Internal Affairs Chapter 3

"Pass me the wrench," Engineer 33482-172 "Alex" instructed as he extended his hand to his subordinate technician.

Of all the sections of the Isko Moreno Tower, this area was the well-lit one, filled with men and women in bright red jumpsuits and is always visited by many personnel from various divisions.

Alex's greying hair was covered by a red baseball cap. His right hand, attached with a hand torch, was still burning. He discarded the spent cigar from his lip and tossed it behind before reaching for his breast pocket to bite another one. He lit it up with his hand torch when the technician handed him the tool.

Alex accepted it and glanced at the perforated pneumatic cylinder inside the Battle Walker's left shoulder ball. He shook his head and grinned.

"Raven Dark is really a monster." Alex said as he turned from the ladder and sat on the top rung. He placed the wrench onto his lap and began deactivating the hand torch.

"Their last gig was in Quezon City, huh?" His technician, 00182 "Bryan" asked. "What does HappyDrink even doing there in the first place?"

"I don't know, but I doubt they were looking for fresh apples, considering New Manila is nothing but greased asphalt and blackened concrete. Where do we grow our plants anyway? Should have raided our vat gardens if they were really looking for plants."

"Maybe they were scouting for territory?" Bryan suggested as Alex unscrewed the yellow fuel tank of the torch. He handed it to the technician, who screwed it with a black cap lid.

"They always were." Alex replied as he unscrewed the hand torch from his wrist, leaving nothing but a stump with a narrow jack slot in the middle. "Pass me my hand." He ordered as he handed him his torch.

The technician complied.

"Heard that Raven Dark and his boys will be deployed into Quezon City again." Alex said as he screwed his hand on. "I am really scared for him."

"Why is that?"

"Word among Walker Engineers is that HappyDrink hired Cosmo Rostov, a Bodydropper who was a veteran in the Euro conflict, before the Fall of the Republic. He served in the Russian military."

"You mean that tough bastard who took on five American B-Droppers in their homefront?"

"Yeah," Alex replied as he grabbed the wrench by his left hand and turned, examining the pneumatic tank that was held firmly by nuts and bolts from one end to another.

"What the hell is he doing here in the Philippines?"

"Like I told you, hired by HappyDrink." Alex grunted as he reached for the bolts and began loosening them with counter-clockwise pressure.

"They are really serious about Quezon City, huh?" The technician asked.

"Raven Dark's combat statistics isn't to be ignored." Alex added. "That B-Dropper killed the ARES Spear all by himself."

"They were just mercenaries?"

"Cyber," Alex said. "Cybermercenaries. Those fucking bastards tear inexperienced B-Droppers apart, exposing them from their Battle Walker's armored chest and torturing them before finally putting a bullet to their heads. Just imagine dying inside a Battle Walker--you know how these things operate, right?"

"Well yeah--"

"You put your arms inside the 'sleeves'--the space inside the Walker's arms, and your feet onto the pedal, which was located on the Walker's kneecaps. The AI would automatically insert the wires onto your neural plugs and it was disorienting as shit." Alex said. "Just imagine being pinned down to the ground, can't raise your arms or your legs to run. And then some Chumboy climb on the top of you and gut you with a thirty-inch stilleto knife."

"Uh, I don't wanna hear it." Bryan said.

"That's the ARES Spear to you, Chumboys who likes to climb on top of B-Droppers and kill them. But Raven Dark terminated them all."

"Who are these Cybermercenaries anyway?"

"Veterans of the African Offensive of 2175. Fucking bastards were hired by Bjornfire Industries to occupy Old Taguig due to rumors of weapon stockpiles."

"The one in the Fort? It's been emptied decades ago."

"Yeah, I know. But hey, Raven Dark did the Enclave a favor." He removed the punctured tank and handed it to Bryan. "Give me that new tank."

Bryan obeyed without question.

Alex began screwing it to place when the technician saw a group of engineers entering with a trolley.

"Latest cyberwares," he laughed. "Must have something to do with the new influx of recruits coming."

"Yeah," Alex replied as he finished with the pneumatic tank. He glanced around and saw Raven Dark among the mix. "The B-Dropper's here."

There was nothing about the man that stood out as noticable. He looked like some average jockey with headware. If it wasn't for his B-Dropper's helmet, he would look like a regular Flatliner.

"How's the Walker?" He asked, his voice was a growling hoarse.

"Left shoulder is repaired. But the right shoulder ball joint was still busted. We have yet to replace the back platings and the left knee platings."

He nodded.

"We're going to deploy at four. Make sure that thing wouldn't give me problems for when we run into trouble."

"You got it, boss." Alex replied.

(Internal Affairs Tale)