Nate shifted nervously as he stood inside the warehouse.

It was impossible to not be uneasy when inside a warehouse, that's one rule number one of warehouses!

Nate was especially nervous due to how out of place the building was. Muddenburg's architecture increasingly got more and more random and strange the further you went into the slums. You go far enough and you could even find people sleeping, cooking, and working inside the bombed-out remains of buildings. And more commonly the skeletons of Roman mechs.

This was one of the centers of Vulcan's Cult after all. It'd be weird if there weren't any war machines lying around.

Nate tensed when he heard a small bang nearby. It could've been something falling over, but such a thing was unlikely to happen when the doctor had sent him to a place where some criminals were supposed to meet up.

Nate wasn't able to think on this any further when the lights in the previously dim warehouse shone like the sun itself. Nate reflexively closed his eyes, but that did little good. The sudden brightness had blinded him no matter how fast his eyelids were.

Nate quickly began rubbing his eyes, it took several minutes before he stopped seeing random shapes and pieces of light dancing around him. By then, his would-be employers had already set themselves up.

When Nate opened his eyes he saw several men and women, all Vat-Born from the numerous colorful skin tones and skin patterns. Sitting around him, several of them had guns aimed at him.

Nate also noticed that the one's who didn't have firearms had melee weapons and were sitting very close to him. Likely ready to mob him with numerous blades and bats while their colleagues fired.

"You know, this seems like a lot for one guy?" Nate asked.

"You'd be surprised how easy it is for a pistol to jam at a critical moment, or for a single man to be able to kill an entire room full of men in a minute."

The voice came from all directions, Nate guessed they were using some sort of audio system to do it. Intimidation was always a good weapon to make sure recruits acted in line. Though Nate had only read that in novels.

"I guess I would," Nate replied as he stood in place. He currently didn't have the first move, hell, he didn't even have his toes over the starting line yet. So his best bet was to stay still. You usually never messed with a prepared enemy while you were underprepared. That was basic logic.

And Nate was if anything, an avid follower of logic.

"Who sent you?" The voice said. Straight to the point, that was good. It meant he didn't have to be here for long.

"One of your associates I assume sent me here to offer my services to you. I'm an engineer and can help you in your operations I assume."

"Quite nice. Though I would much rather you tell me who your associate is in the first place. I appreciate their favor to me. And I would like to repay it. Should you be adequate."

Nate's face turned into a slight grimace. He really hoped Dr.Pemberson was an ally of these guys, and he didn't entirely feel comfortable pulling the man into such business. Birthed, he had still saved his life, and Nate doubted that the doctor would take kindly to being dragged into Nate's own actions.

Nate sighed before replying. "A good doctor who wanted me to pay my due in time."

"You still haven't told me their name yet?" The voice asked. "Could it be that you're plotting something, devious?" The voice asked. Immediately a click was heard. Nate turned his head to see the stranger closest to him.

A woman with two green mantis eyes growing out of her forehead, slowly pulling out her blade. Nate noticed the basic locking system on the sheath, noting that it hadn't been oiled properly, resulting in the click. Nate also saw the red cross on the women's chest. Probably the gang's symbol. Though it looked vaguely familiar.

"Now I ask again. Who is this doctor that brought you to me?"

"Don't you already know him. This entire setup seem's planned, so I would think you were contacted by him," Nate said as he ground his teeth, the situation was getting very tense. And he doubted that they would let him live if he tried to escape.

"I would rather not tell you, he's quite the respectable gentlemen and I would very much not get him any more involved than he already is."

"Then you made your first, second, and third mistake."

"Wait, what?" Nate asked.

"You called him a doctor, which means he's likely privileged, a doctor is still a very rare job. Meaning that around the entire Vat-Born population is out. Aside from basic first-aid, I doubt there are any truly trained Vat-Born doctors. You said they were a he, which just eliminated around half of the doctors left. You just said he was respected. Which, considering your Vat-Born heritage, eliminates the rest of the doctors down to two people. Dr.Franklin and Dr.Pemberson. Considering Franklin doesn't have the connections or knowledge to send you to one of our meeting places. That leaves only Pemberson."

"How in the fu-"

"Just basic logic and some outstanding trivia knowledge about this city."

Nate stared in stunned shock at the casual display of intellect the voice just did. Few people could pick out the tiny pieces of a man's sentence and use such information to uncover the identity of another person. This person, whoever they were. Was the real deal when it came to detective work.

"You were admirable in trying to keep the man's identity a secret, but your poor lack of skill in lying was what gave your man away," the voice said as one woman pointed a pistol at Nate, their finger inching closer and closer towards the trigger.

"Wait."

The women, holding the gun, the people surrounding her, and the people surrounding him stopped immediately. The women's face glancing slightly upward. Nate did the same and saw what looked like a spider's web of wires and cables and speakers on the ceiling.

Guess he figured out how the voice was even communicating. Though it pained him that he hadn't looked up sooner.

"I wouldn't shoot him just yet, he did show valuable loyalty to the doctor, and we could use some more loyalty in this gang," the voice's words seemed to cut deeply into some of the people around him. Especially the women holding the gun at him.

Slowly the woman pulled her finger off the trigger but still held the gun to his chest. Nate sighed, these people really took no chances. "Now then, please tell us who you are and what you want. Mr..."

"Vis, Nate Vis, I was an engineer who was attacked by the Birthest's recently, Dr.Pemberson healed me and told me to come here for some more money. As my job wouldn't have been able to pay for his services without taking two months of my entire paycheck."

"So you come here for opportunity and money. Hardly the noblest of goals but I can see you would be devoted to our cause," The voice said.

"And how can you tell?" Nate asked.

"Money makes for some strong rope, but for that rope to become a bond you must believe in our goal. Something I think would be easy for you considering your past."

Nate shivered at the last word of the sentence.

Augments come in two different types. Bio and Mec. Each Augment type is self-explanatory, Bio-Augments are Augments that are bio-enhancements. Usually, in the form of artificial muscle, an enhanced skeleton, and acid spraying glands are all part of this category. The other type is Mec-Augments, these Augments are the gun hand, flamethrower pelvis, and shoulder rocket launcher of Augments. The reason these two types of Augments exist is that Vat-Born and Birthed can only use one Augment each. Vat-Born Bio-Augments and Birthed Mec. No one knows why this happens. Even if one makes a Vat-Born entirely like a Birthed, they can still only take Bio-Augments. This is the same for Birthed too, though no experiments have taken place on Birthed to see if a genetic modification can get past this. The only exception to this rule seems to be Masks. Which appears to work for both Birthed and Vat-Born. Research into this has been ongoing, but the death of the maker of the Mask, Dr.Pemberson, who would die not long after he made the Mask. Due to a British Assassin having infiltrated his lab. The Assassin's name and appearance could not be identified, but they would leave the name Lady Madam Sir engraved into the dead doctors body.

- History of the Science of Augements