Having wrapped up another cleanup and material-collection gig, Pyke stood atop a high-rise, gazing down at the city below. The coating on his body repaired itself at an incredible pace, returning him to pristine condition in moments.
His defenses weren't anything special—honestly, they were pretty lousy—but the advanced tech embedded in him granted a regeneration rate that bordered on miraculous.
As soon as the coating finished repairing, Pyke spotted a group of gang members below. The moment he saw them, he couldn't look away.
The fire of vengeance surged up from deep within him, a fury so overwhelming that even the Lissandra sub-AI inside him struggled to suppress it.
Lissandra quickly detected the irregularity and reported it to Roland.
"The emotional module has been triggered by an unknown factor?"
Roland frowned, pulling up the neural monitoring feed streaming from Pyke.
Several metrics were spiking rapidly, and the system soon produced its conclusion—he was experiencing extreme anger.
"Put him through."
"Yes."
A moment later, the comm connected.
"Pyke, what's going on over there?"
"Sir, after resonating with the Destruction Template, this body has generated overwhelming anger. It's already affecting me. But I've likely identified the cause."
Pyke transmitted an image to Roland's display. The Maelstrom member's face was unmistakably familiar. Roland froze, recalling the events from when they'd first brought the man in.
He hadn't expected the hatred to be this deep-seated. No—Destruction was the real catalyst.
"System, get out here. Your time has come."
"…Host, this is easily resolved. You just have to let the original body vent its emotions."
Hearing this, Roland narrowed his eyes. Without hesitation, he issued a directive to Pyke. Since they were moving against the Maelstrom gang anyway…
There was no reason to waste it. He'd have The Mox take over the territory afterward.
After all… the Maelstrom gang had no real backing. If the opportunity arose to wipe them out entirely, so be it.
Once Pyke received confirmation that he could enact revenge, a wave of joy surged through him. An unfamiliar emotion swelled in his chest—
Excitement.
...
Inside a Maelstrom hideout, three members patrolled lazily around the courtyard while two more lounged near the gate, snorting S-coke and shooting the breeze.
The patrols weren't any more disciplined—they, too, paused now and then to take a hit from various bottles and vials, looking perfectly content with life.
Suddenly, one of them noticed a dim corner where a flickering glow appeared—pulsing like the breath of a fish's gills.
He rubbed his eyes hard, then blinked again when the silhouette vanished.
"Did I take too much?"
Whoosh—
Thud!
A streak of crimson light flashed past. Something round rolled across the ground, only to be neatly caught by a mechanical hand.
"The first one on the list."
Buzz—
Pyke slid forward, his outline rippling like a fish in water before melding seamlessly into the darkness. Only someone standing very close could faintly perceive the flickering, breathlike glow.
"Hey, shouldn't it be our turn to patrol? Those two idiots aren't back yet?"
"Who cares? Probably got too high and knocked themselves out somewhere."
"That's not good. If something goes wrong, I'm the one getting chewed out. I'll go check."
"What a pain. Fine, go."
The other waved him off, then ignored the matter entirely.
The man headed in to investigate but hadn't gone far before spotting someone pressed tightly against the wall, back turned to him.
"Hey, dumbass, what are you doing here? You high again?"
He stepped forward, intending to pat the man on the shoulder—but the moment he touched him, the body collapsed like soggy pulp, spilling across the floor.
His pupils shrank sharply. As he drew in breath to shout, a cold hand clamped over his mouth.
"No one leaves. No one escapes…"
Squelch.
A wet, puncturing sound followed. Another soul released—at least, from Pyke's perspective.
"Another name…"
Meanwhile, one of the two at the gate finally sensed something off after waiting too long. He stood up, ready to head inside and report—
Whoosh—
A harpoon shot from the darkness, striking him squarely between the shoulders. His scream cut short as he vanished into the abyss beyond the light.
The remaining Maelstrom member snapped around just in time to witness the horrifying sight: his comrade being dragged into the darkness by an impossibly long chain.
Panic froze the group.
Superstitious or not, the Maelstrom gang believed in something—and this was way too close to it.
"Damn it, what are you idiots afraid of?! Move!!"
Smack!
Their heavily cyber-modified leader, positioned at the rear, slapped a henchman across the back of the head and barked the order.
The others exchanged stiff glances, then picked up their weapons and advanced.
But all they found was a pool of blood.
Just as their tension eased, a heavy crash erupted behind them, violently snapping their nerves taut again.
They turned—and saw the corpse of their missing comrade drop from above.
Whoosh—
As their attention fixated on the falling body, a crimson flash streaked through the void. Another man was impaled and dragged screaming into the darkness.
"What are you idiots staring for?! Fire!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunfire erupted instantly as they unloaded in the direction of the last crimson flash, pouring out bullets as if trying to drown their fear.
Whoosh—
A crimson streak suddenly flared above them. A black silhouette, glowing red, descended—weapon in hand, chain-like and deadly.
Boom!
A massive burst of red light detonated, swallowing several Maelstrom members whole. Nothing remained of them except scattered chunks untouched by the blast—an utterly gruesome sight.
Then, like the whisper of water, the figure vanished once more.
Their leader watched in horror, sweat pouring down his temples. He roared and fired wildly around him—
Only to hit several of his own men.
Pyke struck again soon after. Each attack claimed several lives. In the blink of an eye, only the leader remained.
His face was ghostly pale, sweat soaking his entire body. If his cybereyes weren't filtering the scene, what they'd reveal would be… indescribable.
Whoosh!
An energy-forged harpoon shot out, piercing the back of his skull before snapping back, leaving a spray of blood across the ground.
Pyke gazed at the severed head in his grasp, a wave of exhilaration rising within him. Slowly, his grip tightened—
Crack!
Blood splattered across his body.
"This debt—we're settling it once and for all."