The morning came too soon.
After getting dressed and making breakfast with whatever food Marcus could find in the kitchen, Marcus sat sleepily on the couch.
Kael sat in the kitchen, eating the breakfast Marcus had left over. "This is terrible," Kael said as he scooped onto the goopy oatmeal Marcus had cooked.
"You eat a meal from a guy who's barely awake, and you expect it to be good," Marcus asked rhetorically.
"Fair point," Kael said as he ate another spoonful of oatmeal.
Luna sat beside Marcus watching the news on the television. "And in other news, the war on drugs has suffered a major setback, distribution of the red acid drug has skyrocketed within the southern states, both the FAI and AAI have launched investigations into the drug trade and affiliated groups, but with the deaths rising from overdoses, many remain skeptical of the government's efforts..."
Just then there was a knock on the door, before It quickly opened, revealing Lieutenant Lance.
"You boys are dressed for duty, but do you feel ready?" Lance asked as he stepped inside the apartment, his tone slightly encouraging.
"I want to quit," Kael commented.
"I'd like a severance package," Marcus added.
"Well, that's too damn bad!" Lance laughed as he clapped his hands together. "Now come on, you need to learn your patrol route."
"We can't even drive." Marcus groaned as he rose up from the couch, straightening out his uniform.
"And you don't need to, unlike most cities in the US, New York is better traversed by foot and subways, not to mention your assigned district is pretty small."
"I don't think we even need to drive these days, cars can handle that much on their own," Kael explained as he gulped down the last of his disastrous breakfast.
Marcus sighed once more as he dragged his feet toward the door. "Fine, fine, ya got me."
Luna turned off the television and joined his side. Her face was an expression of curiosity and reserved excitement. "It's your first day on the job Marcus, you should be excited."
"Isn't this technically child labor?" Marcus asked as he joined Lance at the door.
"Surprisingly no, but even if it was, this is the least of the organization's worries," Kael explained as he joined them.
Lance chuckled, "You'll get used to it after a few years, now follow me."
The trio followed Lance through the corridor and into the elevator. The ride was silent, with only the occasional sound of distant conversation and the hum of the elevator.
Reaching the ground Floor and stepping outside, the morning sun greeted them. Casting long shadows on the street. The neighborhood was slowly rising with the morning, the smell of fresh breakfast filling the air.
Lance led the trio down the street, looking around with a watchful gaze. "So for our first stop, Lance began as he pointed down the street, gesturing towards a small white building with large, inviting windows. "we need to stop by our local Cyber-tech store."
"Are we going to buy a phone or an android?" Kael asked sarcastically.
"Neither." Lance answered, "You'll see what I mean when we get there."
The walk to the Cyber-tech store is relatively short, reaching it in under ten minutes. Stepping onto the premises, Marcus noticed that the store was closed, as indicated by the LED sign behind the glass door.
Lance, however, knocked on the door anyway, it wasn't long before a woman began approaching the door with red eyes that had heavy bags beneath them. She was dressed in a Cyber-tech uniform, which consisted of a white shirt and black pants.
"Can't you idiots read?" Read, the woman asked dryly, her voice muffled behind the glass. "We're not open yet!"
"Yeah, my bolts are loose and my chip is fried," Lance replied.
The woman sighed softly as she grabbed at her face. "Oh, it's you…" she grumbled as she unlocked the door and opened it.
Lance chuckled as he stepped inside the shop. "They didn't tell me they hired a new store manager," Lance commented as he looked over androids that were locked behind glass cases.
"You're ACOs, right?" The woman asked as she massaged her eyes.
"Yeah," Lance answered, turning to look down at the woman.
"Well the basement door is unlocked, so knock yourself out." The woman said with a wave of her hand. She then made her way back towards the door to lock it.
"Thanks," Lance replied, nodding at the woman before gesturing towards the trio to follow him.
As they descended into the basement, the air grew thick and the hash lights from the room leaked. Entering into the basement, they were greeted with the sight of various computers, generators, and even weapons.
"This is your operation center, you'll get your tasks and missions here, along with a few other miscellaneous tasks and such."
"Ahh, see now this makes sense," Marcus said as he nodded his head, studying the room he noticed that that was much like Kenji's and Elissa's safe house.
"So where do we start?" Kael asked.
Lance grabbed one of the computers and turned it on, the screen illuminated with a login screen.
Lance then looked back at Marcus, "You come here, Kael, go grab another computer." He ordered.
Kael nodded as he fetched a computer nearby, Marcus meanwhile joined Lance by the computer he already had. "Put your finger here," Lance instructed, pointing to the power key on the keyboard. "Don't press too hard, or you'll turn the computer off."
"Alright," Marcus said, waving Lance back.
Lance took a step back but still kept a close eye on Marcus.
Marcus gently tapped his finger on the key, the laptop hummed for a moment as its camera light turned white. It then unlocked itself, revealing a modest Home Screen with apps Marcus had never seen before.
Kael, who watched the whole scene unfold, did the same to his laptop, and it unlocked.
"Excellent," Lance said as took the laptop from Marcus, he then briefly went over the various applications, explaining where they could file and submit requests/reports, anomaly listings, people of interest, and essentially everything the boys would need to complete their work.
"… And that's how you check your routes." Lance explained as he opened the final application, "You'll be responsible for this area, which includes a residential area, and a few commercial districts, also keep your eye out for this area here." Lance said as he pointed towards a construction site. "Cyber-tech is building a new factory here, but that's only a cover, for a potential rift site." Lance then signed as he glanced over Marcus and Kael, "It's estimated to be high-rank-four or low-rank-three, so let's just hope the generators can seal it before it exits."
The atmosphere fell solemn for a moment, with Lance staring at the boys with a serious expression. "Any questions?" He asked.
"Yeah." Marcus said as he looked down at his laptop, "Are we just going to graze over the fact that a possible Rank-three anomaly might just pop up for a visit at the end of the week?"
"I agree," Kael added. "We're just rookies, yet you're talking like we're veterans."
"It's your job." Lance explained, "We don't have assets to spare, so rookie or not the organization is going to treat you as officers." He then stood up straight and fixed his uniform, "besides, I know for a fact you can handle it."
"We can handle the anomaly for sure." Kael admitted, "but the damage it might cause to the surrounding area…"
"Which is why we cleared the area as a construction site."
Marcus crossed his arms as he tilted his head. "Just for clarification, Cyber-tech knows about this right?"
Lance smirked, "The organization is Cyber-tech."
"You didn't know that?" Kael asked in slight disbelief, "You didn't see all those robots at the training complex?"
Marcus chuckled nervously. "I just thought the organization bought them, to be honest."
Lance sighed as he began navigating towards the back door, "You guys will leave out this way, the store is open and I don't want anyone getting suspicious."
Marcus nodded as he headed towards the door, Kael followed behind him.
"If you need to see your routes again, they're on your phone, just remember that you can only view your routes from it, you'll need a laptop to edit and…."
"We get it, lieutenant," Marcus said with a sigh as he tapped his pocket with his free hand, as Luna occupied the other. "We understand." He whispered teasingly.
"See ya, lieutenant," Kael said with a quick salute as he followed Marcus out the door.
Lance nodded.
Stepping back outside through the back door, Marcus was greeted with a small set of stairs leading up from what looked to be an alleyway, to the ground-level sidewalk.
"So do we split up?" Marcus asked as he quickly ascended the stairs.
"No." Kael replied, "There's no point."
"You take one end and I take the other, then we meet in the middle," Marcus explained.
"Why?" Kael asked, "It's not like there's a point in doing that. We won't get off early."
Marcus sighed as he reached the last step, the city stretched out before him, full of crowded sidewalks and busy streets.
"And you want to split up." kael said as he gestured out towards the hustle and bustle of the city.
"Fine, fine." Marcus murmured, "It was just a suggestion."
Luna giggled as she looked out onto the area, "it's so messy." she commented, "like too much going on at once."
Marcus chuckled as he bent down to pick Luna up, putting her on his shoulders. "How about now?" He asked, looking up to see her reaction.
"It's the same thing, just a different view," Luna said, placing her hands on Marcus's cheeks for stabilization.
Kael sighed as he took the lead, "Let's just get started."
Marcus chuckled as he shook his head. "Don't be jealous man. You'll find your dream companion too someday." He teased.
Beginning their patrol, their first stop was the commercial district. Moving through the crowded sidewalks, Marcus couldn't help but get lost in the beautiful New York scenery.
It felt less like work and more like a vacation.
They continued their patrol, weaving through the streets and alleyways, talking with the locals, and generally familiarizing themselves with their surroundings.
The commercial area was exactly as expected, busy.
Finishing up there, the trio made their way to the residential area. There things were quieter, the loud hustle and bustle settling for a more intimate and relaxed atmosphere. Families played outside and grilled, while the smell of good food filled the air, however as the trio went deeper into the residential area, they came across something…. Morbid.
There was a young man, no older than 18, convulsing on the ground.
There were two policemen standing a short way off, holding back a grieving woman, who was fighting to reach the boy.
"I'm sorry ma'am!" One of the officers shouted, his voice filled with sympathy, yet muffled behind a full face mask. "But we can't let you get close."
"I called you here!" The woman cried out, "I fucking called you here!"
There were two paramedics rushing towards the scene, exiting from a truck, "Red acid overdose!?" One shouted as he reached the boy, his voice muffled by a mask.
"Yeah." An officer said, her voice strained from holding back the woman, "his mother might've contacted some of the drugs, we aren't sure."
Marcus watched the scene wordlessly. Not sure how to feel or respond.
Kael watched him with a sympathetic expression, before turning to see the crowd gathering around them. "We should go," Kael suggested as he tapped Marcus's shoulder.
"Y-yeah." Marcus stammered as he stepped away from the scene.
They walked side by side, and a quiet silence formed between them and lasted until they exited the residential area entirely.
"I've never actually seen someone overdose on red acid before," Kael said softly, finally breaking the silence.
"Same." Marcus said with a sigh, "It's hard to believe anomalies could be turned into something like…. That."
"It's best not to think about it." Kael stated, "Just makes it worse we you realize it's our jobs to keep those things off the market."
The boys finished their patrol route at the construction site Lance had mentioned earlier. The area was cordoned off, with heavy machinery and workers busy with various tasks.
Marcus studied the area from a distance, a growing sense of excitement and unease flowing through him.
"I've noticed you smile a lot in dangerous situations," Kael commented, crossing his arms as he looked out onto the construction site. "Is there a reason?"
Marcus nodded as the grin fell from his face. "I was easily frightened and scared for the most part of the exam." Marcus began, "But that Changed after I was pushed to my breaking point, I shut down for a bit, got lost in my head, and then a switch flipped." Marcus said as he pointed to his head.
"Now I don't feel fear anymore, it's almost always excitement now, that or amusement."
Kael nodded as he closed his eyes. "Well, I'd say you were normal before, being scared is natural."
Marcus shook his head. "Fear made me weak." He explained. "It didn't take much before I'd curl up in a ball and cry."
Kael sighed but didn't argue further. "We should head back."
"Yeah."