Double trouble

[lostamigo]

[An alley in the city where Sakihama Base is located. Daniel is standing on one side. On the other - another large figure, wearing a yellow raincoat. Under the raincoat's hood, there's a robotic face - one that's identical to Daniel's.]

...

[Both of them seem surprised by the encounter.]

Comments

[majestic_keiki]

One of your friends?

[Kei is walking past the alley carrying a pair of grocery bags that even a cursory examination reveals is full of cooking ingredients. Predominantly sugar.]

[lostamigo]

Never met this one. But-

[Daniel is interrupted by the other person! The voice is low and metallic, like his, but unlike his, it's also clearly female.]

You! You're one of the Lost Seekers, aren't you? I told you already, I'm not interested!

What? No! I'm with Unity Group. Kei here can confirm. Right? The name's Daniel.

[majestic_keiki]

I don't know who or what the Lost Seekers are, but Daniel's right, he's been with Unity Group for more than a year now.

More details in Daniel's previous post

[lostamigo]

They're... fanatics. I used to be a member. Long ago. I thought they were destroyed. But I was wrong. They're back now.

God damn, they are. They found me and asked me to rejoin them, on their stupid little crusade. They're doing the same to everyone who survived that fire, as far as I know!

...Did you agree?

Hell no! My life's been hell because of them, you think it's going to get any better now? If you're smart, you'll do the same. And let me tell ya - after you refuse, you better get in hiding, because I get the feeling those jerks don't take rejection kindly!

Re: More details in Daniel's previous post

[majestic_keiki]

So terrorists are hunting you? Seems like something Unity Group will have to deal with eventually, so anything you can say can help us keep you and others safe.

[lostamigo]

I don't have much. Doubt you care to hear my life story, or what happened when I was with those assholes. You got someone here who can tell you the latter.

Yeah. I remember the whole thing with Lost Seekers well. And the incident at the compound. You weren't an officer, were you, April?

Nope. Just a common grunt, trash to be lied to and sent to die. Good that fire started and I ran before that could happen! I've been trying to make ends meet since then, live some kind of life. As much as you can when you're stuck inside a tin can forever.

...

Anyway, a week or two ago, a Lost Seeker agent contacted me. Talk about a surprise, I thought these jerks were done for! He told me that they suffered a big loss with the death of two Wise Men, but Jason Godefroy survived and rebuilt and is going to start a crusade again, blah blah, you know their bullshit talk, and they're looking for the "stray sheep" to rejoin their "glorious mission". Like I'm going to let them ruin my life AGAIN! I told him where he can shove his offer. He said I'm making a mistake, asked me to think it over, and said he'll be back. And then pretty much disappeared, just like that.

Must've been a Smoke Legionnaire. And... he threatened you. "Join us or die." Between the lines.

No shit. I've been on the run since. I'm not going to let these bastards kill me. They can go to hell.

[majestic_keiki]

Where did he contact you? Do you know where he came from? It could help track them down.

[lostamigo]

Beats me. He just appeared out of the blue, in the shitty hotel room I rented at the time being. I can give you an address, but I'm not coming back there.

That'd help. You're a drifter?

Yeah. You've been through the same stuff like me, you know I'm in no place to have a real place to live.

...Yeah. I know what you mean.

[majestic_keiki]

The address still helps. Any description of him to help find him?

[lostamigo]

Take a guess.

...All members of Lost Seekers are cyborgs. Like me. Or April.

[majestic_keiki]

So there's no anonymous-looking support staff, recruiters, spies or anything like that? Is the one leader remaining a cyborg as well?

That should make it easier to locate them since they stand out quite a bit.

[lostamigo]

Only the cyborgs knew what's really going on. But the Three Wise Men weren't cyborgs. I don't know is Godefroy one now, or not.

I don't know either. Never met him. These guys are secretive as hell though. You'd think you'd see them in the news or something, at some point. But no, nothing.

That's right. I didn't even know there are other survivors... Until now.

[majestic_keiki]

Still, now that we know, we can try to get the intelligence agencies of various ESUN countries to keep an extra eye out fo them.

[lostamigo]

True. Maybe we'll find out where their base of operations is, too.

Well, you look for those crazies all you want. I'll be happy if I never get to see one of them ever again.

[majestic_keiki]

It's literally our job, you know. We have to find them or we'd have failed at it.

[fourth_rider]

...

[Fyra stumbles upon this as she walks past the alley and has to double back to confirm.

While the two are silent, she makes her way to a position between them, where she takes a good look at one, and then the other. This is repeated a few times.]

[lostamigo]

...Who's this weirdo?

[The other person speaks up. The voice is low and metallic, like Daniel's, but unlike Daniel's, it's also clearly female.]

It's Fyra. She's like that. A member of Unity Group, like me. Well, kind of. It's complicated.

[fourth_rider]

...

You are alike...

[Stating the obvious, yes. But she directs a concerned gaze at the female cyborg, as if expecting more to this. It can't just be coincidence.]

[lostamigo]

Unity Group? So you're not a Lost Seeker?

No. Just an ex-member. A survivor...
[Daniel glances at Fyra for a second.]
Just like you. I presume.

Yeah. With how we look, you can never be sure who's one of these assholes. Damn those tin cans...! My name's April. You are?

...Daniel.

[fourth_rider]

April...

Are you hiding from them?

[lostamigo]

Pretty much. Their agent contacted me some days ago, asked me to rejoin. Screw that! They ruined my life once, won't let to let them do it again. But I know these assholes don't take rejection kindly, so I've been on the run since.

[a_monetized_mind]

...Friend of yours, big guy?

[lostamigo]

Never met this one. But-

[Daniel is interrupted by the other person! The voice is low and metallic, like his, but unlike his, it's also clearly female.]

You! You're one of the Lost Seekers, aren't you? I told you already, I'm not interested!

What? No! I'm with Unity Group. Jen here can confirm. Right? The name's Daniel.

[a_monetized_mind]

Yeah, they tried to set me on fire, so I can't say we're "with them". Name's Jennifer, though my friends call me Jen.

[Jen looks back and forth between the two.]

You know, Daniel, if you two turn out to be robot copies of the same person I am never going to let you live it down.

[lostamigo]

Unlikely. Besides-

Ha ha, very funny. You think I'm happy to look like this? Before they put me in this tin can, maybe I wasn't a doll like you, but at least you could tell I was a woman! A human! I didn't have to take drugs to survive! Do you know how many things I can't do? Not that it matters, with this body I can barely feel anything anyway...!

[Daniel doesn't say anything, just takes a step forward and raises a hand in a pacifying gesture.]

...Shit. Sorry, I got carried away. My name's April.

[a_monetized_mind]

Nice to meet you, April. If you want to stay with us you can, we've got a lot of firepower and a habit of sheltering people chased by crazed paramilitary groups.

...I, uh...might be able to help a little bit with the other thing, too.

[lostamigo]

No offense, but I got screwed by joining a group that said it's trying to help me once already.

Unity Group is not like Lost Seekers. We're peacekeepers. You know this.

[April waves her hand dismissively.]
Yeah yeah, good job saving the world and all that. Okay, I know you mean well, but I don't wanna get tied down by your witness protection program or whatever you call it. Freedom is one of the last things I have left in this world.

[a_monetized_mind]

That's fair. It's not like we can force you to come with us or anything. Though...

[Jen glances at Daniel, trying to gauge his opinion.]

...Think we should mention what happened with my body? It's not like we should advertise all our tricks to the world, but just 'cause you said no to that sort of thing doesn't mean she would.

[lostamigo]

...

Give her the option. See what she says.

[a_monetized_mind]

Right, well.

[Jen turns back to April, taking off her glove and displaying her hand. It's perfectly ordinary-looking.]

I have access to a machine that can regrow human bodies. It's not cheap, but if you're in dire need of it I'll let you use it for free. The result won't be exactly the same, since genes aren't a perfect map, but it'd be something.

If you're worried about it working, I had to test that function on myself, a while back. Just about 75% of my body is regrown through that method...Everything from my third rib down.

[lostamigo]

...What's the catch?

Catch?

You said it's not cheap. But you're giving this to me for free. Someone you only just met. What's the catch? Don't tell me you're doing this just out of good in your heart?

[a_monetized_mind]

I'm excessively rich. And...

[Jen pauses, thinking on how to phrase this.]

...I have this rare medical condition-and unless I find a miracle, or get a lot better at using that reconstruction technology, it's going to kill me in 10 years. Without fail.

I had planned on trying the regeneration technology with Daniel here, but he declined for personal reasons. So that money's free to use for anyone else who comes along...like you.

[A slight lie. Doing this won't make Jen's problems any easier, or get her anything in return.]

[lostamigo]

[Daniel nods. He most likely nods about Jen's lies... But decides to stay quiet about them.]

...Okay. You got me! I still don't get why you do this for me, but gift horse and all that crap. I'll stick around, see if that machine of yours works. But...

But?

If you're lying to me, I'll find you. I'm not gonna have that happen again. Gotcha?

Don't worry. That won't be necessary.