Chap 86: blue sea & red jacket 1
(Takune's pov)
Going through the gate fully, Takune see himself being greeted by the sight of a beautiful underwater city. Its bright lights showed against what would normally be the dark void of the ocean, wrapping the city in a hue of a luxurious blue. Sea life wove between the buildings as if this were a natural part of their environment.
'Where am i ?' He glances around, finding the positive scenery is just part of the broken picture that is this place.
Dim, flickering neon lights struggle to pierce the gloom, casting long, shifting shadows across cracked marble floors. Ornate brass railings and faded velvet wallpaper, once pristine, are now corroded and peeling, revealing the cold steel beneath.
The air is thick with the scent of mildew, rust, and something more unsettling—blood and old cigar smoke lingering in the damp.
Some hallways are lined with where he stood, but right now he wants to know where he is first.
'System?'
[World: Bioshock]
[Quest started: collect ADAM 0/10]
As expected, he has no clue what he should do in this world now. He knew of the game, but never actually played it.
And for his goal, the 'ADAM', he didn't even know what it was to start looking.
Moving away from the hall in a careful manner, Takune is going to find a local denizen for more information. Or he could find the main character and stick to him for an easier time.
He stopped at a railing; overlooking his platform is an open plaza area. There was a moving figure. Judging by the bloody hook in his hand, that thing isn't friendly.
*Bang!*
A gunshot rang out; it let out a cry before lunging at the person. A poor, terrified woman couldn’t even scream as he swiftly struck again, finishing the job.
Takune watches the monster's erratic movement, with the sound of scraping metal fading in the distance.
"Hmmm." Jumping down with a light thud, not with the range to catch the thing's attention.
He inspects the body, rugged, and in old fashion style of clothing. A revolver laying beside her bloody hand.
'I'm in the past.' Judging from the steampunk looks he's getting.
He glances at the city again; there are more tunnels connecting to different areas. So, travel through each one and maybe he'd come across one living person with the info he need.
In the looping and long hallway, there is only silence and sound of steam running through pipes. Takune rounded a corner and stepped back abruptly, just before a bullet flew toward where his face was.
The first thing that greeted him was a machine. A flying box turret, crude object as it is, fires upon seeing him.
Takune returns by taking a nearby gear and tossing it at the bot, jamming it deep from the force of the throw and taking it down.
He changed the method to running; the plan is to complete the gate as fast as he can after all. Through the tunnel, he meets many more of the flying bots. Each one was crushed under one hit from him as he ran through.
By the end of the hallway is a locked metal door.
"No problem for me." Winding his arm back, he makes sure to put just enough force behind it.
*blam!*
The door flies off the hinges, letting Takune enter to flickering lights. Casting long, sickly shadows across the ruined room. The walls were peeling, the air thick with the scent of mildew and something coppery. A little boy sat in one corner, eyes wide with fear. Holding a really long injection device in his hand.
Takumi stepped forward, boots crunching against shattered glass. The boy froze, glowing yellow eyes snapping at him. A whimper escaped his lips. Clutching a bottle with red liquid close to his chest, Takune's eyes narrowed. A clear four-letter word is printed on the bottle.
ADAM
"Hey, kid—" he called, but something stopped interrupted him. Something heavy and fast, it sounded angry.
The floor quaked. A deep, guttural moan filled the room.
A wall of metal and rage exploded from the shadows.
A hulking machine, armored in a heavy diver suit charged at him, it moved with terrifying speed for something so massive. Its drill arm revved, a whirlwind of rusted steel, as it crashed into him like a runaway freight train.
"Henshin." Uttering one word, he put both his transformed arms up.
Successfully blocking a charging drill that sprays sparks as that thing rams at him. His heels dug into the ceramic stone paving as his body was pushed back until his attacker lost all force of movement. Turning his grip, Takune tossed them to the side.
The thing groaned, forcing itself up. Its round porthole eyes glowed an angry, burning red. The drill spun, whining like a beast starved for blood.
It turns to face Takune with an unnatural groan, meeting an equally ominous red glow. For a short moment, the big momma feels endangered by the new presence.
But she was programmed to protect the little brother, and she would do her job; with another roar, the monster charged again.
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(Takichi's pov)
Gathering in a crowd, a group of girls wearing biker jackets sat on the seat of their bike. Chating in the multi-colored illumination of holographic signs of corporate building, among them, a girl that sticks out more than anyone else.
Wearing a red bomber jacket, stylized with a emblem on the back of her jacket. A red and blue capsule, wreathed with some English text.
Kaneda spoke with smug attitude, certainly happy with the battle he done today.
Neo-Tokyo is a lawless city governed by the lawless. A place of violence and chaos. A place filled to the brim with rowdy gangs, vicious protests, sleazy bars, and street thugs. Biker gangs rule the streets, participating in acts one wouldn’t ever wish to be caught between. Assaults, beatings, vandalism, larceny, kidnappings. Rival gangs threaten one another on a daily basis, utilizing these acts as a way to provoke opposing members and manipulate others.
As the leader, she takes pride in clearing out rival gangs. This one is such an occasion that she and her gang, the capsule, celebrate their victory over a rival gang.
In the middle of taking a swig from a bottle of cheap alcohol, she spots something strange. A boy, but not just an ordinary guy.
There's something off about him. He doesn't look like he's even from this city with his clothing looking so strange, she can't use any other word to describe it. It wasn't rugged like a worker; it wasn't a skimpy outfit that revealed skin, so he wasn't some call-boy.
Then she caught him looking in her direction. Their eye met briefly, and she saw him move to her. She took another swig and played it cool by fiddling in front of the rearview mirror. Moment pass, the boy is standing closer now. He's pretty and undeniably hot and quite passable for a woman if one were to look at him from behind him.
"Hey, mister. Caught what you like ?" contrary to what she thought, the boy doesn't shy away in the slightest.
"I like your bike."
"Ahh, yes. I made it myself, you're quite the handsome face yourself." Showing a toothy grin, she ran a hand over the bike. "I'm kaneda, what's your name ?"
"Takichi, i'm new around here."
"You don't say." His eyes when looking at the bike, let her know he is genuinely enjoying the beauty of her ride.
"How much did it cost ?"
'Is this guy for real ?' She really can't tell if he is some rich kid who got lost on the wrong side of town or a tourist went on trip buying exotic vehicle.
"Sorry hotshot, this ride ain't for sale. I could let you have a ride with me ? We could head back to my place, what'cha say ?"
The guy rested a hand under his chin, then said something so wild it made her face dumbfounded. It was the laugh from her friend that caused her to snap back.
"What did you just say ?"
"Wanna race ?" He repeated with a straight face.
Now, even the friends beside her were in silence.
"Hold on now, you don't even have a bike. My guy, it's a nice joke, but you won't even be able to sniff the smoke from my bike even if you have a car."
"Then why shy away from a race ?"
Kaneda laughs, loud and full of amusement. Wiping a tear out from a corner of her eyes, she speaks to him in that smug tone of hers.
"Alright, we race. But if i win, i take you back to be my prize. Deal ?" Offering a handshake.
"Only if i win, i want you to help me make a bike just like yours." Taking in her hand, he gave it a firm handshake to seal the deal.
"So, where's your ride ?"
The guy doesn't reply but hangs his right arm out in a strange way, off to 90 degrees. She raised an eyebrow, questioning him. Up to the point, a sudden car appeared out of thin air right by him.
"Here."
The crowd got a lot more rowdy now with his surprise display. Kaneda herself can't help but whistle when Takichi's ride comes into view.
She isn't much of a car person, but damn, does that ride look aggressive. Carrying an exotic, but somewhat old look, mostly because she hadn't seen this style on any other car ever in her entire life in this city.
The low, wide stance with sharp angles and sculpted lines. Make it look like a supercar along the pointed nose, reminiscent of fighter jets.
Long, sloping roofline that blends into the rear, creating a sleek shape. Large, staggered wheels and angular LED taillights with sculpted body lines give a muscular, athletic presence. Quad exhaust tips integrated into the rear diffuser burning red flame in the back.
At that moment, it was Kanada's turn to be impressed by his ride. She smiled to herself in astonishment, 'Who is this guy.'
Who would able to tell, she was going to be the one who was charmed by this man.