Crypto Chronicles: Mutants & Murder

Hola, playful punks!

This is another story that my AI writing partner has helped me workshop. I hope you like it!

Unlike my other tales that are usually set in the modern day, this one takes place in a futuristic cyberpunk setting. It's also a bit longer and more involved. A little variety is nice, I hope.

I could make this into a series or leave it as a one-off, depending on your interest or lack thereof. Let me know in the comments.

Cheers!

~DB

All characters involved are 18+ in age.

---

You are Crypto, a cyborg living in the futuristic city of Zail. You have a bionic arm and a holoband. You're walking down the dark city streets while neon lights flash brightly above you.

As you pass an alley, you see a creature covered by a torn and tattered blanket. A rodent-like head with large teeth and a long tongue peeks out from under the blanket.

"You there!" the creature says.

"Yeah?" you respond.

"Give me something to eat," the creature says as it starts to whine.

You say, "Fuck off! I ain't no charity."

"Come on man, I'm hungry. Please?" the creature begs.

"How do I know you aren't going to try to eat me if I help you out?" you respond.

"I won't. I promise."

"I don't know you, and I don't trust you. If you try anything, I'll..."

"Wait... You're Crypto? The cyborg with the bionic arm? Holy crap... you're really old too! I've seen you in movies and stuff when I was little. You must be like twenty years older than me!" they exclaim.

You ask incredulously, "What of it?"

"Nothing. But you're old." The creature attempts to stay serious, but it soon starts to smile. "Anyway, my name's Teckleville."

You contemplate, "Why are you out here like this? What happened to you?"

"A monster attacked me while I was out collecting berries," Teckleville explains.

"A monster? What kind of monster?"

"I dunno, it had big claws and teeth and looked scary. But I'm not scared!" they gesture.

You ask, "Do you have any useful skills?"

"I can whistle really well," Teckleville says after thinking for a moment.

"That's not very useful," you say.

"I can also catch wild animals and keep them as pets."

You sigh, "Alright, look. Go down a few block to 8th street. There's a pet shop on the corner. Tell the owner I sent you there for a job. He'll hook you up."

"Alright. I'll go now, thank you very much!" Teckleville leaves without another word.

You watch him leave, before turning around and leaving the alley yourself. You shake your head and walk toward your original destination.

You arrive a few minutes after the time you had planned, which means the coffee shop should be closing down. As you walk through the door, you see the old man behind the counter cleaning a glass.

You greet him, saying "Benny! Sorry I'm late, bud. Damn street rats bummed me for food again. You know how it is."

The old man, who most know as Benjamin, turns around and grins.

"Ah, I KNEW there was something different about you today!" he says.

"What's that? Having a sense of smell?" you say, making a snorting sound.

"Ha ha! No, I mean it. You were so charming today, offering me a drink and chatting with me. You're usually much colder than that."

You frown and nod your head. "Alright, I'll take that as a compliment. So, how's the coffee?"

"It's good. But I'm not here for the coffee. I have a business proposition for you."

"Oh? Go on," you say with a raised eyebrow.

"I'd like to open up a new coffee shop here. The difference is, I actually plan to do something with the place. I want you to run it for me."

You laugh. "The day you ever do something with your business is the day we solve world hunger, bud. Haha!"

"Alright, Alright. I'll make it up to you. Anyway, I need some staff. I need someone to help run the place, inventory, make drinks..."

"I'd be happy to help," you say, "But I was thinking I could be a runner instead. I could put this fancy arm to use."

"Yes! I suppose that would work. You'd be fantastic at running. I'll have you know I'm in the middle of hiring someone for that too."

"Already? Oh, well I can start right away. Where do I sign?"

Benjamin hands you a paper and pen, and you sign your name as a regular employee.

"Alright, sounds good to me. Is there anything I need to get?"

Benjamin nods.

"Yes, actually. You need a uniform. Something nice and professional looking, for the customers to see you're part of the shop."

You nod back. "I got connections with a good tailor on 6th avenue. Send her your design for it and I'll pick it up in a couple days."

Benjamin gives a thumbs up in approval and takes his leave.

Soon after, you hear a lot of yelling from the basement. You can't make out what's being said, but a lot of the words sound angry. Boring, angry.

The door to the basement opens and closed and you hear the familiar stomping of heavy boots.

A man in a uniform appears. It's not what you would consider 'nice' but it's very professional and clearly following Benjamin's instructions.

You look at him questioningly. "Is there a problem?"

The man, who is much shorter than you, nearly shouts in your face. "This is an outrage! I'm being made into some lowly running boy as some sort of joke!"

You look at his uniform and notice it's even more restrictive than the one you've seen the other guards were wearing.

You say, "If you're gonna throw a tantrum like that, I can see why."

He takes a deep breath as if in thought to begin his explanation. "My name is Kit, by the way. Kit Marlowe."

"Nice to meet you, Kit," you say, extending your hand.

He shakes his head, but not in anger. More confusion. "I don't understand... I'm way more muscular than you."

"Yeah, but you're shorter too," you say.

"How is that possible? I should be taller than everyone!"

You roll your eyes. "And I should have a normal arm. We all got a bit of bad luck."

"Really? I thought it was a one-off event. In any case, you'd have to be shorter than 5'0" to have a chance to beat me, anyway."

You decide to change the topic.

You ask him, "Do you work for Ben or something?"

"No, I'm just helping out with the recruitment drive. Heh, my dad used to be a guard here, you know."

You reply, "Well if you're yelling, you're only pushing potential employers away. Go home and get some sleep."

"Yeah, yeah, I know how it is. I'm just a little... enthusiastic about this job," Kit says, calming down.

You nod. "No worries. Tomorrow is a new day."

"Yeah...," Kit says, sighing.

You think you hear someone yell up the stairs. Kit looks up suddenly. "What was that?"

"I dunno, but there is someone yelling up the stairs." You say, "Go home. I'll check it out."

"Alright, see you tomorrow!" Kit says as he leaves.

You watch him go, then turn around and walk up the stairs. You raise your bionic arm and shift it into its weapon mode. Then, you knock on the metal door.

A voice from inside answers. "Who is it?"

"Um... it's me."

"Crypto? What do you want?" you hear Ben nervously ask from the other side of the door.

You say, "I heard yelling. Do you need help?"

Ben cracks open the door a little and sticks his head out. "Nah, I got it. Thanks."

You raise your eyebrow. "You sure? Sounded serious."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Thanks again."

You hear a gunshot and Ben scream in pain. He slams the door shut as blood pours out of his chest.

You kick the door open again though, aiming your gun arm in the direction of the shot. You find Ben off to the side, hunched over and holding his arm over the wound. He looks up at you weakly.

"I... I saw the Kherty gang fighting! They took off over there across the street, I think!"

You run over to the window and look out for whoever shot Ben, but can't see anyone.

You look back at him and shrug helplessly. "Call for a medibot, old man. If you die on me, it better be of old age, and not a bullet."

He nods, and makes the sign of the cross. Then he hits the emergency button on the wall above him.

After a few moments, a medibot arrives. You tell him what happened, and he applies a tourniquet and takes Ben away.

You examine the bullet that lodged in the wall. It's from a greased slug, which means it was probably a hired gun.

"Fuck! Someone really hates Ben's coffee! Haha! Bastard got on the nerves of somebody serious. I'll look around for clues."

You start walking around the building, looking for any evidence that might lead to the shooter. You find a pile of bloodstains laying near Ben's bedroom door. Looks like they came out of his room. The shooter, perhaps?

You shift your arm into scanner mode to analyze the blood. "Alii, what do you make of this?" you ask your arm's AI.

"These blood traces are twenty-two percent human, seventy-six percent elven, and two percent undetermined genetics, though most likely mutated. I can't tell you more without a full autopsy," she responds in her usual monotone voice.

"Any idea what that other stuff is?"

"It's probably some alien, plant or animal life. We don't have enough information to be specific. Assuming this is from a would-be assassin, illicit and definitely illegal bio-engineering is most assuredly involved."

You shrug and sigh, then head back to the front desk.

"Alii, scan the medicenter infosphere. Find out where the medibot took Ben," you command.

"Scanning..."

You wait while the AI scans through the medibot's database.

"Okay, found it. Chaplin Hill Hospital, room 717," Alii replies.

"Thanks. Let me see it. Put the map up on my HUD."

You head to that location to talk to Ben. When you arrive, you find a lone chair and take a seat. Ben looks at you for a second, his eyes darting to your arm before looking away.

You say, "Ok bud. You got a hit man on your ass. Lucky for you, he's a shit shot. Or maybe me being there spooked him. Who did you piss off?"

Ben goes quiet.

"Ben? You ok?"

"Y-yeah...," Ben answers, shakily.

"Drug deal? Prostitute? What? You don't like working with prostitutes?"

Ben's face is as white as a sheets. He looks down, fiddling with his fingers. "No, no... it's just. You're not going to like this. But... I killed her."

You look at Ben in surprise. "Who?"

"M-my girlfriend, Tanya."

"For the drugs?" you ask, raising an eyebrow.

"No... I mean... well, yes but..." Ben gets exasperated at you, it seems. "Look, I'm r-racing to California, starting a new life... I'm not going t-to prison for killing Tanya, too!"

You sigh, "Prison is the least of your problems. Someone hired a punk to kill you at your home. I get the feeling you know who would miss Tanya that much."

Ben goes quiet.

"Well, out with it."

"I can't!" he answers, panic rising in his voice.

You shake your head. "Look. I'll take care of them. Just tell me who it is. And stop worrying about prison. The higher ups don't care about us nobodies. We police ourselves."

Ben's face lights up.

"You... you can? Oh thank you, C! I don't know how I can ever repay you for this!"

You think about it for a second. "You're like the old man I never got to have, Ben. I'll always be here to help. Who's after you?"

Ben's face drops. "No-no-no, I can't let you do that. It's dangerous. Really dangerous."

You sigh and raise your bionic arm that you got after the last war. "I'm more dangerous." You grin.

Ben's eyes widen. "I can't let you do that, son..."

You shake your head, tired of this nonsense. "I'll be fine. Trust me. Just give me a name. I'll make sure they don't bother you again."

"T-there's someone else after me. I can't let you do it, Crypto...!"

"Damn it! Out with it, Ben! Who is it?"

"A-Allison," he whispers.

"The mutant?" you wonder out loud.

"Y-yes, but it's not her fault! She's just a victim like the rest of us!"

You think about it. "Then maybe I can get her to see the light and back off. Know where she hangs out?"

"Oh, uh... she goes to the park near the docks. At night."

You say, "Thanks, bud. Lay low for a couple days, ok? I'll get this sorted out and let you know how it goes."

Ben nods nervously, before turning and walking back into his room.

You sigh and get ready for bed after you head home. You decide to nap before nightfall when you go to the park.

You wake up in the middle of the night, and get out of your bed. You walk to your armory and grab a bat, just for backup. Then, you go to the park.

When you arrive, you find it nearly empty. Most people go there during the day though, so maybe she's around. You start to search the area, but you find nothing.

"Alii, hack the local CCTV and see if you can find this mutant, Allison," you request of your AI.

"Done," Alii says. "Should I send the feed to your HUD?"

"Please."

A new window opens up in front of you, showing a live view of the park. The clock reads 11:15 PM. Some woman, who you presume is Allison, is hunched over, as though she's looking for something.

You casually walk over to her. "Allison, I presume?"

She looks up, and her eyes immediately go from side to side nervously.

You hold up your hands and say, "Relax, I'm here for friendly conversation."

Her body relaxes a bit, though her eyes are still darting around. "Who are you?" she asks.

"You may have heard of me. I'm Crypto. I used to work for the ECS. I retired..." You take a moment and then continue, "And one of your goons shot at a coffee shop owner earlier."

"He didn't...!" Allison's sentence dies in her throat as she realizes the truth. A look of anger and betrayal appears on her face. "You...!"

"Retired, remember?" you say, glancing at your watch. "... Five years ago."

"I... I can't believe it. You were one of us! A Hunter!"

You shrug. "What I was doesn't matter. I'm here to ask you very nicely to drop your beef with Benny. He's not worth the trouble."

Her eyes dart from side to side once more. "... OK. What do you want me to do?"

"If you go over to that bench over there, we can talk," you motion.

"OK," she says, nodding.

You nod with her, turning and heading toward the bench. You sit down, and Allison joins you.

"What did you want to ask me?" she asks.

You ponder, "Why do you want Ben dead?"

She gives you a look that's half anger, half... something else. You can't tell if it's hatred, pity, or something else.

"He hurt me," she says simply.

You continue, "By killing Tanya?"

"Yes," she sighs sadly.

"... I'm sorry to hear that. But he's not a violent man who's causes a lot of trouble without a good reason. Why hang onto a grudge?"

She shrugs.

You say, "You kill people everyday. Shit happens."

She stares at you. Then, she looks away. "... OK, I'll give you that one."

You sigh and drum your fingers on the bench. "Why was she special to you?"

"She didn't deserve to die."

"... I didn't ask that. Why was she special to you?"

Her eyes dart up to meet yours. "I loved her," she says simply.

You nod, "Yeah... that would explain it I guess. Do you know why he killed her?"

"No," she answers simply.

You sigh and look away from her. You can't get through to this girl. You need answers.

You take a guess. "She was cheating on him with you, wasn't she?"

That catches her attention.

"How do you know that?" she asks.

"Because that's the only motive I can come up with for such a... brutal act." You say, "You said you loved her, but she was his girl. Cheating is the ultimate betrayal for him. Just like her death was for you."

"Yes," she sighs.

You frown and drum your fingers on the bench again. You hate the awkward silences.

"You OK?" she asks.

"Of course not. But there's nothing I can do about it." You sigh, "Look, this is all a mess. No one else needs to die here. Can I give you a hug or something? Maybe you need to vent or cry?"

She squints at you, as though trying to read your real intentions. "... OK," she says. She pulls her arms away from her body and pats you on the shoulder.

You open your arms for a hug. She leans into you, and you wrap your arms around her. She hugs you and you hug back.

It's weird at first, but you feel pretty good about it. It's been a few years since you've had an intimate moment like this with anyone and you realize you miss it, quite a lot. Her soft body feels good against you.

You ask Allison, "What's your favorite memory of Tanya?"

"Errands," she says.

"What sort of errands? Please, continue..."

"Gifts for mom."

"... What kind of gifts?" you wonder.

"I went with her to buy flowers once. We walked around the park."

"... What happened?"

"We talked. It was a nice day."

"... What else?"

She thinks for a moment, as though trying to remember. "... We... Went to the movies once. Alone."

You smirk, "I bet that was fun."

"I miss sharing things with her," she says quietly.

"... Like what?"

"Like... I miss buying chocolates once a month for her."

You add, "For her period, I assume?"

"Yes," she says. "I bought her chocolates for her period."

"Did she like them?"

"... Yes."

You laugh and nod, grinning.

"Feel like sharing the hottest time you had with her? Those are usually the best memories," you whisper to her.

You hug her again reassuringly.

She bites her lip nervously.

"... It was... It was last summer. First day of summer, actually."

She takes a deep breath. You see her face grow redder, and redder as she gets deeper into her memories. "We went to the carnival. I won first place in the shooting game. We got cotton candy."

Cotton candy. That was your favorite kind too. You laughed so hard the last time you were at the carnival, you almost threw it up.

"... I told her I loved her, and she told me the same thing. Then... we kissed."

"Wow, that's an intense memory." You ask, "Did it go beyond a kiss?"

"Yes."

"How? Tell me...," you nudge her.

"I took her to the secluded part of the fair and we held each other."

She bites her lip nervously.

You say, "Mhmm. And?"

She sighs. "And we... you know."

"... No, I don't. Tell me."

"We had sexual relations," she whispers with a giggle. "... Multiple times."

"Yeah." You laugh, "You ladies are lucky like that, haha!"

"We wrapped up nice and warm. Then, we decided to ride the Ferris wheel."

"That is one of the most dangerous rides at those types of events. I would have never taken you girls on it." You continue, "But it is fun to get kinky around others there without them knowing."

"Yeah, it is," she nods. "Afterwards, we looked at the fireworks."

"... The ones that go BOOOOOM?" you gesture.

"Yeah. They were pretty. We held hands and watched them. When they ended, we started to head home. I told Tanya that I loved her and she told me the same thing. Then, we said goodbye."

"... Goodbye means different things to different people... I think. But goodbye is usually OK."

"Yeah."

You smile. "That's a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing. Keep those memories alive. Don't focus on the loss."

"I will," she nods.

You hold her hand for a short, sweet moment and then the two of you wave goodbye to one another.

You stop and ask, "Will you promise to leave Ben alone?"

"I promise."

You caress her cheek, before letting go of her hand. "Just call and I'll be here whenever you need me," you say. "Let's keep in touch."

She smiles and nods. You hand her an info chip with your number on it.

"Feel free to share a hotter story next time, darling," you wink and kiss her forehead before turning to leave. You feel like you've established an unexpected but interesting new friendship.

You walk home, already planning out the story you'll tell her on your next visit. Your phone vibrates as you walk in the door. You know immediately it's Ben.

"Ben! Good news! I sorted things out with Allison!"

"Really? That's great! Was she hostile towards you?"