Chương 146: B3. 5.2 - Visit From A Robot

Reo Hinode (Oberon)"What the fuck are you talking about?" Reo asked, his exhausted mind trying to understand the insanity of Pino's words.

"Back up a bit! I have no clue about what's going on here. An underground base? The PCM? What's their deal?"

"Ah… I thought you knew." Pino crossed its legs, right leg resting on the left, and leaned back. It bounced its right foot. The chrome surface reflected the lone lightbulb in the middle of the ceiling.

"Either you are faking a lack of knowledge, or your group severely lacks intel of the goings on in this city."

"I don't know shit!" Reo decided to act flustered. Be an annoying yapper. Hopefully, this robot and its friends would belittle him. And they'd be right to do so.

"You should ask Dario about this. Dario… Something… Not sure what his full name is. But you know about him, right? Intel this and that. I'm just a small fry guy. I'm the fry that fell out of the pouch and onto the floor."

"We would've talked to Dario if we knew where he was. He's not an easy-to-find guy like you. You'll relay our message to him."

"Again, why me? I'm very forgetful when it comes to passing messages. Talk to Myra. Talk to Deen. You know about—" Reo shut his mouth. He was being a bitch. Had he willingly directed an Adumbrae to women to save his skin? That was a new low for him.

"Explain all this shit. I'm listening."

"Before that, Mr. Reo," Pino said.

"A gesture of goodwill. Our boss, Red Hood, didn't particularly care for your group until we needed your help. You've met her, but she didn't note any clues about your identities. It was up to me to look for your group. Do you know how I came to find you?" Reo shrugged.

"Beats me." He faked nonchalance while wondering who ratted them out. It couldn't be Deen or Erind. They were first to meet Blanchette or Red Hood or whoever this Adumbrae really was, but Deen and Erind were regular humans back then. Someone told Red Hood that Reo and the others would hit the 2Ms warehouse—that left Myra, Johann, and Everett.

"The police database," said Pino, snapping Reo out of his worried thoughts.

"Specifically, Sgt. Hall of the LEPD. He's been investigating you. Signs of inhumanity, I believe." It was like Reo suddenly choked. He was in the police computer files? He was hoping he was just in Sgt. Hall's notes, and nobody else knew about it. Kill the nosy cop, and everything would die with him. Or maybe they could find the case folder and burn it. Reo didn't expect that he was already tagged as a suspected nonhuman in the police database.

"Why did you suddenly go pale?" Pino asked with notes of robotic laughter.

"It seemed you suspected that you've slipped up on one occasion but didn't realize—""How bad I've really fucked up," Reo finished.

"Yeah, yeah… You plugged those cable-like hairs of yours into police computers? Why are you telling me this?"

"For goodwill, as I've said. And because we can help you with your police problem. Right now, the police are preoccupied with the PCM matter. But after that has simmered down, Sgt. Hall will certainly draw his attention back to you. Perhaps you might want our assistance in erasing you from their system. If it isn't obvious, my powers are related to technology… Data. I sent signals to your brain, telling you how to move." Reo held his head. This Adumbrae could fuck with brainwaves? That was insanely powerful.

He also felt violated that an Adumbrae messed with his mind. Disgusting.

"Computers are much simpler than human brains," Pino went on, leaning forward.

"I can erase you from the system. It'll help you and your friends as well. How does that sound?" Reo's instincts wanted to outright reject the Adumbrae's offer of help. All of them couldn't be trusted. Pino. Red Hood. Even Kelsey. But part of him wanted to accept it. Maybe Pino could give him part of his normal life back? No more wishing that he had Deen's future sight ability instead of summoning weird fucks from inside him. No more worrying if the BID would blast his ass inside the restaurant or his apartment.

"I… Let's hear what you want us to do first," Reo said.

"The PCM—start from there."

"The Protectors of the City are in cahoots with Mark and Big Marcy. Cahoots. It's such a funny word to say, and I've always wanted to use it."

"I knew it!"

"Right? You also knew that 'cahoots' is a funny word?"

"Wha—?" Reo couldn't tell if the Adumbrae was messing with him or was serious. Perhaps these pieces of mind-stealing bastards from another world didn't think straight.

"I've always suspected that the PCM was up to no good. Uh, well, I didn't think that they were actually helping with the human experiments of the 2Ms—that's what we call Mark and Big Marcy."

"It's much worse than simply 'helping'. Though the PCM and the, erm, 2Ms, as you put it, are working together, they have different goals. The 2Ms are in it for gain."

"We know that," Reo said.

"They're turning wealthy assholes into immortal wealthy assholes."

"But do you know that the PCM is intent on making a Purple Bloom?"

"Huh?" Reo tilted his head.

"I might've misheard you because you said the PCM wants to make a Purple Bloom… No way those guys who only know how to rally and block traffic are making a Purple Bloom."

"They're not. They're just planning to. And we wouldn't let them prepare for it." Reo blinked. Some pieces in his brain clicked together.

"Wait… You were the ones who attacked the PCM offices! The rumors were true—it really was another Adumbrae attack!"

"Now, you're getting it!" Pino clapped while chuckling.

"I thought your group was well-informed. After all, you attacked the docks controlled by Big Marcy. Then again, if Red Hood wasn't there, all of you would've been dead. An Adumbrae saved you."

"Ye-yes." Reo curtly replied through gritted teeth. It pained him to admit it. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. But they were in that situation because of Dario's poor planning, not expecting how much firepower the 2Ms had at the docks. Yes! That was it. And Red Hood didn't go to the docks to save them. That was just a little positive consequence. Reo didn't owe any Adumbrae.

"Onto the problem at hand," said Pino.

"As you are aware, hopefully, our little tussle with the PCM drew the attention of BID agents. They are searching high and low for PCM bases hidden all over the city. Emphasis on the low part—the PCM has set up laboratories and all sorts of things in the tunnels beneath the city. The BID is finding each and every one of them. However, so far, they haven't infiltrated the most important one—the central base of the PCM, where all of their most important data is stored."

"And you're targeting this central base… Why? I thought you were trying to stop them? Let the BID handle it. They'll destroy everything there just right. Sit back and relax." Something wasn't adding up correctly; Reo failed a couple of math subjects before, but he definitely knew how to add. He also couldn't figure out why Red Hood's group wanted their help. What was the Adumbrae scheming about?

"We don't want the data falling into the hands of the BID," Pino simply said.

"Why not?" Reo asked. Pino didn't reply. Reo and Pino stared at each other for several seconds.

"That's it?" Reo snorted.

"No explanation? You don't want to tell me? Okay, okay, okay. My next question is, why doesn't your boss, the giant werewolf herself, Red Hood, take care of this whole problem? Granted, a giant werewolf can't fit in the tunnels. But even if your boss doesn't grow, she's very strong. I don't see what our group can do that she can't."

"Red Hood is indisposed for the moment," Pino said.

"And so are most of our… members. I'm using the word 'members' in a loose way here. We're Adumbrae. We don't exactly form groups and work together."

"But you did work together to fight the PCM," Reo said, pointing at Pino.

"I thought you guys would be more open to a Purple Bloom. Ah, Purple Blooms also eat other Adumbrae, right? Yikes. I can see why you'd be opposed to that."

"Naturally."

"I'm not seeing why we should risk our necks for Adumbrae," Reo said.

"We can handle our fucking police problem ourselves. Not a big worry. If that's all you have to offer, then—""I haven't gotten to it yet." The robot's face couldn't move, but Reo imagined it breaking into a wide smile. The devil was about to present its deal.

"In the course of preparing to make a Purple Bloom, the PCM needed to perform experiments. On humans… and Adumbrae. They captured Adumbrae and kept them in underground holding cells."

"I could've been walking around not knowing there was an Adumbrae under me? This city is fucked."

"Some of these places had been found by the BID, the Adumbrae inside killed. But the holding cells inside the central base of the PCM are still closed." Reo shrugged.

"The BID is going to kill the monsters there, too. I don't see why that's our problem. You know us—we'd cheer for that to happen." He was becoming more confident. Pino wouldn't do anything to him because they needed him. And he wouldn't help them. Dario and the Professor better have a plan for dealing with Pino and Red Hood, though. Reo didn't want Pino to come by again.

"Well… you wouldn't want the BID to kill those Adumbrae," Pino said.

"One of them, anyway."

"What the hell are you on about? Can't you just say it straight and—?" Reo's eyes widened.

"Kelsey! Is Kelsey there?"

"We have reason to believe that she is. Now, you tell that to your group. I'm sure Myra would want to save her sister, right? Would you also help an Adumbrae?"

"I, ye-yes." What else could he say? Did he mean those words? Pino should've gone to Myra instead of him.

"Discuss this with your group. I know that your answer would be yes. I'll return to hear it from you the same time tomorrow." Pino stood up. That'll be all for—""Wait! Where's the target's location? How many BID agents are we going to fight? We can't decide without knowing anything!"

"The situation remains fluid, so I can't tell you much," said Pino, walking to the door.

"We're gathering intel as we speak. But there is one thing I can assure you—I'll be joining your group. To help you. Perhaps… you can even consider me as a hostage to make sure it isn't a trap." Pino left the room. The door closed. Reo was left in silence.

"An Adumbrae hostage…?" Reo shook his head.

"That's some load of bullshit. What should I do now?" He had rushed home to get some sleep. Impossible to sleep now with all this shit in his head. The Adumbrae could be outside, watching what he'd do. I have to scout my surroundings, Reo thought as he rushed to the door. He opened it a crack and knelt on the floor. For the first time in a long time, Reo started to care again. Started to think clearly and break through the brain fog. If he could follow where Pino went off to…

He closed his eyes and stretched his arms. His right hand brushed the top of his bed. Such a stupid power he got from the artificial Core. He chased away memories of dumbass tests he had done before figuring out how his power worked. Time to be Oberon, the king of fairies. Tilting his chin up, he opened his mouth as he focused on Sneak, his loyal subject specialized in spying. Think of the little gray man, he told himself. Easier said than done.

Extreme focus on a specific fairy was required to summon it, but his mind was filled with worries and fear. The image of Sneak was hazy. Faces of other people kept popping up. Kelsey. Did he want to save her? Sgt. Hall. Should he just kill him? The Phoenix Wings restaurant. Should he burn the entire place down? Pino. That fucking Adumbrae was in his head! Reo suspected he unconsciously tried to get distracted, so he couldn't summon Sneak. Part of him probably didn't want to find out if there were Adumbrae outside.

Sneak! With one forceful thought, he zeroed in on the gray fairy. He chanted words that he didn't understand. They just came to him. Reo had recorded his summoning session before and tried to decode the words. Nothing came of it. But his chant wasn't nonsense—Dario had told them that all powers, whether from the Cores or Adumbrae, had underlying meanings. Reo realized he was better off not knowing what. As he intoned bullshit, his whole body became numb.

A sensation of falling into a hole followed, the same feeling when dreaming. He jolted when he 'reached the bottom'. He could feel his body again, but could also feel another. An out-of-body experience was the best way to describe it. Something he had felt before when drugs could still affect him. The summoning was successful. Reo looked around the room with Sneak's eyes. Everything was much clearer, like a video on the internet suddenly turned from shitty to the highest resolution.

He could pick out minute details—crumbs on the floor, peeling paint, the cracks on the door. He willed Sneak to zoom out the door. Where did Pino go? Were there cars around? The street was empty. What about those bushes over there? Behind that huge tree? In that dark alley? As Sneak continued its midnight scouting, Reo wondered what Pino and Red Hood wanted with the PCM data. Was it true that Red Hood was 'indisposed'? That meant she was gravely injured, wasn't she?

But Adumbrae could regenerate to full health just fine. What about the other Adumbrae? And would Dario even agree to this? Sneak didn't find anything. No surprises there. Reo looked up at the dark ceiling of his room the entire night. So much for rest.