Present Day: March 5th 2093.
Colony: New-Tokyo; Shibuya Ruins.
6:08 pm GMT+8.
"You cannot hide forever code #00156 Hiromi Kazuya."
The voice said as footsteps echoed on the roof of the decrepit building. The footsteps made distinct creaking sounds, as the soles of whomever the voice belonged to treaded the old metallic railings of the roof.
As soon as they shot him, Hiromi instinctively hid behind one of the old generators. There were eight generators on the roof, lined up in parallel. It seemed they were once used to power the decrepit building's air conditioning system. And since they were so large, he could easily conceal his presence behind one of them.
"How much longer do you think you can hide from me, code #00156?" The mysterious voice said, as it continued; "We know what happened five years ago. We assumed you were a special specimen. However, it seems others like you, are emerging around the Colonies."
Hiromi's heart was racing at the words he had just heard. He knew there was something about his mark, and the blood they took five years ago. What was the Centrials' goal? Were there others with the same marks somewhere out there? He had no time to worry about that, though, as the pain he was desperately trying to ignore finally hit its peak.
"Agrhhh! Damn it!"
Hiromi let out a low shriek as the procedure began. A mind numbing sensation coursed through his body. Sending waves of excruciating jolts of pain, as his cells rapidly divided, to replace the damaged ones. He soon found out that, The Triple-A was as dreaded as the rumors suggested.
The Beta-Nano-Bots soon got to work, sealing up his wound with minute laser-surgery, while taking out the pellet that was stuck in his shoulder. This was an equally painful experience, and it took all he had for him not to let out a loud shriek. By then, his arm was throbbing, and just when he thought he was about to pass out again, it stopped.
Hiromi's breathing settled. And he slowly regained his senses. He could still see his wound slowly closing up. Which suggested the Beta-Nano-Bots were still at work. But he couldn't feel it anymore.
"It looks like the Adrenal-Stimulating Anesthesia finally kicked in." He said, letting out a sigh of relief.
< Correct, Hiromi >
< Your vitals are stabilizing >
Hiromi felt relieved. But knew he was not out of the woods yet. Whomever shot at him was only a few meters away, and still a looming danger.
"Night-Mode Code!" He said, in a low tone, as moved to the edge of the generator. His Contacts, adjusted to the amount of light he was receiving, and gave him clear vision, on a pitch black night.
It seemed Hiromi's attacker was a female Centrial. He couldn't quite make out what she looked like because of the hooded coat she had on. But her Scarlet-Red eyes, which were her most prominent feature stood out in the dark, as they gave off an ominous glow.
Suddenly, she looked in his direction, as if she had just found out exactly where he was. She extended her arm, and within a split second, four more shots went off. All four hitting the same spot with impeccable precision.
At that moment, Hiromi felt what it was like to have his life in the hands of another. Two things were obvious to him; first, was that there was no way for him to beat her alone, and second, was that she could have killed him at that very moment if she wanted to.
"Try that one more time, and I will not hesitate to end you!" She blurted. Her voice in a tone suggesting she was not bluffing.
It was clear to Hiromi that he had to get out of there immediately, or he would most definitely die. He calmed his breathing once more and tried looking at his predicament as a problem he could solve.
"Code display the SVG* of the building!"
*SVG: Scalable Vector Graphics. This basically allowed a user to see the layout of a structure from the inside out, within a 100 meter radius.*
< SVG >
< Three potential escape routes discovered >
< X, Y and Z >
< X - Simple Route>
< Y - Intermediate Route >
< Z - Difficult Route >
SVGs highly depended on a user's IQ and ability to reason in order to find an optimal route. Most Recon Squads had a member whose reserved role was solely to find the most optimal route.
"Simple route? It's the first time I've seen that option." Hiromi said, as he continued; "What are the chances of survival and escape if the route is taken?"
< X - Simple Route >
< Likelihood of escape: 100 Percent >
< Likelihood of survival: Zero Percent >
"Wait, you mean…"
A loud bang echoed, and the generator beside Hiromi blew up. He took out his W.A.R.P* almost immediately and, and avoided a fatal wound.
*W.A.R.P: Wicked Artillery Real-Time Protector. A personal invention by Hiromi. Its defensive capabilities were quite high tier. The only reason the Academy did not acknowledge it was because of his terrible naming sense.*
"Where the hell are you Hiromi?!" a voice exclaimed, as it continued; "Did you think you could get rid of me that easily, you little wimp?!"
Hiromi was taken aback. Takashi's sudden appearance was unexpected. Of course, he knew better than to try predicting the movements of someone as spontaneous as Takashi.
"Takashi?!" Hiromi exclaimed, as he continued: "That idiot! It's only going to get easier for the Centrial if she has more targets!"
Takashi had somehow escaped the rubble down below, caused by Hiromi's skill. He used a level three Power-Boost to jump 50 meters up from the first floor. His ascent was so fast, he barely had time to control his acceleration. So, he simply used a Defensive-Boost to pummel through the railing. And was soon in midair above the roof.
The female Centrial was quick to notice Takashi's sudden appearance and soon fired three bullets in his direction.
< ⚠ Warning ⚠ >
< High speed projectiles detected >
"I see that, Beta!" Takashi replied to his Inventory System's warning. "Level three Offensive-Boost* Precision Blade!"
***
*Boosts, as the term suggests; they enhance a user's abilities beyond their normal limitations as humans. If high enough in level, a boost could enable a human to fight on even terms with a Centrial. However, the recoil on a human body was so great that if one passed a certain point, death was inevitable.
There were three major types of boosts, Power-Boosts* Defensive-Boosts* and Offensive-Boosts*. They ranked these from levels one to nine. Some boosts were unique to certain individuals. The type of Energy-Core used was what determined the level of the boost.
*Power-Boosts were the most common type of boost. Their applications were almost limitless, as they solely depended on a user's creativity and ability to use them effectively. They basically enhanced a user's physical abilities; Strength, Agility, Stamina…
*Defensive-Boosts were used for defensive purposes. They did this in two basic ways; the first was to increase the resistance of a user's body to damage. And the second was to increase the resistance of an object such as a shield to an even higher level. If used effectively, one could almost be untouchable on the human level.
*Offensive-Boosts were the hardest type of boost to gain. They gave users unique fighting styles and skills. Hiromi's Flashy Grenade was a type of Offensive-Boost. They enhanced the basic levels of weapons to even higher tiers. Further enhancing even a user's natural abilities such as; Sight, Sense of Smell, Instinct.
***
Takashi's blade swung at the bullets, cutting them in half as if he was seeing them in slow motion.
"Impressive. You reacted to that?" The Centrial said, letting out a slight chuckle. "Code #00345 Takashi Dazai, was it?"
Takashi landed on the roof, glaring at Hiromi and then facing the female hooded Centrial, as he said;
"Listen, you damned Scarlet-Eyed Monster!" He exclaimed. "I'm not like that weakling, Hiromi. I'm a different breed!"