Ned's eyes flicked from the chaos outside back to his empty coffee cup, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts and plans.
It had been a month since his near death experience.
The café around him hummed with the quiet chatter of patrons seemingly oblivious to the explosion that had just rocked the street. Either they were used to such disturbances in Deadlock, or the café's soundproofing was top-notch.
Knowing Arashiyama, it was probably both.
A movement caught his attention, and Ned looked up to see a waitress approaching his table.
Her walk was less of a sashay and more of a physics-defying wiggle, her hips swaying at angles that gave her hourglass shape a rather weird geometry.
It was as if someone had described the concept of "sexy walk" to an AI, and this was its best attempt at replication.
"Fourth time's the charm, handsome," she purred, bending at an impossible angle to place his espresso on the table.
Her shirt strained against the gravity of two voluptuous tits. Like jelly, they oozed, strained against the gaps between buttons, giving Ned a view that was probably illegal in at least twelve different game worlds.
"Anything else I can get you?"
Ned flashed her his signature grin, the one that made women swoon and men question their sexuality.
"Just the pleasure of your company, darling," he drawled, laying it on thick. "But I'm afraid I'm a bit preoccupied at the moment."
The waitress pouted, a move that somehow made her lips look even fuller. She leaned in close, her breath tickling his ear.
"Well, if you change your mind..." Her hand slid across the table, leaving behind a slip of paper with a string of numbers. "Give me a call. I get off at midnight."
Ned's grin widened, showing off teeth so perfect they could've been used to calibrate digital cameras.
"I'll keep that in mind," he said, his voice a low rumble that seemed to vibrate through the air between them.
As the waitress sauntered away, putting even more exaggerated sway into her hips, Ned's smile fell away like a mask being peeled off. He let out a long sigh, his shoulders sagging under the weight of everything on his mind.
'What a mess,' he thought, pulling out his PDA. The device flickered to life, its screen displaying the gaudy yellow-striped bug logo of The Digital Swarm.
Ned's finger hovered over the sign-up button, tapping the screen a few times without committing.
His mind drifted back to the battle that had changed everything. The Kratos-lookalike, Quantum's boogeyman, had beaten him to within an inch of his life.
But instead of dying, Ned had... Awakened. The memory sent a shiver down his spine.
'Why did they come after me in the first place?' he wondered, not for the first time. 'Was I already Awakened, just dormant? Or did they know something I didn't?'
The questions swirled in his head.
Quantum's supposed goal was to eliminate every Awakened, but why target him specifically? And then there was the matter of the spy headquarters crumbling overnight.
Had he been responsible for that somehow?
Ned took a sip of his espresso, grimacing at the bitter taste. It matched his mood perfectly.
'Finding the 'Limitless' wielder should be my top priority', he mused. 'But going up against these Awakened organizations, not to mention Quantum itself... it's like trying to win a sword fight with a spoon.'
The image of that monster looming over him flashed through Ned's mind again, bringing with it a wave of nausea. He'd been utterly powerless against Quantum's enforcer. And if they had someone that strong, the other organizations must have their own heavy hitters.
'I need to get stronger', Ned realized, his hand clenching around the PDA. 'Not just for my sake, but to find and protect the Limitless wielder. We need to reset Deadlock, get it back on track.'
But strength wasn't his only concern. His team was out there somewhere, probably thinking he was dead. Knowing them, they'd be neck-deep in trouble by now, poking their noses into Quantum's business in some misguided attempt at vengeance.
Ned's heart clenched at the thought. For all their faults, his team had become like family. He couldn't let them throw their lives away on his account. But reuniting with them would put a target on their backs if Quantum discovered he was still alive.
'Damned if I do, damned if I don't', Ned thought bitterly. 'But at least if I get stronger, I can protect them. Keep them safe while I figure out this whole Awakened business.'
He pulled out the digital screen of his system, and it had been the same. Nothing had changed.
'I really needed a way to level up.' He thought.
The PDA screen flickered, drawing Ned's attention back to the present. The Swarm app stared back at him, its sign-up button seeming to pulse with temptation. It offered a path to power, a way to level up his newfound Awakened abilities. Not to mention the cash, which he sorely needed after Quantum had liquefied his accounts.
But doubt gnawed at him like a worm in his brain.
The explosion he'd witnessed earlier was a stark reminder of The Swarm's methods.
Underhand tactics, collateral damage... it went against everything Ned stood for, despite his background as a spy.
'And then there's the spyware', he reminded himself.
The Swarm app was notorious for extracting personal information from its users. In his current situation, staying off the grid was crucial.
If The Swarm got hold of his data, they wouldn't hesitate to sell it to the highest bidder – which, knowing his luck, would probably be Quantum.
Ned's finger hovered over the sign-up button one last time before he let out a frustrated grunt and pocketed the PDA.
'Not worth the risk', he decided. 'I'll find another way'.
He downed the last of his espresso in one gulp, relishing the burn as it went down. As he stood to leave, he caught the eye of the waitress.
She blew him a kiss, mouthing "Call me" with an exaggerated wink.
Ned flashed her his signature grin again, already planning to leave her number behind. But as he turned to go, something caught his eye.
The waitress was holding a PDA – not unusual in itself - everyone had one these days. But in the reflection of the café's glass wall, Ned could just make out the screen.
His heart skipped a beat. There, clear as day, was the user interface of the Swarm app.
'Well, well, well,' Ned thought, a plan already forming in his mind. 'Looks like I might not need to sign up after all.'
He turned back, snatching the phone number from the table. The waitress's eyes lit up, clearly misinterpreting his actions.
'Time to put those spy skills to use', he thought, pocketing the number with a smirk.
'Let's see what little miss wiggle-walk can do for me.'
***