Phase 2: New Company

**Phase 2: New Company** is a saga in the dystopian science fiction, *Project: Tr!dok3n*. It ran on July 17, 2015 to October 17, 2015, with chapters published on DeviantArt, using the special tag #phase\_2\_nc. It follows Tr!dok3n's encounter with potential allies who were unknowingly brainwashed to kill him. This also marks the first appearances of new cyborg characters: Haylie, Vic, Gavin, Dom, and Officer Ziggery. Chronologically, this succeeds the first saga, and precedes the spin-off, leading to the third saga of the main series.

## Summary

After being officially branded as a 3rd-Generation cyborg, Tr!dok3n becomes more accepting of his new identity, especially after he meets new friends, who were unknowingly brainwashed to kill him by Zeeko. Also, Sladerik joins an anti-Zeeko police force, led by cyborg Officer Franklin Ziggery. Shar Cabuna-Curtis, an Ex-SWAT officer, is also a member.

## Full Plot

A blonde cyborg in a hooded jacket tries to unwind at a bar. Much to her dismay, she was forbidden to use old forms of currency (coins and paper money). She was also hiding from Zeeko's henchmen and was intentionally concealing her face from their super drones and security cameras. Sladerik joins the same bar and was also denied service due to his faulty chip implant in his arm, which resorted to him attempting to pay in old currency.

Back in Nexus Labs, Tr!dok3n recollected his memories in a dream where he was in high school, ridiculed for his opposition towards a new world order. When he was branded as a 3rd-Generation cyborg from the back of his neck, he was asked by Dr. Acewood about how he knew of the state of the world prior to his revival as a cyborg. The dragon cyborg explained he was killed for his stance against Florence's proposal for a world government. While still holding doubts about his original intentions, Dr. Acewood believes he can use his given capabilities to set an example for the world to follow. They begin to watch a news interview featuring Adrian Kyle, Zeeko's finest programmers. In this interview, Mr. Kyle classifies all cyborg citizens who oppose Zeeko as cyborg misfits and should be executed on the spot. This enraged Tr!dok3n. It also infuriated the cyborg from the knowledge about his glitch strokes, a symptom of the 3rd-Generation cyborgs who get agitated over sudden machine noises. Dr. Acewood explained that Mercury was added into his bloodstream in hopes that he would be docile and dull, with no attempt to think clearly for himself.

The blonde cyborg flees from the bar, only to be confronted by Mr. Kyle, Z-Ro, and some masked officers at a train station. This cyborg misfit can retract arm-sized blades, which she used to defend herself. However, she was overpowered by Zeeko's silent cyborg, and was left defeated by Zeeko's henchmen.

When Tr!dok3n met Shannon once more, he was offered a place to stay at Dr. Plotts' residence. During a dinner meal, Tr!dok3n explained what he could remember about his supposedly unremarkable past as a human. Concerning his knowledge towards the new world order conspiracy theory, he felt conflicted about what he should've done differently prior to his death. Meanwhile, a cyborg misfit named Vic, gathers most of the members of his gang to discuss about his interaction with Coach Ige, who wanted help with the funds for his own secret Nexus project. Unbeknownst to the members present, he, Gavin, and the blonde girl called "Crimson" all get triggered whenever they hear the name Tr!dok3n.

The very next day, Tr!dok3n attempts to buy a drink using paper money, and was outed by the store's clerk, calling for a security guard. He also gets into a fight with Z-Ro along with flying super drones. The Shuriken is then at witness of Crimson tearing into an ATM machine in an attempt to snatch wads of dollar bills. After notifying Shannon with his energy band, he pursues her, then gets into a fight with her. Their clash continued on top of a moving truck filled with forbidden currency, which is to be used to convert to *Minozene*, a fluid currency for the chip implants. The blonde cyborg attempted to slash through Tr!dok3n, then came to recognize him as a 3rd-Generation cyborg due to the Glitch Strokes she happened to experience herself. Meanwhile, at Zeeko's headquarters, Florence and company discuss the completion of a new Zeeko robot to threaten citizens in the NAU. One of the masked officers intentionally placed a moving truck to lure Tr!dok3n and the armblades cyborg to kill each other. The pair fled from being spotted by Zeeko's police, and they exchanged names. The blonde girl's name is Haylie, and she admitted about being bitter over Zeeko's existence. Tr!dok3n assured her that he would fight tooth and nail to defeat the police corporation. In response, Haylie offered some money bricks and proposed to meet again elsewhere.

Thanks to Haylie, the shuriken cyborg learned the reason she was wrecking the ATMs, and proceeds to Teubor Street, where Gavin and Dom (a cyborg with a bionic left arm), followed Vic inside a financial building to steal some wads of dollar bills. When the striped cyborg tried to inform Dr. Acewood about the cyborg misfits, Dom alerted his friends to attack him. Vic and Dom attempted to apprehend the shuriken cyborg using their capabilities; Dom can unleash arrows using his bionic arm, which doubles as a crossbow, and Vic can duplicate himself to outsmart Tr!dok3n. Outside of the building, Gavin meets Coach Ige and gives the bags of dollar bricks. When he saw the nearly exhausted Tr!dok3n, he attacked him with own quirk; gravity-shifting eye implants. After the fight, Tr!dok3n had noticed a chunk of metal on Gavin's neck. Too tired to care, he fled the scene.

Antoine Sladerik tried to buy ammo for his firearm and was playfully confronted by a policeman who claims to want to arrest him to do chores. With the hefty man's help with the transactions using old currency, the man introduced himself as Trevor Walker, an officer who is in association with an undergound task force led by a cyborg policeman named Franklin Ziggery.

When Haylie appeared before Vic and Gavin with some money bricks, she explained she was pursued by a cyborg with the shuriken tattoo, the same guy the boys fought last night. She left without any more confrontation, as she planned to hang out with Tr!dok3n. Haylie's other friend, Dom, was gracefully helped by the shuriken misfit at a convenient store, so they exchanged icebreakers. Through Dom, Tr!dok3n had learned about his friends, including Haylie, who he planned to meet after he questioned about the chunk of metal on Gavin's neck. When the two cyborgs met as promised, they revealed to each other that they were classmates years ago! It was an odd experience, even when the crimson cyborg nearly attacked her friend, almost uncontrollably. When Haylie calmed down, Tr!dok3n removed the metal chunk from her neck to show Dom, possibly confirming his suspicions about Zeeko's ploy to rid of him.

When the striped cyborg returned from his battle against Zeeko's new robot, **SAM-02** (Shock Activated Module), he learned from Dom's findings that the metal chunk was indeed a Zeeko gadget, secretly implanted on his friends to specifically target him. Back at Nexus Labs, the snatched money bricks became converted into Minozene, to be injected onto Coach Ige's arm, and into his chip implant. He explained to the perplexed Dr. Plotts that he would be stronger, so he can surpass Tr!dok3n's goal to end the police corporation. Days later, Tr!dok3n and Haylie met at the same place of an abandoned Rango's Towing joint. The crimson cyborg's talk about her family made Tr!dok3n feel saddened. Because of his actions in the past, he was never able to make time for his own family. He was then encouraged by the blonde girl to look forward to the future as he is given another chance.

Given a wristband alert by Shannon about Zeeko's SAM-02 on a rampage, the shuriken rebel bolted into action, leaving his concerned friend behind. At some mall, Dom and Gavin are on a search for Vic so they could remove the mind-controlling implant from his neck. At some vacant street, SAM-02 was very eager to scoop up Tr!dok3n as the rebel fought the surrounding masked officers. For running out on her, Haylie arrived to smack him, reminding him of their similar goal to obliterate Florence's corporation. While they seemingly failed to reason with Vic, Dom and Gavin were ambushed by Z-Ro, who came to hunt them. With the helping efforts of Haylie and her friends, Tr!dok3n's battle with SAM-02 was victorious. To make up for their initiation towards each other due to Zeeko's implants, Haylie's friends warmed up to Tr!dok3n, accepting of his mutual dislike towards the tyrannical corporation.

Sladerik was advised that in order to get used to his new role as an anti-Zeeko policeman, he would have to undergo training, like he did when he attended police academy years before Zeeko World Security was established. He was also glad that he was able to see Shar again after their mission in Atarom.

At a hospital, Sladerik's old SWAT boss, Raphael Modos, broods about how Sladerik somehow betrayed him and Zeeko. All he could think about in response to his actions... was revenge.

## Other Facts

* This saga marks the first appearances of new cyborg characters.
* This marks the reunion between Tr!dok3n and Haylie.
	+ Their relationship in the past revealed they were classmates 30 years ago.
	+ They end up having a similar fate of becoming cyborgs.
* Sladerik is part of a collective of a police force who are against a mainstream police force.
* The last chapter of this sage foreshadows the events of the spin-off, *Wanted: Sladerik*.