I rummaged through the remains of the fallen machine and found the core at the center of the pile. I couldn't access any of the data immediately, but if I could access a computer, I could hopefully extract some of the information I needed.
As if on cue, my hoverphone rang.
"Hello? You there?"
"Yeah, I'm here, what's up?"
"Well, I thought you might like to know that they've completed repairs at the shopping mall. Management asked me to convey their thanks. They want to give you a gift certificate. Maybe you can use it to buy some actual clothes. You can also, starting now, visit the mall between adventures to upgrade your weapons and armor, I guess. Cool, right?"
"That was fast. It's only been a couple of days. How did they fix it up so quickly?"
"Arty, we live in the future."
"Yeah, true." I paused, knowing I was about to annoy the poor guy again. "Hey, uh, can you give me a ride?"
A sigh. "Sure. I'll pick you up in 50 centhours. Don't be late."
After ending the call, I swam to the surface. While waiting on the side of the road nearest the shore, I looked down at the staff I'd collected at the bottom of the sea. I would find him, no matter the cost.
-
I thanked Rhett again and entered the shopping mall. I bought a few items of clothing, mostly because Rhett offered to let me keep Neptune's staff for a while if I agreed. Apparently I was starting to smell.
Immediately following that, I purchased a small, used computer from a local shop. Without even leaving the store, I plugged the core module into the laptop, and accessed the security camera footage.
After a few minutes of looking through old videos, I found it: a video of Neptune, taking out some of my henchmen. Just as he was about to cuff one of them, they escaped his grasp, and started running toward an exit. "You'll never take me alive! If you want to defeat me, you'll need to find me first!"
I paused the video, rolled it back, and zoomed in on then henchman's face. I recognized him as Jimmy, a resourceful and extremely ambitious member of my ranks. Last I heard, Jimmy had a hideout in the tropical biosphere a few hours away.
I closed the laptop, and checked the watch on my wrist attachment. The next train was leaving in only 25 centhours. No time to waste.
On the platform, I thought a lot about what I'd say to Jimmy when I found him. He wasn't exactly the nicest guy in the world. As I boarded the train, I saw the silhouette of a cloaked figure against the sun. Was he watching me? I wasn't sure.
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