The Deadman

Robert leaned his elbows on a balcony while biting he butt of his cigarette.  Not far from him was Valerie who’s working on the report. It was a hotel they found. They had enough cash to rent a luxurious room with two beds.

There was an option of renting their own private room. However, they had been tired enough about sudden meetings from Viator that in the end they decided to just have a room where they can stay. It also helped in organizing their thoughts.

Robert glanced at the Mosque that was lit up in the distance. He took a smell of the fresh air and compared it to the air back in Lux once more. It really was different that he wondered why the air in that place was so awful. Then again, Lux City’s generous to the rich, and uncaring about the poor.

[Where are you at right now?]

[Istanbul. Told you.]

[Hateful. Traveling around.]

Robert sent a picture of Valerie typing on her terminal.

[Staying in one room now? Degenerates.]

Robert sent a picture of the interior of the room. Seeing the two beds, Robert could guess what Julie would send.

[Whoa, how in god’s green earth are you wasting your chance?]

[Not a degenerate like you. You’re going to be a cake soon, and you still have the mind of a horny teenager.]

[It’s common sense. You got a hottie like Val and you don’t think of it once.]

[I’m not desperate like you?]

[Bastard. Give souvenirs.]

[Might not get one. Besides, your room’s so full already. Where do you even put them?]

[Hmm, I actually might have to rearrange them.]

[Rearranging them won’t change the fact that your place is full of it. The clutter’s just bad, man.]

[You don't report?]

[Done it already.]

Robert waited for her reply while blandly gazing at the horizon line. Traveling around countries has made his impression of this world a bit better. Lux City is an anomaly and there is only one other city that has that bleak atmosphere that can match it.

If anything, he was rather glad that such a world was still only limited to Coronado and Lux City. Indeed, he might feel familiar in Lux City, but nonetheless he enjoyed the normal view.

He had been living under glass towers and iron skyscrapers that such sights were a gift to him. An impossible sight that people from his other life would have killed to witness.

Lately, he has been wondering if this was a curse or a blessing. It’s still hard to truly believe in the existence of the unknown or a deity despite commanding powers. However, the fact that magic exists, and beings like the Deadman exist were proof that somewhere out there a powerful being called God exists.

Chance or not didn’t matter.

All he knew was that something pulled him over to this world. Before his soul vanished, he was grabbed and put into this body.

His appearance was also starting to look like his old self. There are traces of Robert, but most of his features have become Kato Lores. Whether this was the effect of his long sleep or not. Robert guessed only that his soul was starting to shape his body as well.

Once upon a time, he only believed only in the strength of his arms and guns. The world he knew was simple until it all became such a mess. Magic and Science. Monsters and superhumans. Never did once think that he’d be in a situation like this. His mind only started pondering about this because of the recent movements of the forces.

Robert wanted to become ignorant to the affairs of the world. At least if he was ignorant, his mind wouldn’t be in the affairs of powers that he couldn’t be involved in.

Megacorps and Mercenaries was a bad mix. In the future he once knew, they ruled like Kings, and made everyone a serf who bowed their heads. The Government Entities were pulled by their leashes and lives were nothing compared to profit. The world he woke up to was close to that, and what he had seen in the past few months had made it clear to him that such corporations couldn’t be stopped as long as interest and the pursuit of wealth exists. It was best to accept them. Being used to this kind of situation doesn’t make it the best.

One thing that remained true to him was the thought of being glad that even in such a world, one could find a comfortable place and just be glad to be alive.

Even as he became accustomed to being Robert Oswald. In the end, his soul was Kato Lores. A survivor, a mercenary, and a deadman who once lived in a world where there were only a few things that mattered to him.

He had lost a lot ever since. He found it odd that he was still taking a step forward. He guessed that in the end he still remained a person who wanted to strive until the day he would die. When there is life, there is hope. 

So it was hard seeing this world moving to a direction that promised conflict. All because of korium. He wondered if korium was the sign of the end and that the appearance of such minerals was the cause of things going down a certain way. The world’s far more optimistic than what he knew.

The situation’s bad.

Very bad.

Whatever it was that they were doing with that unholy amount of korium is dangerous. He had lived long enough in a world with a sky that melts everything underneath to know that.

It wasn’t called the devil’s ore for no reason.

Maybe it’s because of this that he was hoping that everyone can be rational about the korium in their hands. He was clueless to the plans that needed this amount of korium. He didn’t know anything other than a fear that the sky he had started to love would become burning orange again.

 

***

 

Robert got up early and left the hotel to meet up with the person that called him.

Wearing sunglasses despite having so many filtering options in his eyes. Strato looks at Robert and secretly hands over the drive that he had prepared.

“Morning, Val already left to find Romila?”

“She’s a busy person,” Robert slots in the drive on his deck and connects it to his smart glasses.

“Got an idea what’s happening.”

“Did sent me that info. Lot to take in.”

“I did. These are treacherous times and I have so little that I could trust right now.”

“Val’s alright.”

“She is, but she’s not ready to be in the affairs of people that can wield magic alongside technology.”

Robert clicks his tongue.

The drive shows an array of information. News from spies. Informants that have pooled their resources to understand what was happening in the cold continent and how the Consortium wormed their way into getting permission to get into the islands.

Robert looked at the structure of the island. The pictures that were displayed showed images of men wearing power armor guarding this entrance and obstructing the view through this massive gateway they constructed was tearing this space apart, allowing entry to this place.

“We suspect that there is a dominion in there that they have discovered. As you know, dominions are overwhelmingly large sanctuaries that resemble a small world. Hidden behind an illusion.”

“And other than that?”

“They manage to secure tons of materials that they are regularly transferring through their transports. They are heavily protected and anyone who violates their airspace is shot down and killed without question. They have been violating international laws, but it’s being justified by self-defense. Not to mention they have bought a lot of politicians who are willing to excuse their behavior. Their most dangerous weapon is their ability to remain in the right, to wash themselves from sin, and proclaim that they are righteous. Their PR’s terrifying that anything done against them is considered an offense that will not be forgotten.”

“You make it sound like they are invincible, untouchable.”

“They are not, but there’s a good reason why they are like this. Even the board members aren’t going to be able to easily disagree when their Madam directly orders this.”

Robert cups his chin, “Hard to believe that none of the major powers are doing anything. You’d think that having so much power like this would be a violation and a threat to their interest.”

“Perhaps, but it’s not about the Consortium that makes them useful. It’s the person behind the Consortium that they care about. Without Gia Silva, they wouldn’t give a single shit about the Consortium, but with Gia Silva around, they don’t want to lose the possibility and the benefits. Even now, many of our politicians think that there is a greater purpose for whatever she’s doing. She’s neutral and her moving like this means that something was so important that it needed her attention.

“The question is,” Robert said. “What is so important that she’s willing to poke the major powers?”

The visuals on the footage changed. On the footage were pictures and listings of the materials that they took. The amount of metal they are transporting alongside superconductors.

“What do they intend to do with all of these anyway.”

“I don’t know. What I do know is that there are certain limitations that prevent us from acquiring information.  Still, the readings we are getting there puts us into worry.”

“It doesn’t look like a WMD.’

“That’s the thing. It might not be one, but we know for sure that there’s a chance that she’s making one as well. She’s a scientist first, but there are certain issues that don't stop her from just creating one either.”

“Any statement from them?”

“Not at all. Only warnings that anything done to their supply would be subjected to retaliation.”

“They play one hell of a game, do they?”

Strato joins his synthetic fingers togethers. 

“But they aren’t dumb enough to ignore the rest of the world. PR can only go so far and in a way, they are sure enough to allow entry to their island for… questions in regards to their activities.”

“You’re planning to send delegates?”

Robert has a bad feeling. Strato behaved as if he’s asking a favor to Robert Oswald. It was a favor that he seemed hesitant to ask.

“Madam Silva hasn’t been active for a while. These recent movements are questionable enough that we need someone who can help us.”

Robert crossed his arms and frowned.

“You asked a lot from me.”

“I know. I promised that I won’t get you involved in big matters like this, but you gotta understand that my hands are tied on this and there’s only guy that I know who is proficient with tech and can do magic. I just want you to get a read on their island, maybe find things in their network and inform us on whatever this thing is. I’m not asking you to go guns blazing and in a way, you should understand this is their way of telling the world what their intentions are.”

Come and try to find out.

It was a provocation like that.

“Of course, I’m not asking you to go there as Robert Oswald.”

He handed the parcel to him. Robert opened the parcel and found a cheap and paper document alongside a ghost badge. Printed on the document was the name ‘Kato Lores’.

“I want you to go to Haven and find out anything about what they are trying to do there. Doesn’t matter if you find anything or not, but we need someone to go there. You’re the only person that I know who hasn't been logged in their database. Heck, they might as well think that you’re from another world if they try to dig into you.”

He was getting a bead on what he wanted from him.

What he wanted wasn’t Robert Oswald.

He wanted Kato Lores to go there and assume that other name.