A few days later, and school had gotten back into full swing. Virgil would wake up each morning to the smell of breakfast from downstairs, and half an hour later hear the sound of clunky busses moving down the street picking students up for the lower quarter's public schools. Of course, sexual incidents between both genders had gotten so bad in the past, that boys and girls had to take completely separate busses. Honestly, it disgusted Virgil for how hard it was for guys to just keep it in their fucking pants and wait until they got home, but everyone just had to get laid now didn't they?

I mean, sure, he had Get Laid smack dab on his To Do list, but he wasn't making that his #1 priority at the expense of everything else.

Still, none of that concerned him. After breakfast he'd walk to Marcus Munitions, and either before or after work someone would try to mug him, which in response he would twist them into a pretzel with Systema before leaving them in a trash bin or something just as embarrassing. The money was good, but between saving for a new place, a nest egg, and slipping a fair amount of cash into Moxxi's tip jar every night for expenses she had yet to charge him for, he had yet to purchase that sidearm for peace of mind he'd been keeping his eye on. Maybe it was the atmosphere at work, or the gym, but he felt like he should get a Russian-made firearm. While not of the age to legally possess one, as long as he wasn't caught with it until a self-defense case came up, it would always be easier to ask forgiveness for illegal possession of a firearm, than it would be to attain special permission.

At least that's how he saw it anyway.

It was weird though. If he were back in Manhattan, and the fecal matter hadn't hit the oscillating blades, he would've been attending the next year of classes for Sophomore year, his time filled with academics in preparation for Junior year the next. Now, he was living on his own, financially independent, and a full-time conspiracy theorist to boot. Whether it was how far up in the system Blackwatch's putrid touch reached, just what the Nanosuit's creators intended to do with it, or what kind of deal his employer's employer had with the Feds to keep them off her back as she did her "business", any time he wasn't working, his mind was contemplating things that you'd be more likely to hear rambled about on TV specials.

Of course that stuff about the supernatural or Area 51 tended to be the same regurgitated garbage the government was feeding you to keep your short attention span occupied until they found the next steaming pile to shove down your throat.

*THE SUIT'S TAILOR*

Bludhaven
September 5, 18:35 EST

The first week of public school had only been a half-week, but to Virgil it was just another set of work days at Marcus Munitions. The majority of what he did comprised of sweeping the front of the store, picking up the trash around the store's back alleys, cleaning the counters, and taking inventory. Actual handling of the guns and money was not yet a responsibility Marcus trusted him with, but it wasn't like he could complain about a paying job. He did hear whisperings about how eventually he might be made to handle deliveries around Bludhaven, maybe even to the surrounding cities beyond the Borderlands, but he likely wouldn't be given that level of responsibility until he'd completed another couple months of Systema training.

Either that or he purchased a firearm. Nothing solved problems faster than the "peacekeeper" strapped to your side.

Speaking of which, his training in that field was really starting to show. While he was nowhere near the level of strength and speed he displayed after first putting on the Nanosuit, the would-be muggers that assailed his person every couple days were being handled with less and less effort. It wasn't so much that they were getting weaker. The quality, if you could call it that, was the same, but the energy he expended during each encounter was beginning to shrink.

It made him wonder just how powerful the Nanosuit would become if someone actually qualified to wear it put it on. Like a trained soldier, or even a mercenary.

Getting back to the present was what was happening at the Moxxi household. Saturday night was what most families would call "game night", though instead of normal board games like Monopoly, they played stuff like Blackjack, Texas Hold'em, and other card games you'd normally associate with a Vegas casino. Apparently it was a long-standing tradition from when Moxxi's kids were still in school, and was used as a means of keeping the family together. Virgil still didn't know a lot about their past, but he'd be a hypocrite if he demanded answers from them after they respected his own privacy, so he kept his questions to himself.

'Another three bodies, and I'm still no closer to finding whoever is making such a mess,' Virgil thought to himself as he came back in from patrol. He didn't have an eidetic memory or anything like that, but whenever his Nanosuit analyzed any bloodstains he could dip his fingers into, the chemical formulas looked exactly the same as the one he found before. It wasn't like he went out of his way to find those bodies, but it was kind of hard to overlook them when whoever was doing this left their garbage all over the place. "This is starting to be a real pain," he sighed to himself as he entered the living room.

"Yo Virg!" Tina called out from the dining room table, Rina, Athena, and Moxxi in attendance. "You're back early?"

"Yeah, I got a little tired of the same-old same-old," Virgil replied as he made his way over to the table, plopping down in one of the available seats.

"You've been working hard lately. Why don't you relax while I deal you in?" Moxxi said as she started passing everyone cards.

"That sounds fantastic right about now," Virgil replied with a smile. The cards on the table a few moments later, he was about to reach out for them when something weird happened. A semi-transparent blue-tinted window with hazy edges, like an old TV screen, suddenly appeared in front of his eyes.

Glancing from side to side, the same blue-tinted window remained in the same spot no matter where he looked, firmly in the center of his vision. Blinking a few times and rubbing his eyes, he opened them again to see that the "screen" was still there, but there was now a woman superimposed upon it. She didn't look any older than twenty-one and had perfect, unblemished skin atop delicate features. Her eyebrows were thin and angular at the ends, her eyes a deep shade of blue, a bit of eyeliner touching up her lashes, and surrounding her eyes a small outline of blue eyeliner giving a strange, angel-like quality to her features. Her hair was a glossy black that framed her face and covered her ears, brushed to the right. Only the attire up to her shoulders was visible, she wore what appeared to be a black coat and shawl, with what appeared to be a blue oval-shaped gem the same color as her eyes secured around her neck by two leather bands, and hanging down from it was a short tie-like extension.

"Don't be alarmed. I need you to stay calm and not let on that anyone is talking to you," the woman said in a voice that, apparently, only he could interpret if the lack of response from Moxxi, Athena, and Tina were anything to go by. "I need you to get up from the chair and make your way to the bus station. You don't have any reason to trust me, but I need you to believe that I'm here to guide you - I know about the suit, who made it, and why. When you get there, you'll be greeted by a bandaged man with clawed hands. Do everything he says. You'll know what I mean when it happens. I'll contact you again soon."

And like that, the semi-transparent blue screen rezzed out before disappearing entirely.

' . . . Well... damn,' the brunette sighed, not sure whether or not the angel-like figure that appeared in front of him was able to read his thoughts. 'I knew whoever owned this suit might contact me, but I didn't think I'd be called in... quite like that.' Taking a calming breath and letting his shoulders sag, the brunette let hsi hand fall to his side before getting up from his seat.

"Hey hon, where you going?" Moxxi asked as the brunette headed for the door.

"Oh... I just remembered that Marcus called me in for some overtime at the shop," Virgil answered. "I'll see you and the girls later. Gotta get going. See you later, bye," he said throwing his coat over his shoulders and heading back out to the back door.

"Alright, bye hon," Moxxi said waving the brunette off with a smile. As soon as Virgil had left the room, the cheerful expression on the woman's face dropped. "He's being forced out of here, I'm sure of it."

"What makes ya say that?" Tina asked.

"Marcus doesn't offer overtime. And that look he had in his eyes a minute ago, it was like someone was looking back at him."

"There are three other people in the room," Athena reasoned, not wanting to think anything bad may happen to her housemate.

"It's different than that," the buxom woman sighed. "It was like there was someone there only he could see, and they told him to leave."

" . . . You think this has anything to do with the robot suit?" Tina asked gaining a serious face.

"I'd bet my life on it," Moxxi said before pulling her ruby red cell phone from her bosom. Flipping it open, she hit a number on speed dial, placing it to her ear and waiting for it to ring. "Shaula, this is your mother. I need you to head back home and tail Virgil," she said as she got up and looked out the window. "By the looks of things, he's heading towards the bus stop. If things look like they're getting out of hand, call for backup."

*THE SUIT'S TAILOR*

'I knew this day was coming soon, but I didn't know just how soon,' Virgil thought to himself as he pulled his trench coat tighter around his frame. Whatever that was he'd just seen, Augmented Reality was the only thing it could be, and it reminded him just how-thoroughly he was swimming in microscopic robots. 'If they wanted to take the suit by force, they could've. That they had to call me means, thankfully, they can't mind-control me... I hope.'

He was pulled from his thoughts when he turned the corner, bus station down the block. Parked by said station was a large black hummer with tinted black windows, and he assumed was completely bullet-proof. Standing in front of it, was a tall, skinny man wearing a black suit and tie like you'd see out of Men in Black. At the moment he had a lit cigarette sticking out from between his teeth, casting shadows across his face revealing that the majority of his visage was covered in bandages. His mouth, the bottom of his nose, his eyes, and a few lochs of platinum blond hair were the only parts that could be seen. The lady who talked to him through his brain did say the person waiting for him would have clawed hands, but what she failed to mention was that each one was large enough to wrap completely around his head alone, and had claws that looked like they could rend the flesh from his bones. Coming to a stop a few feet away, when the man turned his way, he was greeted by yellow cat-like eyes, and a mouth filled with shark-like teeth.

" . . . " The man turned a single eye to the brunette after he'd been standing there for a few moments, seemingly appraising him before taking one last drag from his cigarette. "Pheh," the man spat, the cigarette leaping from his shark-like teeth and going out after it had hit the ground. "Get in," he said pulling the rear passenger door open, only requiring a couple fingers to do so. "Or else," he added darkly as he shifted his posture, revealing that a large butcher-like knife was strapped across his lower back beneath his suit. Raising his hands in a placating gesture, the brunette pulled himself into the black vehicle, the door slamming shut behind him and shutting out the light from outside, the front half of the car isolated from the back.

'I could probably kick a door out if need be,' Virgil thought as he fidgeted in his seat. 'Then again, I have no idea what my driver is capable of. For all I know that knife could carve right through my suit like butter, even with Armor Mode, and that's assuming he doesn't have a remote kill switch on hand.' Wearing said suit in front of whoever created it was a double-edged sword; it could potentially capture him in a full-body cage, but if they wished him harm it was the only chance he had of getting away if he had to bolt. 'Here's to hoping I've racked up enough good karma over the past month… violent beatings aside… that I'll have a nice, amicable meeting with these people.'

"Greetings, Virgil Valentine," the voice from before spoke, this time from outside his head. Looking to his left, he saw a light-emitting diode coming online from a disc-shaped object in the set next to his own, a humming noise echoing through the cabin before a hologram began flickering into view. Slightly opaque, the projection providing a slightly blue-tinted light to the enclosed space, it revealed a more full-body view to what he was shown before. The brooch she was wearing around her neck was revealed to be connected to a small purple tie, over a large collar that went partway down her shoulders. Her C-Cup breasts were slightly accentuated by a dark purple vest like you'd find in a three-part suit, worn over a black long-sleeved business shirt with long sleeves, her body-down covered in a purple bodysuit with a black belt above her waist, a pair of like-colored high-heeled boots stopping mid-thigh. "I see you responded to my summons."

"Kinda hard not to when you're inside my head," he said tapping the side of his head. "Ma'am," he added, trying to remain on her good side. For all intents and purposes, this woman held his future in her hands. If they could contact him via his brain, then they could definitely track the suit's location. The fact they had him in the car meant they needed him as well as the Nanosuit.

"If you could please put your seat belt on. We're about to make a left turn," the woman stated as she placed her hands in her lap, the car suddenly turning left and slamming him into the door on his right. Quickly putting his seat belt on, the brunette tried relaxing into his seat. It wasn't the dark that scared him, rather the unknown that frightened him. It was often what you didn't know that could get you killed on the battlefield. "I assume you have many questions. Ergo, I will try to answer them to the best of my ability."

" . . . What's going to happen to me?" Virgil asked as he looked to his lower left. After a couple nights, he discovered that his Visor Mode worked even when the helmet wasn't on, it simply increased the ease of use. At the moment he was trying to discern just where he was going, but the soliton radar had shut down the moment he stepped into the car, the directional bearing indicator shutting off as well. The most he was able to do at the moment was make out the contours of the cabin.

"That mostly depends on you," the woman answered.

"Alright… Something I want cleared up. Did you or did you not give the Nanosuit to Blackwatch voluntarily?" The answer to this question would be a major contributing factor into whether or not he kicked out the door and ran like hell in the next five seconds.

"We did not." This caused Virgil to sigh in relief. "The Nanosuit's creation was funded privately, so only a few outside our organization knew of its existence, even during the conceptual stages. We're still looking into the source of the leak, but rest assured, Blackwatch will not be acquiring anymore resources from us."

"Well… Glad I got to stick it to them then," the brunette sighed, happy he did in fact screw Blackwatch over after stealing the suit from them. "Is this thing giving me radiation poisoning?"

"It is not."

"Well… That's one thing out of the way…" Virgil released a sigh of relief, thankful he was not going to be on the receiving end of full-body cancer. "What about the Nanobots swimming through my bloodstream? Are those going to kill me?"

"We will need to evaluate your physical health on-site. At the moment I cannot give you a definitive answer, though for all intents and purposes your readings are perfectly normal."

'Not the answer I was looking for, but alright,' Virgil thought as he rubbed his chin, wondering what he would ask the woman next. However, before he could even contemplate that much, the hologram disappeared, once more casting him into darkness. 'Shit.'

*THE SUIT'S TAILOR*

"Mom. The car is now heading into Upper Bludhaven. If they continue into the interior, I won't be able to follow them by the rooftops," Shaula said into her earpiece as she followed the black-colored car north. The moment she had made that statement, she was mid-leap between two buildings, rolling as soon as she hit the next roof before continuing on without an ounce of lost momentum.

"We knew this day was coming. I just hoped the others would be back before it happened," Moxxi sighed over the line, referring to the other four tenants who would've been a big help in assuring the boy's safety. What could she say? The boy really grew on her.

"Mom… There's something you should know. The driver… he wasn't normal."

"How so?"

"When I was half a block away from the bus stop, he knew I was there."

"Are you sure he didn't just happen to look up at that moment?"

"I thought that was the case too, but I was using my scope at the time, and he looked me dead in the eye. I tried moving to a different roof, three times, but he kept locking right onto me."

"Hmmm…" Moxxi hummed over her end of the line. "For the time being, we'll have to hope that Virgil can handle himself."

*THE SUIT'S TAILOR*

'The way this guy is driving… is he intentionally messing with my sense of direction?' Virgil asked himself from the back seat. He'd been sitting in that confined space for half an hour, maybe more, and while he'd tried to make a map of where he was being taken in his mind, or at least keep track of ONE direction, it was proving futile. On the one hand, it could be the way the bandaged man was driving, using coordinated changes in direction and sudden stops to mess with his internal compass. On the other, it was possible that whoever owned the suit was compromising his very senses, and the thought terrified him quite a bit. Given he'd spent a month in a quarantine zone with bulletproof zombies, that was saying something.

*Ba*bump*

'We just hit a bump in the road… and we're pulling into somewhere?' Virgil thought as the car's momentum changed slightly. The next moment there was a strong jostling, and the car began to go down. 'A freight elevator?' The car wasn't just going down. It was going forward as well. 'Alright, think. What kind of places could have a freight elevator built beneath a heavily-populated area?' the brunette thought to himself as he went into full-blown Conspiracy Mode, the low rumbling of the vehicle around him fading into the recesses of his mind as he contemplated the possibilities. 'Freight elevators like this aren't built in a couple weeks or even months. We're talking Cold War-era here, so the possibility exists I'm being taken to a nuclear bunker of some kind, possibly refurbished with twenty-first century tech sometime after the end of the conflict.'

The entire thing with Blackwatch, GenTek, and Mercer opened his eyes up to an entire world of conspiracies that could very well be true, most of which he completely dismissed as utter nonsense before everything went straight to Hell. Dana even went as far as to theorize that Area 51 actually did contain alien technology, and that they intentionally spun out-of-this-world tales to make people think that wasn't what it was being used for. Also, the possibility that the Nanosuit itself was made with alien tech had crossed his mind, since nanotechnology as far as the public knew wasn't near that level of development.

"Move it," the bandaged man said from the front of the car as the elevator suddenly came to a stop. The sound of clamps locking into place outside was accompanied by the side door being thrown open, rays of light piercing the darkness, as well as Virgil's retinas, momentarily blinding him. Stepping out of the car, his suspicions that the van had taken a ride on a freight elevator turned out to be true, the area mostly light-gray be it the mechanics of the freight elevator or the concrete walls. There were florescent lights shining down on him from above, and the contrast between the old structure and the new tech only further validated that the complex he was in now may've come from the Cold War.

"Virgil Argent Valentine," a familiar voice called out his name. "Born December 6th 1993 to Vincent and Eleonore Valentine nee Valen. Both parents died in a fatal car wreck on October 6th, 2002 under mysterious circumstances. Cycled through numerous foster homes for seven years before successfully integrating into a stable family environment in Manhattan, New York," that same voice went on to summarize the majority of his life from childhood. Turning his gaze, Virgil came face to face with the woman from the hologram, only this was the real deal. "Recently hijacked a Blackwatch convoy and re-appropriated a highly-classified package of advanced military hardware and smuggled it across state lines before taking up residence at Moxxxi's Red Light bar for a number of weeks. Currently working for Marcus Kincaid of Marcus Munitions, and by extension, Hotel Moscow. A pleasure to finally meet you in person."

'So... She's the one who brought me here,' Virgil thought to himself as he looked around. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that the steep incline of the freight elevator would be a challenge even for him to scale, and with all the new tech that was seemingly added onto this old construct, it was possible there were bulkheads meant to inhibit intrusion, as well as escape. The metal panels scattered along the way could also be the home to turret encampments, so he'd literally be fighting an uphill battle into a hail of gunfire if he tried to run. "Well... I see you've done your homework, though I believe you have me at a disadvantage, miss..."

"Meyer. Re-l Meyer," the woman replied. "I'm sure you're wondering why you've been brought here?"

"Kinda hard not to," Virgil replied as he looked over his shoulder again, this time to the bandaged man who at the moment had lit another cigarette, an uninterested look on his face as he took a drag from the cancer stick.

"I would kindly ask that you not smoke in the Bunker," Re-l said turning her attention to the car's driver. "While the air down here is filtered prior to recirculation, this is still a non-smoking area." The bandaged man clicked his tongue in response before pinching the end of the cigarette between his large fingers, snuffing the end out before hopping back into the car. "Virgil, if you'll follow me," the woman said turning her attention back to the brunette, before walking to the only door leading out of the freight section.

"Okay, I'll bite. Why haven't you tried to tranq me or something and take the suit back?" Virgil posed.

"We would like to avoid raising any unnecessary tensions with you," the woman said glancing over her shoulder as she came to the door, placing her hand on a scanner and punching in a ten-part combination with practiced ease before the door in front of her *whoosh*ed open. "While it is well within our capacity to take back the suit in its present configuration, that is not what my employer wants. Right now, you are in a very unique predicament, but I believe we may be able to help one another."

"What, you want me to keep using this thing?" Virgil asked, mainly in jest.

"In essence, yes," the woman answered, causing Virgil to nearly trip over his own two feet. "From what data we've been able to gather, as well as all the recorded footage that has been collected up until now, you appear to be uniquely qualified to draw out the full potential of the Nanosuit Prototype. Also, the hardware you are currently wearing has already adapted your DNA Profile into its deep tissue layers, and with the cost it would take to reformat it to the... factory settings, it would be more economical to earn your cooperation mutually."

"And you're being so open with me because..."

"After what you've likely seen in Manhattan prior to acquiring the Nanosuit, you would obviously be slow to trust anyone at face value. I'm simply trying to put you at ease so that we might talk," she said looking over her shoulder and giving him a light smile. However, his senses and past experience told him that the smile was fake. However, Virgil didn't pick up any signs that she was lying, and since they could already compromise his very senses, it stood to reason that if they really did mean to capture him by force, they could've without very much trouble.

You don't create a piece of military hardware that could turn an entire occupied base on its ear without taking some sort of precaution.

"Since you appear to be in a talkative mood, I'll ask. How exactly did your employer intend to take me down if I decided to keep the suit for myself?" Virgil asked.

"An armed military response from the FOXHOUND Special Forces Group," the woman answered plainly.

'FOXHOUND...? Shit,' Virgil swore, hoping above all else that whoever intended to use the Nanosuit was one of the good guys.

Not a whole lot was known about FOXHOUND to the general public, the name occasionally popping up on internet forums, rarely on the news. What was known was that all members of the FOXHOUND Special Forces Group were the best of the best of the best, modern-day super-soldiers armed with the best tech and given the best training, tasked with handling missions that dealt with threats to global security. Their training of would-be members was rumored to be some of the most rigorous on the planet, but supposedly it created soldiers who could go toe to toe with superheroes. Or at least the ones who weren't OP like Superman or Martian Manhunter. Imagining a platoon of Batman-level soldiers armed with guns that they would turn on him was not a pleasant thought.

*THE SUIT'S TAILOR*

After leaving the freight elevator, Virgil was led into a large white-walled room that appeared to be linked to a few other other sections; the main hub in other words. There was further evidence of the facility being a potential Cold War bunker, which at the moment was being heavily retrofitted. The majority of the space was empty, but there was evidence of structural alteration for the hydraulic doors and keypads, new lighting, updated wiring, and even a fresh coat of paint to top it off. The freight elevator could bring 6 full-sized vans down if they were all squeezed together, so it wouldn't be that hard to bring in supplies. Still, there appeared to be a lot of work that still needed doing, as scaffolding and numerous tools were still scattered around.

"If you have any more questions about your current health, they'll be answered by the end of this examination," Re-l stated as she led Virgil to one of the doors, the smell of antiseptic washing over them both as the door hissed open. Stepping inside, Virgil was given the impression he'd stepped into a Men in Black R&D lab. The floors and walls were covered in white panels, computer terminals dominating the left wall, medical equipment dominating the one opposite it, the back wall dominated by... he had no clue what half of that stuff was. And smack dab in the middle of the room was a silver-colored coffin-like object with a small window near where the face would be.

"Hmmm..." a new voice hummed as Virgil felt a presence suddenly enter his personal space. He was a skinny Asian man with delicate features, his combed-down and parted to his left, his eyes a dark shade of brown. His attire consisted of white shoes, matching creased pants, a short black apron, a short-sleeved blue shirt with a short-sleeved lab coat over it, and white gloves on his hands. "So you're the one the suit bonded to. Interesting."

"Who are you, and why are you getting in my face like this?" Virgil questioned, taking a step back.

"This is Dr. Yumeno. He will be your medical practitioner from now on," Re-l answered. "Henceforth, you are not allowed to receive medical treatment from any other doctor, or at any other facility aside from here."

"Hold on, I never agreed to anything yet!" Virgil argued.

"Agreeing with us or not, with the changes your body has undergone, no other facility is equipped to treat you as you are now," Dr. Yumeno countered.

"What changes?" Virgil asked with a raised eyebrow.

"If you will kindly step into the Cradle over there, all of your questions will be answered shortly," Dr. Yumeno stated as he motioned to the coffin-like apparatus in the center of the room. With a mechanical whirring of hydraulics, the casket-like mechanism rose to a standing position, the top third opening upwards while the bottom part split in half and parted to the sides, revealing a silhouette-shaped mounting inside lined with numerous discs. "It would also help if you put on your helmet, so that a full scan can be taken."

'My senses have already been compromised,' Virgil thought to himself with crossed arms. 'Like she said, if I try to run, I'll have FOXHOUND on my tail, and even with all the bells and whistles on this thing, I doubt I'd last long against a trained military force. I can't drag any of the others into this either...' Mulling over his options, Virgil eventually shed his trench coat before stepping up to the coffin-like Cradle. Inhaling through his nose before exhaling through his mouth, he turned around and gripped the handlebars beside where he was supposed to lay down. Putting his feet in the allotted slots before laying down within the machine, a set of manacles suddenly clamped down around his wrists and ankles.

"The restraints are simply to prevent you from moving while the Cradle scans the suit's deep-tissue layers," Dr. Yumeno reassured as the circular disks suddenly pulled Virgil flush against the Cradle. The bottom half of the machine closing around his body, a pair of metal pads pressed against the Nanosuit's chest as the top half of the machine folded down over his head, completely encapsulating him. He spent a few seconds locked in place as the machine began to tip backwards, before it settled into place at a completely horizontal position.

A pair of hydraulic clamps wrapping around his head and holding it in place, a wave of manic momentarily rushed through him as a number of needle-tipped manipulator arms suddenly began to move about within the Cradle's casing, like many mechanical scorpion tails. However, when they systematically began to prod through the fibers of his suit, he let out a sigh of relief in his helmet that the needles weren't meant to pierce him, only whatever the suit was made of.

'And I used to think claustrophobia was stupid,' Virgil laughed to himself. Being trapped in a confined space like that, he could understand why some people were afraid of enclosed spaces.

"Virgil. Can you hear me?" Dr. Yumeno's voice spoke out through the Cradle's internal speakers. Given he could only hear a slight murmur from outside, it was understandable.

"Yeah, I hear you. You could've given me a little warning before I stepped into this techno-iron-maiden, though."

"If you knew what was waiting for you, would you have stepped in so readily?"

" . . . No," he admitted. "So are you going to diagnose me or what?"

"That will take a bit of time. This is the first time the Cradle is being used, after all, so some of the software needs to be updated in light of the new data."

"Oh joy," Virgil sighed as he let his head loll back inside his helmet.

*THE SUIT'S TAILOR*

You know that feeling you get when you're waiting for your computer to give you a diagnosis after running a systems scan? Well, if you imagine what that's like from the inside of your computer, and you've basically got what was going through Virgil's head for about half an hour. He would've nodded off and fallen asleep with how boring the waiting was, but with the occasional prodding of the suit, which made it quiver against his body like when electricity is applied to a muscle, it was kinda hard to get to sleep. Also, the fact that he was in a metal coffin wasn't helping things either.

"Virgil, the diagnosis is done," Dr. Yumeno's voice spoke up.

'Hallelujah!' Virgil cheered as the Cradle rose into a standing position, freedom only moments away.

"While it would take several hours to explain all the physiological changes that have occurred to both you and the Nanosuit in-depth, I'll simplify it to all you need to know at the present," Dr. Yumeno explained, drawing Virgil's attention to one of the computer monitors on the room's left wall. Displayed was an image of Virgil's lymphatic system, a number of nodes highlighted a bright red. "When that canister of Nanobot Primer burst open due to a pressure imbalance, while most of the material was wasted, your body was able to take in enough of it, that it facilitated the creation of these," he explained as he pointed to the highlighted nodes. "In essence, the Nanobot Primer was able to create Nano-Forges from both themselves and the surrounding tissue, facilitating the creation of more nanobots that would go on to supplement the Nanosuit's other abilities."

"Hold on, Nano-Forges? Do you mean they're making more of themselves inside my body!" Virgil shrieked. 'I knew those things had violated me, but I'm literally swimming in nanobots!' the brunette cried as he looked at the chart, which had DOZENS of highlighted areas centering around the node clusters.

"The majority of the Nanosuit's facilities would be entirely impossible with a normal human body," Dr. Yumeno answered. "To augment your power to those degrees, it would require the transformation of the subject into a post-human warrior. The ultimate soldier."

"Hey, I never asked for this! I never even put the fucking thing on!" Virgil growled. "When I woke up, it was on a metal slab where I was about to be skinned, and this thing had put itself on me!" he said tugging at the Nanosuit's collar.

"The Nanosuit... put itself on you?" Re-l asked.

"YES!" Virgil answered. Normally he was much more composed than this, but right now he was at the end of his rope. "I got knocked off the top of a five-story building by a giant mutant, almost got eaten, and was slammed into a wall when that canister of metal flakes exploded in my face! I wasn't exactly conscious enough to put on a full-body combat suit!"

" . . . I see," Re-l stated as she digested his words. "Dr. Yumeno, collect the Nanosuit and provide Virgil with a set of clothes. I need to make a call."

" . . . Right away," Dr. Yumeno said, nodding in understanding as Re-l left the room. "Virgil, if you would kindly remove the Nanosuit-"

"Get me the clothes, and then I'll take this off."

*THE SUIT'S TAILOR*

"The boy says the suit put itself on him?" a synthesized voice spoke into Re-l's ear.

"Yes sir," Re-l answered into her phone. While the device in the palm appeared to be a normal smartphone, the amount of encryption and hidden hardware installed put it leagues above the common cellular phone. "The data that the Cradle collected supports the boy's claims, at least," she amended as she looked at a copy of the data recently taken, stored within a transparent touch-screen tablet. "Even with the origin of the Nanosuit's dominating technology taken into account, is something like that even possible?"

"The Nanosuit was created with the intention of adapting to prevalent battlefield conditions based on external stimuli. I won't go as far as to say the Nanosuit chose him or anything, but the possibility exists that the boy possesses a high compatibility with alien technology. More so than any of our own candidates we had selected for the prototype's testing."

"So then you really do want him to continue using the Nanosuit?"

"While its true that the cost of returning the Nanosuit to its initial format is a contributing factor in this decision, it is only a small one. If he possesses an affinity for the Nanosuit, it would be a waste not to take advantage of it. Given we're the only ones who can remedy his own situation, it should be a simple-enough matter to obtain his continued cooperation."

"And if he refuses?"

" . . . Eliminate him. Dead or alive, that boy may save mankind yet. Am I understood?"

" . . . Yes, sir," the woman replied with a nod before cutting off the line. A tired sigh passing through her lips, she rubbed the center of her forehead with her free hand before going to work on her tablet.

*THE SUIT'S TAILOR*

" . . . "

" . . . "

"I take it you are aggravated," Re-l stated from the seat beside Virgil.

"Ya think?" the brunette huffed. "How would you feel if you found out you got techno-raped, and that you're practically swimming in millions of little robots that can completely fuck with your very sense of reality?"

"I cannot give you an answer for that," Re-l answered.

"Why are you even here anyway? Wouldn't you be more comfortable as a hologram or something? Maybe that chair you're sitting in right now, or the inside of my eyeballs."

"Without the Nanosuit, I cannot superimpose my image onto your Augmented Reality," Re-l stated as she pointed to Virgil's attire, which at the moment consisted of a set of white laboratory scrubs and slippers, the Nanosuit left behind in the Bunker before they returned to the car. "As for why I am here in the flesh, I would like to talk with you one more time before taking you home."

"Whatever happened to siccing FOXHOUND on me if I decided not to cooperate?" Virgil asked. After the last spec ops group he had to deal with, and having another one looming over his head like a raving attack dog, he wasn't too keen of whoever made the Nanosuit at the present.

"That was only if you intended to use the Nanosuit for selfish ends. The fact that your first use of the Nanosuit was to cost Blackwatch half a billion in damages and personnel shows you don't agree with their policies in the slightest."

"And why would I agree with those baby-killing Nazis, huh? They're just a bunch of sick freaks with too much power, and no-one gives a damn about the people they hurt because they're contaminated or some other bullshit like that."

"I'm just saying you have a strong moral compass, something that's hard to come by nowadays."

"Pheh."

"Virgil, I truly believe that we can help one another."

"Having a hundred guns pointed at my head doesn't really sound like a mutual partnership, now does it?"

"Threats like that are only made because as far as the US government is concerned, you don't even exist anymore," Re-l argued. "You've been declared dead, and if your escape from the Red Zone became public, you'd be hunted down as a living biohazard. It doesn't matter whether you're clean or not, organizations like Blackwatch will spin whatever stories they have to in order to get what they want."

"Like the Nanosuit that I stole right from under their noses?"

"Yes... And you're fortunate the Nanosuit went into lockdown, otherwise they would've pried your helmet open and seen your face."

"Yeah, well... I don't have the Nanosuit anymore, so its not like I can get into the Red Zone again and screw them over one last time," Virgil huffed with crossed arms. "As far as anyone's concerned, I'm just a ghost whose working for the Russian mafia."

"So you're going to be satisfied with just that? Pheh. Pathetic human," the man from the front of the van spoke.

"And what would you know? You don't even know what the hell's going on!"

"I know that you got screwed over like a common mutt. If it were me, I'd take whatever chance at revenge I could get."

" . . . "

"Besides, I can smell the blood on your hands," the driver spoke up, Virgil straightening in his seat. "One of few who has the ability to kill without hesitation. You might not feel it now, but someday soon, the desire to take another life will completely overwhelm you. The pure, carnal desire to kill and slaughter, is not something that can so easily be put away. At least if you become a mercenary you'll be paid for it."

"So that's what you want me to be then, a mercenary?" Virgil asked turning his attention to Re-l.

"In summary, yes," the woman answered. "You would be able to continue using the Nanosuit, and you would be paid on commission."

"What makes you think I want to keep using that thing?" Virgil asked. 'If push comes to shove, I can let it go. Let someone else stick their neck out for the little guy. No shortage of spandex wearing yahoos to do that already.'

"We know that you've been investigating the human testing of a new narcotic, Vertigo," Re-l answered, the brunette's eyes widening slightly, now having a name to pin to the drug that was leaving people brain dead all over the place. "Rina Moxxi is still in highschool, and Tina Nobel is an impressionable young child. Every possibility exists for Vertigo to fall into their hands."

"You leave he two of them out of this!" Virgil growled, his hand clenching into a fist to the point that his knuckles turned white.

"Power is not a gift or a privilege, but a responsibility. It is-"

"Oh yeeeah," Virgil drawled sarcastically. "Cause Blackwatch has all the power in the world, and they've been real responsible with it!"

"Listen..." Re-l said as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Tragedies like what happened to your family will only continue to repeat themselves as long as groups like Blackwatch exist. They're the 'final solution' in the wake of a biological threat, so for all intents and purposes, they're completely untouchable. The Justice League, for all the good they try to do, are completely useless in cases like this. I'm not expecting you to sign your life away, but if you agree to work with us, I promise, you'll eventually get another shot at Blackwatch. And this time, you'll have the training and skills necessary to do so without having blind luck on your side."

" . . . "

"I'm not asking you to make a decision right now," Re-l stated as she reached into her pocket. "Call the number on this phone within a week's time, and we'll talk more," she said handing him a small black phone, one of the newer models.

"Hmmm..." Virgil hummed as he took the device and looked it over. It was heavier than the size would imply, so he doubted this was factory standard.

"Think it over," Re-l said as the van came to a stop. Before Virgil could speak up, the door to his right suddenly flew open, a clawed hand clamping completely around his head before yanking him out of his seat. Landing harshly on his back, by the time he was able to regain his senses, the black van had already disappeared.

"What the... I'm back here?" Virgil gaped as he looked up at the very same bus station he'd been picked up from. "Just how long was I talking for?"

*THE SUIT'S TAILOR*

NeoNazo356: While not necessarily the person who built the Nanosuit, Re-l Meyer could be considered the "tailor" since she's regulating the person wearing it.

Spaceman: It was many months back that we started brainstorming the Ideas for The Hunter. I was thinking about a (cold) female agent. I had recently got myself Ergo Proxy for Christmas and the character that caught my eye was the female protagonist Re-l Mayer. She's one of the coolest designs I've scene with unmistakable eyes and she's a business woman. As NeoNazo said she would easily blend in with Bludhaven's darker elements.

NeoNazo356: We technically started brainstorming ideas in early 2014, but that's beside the point. I left a few hints as to the identity of the driver, so let's make a game of trying to discern his identity. I've made pseudo-crossovers before, and it isn't going to stop anytime soon.

Spaceman: Virgil now has connections to the creators of the Nanosuit. He's also had an encounter with an organization connected to the Historical Events of this Hunter-verse. As more chapters are released, the alternate history will be revealed.

NeoNazo356: Virgil hasn't necessarily signed anything yet, but its the logical conclusion that he'd work with the suit's creators. Also, if he let go of the suit for good and lived a normal life, it wouldn't be much of a story now would it?