rubbed my face with my hands, feeling the texture of my myofoam palms. Then, I stood up and activated my HUD, I couldn't see my vitals due to that damned glitch, I waited for a second until they were alright. It was 10:00 in the morning, in a while I would have to go to headquarters to finish that damned report. I was really in no mood for that, but also wanted to avoid Delara Auzenne, the new shrink, she had been insisting that I went to her office for a little evaluation. I huffed in annoyance, I had always hated that stuff, even when I was in the SWAT in Detroit; it was a real pain in the ass having someone prying into your brain, analysing everything you did or didn't, judging everything, and for what? They didn't do shit, I had seen many colleagues with PTSD who couldn't be fixed by those damned psychologists.

"Open the blinds," I said aloud, and my apartment's automatic system let some light into my otherwise gloomy house. I got out of the room to take a shower first; luckily, as long as I did my work, I could go the TF whenever I wanted. I stepped under the shower and opened the tap, stepping immediately, some cold water wouldn't hurt me, and it would help me wake up. I rubbed in some gel, careful to wash my augmented arms and legs as well. I could remember the first shower I had taken back then, thinking that I would get electrocuted if they got too wet. When I was done, I came back to my room and got dressed, I was running low on clean clothes, better remember to wash some before I had to recycle. Feeling fresher and more comfortable, I walked to the kitchen and poured some cereals and milk into a bowl while my coffee brewed. I was chewing my breakfast when my Infolink activated, it was Alex Vega.

"Adam, how are you feeling? Did you get those augs of yours looked at? You took quite a blow the other day at Rucizka," she asked.

"Hi, Alex. Yeah, Koller took a look at them, I have a little issue with them, but nothing I can't handle…you alright? Did you get some info out of the whisper chip?" I guessed that was why she was calling me.

"Not yet, and it isn't that. I have a favour to ask…well, not just on my behalf, but for the Collective in general. However, I'd rather meet up with you in person, the situation is a bit delicate," although she was trying to sound matter-of-factly, I could tell she was worried.

"First I have to go to headquarters, but we can meet later, if it's not too urgent. I need to finish a report over what happened in Dubai, Macready is being a total ass about it and I don't want him up my back the whole day…" I replied, slightly mystified about the whole matter.

"Yes, of course, you have to keep your cover, I totally get it. No problem; if you want, we can meet at 18:00 p.m. in the abandoned LIMB clinic, you know the one," she replied.

"Copy that, 18:00 p.m. LIMB clinic, see you there," with that, she hung up.

Still wondering about what she could possibly want, I wolfed down my cereals, drank my coffee (black, no sugar) and got ready to go out. I put my 10 mm into my holster (well hidden, I didn't want any more trouble with the Czech police) and picked my trench coat.

Some people milled around the apartment building I lived in, most of them ignored me, but some looked at me warily. I was used to it, and I couldn't really blame them, it had always been like that since the attack to Sarif Industries labs, which resulted in around 40 % of my body being substituted with different prostheses. Even though my augments were almost totally covered, the frames for my sunglasses at both sides of my face and my synthetic hands were glaringly obvious.

I left the building and walked to the nearby metro station. As always, there was a police control asking for papers to anyone augmented and forcing them to enter the metro through a special passage bordered by tall, barbed fences in case we "got wonky", as Macready liked saying.

"Oy, hanzer! You better get those docs out," barked a police wielding a combat fusil. Breathing deeply, I produced some papers from my pocket and handed them to her. She read them thoroughly, apparently hoping for some grounds to put me under arrest, but I was well covered.

"Any problem, officer?" I asked non-chalantly.

"Looks like we have a VIA, a Very Important Aug right here, don't we? You better toe the line, though, better if I don't catch you doing something fishy, clank!" she snapped, clearly annoyed at having to let me through.

"At your service, officer," I replied, ironically touching my fingers to my forehead in a mock military salutation, and I passed her by.

"That was stupid," I thought to myself, it was of the essence that I kept a low profile, otherwise my job would be a lot harder, but I hadn't been able to restrain myself, those controls were a real nightmare.

Resignedly, I walked down the line and waited in the area for Augs. It was more comfortable there anyway, at least people didn't look at me in fear thinking that I might spring on them at any moment. Luckily, the ride to Monument station wasn't very long.

When I emerged into the streets they were already bustling with people going about their business, which suited me perfectly; the more the people, the less attention I would draw to myself. I crossed a few streets until I reached a little store called Praha Dovoz, the cover for the Task Force 29's headquarters. I pushed the door in and a middle-aged woman with short grey hair nodded to me upon seeing me.

"Morning, Margie," I said before going through another door and entering what, in appearance, looked like a storage room. I slid a picture upwards, exposing a keycard reader; I tapped my card against it, and the floor seemed to tremble below me, gliding gently downwards and showing that it was actually an elevator.

When I came inside the headquarters it looked like a very busy hive, as always. People walked or ran around, asking for reports, talking hurriedly to their phones. I crossed the big room and walked upstairs straight for my department. The room was full of people already, some of them nodded to me when they saw me, a gesture I reciprocated. My desk was at the end of the room, as some smart-ass had pointed out by writing "Aug is here" on a whiteboard next to it.

"What's the matter, Jensen, didn't you get a full charge last night, huh? Do I need to remind you that I want that fucking report today ASAP?" asked someone behind me in a tetchy tone. I didn't have to turn around to know who it was: Duncan fucking Macready.

"I was a bit busy trying to find out who the fuck blew up a whole train station full of people, Macready. So no, I didn't have time for the report. Don't worry, Miller will eventually give you your golden star sticker, you just wait a few hours and I'll have it ready," I rumbled, while I hung my coat nearby.

"You better do, clanks, you better do," he sneered before leaving. I would have gladly slammed my steel fist against his mug, but I contented myself with opening my laptop and steeling myself for that report. If there was something I had always hated about being a cop, it was the shitload of paperwork and bureaucracy we had to go through, but it was nothing that could be helped, so better get rid of it as soon as possible.

I ended up so engrossed in that tedious task that, the next time I watched the clock, it was already 17:27 p.m. Shit, I had to meet Vega at 18:00 p.m. as promised, luckily, the LIMB clinic was nearby, in Dávný District. I finished the report and, feeling grimly satisfied, emailed it to that asshole, then hurriedly left for my meeting with Alex.

The LIMB clinic had been abandoned right after the Aug Incident a couple of years ago, so Alex and I now used it as a safe meeting point. I typed the code in the keypad, checked that no one had noticed me, and went inside. I went downstairs to the basement and opened the door. Alex was there, inside a pool of light created by some spotlights she had turned on.

"Glad you could make it, Adam," my CASIE implant detected she was rather distraught.

"What's wrong, Alex? If it was something urgent I could have come sooner, really," I said, studying her expression.

"Don't worry. I mean, it's rather important, but I didn't want to disturb you, I know you have a lot on your plate already. You see, there's a hacker working for us here in Prague and she has found something…well, when she comes, you better see it for yourself, you won't believe it until you do. The thing is, this hacker had been given a tipoff from an ancient co-worker from Palisade Bank, and she entered their database and found something very big…However, the guy from Palisade must have made some mistake, because he has been taken this last night by God knows who…my friend has good reason to believe that they are after the information she stole. She has left her house in fear that they are searching for her, and we need somewhere she could stay…I mean, I could, but I already have two guys waiting to be sent somewhere else, and I wouldn't be able to offer much resistance…You work in the TF, and the Czech police won't fuck up with you unless they have a very good reason, and given your…skills, I'm really sure those assholes would be a piece of cake for you," she watched me in tenterhooks.

"A hacker…" I said, the image of a feminine version of Denis Pritchard came to my mind.

"She's cool, I promise. Has done a lot for the Collective, at great risk for her life, just like yourself, and she is extremely competent at hacking," she added hurriedly.

"But, I wonder, why stay in Prague? I mean, she could go somewhere else and give those guys the slip, it shouldn't be that hard," I reasoned.

"Yeah, that would be the ideal solution. However, there's a little problem, she is an Aug, just like you and me, and even though she keeps her augmentations covered, it wouldn't be hard to discover them. Besides, she's also a foreigner and, after the Ruzicka attack, all the goings and comings from the city are being closely monitored, and the police will be looking for any scapegoat, and if they caught her they could pass it off as her being a foreigner augmented terrorist…besides, she'll be a lot more useful here, like helping me with that damned whisper chip Janus gave me, I can't find the right frequency, she will, though."

I stood there deep in thought for a while, meditating my answer. It looked as if that girl had got herself into big trouble, albeit for a good reason, and I really felt curious as to what she had found and if it offered any leads on the plans of the Illuminati. However, I didn't really have that much to offer, my apartment was small, and I spent an awful lot of time out, whether on mission for the TF or the Collective. However, if I were to find myself in such a predicament, I would really appreciate someone's help, small though it may be; after all, the Collective had helped me out of a tight spot in the past. On the other hand, I wasn't really worried about whoever might be behind her, I had surely faced worse in the past, but still…However, if that girl finally came to harm after me refusing to help…"

Alex looked at me in expectation, I felt glad I had activated my sunglasses so she couldn't read my expression so easily. Totally at a loss, I raked my fingers through my hair, weighing the pros and cons.

"Alright, Alex, I'll take her in, I guess I really have a soft spot for the downtrodden…" I stated with a rueful smile. Alex's relief was plain in her face.

"Wow, thanks Adam, you can't imagine how grateful I feel, she'll be here in ten minutes or so, I've told her to come at 19:00 p.m.," she blurted out. I cocked one eyebrow at her, though I believe some of the effect was lost because of my dark sunglasses.

"So, you knew beforehand that I would give in…" I crossed my arms before my chest and threw her a piercing look.

"Come on, Adam, I know that, under all that machinery, you got a little heart somewhere," she said with a lopsided grin. I pretended to look at her in a severe manner, though I was almost about to crack a smile. However, my senses perked up at a faint noise on the upper floor. I activated my Vision Enhancement and discovered a small feminine figure coming downstairs.

"Looks like your little friend is a bit early after all…"

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My heart thumped against my ears while I descended those last stairs into the clinic. The day had been a nightmare, I had spent it crouching in that damned warehouse, jumping at the slightest noises and turning invisible whenever I heard someone coming down the alleyway. Getting there hadn't been much easier, as nightfall in midwinter Prague came early and there wasn't an awful lot of people on the streets. I didn't feel much relief when I finally entered the clinic, as the most paranoid part of my mind kept thinking that there was a trap behind that door and that I was walking straight into those motherfuckers' clutches. I stood before the door, irresolute, then steeled myself and, for good measure, pulled out my gun from my waistband.

"Alex, are you there?" I asked in a low voice.

"Yes, Aurora, it's alright, you can come in," I recognized her voice from within but, still, when I opened that door I kept my pistol out.

I pushed the door open and revealed what must have been a small operating room, there was still a gurney and some metal hospital-like furniture. In a corner of the room, lit by some yellowish spotlights, stood Alex Vega, accompanied by someone I had never seen in my life.

Now that I had confirmed that I hadn't walked into a trap, I tucked my gun away; a fraction of the tension I had been feeling the last hours had started to ebb away. "That must be the ex-cop," I thought, given his stance, it suited him. He was a tall man, with a long black trench coat over some practical black pants and light military boots, everything convenient and plain. His hair was just as black as his clothes, styled into some kind of spiky haircut; I couldn't help but notice how well-groomed his pointy beard was, you had to trim it every single day to keep it so sharply defined. Just those details told me that he must be rather disciplined and cared about his appearance, but didn't like to draw attention to himself, which was suitable for someone who worked as a double agent. Also, his face was angular but rather handsome (I berated myself at thinking in those terms given the situation). However, the most striking feature were a pair of sunglasses that seemed to emerge straight from both sides of his eyes from a couple of comma-shaped frames, they gave him quite a forbidding look.

"Hey, Alex, you can't imagine how happy I am to see you again," I smiled to her. Feeling the eyes of his silent companion scrutinizing me behind his glasses, I turned to the man, trying to look surer than I felt. "I reckon some introductions are due, huh?"

"Of course. Aurora, this is Adam Jensen. Adam, this is Aurora Vera," complied Alex.

"Vega? She doesn't look like your family, though…" commented the man, the slightest tinge of humour in his tone. I noticed he had a low, raspy voice.

"It's VERA," corrected Alex, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry, I was never too good at Spanish back at school," replied the man with a wry half-smile.

Seeing him display some kind of human emotion relaxed me a bit, I would lie if I said I hadn't felt a bit intimidated at seeing him. I smiled despite myself, it was the first time I had done so in some time. Through the corner of my eye, I saw movement, but it was just him rummaging in the pockets of his trench coat, from which he produced a package of tobacco and a matchbox. He then proceeded to take hold a cigarette between his lips and light it with a match. What at first I had mistaken for some closely fitting gloves, gleamed like metal under the flickering light of the match, and then I realized they weren't gloves, but robotic hands. He took a drag from the cigarette and the little ember glowed more intently.