Chapter 8: A Complete Childhood
"By the way... that thing..." Gloria's voice cut through the domestic stillness like a whisper of dread.
She stood up abruptly, eyes darting around the room as panic crept into her expression. Her yellow coat lay draped on the back of a chair, forgotten in the rush. Arthur watched her curiously, his arms folded across his chest as he leaned back on the old couch.
"Relax," Arthur said coolly, a smirk playing on his lips. "The Sandevistan you found? Already dealt with. You really thought I wouldn't take care of that?"
Gloria paused mid-step. "You touched it?"
Arthur rolled his neck with a light sigh. "Please. The thing was a walking red flag. Mann's still using garbage like this? He never learns. No caution. No backup failsafes. Same as always."
Gloria stared at him, the coat now hanging limply from her hand.
Arthur continued, his voice losing the humor as he explained.
"This wasn't just a cheap implant someone snagged off a corpse. This Sandevistan's a prototype—corporate lab grade. You don't find this kind of gear on the street unless someone wants it to be found."
Gloria's eyes widened.
Arthur nodded grimly. "Here's how it goes. Corps run tests on legal volunteers—sick people, broke kids, desperate cases. But that pool's tiny. So they toss out rogue prototypes. Let them fall into the wild. When the tech causes someone to cyberpsych out, word gets around—'a powerful relic is up for grabs.' Mercs dive in. Scavs claw each other apart. And when they all die?"
Arthur's eyes narrowed.