T.A.L.O.S.
Crunch.
She took a bite of the apple.
It was a situation where she shouldn't have been able to taste anything at all. The environment was terrifying, tense, trembling, and freezing cold.
Yet, the apple in her mouth was damn sweet.
"This is insane..."
Crunch.
She took another bite. The apple was still sweet, and the situation remained unchanged.
"Damn it..."
On the rooftop of the tallest building in South Peak, Serena cursed under her breath repeatedly.
She couldn't help it.
She didn't know how much time they had left, but once a cyberpsycho went wild somewhere in South Peak and Talos arrived...
They would have to ambush them.
Talos operated in teams of four. That meant they had to take on all four at once—and not to kill them, but to subdue them.
There were many ways to commit suicide, but no one could have come up with a method this creative and spectacular.
Letting out a deep sigh, Serena looked over at Swoo.
Swoo, gazing out at the glittering neon signs and flashy holographic billboards, was eating a hamburger. It was her mandatory pre-battle routine: a burger, cheese sticks, and a cola.
"Swoo. Is this really possible?"
"Yep. You just need to handle the information control from the back, Serena."
Sitting there as if melting into the backdrop of Eden, Swoo looked so beautiful and ethereal that Serena's chaotic thoughts vanished for a fleeting moment.
No matter how many times she saw her, she could never get used to it.
"Serena, you were more amazing than I expected earlier. You did all that without even a cooling suit."
"An executive position isn't won by playing tag."
"It was cool. Just do exactly what you did earlier."
While Angela specialized in concentrated hacking over a small area, Serena was an expert at broad-spectrum hacking across a wide range.
In that sense, Serena was the linchpin of this operation.
Of course, once Talos was deployed, the rest of the ECPD would lock down the scene, keeping civilians out of the perimeter and blocking any view of the inside.
But Eden was a city of extreme technological advancement. Even if forbidden, people would always find a way to sneak in and watch.
Serena's job was to prevent even the slightest leak of information.
They could have hidden themselves using digital noise as they usually did, but now that they had a powerful asset like Serena on their side, it was best to make full use of her abilities.
Angela was just as crucial. While Serena blocked external eyes, Angela had to prevent Talos from tracking them.
"The Talos team leader uses a Repulser. Are you aware of that?"
"Yep, I know."
The Repulser. As long as that overwhelming weapon was in play, hacking alone would never be enough to completely neutralize Talos.
"It'll be fine."
"Is there any actual basis for that confidence?"
"People pass out when they get struck by lightning."
"They just pass out instead of dying? If someone like that actually exists, bring them to me. They'd be well worth researching."
"That's exactly what I'm trying to do."
"That... I suppose so."
Come to think of it, she had a point.
The goal of this job was to kidnap—no, return Kou's girlfriend, who was currently serving in Talos, to where she belonged.
The reward for the job was handing over research data to Serena. Simply put, giving her the chance to study Celica's body.
Though studying a human body felt deeply unsettling, Kou had no other choice.
If she didn't recover with the medicine Radolf made, he would either have to kill her or send her back to Talos.
If that was the case, he figured it would be better to entrust her to the most advanced biotechnology corporation in Eden, which led to him signing the contract.
"Damn it."
Left with nothing to say, Serena took out her frustration on the innocent apple, chewing it aggressively.
"Are you absolutely sure she's still a cyberpsycho?"
"Even if she isn't, it doesn't change anything. We're still bringing her back. Even if they're going to break up, they should at least say their proper goodbyes face-to-face."
Moved by Swoo's words, Kou sniffled loudly.
A moment later, he chuckled and popped a lollipop into his mouth. He looked like the type to roll a joint, but he didn't smoke, drink, or do drugs.
Serena found it impossible to reconcile Kou's clean lifestyle with his rough appearance. No matter how much time passed, she would probably never get used to it.
"Swoo, just trust me. I can take a beating like nobody's business. When it comes to dealing with cyberpsychos, there's barely anyone better than me."
"Just don't go dying on me."
Kou had tagged along after barely patching up his wounds.
His dangling prosthetic arm had been repaired well enough, but there was nothing he could do about the gaping wound where a chunk of his side had been torn away.
Despite his condition, Kou had spent far more time treating Celica's wounds than his own.
Needless to say, Kou was in terrible shape. One bad cough, and his hastily stitched side would burst open, sending blood spraying everywhere.
"Huh? Are you worried about me? There's still too much pure love left to protect in Eden. I'm not dying until I've defended the romance of the masses. Woo—"
"You still have to pay me for the job before you die."
"Wh-Whoa...? R-Right. I guess payment is the most important thing to a mercenary..."
Swoo folded her burger wrapper neatly, slipped it into her pocket, and grinned playfully.
"Just kidding."
Was she really joking? Neither Kou, Radolf, nor Serena could tell what Swoo was actually thinking.
"By the way, Radolf, why are you helping Kou?"
"I was once Kou's client as well."
"Do you have any family left?"
"They passed away."
Swoo silently turned her gaze toward Radolf.
"Back then, Kou worked alone," Radolf said. "He used stolen drugs to delay the onset of cyberpsychosis, buying people a brief reprieve. Thanks to him, I was able to say a proper goodbye to my wife."
"Look at this guy, bringing up sad stories out of nowhere..." Kou muttered.
"I didn't want others to suffer the same fate," Radolf continued. "So I developed the medicine and joined forces with Kou. Of course, my formula is still far from perfect. But today's medicine is better than yesterday's, and tomorrow's will be better than today's."
Radolf pulled out a tiny syringe that looked comical in his massive hands, cradling it gently.
"That is why I will do everything in my power for this job. But I will not throw my life away. As I said, I do not want more victims like myself. The day I die will be the day I finally perfect this medicine."
"You softie..." Kou sniffled.
Tears welled up in Kou's eyes.
It was hard to tell with Radolf's sunglasses on, but the slight tremor in his shoulders suggested he was holding back tears as well.
They really were a pair of softhearted giants, completely at odds with their rugged appearances.
"That's admirable," Swoo said.
"Hmph. You flatter me."
Silence fell over the rooftop once more.
In the distance, the wail of sirens and the faint screams of terrified citizens began to echo through the night.
"They weren't kidding when they said a cyberpsycho goes wild here at least once a day," Angela said with a bitter smile.
"District 7, Lostwell Street, Block 17," she reported, monitoring the situation in South Peak by taking control of ECPD cameras. "Ex-military. He's been living on drugs to cope with PTSD, and he finally snapped."
Swoo brushed off her pants and stood up, stretching her limbs.
"What's the ECPD's status?"
"The tactical response unit just arrived on site. Looks like he was already a wanted target."
"Three teams?"
"Four teams this time. Since he's ex-military."
Eden's soldiers were walking arsenals, packed with weapon implants specifically designed for mass slaughter. When one of them went cyberpsycho, the danger level skyrocketed.
"Do you think the ECPD can handle him?"
Serena shot Swoo a suspicious look at her casual tone.
She couldn't help but wonder: if she said yes, would Swoo go out of her way to slaughter the ECPD tactical teams herself?
"Hard to say, but looking at the feed right now, it doesn't look good for them," Angela replied.
The moment the words left Angela's mouth, a massive explosion rattled the air. A flash of blue electricity surged in the distance, indicating the detonation of an EMP grenade.
In Eden, an EMP grenade was practically a double-edged sword. Because it temporarily fried all cybernetics within its radius, any ECPD officers with implants would be instantly neutralized as well.
Using one meant they were desperate to escape. In other words, four tactical teams had been practically wiped out in less than a minute.
Swoo looked up at the sky, silently counting the seconds in her head.
In the game, Talos would deploy to the scene in exactly thirty-eight seconds. Would reality match the game? If not, what variables would change the timing?
In her quest to tear down the megacorporations, a clash with Talos was inevitable. She needed to gather data now. There would never be a better opportunity.
Just as the count in her head reached forty-two—
Gwoooooong—
A sound like a massive tolling bell echoed as the clouds parted. Emerging from the pitch-black, smog-choked night sky was a VTOL tactical transport, the TEC-9, its red sensor arrays flashing menacingly.
A black halo, a dark silhouette, and a crimson glare. It looked less like an angel descending to save Eden and more like a demon arriving to drag sinners to hell.
T.A.L.O.S.
Everyone who saw those five letters held their breath.
Eden's ultimate military force—a unit that outclassed even the elite private security of the megacorporations—had finally arrived.
Staring at the beast, knowing they had to fight it, it was impossible not to feel a cold sweat break out.
Swoo, however, showed no signs of fear. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she spread her arms wide with a bright, innocent smile.
The downwash from the Talos transport whipped against her body, mixing with Eden's characteristically humid, greasy air. It wasn't a pleasant sensation.
So, she blew it away. A small gale erupted from her body, pushing her forward.
With her first step, digital noise cloaked her entire body.
With her second step, she floated up into the empty air.
With her third step, a flame ignited in her palm.
With her fourth step, she hurled it with all her might.
Talos reacted instantly to the unidentified projectile.
Gwoooong—
The bell-like toll echoed once more as a shimmering, heat-haze barrier expanded from the transport.
It was a Repulser. The tactical transport Talos rode was also equipped with one, though it wasn't designed for anti-personnel combat; it was strictly a defensive shield.
Swoo's flame dissolved harmlessly against the barrier. She didn't mind. The attack had only been a distraction to test the shield's capabilities.
Then came her fifth and final step.
Kabaaaaam—!
A massive bolt of lightning slammed directly into the tactical transport.