Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System-Chapter 52: Challenge.

One look told Dante the larger man had more than a few heavy bionics implanted, and Volcan was quick to confirm that assumption. A red line washed over the goliath, followed by the AI’s neutral voice.

[Dante, this is the Level 3 Ascended Cyborg I mentioned before. Most of his bones, muscles, and organs have been replaced with bionic components focused on durability and raw strength.]

The three made their way inside as the AI explained. Dante’s eyes fell on the shortest of the group, the one whose entire body was covered in a black cloak. His face was hidden behind a featureless mask that blended with its shadow. A line washed over him next and Volcan’s evaluation soon followed.

[Threat Evaluation: Level 1 Intermediate cyborg. This one appears to be a skilled Diver. He had attempted to hack into your NIM multiple times while you were unconscious, and obviously failed.]

’Guess I should be thanking you for that...’

[Protecting my host is the most basic as well as the most important of my functions.] Volcan said. [One more thing, Dante. This Level 1 is the only one who has an active NIM. I’m sorry to say I can’t incapacitate the other two remotely.]

Dante kept his silence and continued to watch the three men. Something told him that the shortest was the boss or at least the one with the highest rank among the trio. He walked over to a chair that was placed right in front of the restrained Dante and sat down. The hulking cyborg stood to his right, while the thin one to his left.

Now face to face, Dante kept staring at the short man’s mask, not sure if he was waiting for him to speak. Just then, the man’s mask suddenly lit up. Small pink squares gathered on the black surface and formed several shapes, or rather symbols. Together they formed a (^‿^) smiley face.

"Hi there!" The man’s voice, though clearly synthesized, sounded like that of a child. "It is nice to make your acquaintance. People call me Epsilon. What is your name?"

"... Dante."

"Mr. Dante, huh?" The face on the mask changed to a (-_-) as the short man nodded. "Well then, Mr. Dante, I’m sure you are aware of the reason we brought you here."

Dante raised an eyebrow.

"Hold on, is this a police station?"

"A police station?" The short man, Epsilon, laughed with the pixels on his mask forming a vertical (XD). "Do we look like the police to you?"

"Well, you certainly don’t." Dante nodded. "But if you aren’t the police, what business do you have with me?"

"Now now, no need to feign ignorance. You came to Factory Town to look for us, right?"

"Not really." Dante shook his head. "I already found the bastard."

Once again, Epsilon’s mask changed, this time to a (0_0)

"Oh, really? Then why did you stay around?"

"New biz, obviously. There is this rich girl who paid me to show her around. She’s looking for some new drug, you see, but she doesn’t know her way around these parts."

"Are you trying to say you didn’t know the girl personally?"

"Nope." Dante shook his head. "Met her just yesterday. A real piece of work. She got angry at me for carrying a gun without a permit."

"Uh-oh, that’s interesting." Said Epsilon, still looking on with a (0_0) on his mask.

[Dante, this individual has just attempted to hack your NIM.]

The instant he heard the AI’s voice, Dante knew to keep his expression from changing.

"Where is she anyway?"

"Ah, you don’t have to worry." Epsilon’s face mask changed to a (^‿^) again. "We’re keeping her in a different chamber."

"Great. She still owes me 25 grand."

"Oooooh!" Switching his mast to a (0_0), the short man asked "You still want her to pay the rest, huh?"

[Dante, he just made another attempt.] Volcan said.

’You don’t need to tell me every time.’ Dante said internally. ’Just keep blocking him.’

"Obviously. My last job didn’t go well so... I really need the cash."

Though he would have liked to retaliate, Dante knew it wouldn’t go well when his opponent was a skilled Diver as well.

"I see, I see..."

A moment of silence passed with the two staring at each other.

"Mr. Dante, you are a mercenary, correct?" The colorful pixels disappeared from the short man’s mast and his voice lost its childishness. "Do you not care for the identities of your clients?"

"Does it look like I can afford to care?" Dante replied.

"I see." Nodding, the short man then added. "The girl who hired you, were you aware that she works for the BEO?"

"The BEO? You mean that thing the superheroes work for?"

"Exactly. You see, that girl, she’s one of them. A superhero. A low-ranking one, but a superhero nonetheless." Pausing, the short man lowered his head, then raised it again. "That’s why I have to thank you, Mr. Dante, for bringing her to us."

"You’re welcome?"

"Ah, I guess it sounds confusing, doesn’t it? Don’t worry, I will explain it soon."

The short man raised his right hand and snapped a finger. The hulking cyborg moved from behind him and approached Dante, causing him to tense up a little. He didn’t try anything, however, and just waited, ready to give Volcan a mental command.

The hulking cyborg walked behind him then, grabbing him with his massive hands, he lifted him along with his chair then turned around, placing him right after.

Looking ahead, Dante immediately understood what was happening. The wall he was made to face had a massive flat screen hanging on it. It was there the entire time, which means they purposefully sat him down with his back to it just so they could turn him around like that.

They were obviously going to show him something on that screen, and the theatrics just now were supposed to intimidate him.

Dante looked beside him only to see the massive cyborg carry the short man and his chair forward. It took a lot of willpower to not snort at the sight.

"Recently, we have received a big business opportunity." The short man said after being set down. "The product we’re looking to sell, it has the potential to change the world forever. We have been testing it here and there, giving out samples for very cheap. But to get it really going, we need something big. A really good advertisement that shows how well our product does against the competition."

The screen came alive, and the scene it depicted was exactly as Dante had imagined it. A hexagonal platform brightly lit from above, surrounded by walls of glass, transparent but unbreakable. Inside, a young girl with flowing stood at the center.

The confusion troubling her was clear from the way she looked around. She then looked down at herself and seemed to jump in fear, realizing that she now wore a costume made out of a tight jumpsuit and an alluring mascaraed mask

"Currently, Eidolon has a monopoly on the creation of Genoms," Epsilon said. "Since we aim to challenge them with our product, what better way to do so than to show it beating one of theirs?"