Chapter 4

Part Time Job 3

-:-

2 Days Later

Theo’s Secret Lair

“*sigh*…. It’s scary how I’m already used to waking up this way only after the second.” Said Theo as he stared at blinding light on the ceiling.

Once again, Theo was butt naked on top of an operating table in his secret lair.

The familiar discomfort of the anesthesia wearing off and his sweaty body from the usual nightmares were all present and accounted for.

Naturally, he couldn’t be butt naked on top of an operating table without his ever trusty frog face doctor friend.

“Tell me about it kid. Last time, it took you a few hours before you woke up. This time, it only took you 30 minutes. While this operation was nowhere near as physically straining on you as the spine implant, it was still enough to keep a normal guy unconscious for a day.” Said the Doctor.

Theo sat up and immediately felt a difference on the unbalanced feeling that has plagued him for the last few days.

On the left side of his body was a beautiful jet black metallic arm known as the Sarfif 3310N Model. It was slightly heavier than his right arm, but it didn’t throw him off too much.

The next thing he notices was the right side of his vision was no longer pitch black. It was as clear as day and had some holographic images here and there. This was thanks to the Model 101 Terminator Optics that has replaced his missing right eye.

“Well… this might take some time getting used to….” Said Theo as he flexed his mechanical arm

The numbers, letters and other cool visuals of the Model 101 was a bit disorienting, but he’ll eventually get the hang of it.

“Good to hear. Anyways, catch!” Said the Doctor as he threw Theo’s analog clock at him.

Theo saw it coming and caught it with his mechanical arm…. Or at least that’s what Theo wanted to do.

Theo caught it alright, but the 3310N crumpled it like it was tissue paper.

“Damn it! This was my favorite clock! Why the hell did you do that?!” said Theo in horror

While Theo was surrounded by high-tech equipment, he was particularly fond of low tech yet extremely reliable equipment. The 3310N was an example of this, and so was the analog twin bell alarm clock.

“*sigh*… I’ll answer that question with a question. Of all the things you could make, why chose the garage sale bargain crap? I’ve seen your to-do list. If you want a harem, looking like a killer robot from the future is not the way to do it.” asked the Doctor

“Ah, that’s one of the times where my reason trumps my desires. I needed to make myself look weaker than I actually was. Looking like a dirt poor monkey looks much weaker than someone sporting the high end cybernetics” replied Theo

“And why are you doing that? Who is your enemy?” said the Doctor

That question shook Theo a fair bit.

True enough, who was his enemy?

The HAA?

The Super Heroes?

The criminal underworld?

The government?

While all were corrupt in one form or the other, it wasn’t like they were his ‘enemy’ per se. They were just the target of his ire for their corruption and inefficiency.

Before Theo could dive into deep meditation of this subject, the Doctor interrupted his thoughts.

“Whoever your enemy is, it doesn’t particularly matter to me. If your goal is to camouflage yourself in a veil of weakness, then the 3310N is the way to do it. But completely perfectly copying the 3310N’s design is a double edge sword. While it is much tougher and more reliable than the fancier models, it also brings the biggest flaw of the 3000N line: You cant feel anything through that arm”

“Hahaha. That’s the price of reliability”

The famed durability of the 3310N came at the cost of not having advanced computers and fragile receptors that can recognize stimuli.

Modern cybernetics were fragile compared to the 3310N, but they were indistinguishable to real limbs in terms of look and function. Their biggest selling point was that they could ‘feel’.

The importance of having a sense of touch was because it was a good basis of how much force was being applied. If Theo could feel anything on his left arm, he would have caught his alarm clock without harming it.

And since Theo’s 3310N was considerably much more powerful than its original design, lightly

“Just be careful. A light pat on the head from you could fracture someone’s skull.” said the Doctor with a sigh.

“Roger that”

“Well then, let’s get to the main reason I’m here. It’s about how you’ll be paying me for my services” said the Doctor with an evil glint in his eye.

While Theo was very reluctant to address the 11 thousand Rooks he owed doctor frog face, he understood that the man did a lot for him. Paying him back for all his help was both the right thing to do and the most logical thing to do.

The Doctor needed to put food on his table after all.

“So the curse of capitalism has finally come to milk me dry… *sigh*… As you already know by now, I’m dirt poor. So I was kinda hoping you could throw some work my way…. Please?” Theo said meekly

To Theo, money was the thing that made the world go round. Anything can be bought by money.

Food, clothing, shelter, education, love, etc

Whatever it was, money was one of the most viable means to get it

As such, the one with no money was at the mercy of the one who held his debt. Hence the reason why Theo was practically groveling on Doctor Frog Face’s feet.

“Hahaha! I thought as much. And yes, I do have a job that’s perfect for you. Sadly, it’s highly unpredictable, very dangerous and the payout varies wildly from chump change to a gold mine.” Said the Doctor

“Err…. ‘Highly unpredictable’ and ‘chump change’ doesn’t really inspire confidence.” Replied Theo.

“True. But there’s a chance that you could pay your entire debt in just a single job. If anything, I think you’ll keep doing this particular job long after you pay your dues.” said the Doctor

The Doctor’s premise did a good job of rousing Theo’s curiosity.

An instant 11 thousand Rooks payout?

Tempting. Very tempting.

But what was the ‘danger’ the doctor was talking about?

This was the main point where Theo couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous about.

“Any details on the job? Like working hours and how many people will try to kill me?” asked Theo

“Sadly, we cant right now. It would be rude to leave out your co-worker. Let’s set up a meeting on my clinic in the Hell Hole District on the day after tomorrow. That should give you some time to get used to controlling the 3310N.” said the Doctor

“I see. Well, I have no problem with that. Just tell me how to get there and I’ll be there.” Replied Theo

While he was fairly nervous on how vague the Doctor was, he was also slightly relieved to know that he wasn’t going into a shit storm alone.

“Good to know. Get me a map and I’ll mark the spot for you. Oh, and make sure that you’re fully armed and wearing your power armor right from the get go. A lot of idiots visiting the area for the first time have failed to realize why it’s called Hell Hole. I rather not have you share their fate.”

“No need to tell me twice”

-:-

2 Days Later

‘Hell Hole’ Red Light District

The main landmark that separated Theo’s neighborhood from the Hell Hole was a massive 8 late overpass that started at the Business District. This overpass was the main highway that connected Vermillion City’s expansive ports to the rest of the Commonwealth.

The normal means to get to the Red Light District was to go under the overpasses via foot. This took about 30 minutes of walking through a fairly dense squatter’s area. Walking through it was safe in most cases, but there have been occasional reports of theft, rape and murder in the area.

Cross at your own risk.

And besides, the squatters area was Shangri La compared to the Hell Hole district where theft, rape and murder were almost daily events. And these were the more sane crimes. There some fairly messed up things happening beneath the already chaotic surface.

Since it was early and the police were ‘sort of’ doing their job, Theo walked through the squatter’s area without incident.

However, during his relatively peaceful walk, he noticed quite a lot of eyes on him.

Some were eyes filled with fear. Others were of awe (mostly from the kids). Others were filled with suspicion.

An understandable reaction to Theo’s presence.

Despite being obsolete, the Z49 Scout Armor was still very much an expensive power armor. Its very existence often tied the person wearing it to wealthy corporations or powerful criminal organizations.

The very sight of a power armor walking around could easily be misunderstood as a sign that a military operation was about to begin.

While Theo didn’t really care of the misunderstanding he was causing, this unwanted attention could have an adverse effect on him in the future.

Unsure how much damage this carelessness could do in the future, Theo grabbed a random yellow raincoat that he found on the many piles of garbage and wore it over his armor. Fortunately, the raincoat was large enough completely hide everything except the face part of his full body armor.

The effect of such a simple action was immediately noticeable.

While he still received a few stares, it was mostly ‘why the hell is this weirdo wearing a raincoat in the middle of a clear sunny day?’ sort of stare. The local populace didn’t even give him a second glance after that.

The next half hour went by uneventfully until he reached the boundary between the slum area and Vermilion City’s infamous Red Light District.

The area was not as claustrophobic as Theo’s neighborhood but the building were constructed close to each other.

As you’d expect of a lawless area, quite a bit of scary looking people were walking around with their weapons on display.

There were also a decent number of very pretty women wearing suggestive clothing that emphasized their looks.

And then, there were everyone else. Normal everyday looking people that were going on with their lives. Unlike those found in Theo’s neighborhood or the business district, every man, woman and child looked like they were tough as nails.

While this was Theo’s second time entering Hell Hole, he still felt very much out of his element.

The first time he entered Hell Hole was about 2 years ago when he lost his virginity.

That particular misadventure was a story for another time.

But to give a small summary of what happened, let’s just say Theo would never have sex with a woman unless he was absolutely sure that he wasn’t going to piss blood later on.

Injecting a liquefied version of his Omni Gel into his joystick was the most painful experience he had to do to himself. Naturally, he never EVER want to experience that again.

Theo entered Hell Hole with a confident stride while his full body armor hid how nervous he was.

His first when he did his ‘first time’ was on a back alley in the slum district. That prostitute preferred to stay away from Hell Hole district in an off chance that a stray bullet would accidentally hit them while doing the deed.

Apparently she has seen a couple of coworkers die from such an unfortunate event.

As such, this was Theo’s first time to ever enter Hell Hole and explore this chaotic wonderland in its entirety.

As Theo followed the directions given to him by the doctor, he noticed that people were throwing looks at him.

In additional to the ‘weirdo’ stares that he received in the slums, Theo could see a hint of pity within their eyes.

This made Theo fairly nervous. Nothing like an obvious foreshadowing to get the blood pumping.

Never the less, he continued on his journey to the doctor’s clinic while upholstering one of his pistols underneath his raincoat.

Theo didn’t need to keep his tension high for too long.

He entered a small plaza with an old dried up water fountain in the middle. It seemed to be a popular spot based on how many people were relaxing in the area.

As Theo entered the area, he noticed how the general populace suddenly began evacuating the area after looking at something behind Theo.

Theo took a peak, and true enough, there were about 20 men and women a fair distance away carrying lead pipes, baseball bats and some revolvers. All of them were staring at Theo like he was their next meal.

Another 10 thugs appeared in front of Theo in order to cut his exit.

Theo couldn’t help but sigh at himself.

If only he wasn’t wearing the raincoat, his back camera would have been able to see that he was being tailed.

Not only that, his nervousness dulled his instincts considerably. If only he maintained his calm, he would have actually bothered looking behind him.

Theo calmed himself and readied himself to the fight that was inevitably going to happen.

He stood still as 30 degenerates made a circle around him.

One of 10 in front of him walked forward and greeted him in a flamboyant manner.

“Greetings and salutations newcomer! We are the ‘Welcoming Committee’. We are hard working men and women that keep the peace in this part of our beloved district. Due to our nature as a volunteer group, we require all newcomers to pay a small toll fee of 50 Rooks upon entering our beloved district. I thank you for your contribution and support to our cause” said the leader thug as he gestured Theo to pay up.

Theo stood perfectly still as he tried his very best not to laugh.

In a sense, the raincoat has done its job of hiding the fact that Theo was much more armed than these mooks.

The ‘Welcoming Committee’ clearly had no idea that they were about to attack an end game boss despite only having level 1 starter equipment.

Seeing how Theo had no intention of even interacting with him, the leader thug sighed.

“Now I would wonder if the esteemed member of our community doesn’t have the funds to pay the toll fee seeing how hard life has treated them. However, your fancy mask is an obvious sign that you will have no problem with money. As such, I humbly ask that you not make things difficult and kindly pay the required fee.”

Once again, Theo did nothing.

A few seconds of silence later, the leader sighed once again.

“*sigh*…. Very well…. If that’s how you want to play it…”

The leader nodded at someone behind Theo.

Not a second later, one of the thugs behind Theo smashed him in the head with a lead pipe.

While Theo felt a force that caused him to stagger a bit, he felt no pain what so ever.

The Z49 Scout Armor may not be the toughest power armor in the market, there were many instances in the past of it eating an RPG head on without any problems. Mind you, the guy wearing the Z49 suffered injuries, but nothing a month in the hospital cant fix.

Compared to an RPG, a guy with a lead pipe was laughable.

Theo turned on his voice scrambler and began the slaughter that he has desired for the past few days.

“Big mistake bub” said Theo as he took off his raincoat.

Before the raincoat hit the floor and before the thugs could realize that they just poked a dragon in the eye, Theo fired into the head of the thug that hit him with a lead pipe.

Without missing a beat, Theo fired at the 20 behind him as he made an attempt to break out of the encirclement.

By the time the thugs began ducking for cover, 5 of them already died from headshots.

Truth be told, Theo was shocked how accurate his shots were. It seemed that the combination of his terminator eye and his cybernetic spine was making the bullet prediction program much more powerful than Theo originally anticipated.

In summary: AWESOME MODE ACTIVATED!

A female thug tried to stop Theo from escaping their encirclement by bashing him with a baseball bat.

Theo used his left arm and threw a full force elbow strike to block the baseball bat.

Once again, Theo realized how little control he had on the power of his adamantium arm.

His elbow strike broke through the baseball bat and smashed the woman in the face. The woman’s skull caved inward from the monstrous force of the blow, instantly killing her in the process.

Theo kept firing as he ran for the nearest cover.

By the time Theo emptied his magazine, 4 more thugs that weren’t able to find cover in time.

Theo reloaded, then observed his enemies behind cover before making his next move.

Just to be clear though, there was really no need for Theo to go into cover in this fight. The Z49 made him invincible against the melee weapons and the revolvers his enemies possessed.

However, as any combat instructor of the HAA would say: ‘If you can help it, never get hit. EVER’

It may be an over exaggerated motto, but there was a good reason behind it.

While thugs were nothing more than small fries, the common opponents faced by the HAA alumnus had abilities that could punch through steel.

People without enhanced endurance or healing factor, such as Theo, should never get used to strategies that allowed them to take damage. They were too fragile for such a thing, even if they had protection of power armors and alike.

Theo had personal experience how fragile he was, thus he kept following the rule despite him having overwhelming advantage.

And besides, it made his enemy misunderstand their chances against him.

Using the amplified hearing of his armor, Theo listened to his enemies.

“We have numbers in our sides! Melees, surround that bastards and beat him to death! Shooters, cover the melees!” commanded the leader thug.

A simple yet wise strategy.

“But boss, he has a power armor!” said one of the henchmen

“That armor is obviously a fake. If that was the real deal, he wouldn’t need to find cover against us since nothing we have would have worked on him” replied the boss.

The enemy’s moral skyrocketed upon learning of Theo’s ‘fatal flaw’. They ran out of their cover and charged straight to Theo.

“Poor faceless mobs. Blame your death on your not so smart leader”

Theo open fired while maintaining his cover.

5 more dropped like sacks of potatoes as a small piece of led blew their brains off.

As the enemies entered melee range, Theo rushed out of his cover and assumed one of the 3 advanced combat shooting stances taught in HAA : The Wick Stance

He kept his gun close to his body.

He used his left arm to keep his right arm stable.

He used minimal movement via the hips and the arms to shift his aim.

The Wick Stance was a combat shooting stance that revolved around face paced close quarters combat in areas with not a lot of room to maneuver and against hordes of enemies.

It was a fast, efficient and the most aggressive among the 3 combat shooting styles.

Theo moved backward as he gunned down 3 more mooks before he was inevitably surrounded by 4 people on all sides. And unlike those stupid movie fight scenes, these guys attacked in unison.

Theo parried the attack from the front as he shot the one to his right through the heart. During this time, he received a blow to the head from behind and a dagger to the gut from the one on the left.

He threw a spinning back fist with his left hand to the one on his back while he blew off the head of the one on the left who was futilely trying to sink the shank into Theo’s power armor.

The one on the back tried to block Theo’s spinning back fist with a led pipe, but the pipe bent under the force of the impact. Theo’s blow not only bent the pipe, it also shattered the mook’s neck from the impact.

The last one wasnt even given a chance to launch another attack as Theo pulled of a behind the back shot.

Gotta love rear view cameras.

And with that, all of the melee fighters of Welcoming Committee were either dead or had their skulls remodeled, which still meant that they are dead.

The last 7 members were the ones that had guns. At moment, they were firing from behind the dried up fountain.

Hilariously, despite them firing like their lives depended on it, every shot has missed Theo quite a bit.

Do bare in mind that the gangster shooting stance (aka holding the gun sideways) was not inherently a bad practice. The theory behind it was that it emphasized on aiming and firing as fast as possible.

The problem was that ‘aiming’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘accuracy’.

While the gangster grip allowed for very quick ‘aim and fire’, it was horrendously inaccurate because they don’t have the iron sight to look down through.

This problem was especially noticeable when there’s almost 15 meters of distance between Theo and the thugs.

Since they didn’t have Theo’s cybernetic augmentation to increase their accuracy, it was a no brainer that they would miss horrifically

“Time for some experiments/clean up”

Theo took 2 things out of his utility belt. One was a golden coin which was most certainly not made of gold. Another was a round metallic sphere about the size of a baseball

He pressed the button on top of the metal sphere and threw it towards the thugs. Theo then quickly turned off the hearing amplifier of his armor.

The millisecond it hit the ground, an excruciatingly loud bang echoed throughout the area.

This was a ‘Shockwave Grenade’ that Theo was experimenting on.

A normal human has a high chance of surviving a shockwave in the range of 1-3 psi (pounds per square inch) overpressure, albeit sustaining damage to the ears or maybe even the lungs if unlucky or even death if extremely unlucky.

Now imagine what would happen around 20 psi?

Just imagine a tomato being squashed by a sledgehammer.

FYI: at 20 psi, most heavily reinforced buildings would be rubble.

Theo’s Shockwave Grenade could do exactly just that.

Unfortunately, there were 2 major drawbacks.

First, the effective range of the 20 psi shockwave was only a small 3 meter radius. After that, it drops to 1 psi or less.

Theo doesn’t see this as a negative since he was doing shockwave research mostly for fun. No real plan after that.

The biggest drawback was that one Shockwave Grenade required the sacrifice of one Archon Battery to power it.

3 archon batteries to power Theo’s cybernetic arm for god knows how long. Using one for an explosive was an extreme waste of resource.

The explosion looked cool though.

The result of the Shockwave Grenade was a big crater, the disappearance of the dried up fountain and a tomato soup made up of 6 people.

The last surviving member of the group was the leader who just outside of the effective blast radius.

Lucky bastard

Not for long though.

The leader thug was disoriented but remained hidden at what little remained of the dried up fountain.

Theo flicked the gold coin and took aim at it.

When the coin was about a few meters past where the thug was hiding, Theo open fired at the coin.

The bullet bounced off the coin and went through the leader’s skull.

Using the cybernetic eye’s ability to predict bullet trajectory, Theo amplified it with his brain to its absolute max. That way, he could ‘sort of’ predict how the bullet would fly after bouncing off the gold coin.

Just to be clear though, Theo wasn’t expecting to hit the thug at all. That headshot was purely a 100% fluke.

Why did he do such a thing?

Coz it’s cool.

Nothing more, nothing less.

And then there was silence.

While everyone who witnessed the spectacle was shocked and horrified, Theo felt nothing but relief.

The rage inducing nightmares that have plagued him has made him extremely bloodthirsty to the point of wanting to kill anyone just to sate it.

The very idea that he used the lives of scum and not the innocent to satisfy his murderous urge was both a relief and greatly improved his mood.

“Maybe… just maybe, I might feel right at home in Hell Hole”

Theo left the scene in a good mood.

He wanted to use his yellow raincoat again, but the poor thing was torn apart by the Shockwave Grenade.

Oh well.

On to the next adventure!

-:-