["Humanity will rise again, built from the ashes of its code."] – Reclaimer Church.

…

One week later, the Western Fringe.

July 1st, Year 714 A.G.

It's a Monday morning in Canyon Hub, the smallest of the 3 infamous Cities of the Freegrid Collective.

Canyon Hub is a city of steel with spire-like skyscrapers rising into the sky.

The skyscrapers were stacked so tightly that they blotted out the sky, leaving only narrow slits of the neon storms far above.

Just like in the Wastes, the sky here was filled with pink and violet neon storms that blocked the illumination of the sun, putting the whole city in a state of perpetual evening, but citizens in Canyon Hub could barely tell the difference.

This is because this city is illuminated 24/7 by glowing neon lights from street lamps, the towering skyscrapers, and floating neon holo-projections.

It was drizzling acid rain.

Amid the drizzle, floating neon signboards flickered and bled color into the rain, painting colorful reflections with each one rippling across the soaked asphalt like a living circuit board.

There were elevated walkways and rail lines overhead, crisscrossing to form layers upon layers of metal veins while turning the streets below into a shadowed underworld that never truly slept.

At ground level, the air felt heavy and metallic, saturated with ADE.

Like usual, Canyon Hub was a hub of activity. Synths and Geneforms with a few A.I Constructs sprinkled among them walked through the streets, most of them joining the early morning rush to quickly get to their work place.

Apart from the pedestrians in the pedestrian lane, bikes and different types of cars patrolled the wide asphalt road.

Police draped in black police uniforms controlled the traffic in junctions.

Up ahead, the distant sound of trains moving could be heard, mixing together to form a symphony of life in this massive city.

Far above and in the distance, a monolithic tower-like skyscraper pierced the clouds, its lights cold and distant like it was silently watching the city beneath it.

That monolithic tower was the main Intelligence Building of the Freegrid Collective in Cyber Hub, Cell Tower 06.

At this moment, a low predatory black sports car drove through the streets like a prowling predator, its taillights glowing like red eyes in the dark, its streamlined body slick with rain and city grime.

It looked less like a vehicle and more like a weapon that was built for speed, escape, and survival.

This bad boy is an escort of the Freegrid Collective.

After more than a week since eliminating Parasite and the Zmer gang, taking care of the aftermath and making sure that the Freegrid Collective got a foothold in Community G, Talia's Wraith-Cell 9 finally returned.

The moment they arrived in the city, a high-ranking agent directly came to pick them up.

The black sports car soon pivoted from the street and entered the wide asphalt road, joining the early morning traffic.

Inside the car, Daren leaned against the window as he watched the familiar city outside with a detached expression on his face.

Any other time, Daren would have been thrilled to return to the city after months out on a dangerous mission. Afterall, unlike the Wastes, the City was synonymous with excitement and thrill.

Originally, by now he would have immediately located an inn to drink and have a blast, then round it up with a night of pleasure in a motel.

But today, none of those thrilling thoughts were in his mind.

Today, his mind felt blank.

Vroom!

The sports car soon started moving again and Daren retracted his gaze, focusing on the female Geneform driving them back.

She had short black hair that was cut in a rugged style on one side, her name is Gwen and she is the high-ranking agent who came to pick them up.

They knew her but today, she was uncharacteristically quiet because of Rex's absence. Originally, Daren would have poked fun at her uncharacteristic quietness but today, he didn't have the energy.

The car silently drove through the wide asphalt road and a few minutes later, it arrived in front of the monolithic tower.

They drove into the parking lot, alighted and went straight to the elevator.

Within a few minutes, they arrived at the 25th floor of the skyscraper. They walked through a corridor, then they arrived before a thick metal door.

As soon as they opened the door…

POP!

The sound of champagne being opened reverberated in the hall as dozens of agents, men and women, Synth and Geneforms welcomed the returning agents with a cheer.

This was a custom of the Freegrid Collective.

Seeing a few familiar faces, Talia broke into a smile due to the infectious atmosphere in the hall.

"Welcome!" They shouted in unison.

Talia, Kain, Brick, and Daren waved at them, responding with enthusiasm. Only Ghostwire was the odd one out as he silently stood behind Talia like a shadow.

Soon, Gwen led them to an office.

Knock! Knock!

Gwen nodded softly, and then a deep aged voice came out from inside. "Come in".

They pushed the door open and entered.

Inside was a middle-aged looking Geneform that was clearly in his older years. He had sharp sky blue eyes, and a sharp jawline with a stone-cold beardless chin. He had grizzled white hair.

His face had wrinkles with a few blade scars marring it, showing his old age but there was no sign of excessive fat on his face. He looked sharp even in old age.

He wore a cyan-colored military uniform.

As soon as Gwen led Talia's crew inside, they all saluted with deep respect evident in their eyes. "General".

This man was old but he was still one of the strongest Ascended in the world- a General, a distinguished freedom fighter of the Freegrid Collective, and most importantly a D Rank NetRunner, General Alphonse.

As soon as he lifted his face and saw Talia, the stern features of his face softened instantly. "You're back".

"Yes General". Talia responded respectfully.

The old General's sky blue eyes scrutinized her carefully, then he laughed. "You've synchronized to the psionic network".

"Yes sir, I'm a Neo NetRunner now".

"Good," he nodded in approval, then he looked at his assistant, Gwen and chastised. "This is how a good agent of the Freegrid Collective should be, free and taking initiative to grow stronger".

Gwen didn't take the jab quietly as she instantly retorted. "If I was not holed up in this tower with you all year, I'd be E Rank too".

The General snorted. "Your brain is better utilized here," then he ignored her and focused back on Talia and her teammates.

Gwen's face twitched but she kept quiet.

The General's face turned serious. "I read the report, I'm sorry about the death of your crewmate. It's an inevitability if you stay in the field long enough". His face turned melancholic like he just remembered a few bitter memories of his own.

"Thank you sir". They responded respectfully.

"This time, the lot of you contributed plenty," he smiled. "Not only did you severe a slave trade channel with the Federation, you took down a local gang with an E Rank Gene Augur as its leader, and you contributed a new base of field operation to the Collective. That's impressive".

"How's the work in the community?"

Talia answered. "The cell tower base has already been manned by agents within the past week, creating a stable connection with Cell Tower 06".

"That's good".

"As for the underground bunker," Talia continued. "We're thinking of turning it into a secret supply depot of the Collective".

The General nodded in satisfaction then he looked at the most unfamiliar face in his office. "This is the new guy?"

"Yes," Talia nodded. "His name is Brad".

"I read the report on you," General Alphonse looked at the NetRunner. "You want funding for your research?"

Hearing that, Brad's eyes immediately lit up. "Yes sir!"

General Alphonse nodded calmly, impressed by his clear enthusiasm then he crossed his fingers. "It's not every day you see NetRunners who are passionate about research than battle, tell me about this research of yours".

Brad became excited on hearing that. "I call my research the Safe-Soldier Program, it's a research to create a program that can enable soldiers to interface with mechanical robots from the comfort of their homes or a military base".

General Alphonse lifted an eyebrow but he didn't interrupt the NetRunner.

Brad was even more excited. "What gave me the idea is the NetRunner Class. At F Rank, we learn to read and project our thoughts as data packets. Not just that, we also gain limited access to local networks and implants".

"As a boy, I grew up playing VR games. I loved Fate of Duty, but I always wanted something more, so I thought, what if VR can affect reality?"

"What if through VR, we can affect reality?"

"Then, it was just a thought but after becoming a NetRunner, I managed to flesh out the idea. With my program, I intend for mundane soldiers to get half the ability of F Rank NetRunners by interfacing with robots through a neural connection".

"I want to create a perfect neural connection to the psionic network that has no lag where soldiers can control robots like their own bodies and fight battles. This way, entire wars can be won without losing a single soldier".

"All we have to lose is resources!"

General Alphonse nodded calmly, then he asked. "Have you thought of this? What if enemy NetRunners hack the node connecting the psionic network, disrupting the neural connection?"

"Uh…" Brad was suddenly tongue-tied, he felt embarrassed. "I'm still working on that sir, but I'm not discouraged!" his voice quickly rose up a crescendo. "I truly believe that someday I can create the perfect Mech warrior program!"

"With the help of a capable Mechanist, I believe I can do it".

"Ok," General Alphonse nodded in a perfunctory manner then he looked at Gwen. "She'll handle looking into your research. If it's viable, you'll receive funding".

"Thank you sir, thank you so much!" Brad almost went on his knees.

The General was unfazed. "Thank me when Gwen confirm that it's viable".

"Ok sir".

General Alphonse looked at the others again. "Based on the report that your captain made, your contributions during the mission have been compiled and turned into contribution points in the Freegrid network".

"You can use it to exchange for anything that you want, be it money, resources, whatever you need so long you have enough contribution points".

The General paused, then he looked at Talia and asked. "Is there any special request that you want to make?"

Talia nodded. "I want a befitting burial for Rex Mallow in the military cemetery, honored and recognized as a true freedom fighter".

"Done". General Alphonse nodded. "What about your other teammate? The one marked as missing on your report".

"I believe that he's still alive," Talia said resolutely.

The General's sky blue eyes looked into her gray-green eyes for a few seconds, then he nodded. "Ok".

"I also want to leave my contribution points, I intend to accumulate them".

"Oh". The General was surprised but he also nodded.

Talia didn't forget her promise to Leon back in the data vault, she believed that Leon was still alive and she wasn't one to go back on her promise.

Only by seeing his corpse would she believe that he was dead.

She wanted to accumulate her contribution points enough to get the highest honor in the Freegrid Collective, to secure a one on one session with one of the greatest NetRunners in the world, the Dark Overlord, Nora 'Glitch' Ren.

To do this, she already had a plan in mind.

As an E Rank NetRunner now, she could take on even more difficult missions in the open mission board to quickly amass contribution points.

After that, the General congratulated the cell crew once again on the successful mission but before sending them off, he gave them a stern reminder.

"Beware of the Extremist Movement".

Talia was taken aback. "The extremists of the Reclaimer Church?"

"Yes," General Alphonse nodded. "They've been on a resurgence in recent months. Apparently, they now have a new leader".

"They call him the Demon of Ozempic".

…

5 hours later…

[01:00pm]

At the back of the giant monolithic skyscraper was a large military cemetery filled with the gravestones of prominent Freegrid agents who died in the line of duty, legends who performed heroic acts.

At this moment, a procession was ongoing as on General Alphonse's orders, Rex Mallow's ashes were laid to rest in the monumental cemetery.

To Freegrid agents, this was one of the highest honors in death, second only to being buried directly in Cell Tower 01's cemetery in Iron Reef.

A soldier marched forward and handed a plasma pen to Talia who took it solemnly and walked towards the blank slate on the gravestone.

With the plasma pen, she wrote an epitaph on the concrete slate.

["A reliable teammate, a protector."]

Daren hesitated, then he took the pen next and wrote on the slate.

["A friend."]

Kain took it next. He stood in front of the slate for a long time with a complicated look on his face, then he bent down and wrote.

["A Mechanist who thinks outside the box."]

With that, the soldiers dressed in cyan military uniforms solemnly pointed their Rifles at the sky, then…

Bam… bam… bam…

They shot at the sky, the sound of gunshots being the closure to a soldier's great service as a warrior as they paid their last respects to Rex Mallow who died in the line of duty.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.