Battlehounds
A man who looked to be in his thirties stood before a massive glass wall, gazing down at Midland. The room he occupied was spacious and immaculate—far too large for one person, but modern artworks placed here and there lent a touch of vibrancy to what might otherwise have felt sterile.
In his hand, as he stared out at the cityscape bathed in the late afternoon neon glow, was a glass of brown brandy. He took a slow sip from it.
Then the intercom on the table buzzed.
> Chairman. Your guest has arrived. Mr. Bites.
The man didn't tear his eyes from the view beyond the glass.
"Send him in."
The office door slid open silently, revealing a sturdy middle-aged man with short white hair. He sauntered in, calling out cheerfully.
"Well, well, if it isn't our chairman! How've you been?"
Chairman. It was the title by which Best, the CEO of X-Techno, was called far more often than his actual name. Best's gaze shifted to Bites.
"Like I'd be doing well."
Bites chuckled at Best's prickly retort. He dropped naturally into the chair in front of the desk. Best said nothing more, simply pouring a fresh glass from a bottle nearby and sliding it over.
Bites accepted it with a nod.
"Heard the news, huh? That semiconductor plant in Midland got totally trashed. Some factories looked like they'd been hit by a bomb."
"A bomb would have been preferable. We could've squeezed something out of the government for failing to prevent it. But this was... different."
"Oh?"
Bites sipped his drink, leaned back, crossed his legs, and eyed Best expectantly. The posture was brazen, but Best didn't mind. They'd been contracting for years—long enough not to get hung up on such things.
Best's hand swept across the table.
"Oh."
A hologram sprang to life at his touch: a shrunken scene of a robotic giant and a lizard monster tussling between data towers in Cyber Space.
"What's this?"
"What happened during the incident, captured in Cyber Space. Those two went at it so hard they fried my factory's data servers and the production bots' circuits."
The steel robot was clearly dominating, pummeling the lizard beast, which crushed surrounding data in its flailing. Then something—wings? Tentacles?—erupted from the monster's back and lunged at the robot. The machine took the hit head-on, strode forward, and raised its arm high.
A gray flame sword ignited from its hand.
"Well now..."
Bites's eyes gleamed at the sight of the blade. The robot cleaved the lizard in two with it, then extinguished the flame like snuffing a candle and vanished from Cyber Space.
As the hologram ended, Bites grinned, turning to Best.
"Looks like that robot buddy stopped the monster cold."
"Could be."
Best agreed more readily than expected. Bites tilted his head at the chairman's casual sip.
"You don't seem that pissed... What's the rest of it?"
"The plant shutdown hurts, sure. We'll lose market share to Isumi. But look at it calmly: yeah, that steel giant seems to have blocked a monster heading downtown. And that thing's appearance... ring any bells?"
Bites puzzled over his glass.
"Lizard... weird tentacles... yeah, tentacles... wings..."
His hand froze midway to his mouth. He stared at Best in disbelief.
"A dragon? You thinking what I think you're thinking, Chairman?"
Best smiled dangerously and pointed at the paused hologram.
"Who took that footage? Guess."
"...Not company cams?"
Best shook his head. Bites scowled.
"Then... hell, gotta be Isumi."
"Bingo. Only Isumi."
Bites frowned suspiciously.
"It's only been days since the incident—no way they hacked it. They leaked it on purpose. You buying that crap?"
"Of course. Isumi's too busy to investigate right now. That vengeful ninja ghost haunting the back alleys is ripping through their secret labs, and on the day of the incident, their serial killer news-maker got nabbed trying to kidnap someone and tangled with MLPD. Plus, Isumi did take some damage this time."
Bites eyed Best, who seemed almost thrilled as he spoke.
"...So you handed them the footage? That's your reason?"
"Don't you know how much Isumi's chairman loves dragons? Rumor has it ten percent of his brain is a dragon transplant."
Bites got it then.
"Ah... Figured we'd go apeshit hunting the culprit, then they'd swoop in and steal it. 'The bear does the trick, the human pockets the gold,' right?"
"That's why I called you. Track the perps, figure out what the hell happened, and keep Isumi from taking it. Among the mercs I know, you're the most reliable."
Bites laughed heartily at the praise, still grinning as he replied.
"You're hyping me up too much, Chairman... But pulling me off the Amsterdam op after a year? Overkill, no? Plenty of mercs in Midland—"
"One more reason."
Best cut him off. Bites looked puzzled. Best set down his empty glass.
"That steel giant's final strike. Familiar? The burning blade that slices clean through anything. The weapon you've fought plenty."
"...An Aura Blade."
Bites let out a hollow chuckle.
"Look, Chairman. Aura Masters can't jack into Cyber Space. Implants or a Net Socket taint the body's purity—they lose the blade. I get it looks similar, but..."
"Still a lead. And in Midland, there's a swordsman using a gray Aura Blade just like that giant. Each Aura Master's blade hue varies, right? Plenty to suspect a connection."
Bites rolled his tongue, intrigued.
"...Gray Aura Blade? That's a new one."
"A ronin merc. Brokers hide his details—no face—but name's Roque. No big backers, so go check him out."
"No backup, huh. Then he's fair game to kill."
A chill smile crossed Bites's face. Best mirrored it, refilling their glasses.
"Do as you like. If it's dragon-related, bring every scrap. And smash any Isumi meddling. Start with that woman."
"Which woman?"
Best topped off Bites's glass.
"The merc who guided you from the airport. She's linked to this ronin Aura Master. That's why I assigned her."
"Huh? She ditched after the front door. Said she had urgent business."
Bites stared blankly. Best mirrored the look. Snapping to, he set down the bottle and manipulated the table hologram. X-Techno HQ parking lot CCTV appeared.
A few taps rewound it twenty minutes and played.
The feed showed a bike peeling out, Kayla flipping off the camera from atop it.
The concrete skeletons of skyscrapers were draped in garish lights and neon signs, like whores beckoning blatantly to lure in the night's wanderers.
And the drifters on the black streets surrendered to it indifferently. Junkies lost to drugs, booze, and sex, abandoning any future. Maybe it wasn't entirely voluntary. When you couldn't glimpse even a step ahead, shoving yourself into the abyss was the only autonomy granted to those who couldn't dream of tomorrow.
Those swirling in self-destruction painted paradise on the pavement, howling all the while.
"Sad."
Roque glanced at the passenger seat as he turned the wheel. Elizabeth had her chin on the window sill, staring blankly at the city.
"What is."
Too lazy to cook dinner, they'd eaten out and were heading back. She'd dozed through a bellyful meal in the passenger seat, but now she was awake and spouting nonsense.
"People sad. Elizabeth sad too."
Roque looked from her to the street. Indifferent crowds shuffling by; in the shadows, bodies slumped like corpses on electronic drugs. No tears, no visible sorrow anywhere.
"No one's crying."
"Elizabeth not cry. But they can't cry. More lonely. So sad."
He couldn't see her eyes, but her profile gazing out struck him as profoundly lonely.
Lips parting for a response, Roque clamped them shut and drove on. Loneliness, sorrow—he had no answers. The man who'd killed his love with his own hands eight years ago still didn't.
Then Bini, the quadruped robot in the back, beeped and poked its head forward. It chirped sharply, like scolding Roque, then hopped onto Elizabeth's lap and pranced. Her gaze shifted from the window to it.
Roque quickly flipped on the radio. Modern rock filled the car. Elizabeth's attention fully returned inside; she tussled playfully with Bini on her lap.
Around then, Roque decided to avoid this route for future dinners out. The Black Knight's terminal chimed. Elizabeth's head snapped up, eyes sparkling at the screen.
Wondering why, Roque nodded at the woman's face that appeared.
"Yeah. It's me."
"Hi, Kayla."
Kayla peeked at Elizabeth leaning in and grinned.
"Yeah. Good. Kayla?"
Kayla hesitated at Elizabeth's question. Roque caught her glance, pulled the Black Knight to the roadside, and nudged Elizabeth's face from the screen.
"What's up."
Roque didn't answer, just parked and stared impassively at her image.
At his silence, Kayla dropped the smile, raking her silver hair irritably.
"No."
Roque's eyes narrowed.
"They hunted an Aura Master?"
"Interesting."
She gaped at his response, sighed deeply.
"You?"
"This the last time, then?"
Kayla froze, expression blank, then nodded with a bitter smile.
Roque saw Elizabeth fiddling with Bini on her lap. Whatever, he'd end the call first.
"I'll explain."
Kayla hesitated, eyes wavering over his face.
"Take care."
Kayla smiled faintly and cut the line. Roque stared at the black screen—and the impassive man reflected in it.
He cleared the terminal and looked at Elizabeth.
"...What're you doing?"
She looked up from her huddled fiddling. Rings of light spun in her eyes. Roque's widened.
"You?"
"They're not rampaging."
"Then?"
At his question, she glanced back at Bini.
"Kayla's terminal just got hacked. Rode the line to hack Black Knight's too."
"...You saying we dive now?"
Elizabeth shook her head. She yanked a cable from Bini's back and plugged it into the terminal.
Post-call, the blank screen showed a graphic walker-tank. "Beep beep" floated over its head.
"Bini can handle this. They didn't even know Black Knight existed."
"Kayla?"
"Bini severs the link, done."
Her eyes sparkled; a rail stretched far onscreen. Bini boarded, Vulcan guns in hands, waving like it'd be quick.
Roque spoke.
"Hold up."
"...Why?"
Elizabeth eyed him. Thoughtful, Roque met her gaze.
"Not just sever. Can you trace 'em?"
She blinked, then nodded.
"...What?"
A merc mage, net gear linked to his computer and sitting cross-legged, tilted his head.
Bites, smoking, glanced over.
"Problem?"
"Uh... Can't pinpoint who this woman merc called."
"What? You said you could."
Sweat beaded on the mage's forehead.
"...Keep tracking, sir."
Bites squinted through cigarette smoke, scanning the room.
He and his team—Battlehound—had holed up in an abandoned warehouse on Midland's outskirts. A temporary base for the op: tuning X-Techno gear and vehicles needed space.
Cables snaked from the mage's net gear to hulking computers, lamps flashing wildly.
Kayla had good instincts, but not enough to shake Battlehound's X-Techno-backed pursuit.
They'd started tracing the moment she bolted. Pricey software hadn't nailed her spot yet, but her terminal signal and net code were cracked. Soon, precise location.
Her call partner was obvious: that ronin Aura Master.
Bites figured it'd be quick. Aura Masters were cyber-illiterate, focused on pure flesh over terminal security.
Pin him down, and Bites had ways to neutralize him.
"...Can't get a location at all?"
As Bites muttered amid smoke, an orc team member approached—hefting a heavy rifle, tactical vest. The rookie.
"Boss. They got a mage too."
"Looks like. Not a lone wolf after all."
"...This an Isumi trap?"
Bites flicked his butt, chuckling at the orc's unease.
"Nah. They'd hire us before offing us."
"Boss, our Amsterdam op was poaching Isumi researchers. That's reason enough."
Bites lit a fresh smoke.
"That was X-Techno work. Retaliate for every gig, Isumi fights the world. Tried it, failed. Besides, they need Aura Master hunters now."
He thought of the ninja Aura Master terrorizing alleys.
Isumi would approach Battlehound to hunt him while conserving their own. Prove their worth here, squeeze Isumi for max pay. Best might grumble, but mercs follow money.
"What the fuck?"
The mage blurted dumbly. Heads turned from gear maintenance across the warehouse.
Bites, cig in mouth:
"What? You good?"
"I, uh..."
The mage glanced around awkwardly, net gear blinding him—probably scanning Cyber Space.
"What's wrong?"
Up close, sweat poured off the mage. Linked computers flashed madly, fans whining.
"H-ha-hacking...! Reverse trace...! L-location exposed...!"
The mage trembled, near hyperventilating. Bites's eyes hardened.
As the shakes neared convulsions, a beastly growl rumbled from outside.
Bites called the lookout merc.
"Report."
"Keep reporting."
Recognizing the growl as an engine, Bites raised his left hand silently.
At the signal, mercs racked weapons, scattering behind vehicles and computers, muzzles trained on the entrance.
The engine cut abruptly at the door.
"Jackson. Car stopped?"
Bites's brow twitched. Heart monitors showed Jackson's spiking then steadying—unconscious.
Instinctively, Bites patted his hidden ace: the Aura Master counter. Sooner than expected.
Feeling it solid, he addressed the team:
"Stay calm, stick to plan—"
Overhead lights exploded in a barrage. Darkness swallowed the warehouse, save the mage's convulsing computers' frantic strobes.
Bites switched to night vision, drew his hip pistol. Seasoned mercs would follow. Key now: spot the close-quarters intruder.
"...!"
But the foe stood boldly at the entrance, facing them. Bites snapped his pistol up.
"Entrance!"
The intruder—Roque—flashed his left hand out, clawing the air and yanking up. Guns flew like hooked fish to the ceiling.
"...What the?"
Disarmed unexpectedly, Bites and his mercs gawked between ceiling and intruder.
Roque faced them evenly.
"Now, let's talk."