Neon District: ALPHA (The Neon District Trilogy, Book 1)

by Chad Campbell

  “All green, sir. No anomalies reported yet. Our team also found a hit on our suspect,” Bloodfall said.

  “Excellent. Details, please,” Cain said.

  “This guy of yours was extremely difficult to track, there was virtually nothing on him. But we used our composite image in a specially coded reverse image search query. It took a while, but we came back with a hit. It was a picture taken at Club Cosmica that matched our composite. The image was found on a woman’s social media post on PopBase. She went by the name of ‘SuccubusFlower’. Real name; Penny Flowers. In the photo are two males. One was Vantz Marling, and the other man who matched the composite is presumably named Caiden. We took that name and swept the city-state’s databanks. We targeted phone companies with that name and we received a number of hits under one number.

  “The number appeared to belong to Yvora Blue, the pop singer. We scanned her phone records, texts, and emails, and she mentioned and spoke to a man named Caiden quite often. We decided to go forward on that lead. We zeroed in on the times, dates, and locations they planned to meet up. We accessed the city-state surveillance networks to extract surveillance data from security HSDs and security cameras. We managed to snag an image of Yvora and Caiden together. Despite him somehow being able to mask his face from almost every surveillance camera, we were still got a decent shot of him, and it matches our composite. We strongly believe this is our guy. We extracted a contact number for him from Yvora’s phone records,” Agent Bloodfall said.

  “Excellent! Good work, agent! You’ve done well. Stand by for further instructions,” Cain said excitedly.

  “Yes, sir!” Agent Bloodfall said.

  “It would appear that we are on to something, yes?” Stein asked for confirmation.

  “Yes, indeed. Lieutenant, contact those Chimera boys, Franki and Neo, and tell them that I have a job for them,” Cain commanded.

  “I think I already know where this is going. Things are about to get interesting,” Daav replied as he called the hitmen up.

  “Oh, hey there, handsome. How’s it goin’?” Daav teased as Neo picked up the holo vid-call.

  “Fuck off! What do you want now? I thought we already did our part,” Neo Said.

  “Funny. I have another job for you and Franki. Will your master let you off the leash again?” Daav mocked.

  “Yeah, only when he says to sic ‘em. What the hell do you want, Daav?” Neo replied.

  “Human extraction, hostage holding, and maybe even getting to swing that dangerous sword of yours! Sounds like fun, right?” Daav said in a patronizing tone.

  “Money. How much money? The boss, Dragon, is upping his fees for off-the-books government job requests. No more of that six-figure bullshit. We’re talkin’ millions now, dickface,” Neo said confidently.

  “Ooh, dickface, that’s a good one,” Daav replied as he looked to General Cain for approval of the new payment rates. General Cain shook his head no.

  “Well, then, we may have to renego—”

  “How much are you gentlemen looking to receive?” Stein interrupted Daav, before he could finish.

  “Great question, doc. One point two million Creds,” Neo replied.

  “Done. Give me your preferred routing access for your Cred codec. I will deliver half now, half when the job is done,” Stein said.

  “Oh, wow, okay! I like how you do business, doc! Lieutenant Dickface knows the coordinates. He’ll give them to you,” Neo replied. Stein uploaded half of the money from his personal account into the Hitmen’s designated Cred codec.

  “Great. Everything has been received. Who, what, where, and when?” Neo asked.

  “We need you two to pay someone named Yvora Blue a visit. She’s important. I’ll send her address to you now. You will need to get her tonight and bring her to the new construction site near the Nova Central and BlackLight border, ten blocks down from The LoveMaars,” Dr. Stein ordered.

  “Money talks,” Neo replied, before ending the call.

  “Well, that was easy. What’s next, boss?” Daav said.

  “Gather the available members of TEAR. We’ll provide backup. Stein, you will take lead from that point on,” Cain said.

  “This is marvelous! Simply marvelous!” Stein cackled as he rubbed his hands together.

  ***

  “Yeah, yeah, I know, girl! Oh my god, it’s just been so amazing! He’s unlike any other guy I’ve met. Yeah. Oh, yeah, you already know it. Hold on my Mom’s calling, let me call you back okay? Bye!” Yvora said to her friend on the phone before transferring to the next call. She put it on loudspeaker.

  “Hey baby, girl! Just calling to remind you to not forget about tour rehearsals tomorrow night, okay?” Yvora’s mom said.

  “I know, Mom. I’ll give you a call right before I leave tomorrow, okay? Love you.”

  “I love you too, baby.”

  Yvora smiled to herself. She was set to embark on an international tour and she was scheduled to be on the road for two weeks. She floated about in her apartment in East Andromeda, feeling light as a feather, not having felt a happiness like this in quite some time. It was close to ten p.m. Just as she was about to relax, drink some tea, and go over some over her new music, she heard a knock at the door. I wasn’t expecting anyone to come by tonight. It must be Caide, tryna be all Mr. Mysterious on me, she thought to herself. She opened the door.

  “Hey, good evening, good lookin’. Ooh, you look so damn good,” Neo said, getting sidetracked by her striking beauty. As he stepped inside, Yvora lept back.

  Franki, being so big, had to duck under the doorway to enter. “I’m sorry miss, but you’re coming with us,” Franki stated, before Neo rushed her, covering her nose and mouth with a chloroform soaked cloth. Before Yvora could scream, everything went black.

  CHAPTER 34

  ---usr/systems/server-x/THE STEIN GAMES---

  [10:45PM, BlackLight, Vantz’s place]

  Caiden’s room was dark. The only light in the room was emitting from his NOVO Lenses. He was searching for answers anywhere he could find them. He was numb. Why me? They’ve ruined the lives of millions through their greed and brutality. And now they are targeting me! But why now? Could it be the clone farm? Was there a camera there that I didn’t see? Shit! There’s nothing in the Zonos networks that indicate anything remotely close to this! I’ve already hacked General Cain. Checkered past stained with the blood of others, and a mountain of bodies lay beneath his feet. But that’s nothing new, what’s happening on CWR? Caiden wondered desperately.

  He checked open source chat rooms. There were many discussions regarding the new calls for justice and over the top theories on who could’ve assassinated Ren Krong. The wild speculation plagued conversation. Fear and uncertainty ruled them all. Not a single thread was worth investigating. The feelings of the city’s populace were beginning to show. Caiden wondered if it would be safe for him to even leave Vantz’s apartment. He didn’t know what to do. Before he could formulate a plan, he received a call from Yvora, but it wasn’t a holo-video call, just audio.

  “Hello?”

  “Ahem! Oh, hey! Is this, uh, Caiden Nyx?” a male voice asked.

  “Who is this!? And why are you calling me from Yvora’s phone!?” Caiden asked.

  “Oh, yeah, about that. You see, my name is, well, you don’t really need to know that part. But, uh, we have your lady here, see? And, uh, we were told to pick her up. Seems like our partners need to borrow her for a bit.”

  “I swear on your life that if you lay a hand on her, I will kill you. Slowly,” Caiden ominously.

  “Holy shit! That was intense. Seriously, that all depends on you, kid. If you want to see her safe and sound, meet us at the new skyscraper construction site in Nova Central near The LoveMaars,” the man said.

  “Put her on the phone. Now!” Caiden commanded. His voice deepened and intensified as the anger and anxiety thickened in his chest.

  “Okay, um, wow. You’re, like, not in any position to make any demands, bu
t since we gotta get our money and ensure you come out, here she is,” the voice said as he switched the audio call to a holo-video call. The visual feed showed Yvora unconscious but still breathing. She was tied up, and flopped over the shoulder of an extremely large man in a black suit. The voice on the call switched back to audio only.

  “See there, bud? You believe us now? Hello? Hello?” the voice said.

  Caiden cut the call. It was war time. He thought of Yvora. Nothing more, nothing less. He rushed out of his room and made his way out.

  “Caide! Are you okay? What the…” Vantz asked.

  “I’ll be right back,” Caiden said flatly as he stormed out to the building’s garage.

  Caiden took a quick look around once he got to his hypercycle. Once he deemed the area to be safe, he materialized the gunblade from his right arm. It appeared in a flash. He checked his ammo, then transformed it to a sword, swung it around, making sure everything was in working order. He dematerialized the weapon then mounted his bike, put on his helmet, revved the engine, and rode toward Nova Central.

  As usual, Nova Central was packed with bumper to bumper traffic. Eschewing the rules of the road, Caiden took to the sidewalks, dodging and snaking between pedestrians on his hypercycle. He took a sharp left down a back street and picked up speed, turning and weaving from street to street. He reached the outskirts of the new construction site. He parked his hypercycle near a wall, threw the chameleo-ware cloak over it, and made the rest of his way on foot.

  The NOVO Lenses were active and glowing, scanning for threats, the nearby building structures, and any other types of specialized signatures. Caiden summoned his gunblade and put it into gun mode. The construction site for the new skyscraper was massive; it was a miracle there was even any room for it in this crowded part of the city. It was eerily quiet. Despite how busy it was a few blocks down, there were virtually no passersby.

  The construction for the building was in the beginning stages, composed purely of cement and metal platforms that were supported by massive structural beams. It was fifteen stories high at the moment. Caiden crouched low, NOVO Lenses still activated he zeroed in on the building. Ten heat signatures? I need to get closer, get a good visual of Yvora, and see what strategy would be the most advantageous, Caiden thought as he hopped the fence and moved toward the building site. There were no Hover Surveillance Drones.

  There appeared to be no one in invisi-cloaks or chameleo-ware. What was odd was the position of the heat signatures. Six of the ten were positioned in random locations. One far off to the east, maybe one thousand yards away, elevated fifty feet in another building. Must be a sniper, Caiden thought as he looked to confirm the positions of the other enemies.

  Another two are at ground level on opposite sides of the building site. Must be the only ways in or out from ground level. Two more are in the adjacent building. It looks abandoned. Shit! Safe to assume those are snipers or some other sort of support, as well. But where is Yvora? Caiden wondered as he looked around and marked locations of the threats. There! Four stationary targets. Judging by the way they’re positioned, it's almost like they’re waiting for me.

  Before he made another move, he closed his eyes and envisioned a variety of different strategies to preempt an attack. Then he began to incorporate contingencies, and other variables that may happen. None of his theories were certain, but if he went in there, guns blazing, both he and Yvora were sure to die. He opened his eyes, and they glowed even brighter than before. He was ready, he was angry, and he was willing to risk everything to save Yvora.

  There were plenty of construction trailers and vehicles nearby which Caiden used for cover as he quietly closed in on one of the entrances. He was about twenty feet away from one of the guards protecting the front entrance. Caiden slowly peeked his head around the corner just enough for his NOVO Lenses to gather the data he needed before he struck. Five feet and ten inches. one hundred and ninety-two pounds. Holding a BL-48 Pulse Assault rifle. Looks like his left ankle is a little more swollen than the right. Why are these guys so heavily armed for something like this? he thought. I need to get him to move from his post with something just loud enough for only him to hear.

  With his back against the construction trailer, he searched for something he could use. He saw a small rock and picked it up. He chucked the rock into the opening pathway near the construction trailer. The guard took notice, tensing up, and taking the safety off his weapon. The guard began scanning the area, inching forward, searching for the source of the noise. Perfect. He’s jumpier than I thought he’d be, Caiden thought. The guard got closer to Caiden’s location. Caiden watched him intently, before slipping to his left and around to the front of the trailer.

  “Alpha leader report. Potential intruder. Investigating possible intrusion,” Caiden heard the guard say. He stopped in his tracks and waited for a few seconds in silence. “Alpha leader, threat is nonexistent, I repeat, no threat detected,” the guard said, sounding relieved.

  Before the guard could turn around he felt powerful kick to his left ankle. He tried to turn around but his legs were kicked out from under him. He felt someone’s arms reach around and cover his neck and mouth. He was in a chokehold so he couldn’t yell or radio in for help. Before long, the world around him slowly faded to black.

  Like the secret agent in Prime Minister Honda’s yard, Caiden used a powerful takedown he learned from his former sensei to eliminate the threat. He searched the guard and found eight small EMP charges. He pocketed them and headed for the entrance. He made a note of every detail as he climbed the stairs to the second floor, stopped, and put his NOVO Lenses on standby.

  “This is excellent. Such a stupendous occasion!” a gleeful Dr. Stein proclaimed at the mere sight of Caiden.

  “Stein!” Caiden said with intensity.

  “Welcome, dear boy!”

  This mezzanine floor was built to have two levels on a single floor. There was approximately fifty yards of semi-open space. There were large support beams lying about as well as a bunch of concrete slabs. Dr. Stein was standing above, on a metal overpass, surveying the rest of the floor.

  Yvora was tied up at the back of the room. This floor, like the others, was devoid of walls as the building was nowhere near completion. The building was open to the elements. It was a breezy night. The strong silver glow of the moon loomed over the building. Caiden could feel a surge of unbridled rage and disgust rise to the center of his chest as he bore witness to Yvora, tied up to a vertical support beam, barely conscious.

  “Yvora!” he yelled.

  “Caiden! You came,” she said. Her voice shook and tears welled up in her eyes.

  “Yes, yes, of course. The she is sole reason you have come. The beautiful, perfectly proportioned Yvora Blue. Under other circumstances I would definitely love to taste…”

  “Say another word and these bullets will find new residence in your fucking head, asshole!”

  Caiden promised.

  “Afraid I can’t let ya do that, kid,” a voice said as two figures emerged from the shadows behind thick support pillars.

  Of course; the two heat signatures I saw earlier. Didn’t think it would be these guys, Caiden thought to himself.

  “Oh, where are my manners? May I introduce to you to…” Stein said, before he was cut off.

  “Franki Butcher and Neo Masamune. Shoulda known Zonos would make Chimera their lapdogs for something like this,” Caiden said.

  “Hey, I remember this kid!” Franki said.

  “Yeah, he was the asshole who bumped into us at the Bazaar!” Neo exclaimed.

  “Stein, let Yvora go!” Caiden demanded.

  “I can’t do that now. I want to have a little bit of fun! I finally get to see the Fayte bloodline in action! And I’ll be damned if I am denied such pleasures. None of my pleasures have ever been denied without consequence! If you don’t comply, I’ll shoot the girl! However, you may be able to save the girl if you can defeat these two gentlemen right now,”
Stein said.

  “The fuck kind of sick twisted antics are these? Why involve an innocent woman? Typical of a serial rapist and murderer, huh?” Caiden shouted angrily.

  “Ooh, you are well informed of my artistic endeavors, aren’t you? Gentlemen, why don’t you go and have a little fun!” Stein said as he ordered the two hitmen to attack Caiden.

  Caiden activated his NOVO Lenses. Neo’s extendable cybernetic arm shot straight at him with his massive katana in hand, leaving Caiden little time to react properly. Caiden calculated its trajectory with the NOVO Lenses, tucking and rolling to his left as the blade missed him by an inch. Before he could stand, Franki Butcher rushed him with surprising speed. Caiden pushed himself into a backward rolling somersault to evade Franki’s massive fist. Franki’s fist crashed into, and severely cracked the thick concrete.

  Caiden fired multiple shots at both men, hoping to maintain a healthy distance between the two to thwart their offensive assault. Neo began swinging his sword at a high speed, deflecting the bullets. Franki picked up a thick concrete slab nearby to use as a shield. What the fuck are these guys!? Caiden thought to himself as he hid behind a support pillar. Franki and Neo suddenly appeared on each side of the pillar.

  Caiden dodged the dangerous sword strike but was left with little room to block a powerful punch from Franki. He put his left arm in front of his head as he braced his body for the impact. Franki connected with a bone crunching punch that sent Caiden flying past Neo and into a pile of metal beams. Caiden’s entire body was in excruciating pain from the impact of the punch and his fall. A little dazed, Caiden jumped to his feet. Franki and Neo began to close the distance.

  Caiden shot another round in Neo’s direction. Franki snuck up on him and grabbed him from behind. Using his own brute strength, Caiden broke out of the hold and used his momentum to swing behind Franki. Caiden picked up the massive man and threw him to the side, much to Franki’s surprise.

  Caiden rushed Neo, firing a shot at him. He changed his gun into blade form. Neo was quick to react, parrying the strike leaving them in a deadlock of swords.