When Crypto arrived at his run-down motel room in downtown Solace City, he didn't bother to undress, empty his pockets, or even pull back the worn covers on the creaky, narrow bed. He laid down, and within seconds, he'd fallen into a deep, dreamless sleep. When the hacker's consciousness began to return to his body the next day, for a blissful, fleeting moment, his mind was clear. No fear, no thoughts of what had occurred in the Game or that run through the corporation's facility. For just a moment, he was at peace.
Too bad it couldn't last.
He sat up and looked around with a sigh. The room was cramped- the carpet was faded, the armchair that barely fit into the corner was dull and stained, and the tiny table across from it had several nicks and gouges. After having lived as a celebrity in the Legends' complex for the past few months, it felt… strange, to return to a place like this. There was certainly a crowded and stifled feel to it that he hadn't experienced before- but at the same time, he felt safer here than he ever had among the luxury of the Syndicate-controlled living arrangements.
The programmer groaned softly and pressed a hand to his forehead. There was so much that he needed to do, to ensure his continued freedom and survival, as well as to take the next steps toward finding Mila… So much, and he was still gripped by aches, pains, and a general feeling of unwellness from yesterday's endeavors. The smart polymer that the corporate sponsors of the Apex Games had developed could instantly heal any injury, staving off death, but it seemed they couldn't cure the body's sense that something had gone wrong.
He patted his pocket to make sure the data card he'd stolen from the corporation was still there. After assuring himself that it was, he pulled off his shoes and slid open a hidden compartment that he'd built into the right heel.
Everything that Crypto owned, except the clothes on his back, was still aboard the Syndicate's ship. His wallet, his laptop, the charger for his drone- he had no way to retrieve any of his possessions. Fortunately, he'd anticipated a situation like this coming up eventually, and so he always carried backup IDs and bank cards. One set was tied to Hyeon Kim; the other to a new identity, in case he ever needed to disappear again.
There was definitely a need for that today. It would appear that he was now Hyojong Ryu.
He pulled off the uniform that he'd worn over his own attire to blend in at Halstrom district last night. He also took off his jacket, removed the gear that he wore in the Apex Games, and emptied his pockets. Everything was laid out neatly on the bed, so he could take stock of what he had to work with.
Before sorting through his meager possessions, the hacker went to the sink to wash the dirt and grime from the arena off his face. After a moment, he retrieved the utility knife from his belongings and used it to cut his hair short and choppy. When he went out to buy supplies later, he'd get some hair dye, too- that should make him look less like Hyeon Kim, and more like the self-proclaimed anarchist rebels who frequented this area of Solace City.
He cut off one of the sleeves on the black tactical shirt, and cut the cuff off the other to give it a ratty, asymmetrical look. While the residents of Halstrom district set an expectation of crisp, tidy uniforms, such a look would stick out like a sore thumb in this part of the city- probably make him some enemies, too; most of the people around here had a strong dislike of military types. He pulled the shirt over his head, then slipped his torn, bloodstained jacket over it. Good enough for now- some new clothing was on the list of supplies he planned to get.
Next, the hacker looked over the gear and equipment that he'd carried this far. He still had his drone, of course; its holster, and two backup batteries for it. The charger, however, was in his quarters aboard the Syndicate ship. He'd have to get another charger of the same rating, then modify it to work with his drone. That would also require a small assortment of tools to work with electronics- more than the simple screwdriver kit and utility knife that he had at his disposal right now.
He had a single syringe left, from the supplies that he'd brought with him when he and Revenant had sneaked out of the arena. That might prove to be useful, if something went wrong.
The programmer also had several data cards- his syncording from the Games, the one that allowed him to open electronically-locked doors, the one onto which he'd downloaded the data that he stole from the Syndicate, one that held the necessary documentation to support his false identities, and a couple of blank ones, in case he needed them for something. The data wasn't nearly as useful without a computer on which he could display it, so that was also on his agenda.
In addition to the electronics he needed to replace, it wouldn't be a bad idea to purchase some food. Crypto realized that he hadn't eaten anything since before he'd dropped into the arena yesterday- it had been the last thing on his mind, with everything that had happened, but he really should provide his body with some kind of sustenance. A weapon of some sort - something more reliable for self-defense than his utility knife - was also in order.
The hacker's list of priorities was sorted. He slipped all of his possessions back into his pockets, double-checked that the ID and bank cards he'd kept out were matched with his new identity, and climbed down the fire escape, into the city streets below.
First things he wanted to take care of: the clothing and hair dye. Acquiring everything else he needed would go smoother and faster if he looked like someone that the people around here could trust- silly as it was that humans based so much of their impression on physical appearance. He found a little shop that was just busy enough to keep the workers occupied, without being too uncomfortably crowded. As quickly as he could without drawing attention to himself, the hacker picked out a pair of distressed cargo pants, a couple of asymmetrical shirts with graffiti print, and a long jacket with an excessive number of decorative buckles- the sort of strange fashion favored by the locals. Shortly thereafter, he found the colored hairsprays, and a backpack that was decidedly less military-looking than the one he'd stolen from the Apex arena.
He kept his head down and his shoulders hunched as he paid for everything, using his new bank card under the name Hyojong Ryu. As soon as he'd finished there, he made his way to the nearest lavatory so that he could change into the new clothes right away. He shoved his old clothing, and the shopping bag with the rest of his new items, into the backpack he'd purchased, which he slung over his shoulder. He faced the mirror and sprayed color into his hair- red over the whole top of his head, then orange at the spiked tips, to resemble flames.
Crypto studied his reflection. He looked much younger, and not at all like the image of himself that he pictured in his mind- but he definitely fit in with the rowdy citizens of downtown Solace City.
The hacker went on his way. His next stop was to buy a pistol from a street vendor, and a shoulder holster to keep it safe in easy reach. It was a middle-end model- one that would incapacitate, though likely not kill, an assailant who wore body armor. If the corporate network sent the entirety of the Syndicate - or the Defense Force - after him, the modest weapon would likely be useless- even so, he felt safer having it. Against a single adversary, it might save his life. What were the odds that such a powerful organization would send an army to take out one man? Astronomically low, he told himself.
His next stop was at an electronics store- a specialized one, run by other people who had cybernetic implants, neural interfaces, and the skill to get in and out of secure databases undetected. He'd been here before, and trusted the crew who ran the place; they were just as opposed to the Syndicate as he was.
As soon as the door had closed behind him, the man behind the counter jumped to attention. "Kim? No way! Thought you forgot all about us when you became a big Apex hot-shot. Good to see you, chingu!"
He was shorter and scrawnier than Crypto, with tousled hair that was dyed an almost-white shade of blonde, a long, spiky earring in only one ear, and thick-rimmed glasses with wires running along the temples. Thin metal discs - one affixed to each side of his forehead; one at the base of his skull - gave away the fact that he had some kind of cybernetic sensory augmentation. He dropped the multimeter that had been in his hands, leaped over the counter, and rushed over to give the hacker a fist bump.
"Likewise, Mauser- and it's 'Ryu' now."
Crypto returned the greeting and gesture in a stoic manner that didn't match the other man's excitement. Despite that, Mauser was a friend and a useful ally, and Crypto was glad to see him still alive. In their line of work, and with the corporation always watching, tomorrow was guaranteed to almost no one.
"'Ryu.' All right, all right, I gotcha. What can I do for ya? Got a bunch of new UHF, VHF, HF transceivers in, if you want to take a look at those. Great for talking to your comrades, and for disrupting government communications!" The young radio operator adjusted his glasses, which were sliding down his nose, and grinned wide.
"I need a battery charger," said Crypto. "3.7 volts, 650 milliamp-hours. Doesn't matter if it has the wrong connector- I can switch it out. I'm also going to need a tool set, and a laptop… Preferably one that's already set up with encryption."
"Got it, got it!" Mauser gave an eager nod and a thumbs-up, after which he nearly tripped over his own feet in his haste to run and retrieve the requested merchandise. The corners of Crypto's mouth pulled up into a slight smile- he couldn't help but admire the man's energy and enthusiasm.
As the programmer waited patiently near the counter, a door at the back of the room opened, and another man stepped out. This worker was similar to Crypto in height, though his build was bulkier. His hair was shaved into a mohawk, dyed green with blue tips, and flopped over the right side of his head. The left side was tattooed with a circuit pattern.
He wore a grease-stained military shirt with the sleeves ripped off, an elbow pad on only one arm, and a fingerless glove on his opposite hand. Brightly colored asymmetrical strips of reflective fabric across his chest proclaimed him as some sort of high rank that he'd made up himself. He regarded his customer with a warm smile.
"Running from the Syndicate again, Crypto?"
"Not exactly running this time, Cade," the hacker replied. He looked carefully around the room to make sure that no other customers were in the store. "I might have enough to bring the corporate network down this time."
The man raised one eyebrow. The corners of his mouth tilted downward- an expression somewhere between intrigued and skeptical. "That so, is it? What can I do to help in this endeavor?"
"Mauser's already taking care of it," Crypto answered with a wave of his hand toward the radio operator.
The scrawny man called over his shoulder, "Mauser's got you covered!"
Cade chuckled. "All right, then. Make sure Crypto gets half-price on whatever he needs."
Mauser dropped the tool kit in his hands in favor of holding them over his head in a double thumbs-up. The case unlatched and opened as it hit the floor, sending little screwdriver bits rolling in all directions. Cade and Crypto exchanged glances.
After he'd finished up at the electronics store, the hacker made only one more brief stop to pick up some groceries. Instant noodles, meat sticks, protein bars- not particularly healthy options, but they were easy to manage while living in hiding in a run-down motel.
As he walked down the hallway toward his room, he noticed that the door had been unlocked and left open an inch. His heart pounded against his rib cage. As quickly as he could, he shifted all of his shopping bags to one arm, so that his other hand could retrieve the pistol tucked under his new jacket. He flicked the safety off and held it out in front of him, at the ready, as his foot nudged the door open the rest of the way.
Revenant sat in the armchair that occupied the far corner of the room, staring the programmer down like he was waiting for something to happen. There'd already been some damage to his mechanical body when Crypto had last seen him, but now he was in much worse shape- bullet holes and rough-edged burns from directed energy weapons distorted his frame, exposing wires and vulnerable internal components.
When he didn't make a move, Crypto lowered the pistol. After a moment's pause, he returned it to its holster, stepped inside, and shut the door behind him.
"You've looked better."
Revenant glared at the hacker. "Insulting me- not the smartest move to make, skin-suit."
Crypto hadn't really meant the statement to be an insult; more so as an expression of compassion. Regardless of the animosity that he harbored toward the simulacrum, Revenant had proven to be a powerful ally in breaking into the corporation's biomedical facility. The state that he was in now looked painful… but that was silly. Machines didn't feel pain, no matter how advanced or lifelike they were. That reaction he'd seen on the ship, when he'd touched Revenant's exposed wires- that had to be his mind playing tricks on him. He'd only seen what he'd expected to see… right?
At any rate, whatever sympathy he might have had for Revenant had vanished when the assassin mocked his intelligence.
"Yeah, I know," Crypto replied acidly. "Because you're going to kill me now, aren't you?"
"No- not now," Revenant responded. "But… I do think that you want me on your side, for the time being."
The hacker gave a sarcastic laugh. "Sure. You're so good at collaborating with others."
"I found out where the Syndicate is holding your sister. Mila Alexander… right?"
A dumbfounded expression on his face, Crypto nodded. In a disbelieving tone, he said, "...and you're just going to tell me?"
"You're going to do something for me, first," Revenant growled.