Hallows Bastian return - docking port for trade transfer

"Why exactly did you take me here for?" Young man not in a waiter uniform this time shivers in waiting beside a very artistic and unique built body of a machine.

This machine was off duty and was in the shell used for mingling around his sheltered home in. Thanks to the change of laws, he no longer had to hide his personality from humans. Not did he have to stick with the code name Purple99.8.

"If we continue to ignore your medical problems, you will collapse and scare people. They will be here soon. You have talked to him before and his sister is a trusted doctor." Steady lean against a metal crate that has been checked through, an arm out to help brace the young man from falling. The breeze of the port carrier landing, whole teams of poeple coming out the wood work to help stabilise landing. More importantly kill any potential source of parasites that were not tested for second brain wavelengths. The young man was steady once more when the engine is turned off. The back door of the carrier lowering, letting through two hover drones. The type model wasn't at all anything as the standard ones from anywhere. Those two hover drones belonged to someone that reconstructed from scraps.

"Lucas Mulberry, it is better to see you as you are then as Purple99.8." The sleeker bodied drone with a large multitude sets of lenses adjusts its gaze over the waiting inner city pair. It's propellers were steady yet very quiet. It was more a large sized bug then a hover type. The voice that spoke from it was much older then Mr Mulberry. It smooth flight scans every inch of young man at the side.

The second drone stays higher with scanning the whole area, it was more louder. From looking up, it looked like a gliding bird. Its colour and mounts mocked feathers. On landing on a large crate higher up, the wings folded and twing joints walked about. The scratches of the feet can be heard as it walks. It went back on flight by jumping off the side, diving down to land on the plate sheilding of a extended sized van.

The side and back doors of the van slam open. The inner contents were off loading crates that walked themselves into piles. The last box didn't come out of the van. The boarder security was checking every inch. Unable to open the boxes but able to scan all of them with devices. The humans had a pair come into the van for scans, kicked out by the internal structures preventing them.

"Welcome Jackle. I have a request of you and in return I have a gift you find useful while returned in the city. I also have something your sister will need around here." Mr Mulberry said, the spare hand almost rubbing at where the temple of the skull is, "I am sure that everything else that the mother network has been requested is now being processed. Including our invites in the second car."

The group of mock humans in question were being directed to a inner city transport train. They look exactly as anyone would from outside the city, tattered clothing that been well mended and skin not showing a whole lot. Any skin that did show was tanned and weather beaten. Hands that were rough and hardened skin. Wind swept hair that ran wild. They will be documented into the city networks while on route to speak to higher officials. They were no longer in need of Jackle or Kate even if they would have preferred stick together.

Due to the databases information of last time Kate and Jackle being in a city - these two were to be subject to robotic laws. This isn't a issue but it means Kate isn't treated as a human among the city. She will be labeled as a puppet sever model with flesh integrated - a sort of lie that the mother network chooses to use to protect them from pure human laws. This will be the same for Jackle to of his uses the second puppet body - puppet sever type with hidden flesh integration. The turth is this 'hidden flesh' is the nanotechnology which has way to many regulations among humans to be not a problem for anything. Kate's original network file is under classified higher authority lock. This lie going a long way of ensuring that classified detailing.

The van was finished being processed and had been given a microchip sticker. This stick was the licencing, source information and ownership details. It was deemed as a robotic body of another sever type subclass as transport and cargo carrier. It had several warnings of being restricted from areas and is not to be sold within city limits. 'If found stolen from the owner, army personnel is to recover this vehicle from any premises.' No matter what. A privilege with being in league with the mother network. As for the content of crates, they were each deemed entry with conditional rules yet overall was allow return back into the van. The city has awareness of the full content of this van, watched over by the mother network.

The truth of the biggest issue is the duration of time since Kate was last in this city. This was the city that was the site of the research project, ice box. It was here she lived a little while before escaping through the solar tree forest.

Up until now, all those cellular alterations she has been put through had meant entire four generations of human society has moved on from that past. Laws now were even stricter then before, mostly since vaults of underground citizens have been surfacing. The freedom of information has been the only up side to the changes.

The way the city runs has also changed. People above ground are able to send their digital copies to underground market areas. Its of machines whom deliver any orders from underground up to the surface. This sort of thing is same for those whom dwell underground, they to can send a digital ghost to the surface. Machines whom often deliver bellow also deliver above. Making machines the only types to be allowed travel between underground and surface. There is exceptions such as higher officials and those whom are half machinery to begin with. This latest generation have been having borth defects such as missing legs or weak arms. A side affect of nuclear power. They aren't scared of technology and instead embrace having machine limbs in place of the ones they were born faulty with. This new generation is the current loophole in laws and is currently the full front of law changes.

Hollow Bastian is still the grey monotonous city. Everything has a strict pathway to walk on, never much does humans mix with machines while walking the streets. The mix only really happens in market hubs or squares. It is a bleak world without arugment reality. Kate didn't miss that aspect of the city.

"Now that we all checked in, I suspect you have a place for us to properly provide this sick child some proper scanning with. The light interference of the cargo x-rays is fuzzing up my assessment." The sleek form lands softly onto the lads shoulder yet was incredibly tight gripped to insure the youth isn't up to any walking away. The doors slam firm over the van, a purrring engine sings lightly on move to follow. Anyone around backed off as the van drives without a human driver within.

"Before your totally gone." A blue coat with a few straps on the left arm. Uniform with glasses instead of argument reality mask. This is most definitely a normal human with no alternative limbs. A purest maybe, "Where exactly is the half human whom claimed as ownership?"

The smirk of this guy was someone whom liked bending rules for extra gain. A 'smart' man doing his job to insure nothing goes past him, so that he may black mail those smuggled in and out. A guy who did his job well but not favorably for his human superiors. He stood firm of being sure to have something out of knowing why she wasn't visible.

"Commanding area officer, you are also hanging around here while off duty too. The uniform maybe on but your not on the clock at all. Here for some sort of smuggled deal." Mr Mulberry carried deep disappointment towards the officer, likely clashed history together before.

"Yet here you are off duty too. These friends of yours are known trades for dark market goods. Surely they would be hiding anything unsavoury. Say if the human with them is above the legal limit for disease control." Hands posed forwards something not visible, "You been over the fence and back. Maybe the items you carried are plagued." The side door of the van opens, the blue coat shivers with hiding behind the two. Only to come back out of hiding in shock of a youthful and ill dressed girl.

She was pale skinned and her hair was vibrant shades of abnormal colours. She looked very delicate and soft. Her clothing was showing a lot of area of skin in her mid drift, thighs and collar. Not much of the female curve to her, more a thin average. The only thing she covered well was her face, her whole face covered with a 3 generation reality mask. A model so old and maybe out dated - it was out of place for young girl.

"Oh poor little child." She pose a long nailed hand to her mouth area, "Whomever said I was infected past the point of no return was..." She was very quick paced, being right at the officers face. She whispers her next lines, just out of ear shot of everyone be her, her brother and the officer. A man whom crumbles and sweated bullets; knocked his back to the crate Mr Mulberry leaned on. Scrambled back to his feet, shivering in full fear in his eyes. She gives a faluse innocent tilt and the man bolts it out of the area to the nearest elevator. She huffs with throwing her hair behind her, it being four times longer then a moment ago. Darker into a coffee wood brown. She looks around before going back to the van, taking seat on the driver side. Front the windscreen, her hand flutters invitingly.

"She faster at code breaking then I am." Jackle hops hovers off the lads shoulder. Landing on a space that acts as a charger connector to the van core battery. The internal structure of this van was not at all accommodating for human sitting or for their safety. The very back is blocked up with crates and a maintenance spider type drone that is constantly tapping feet against internal compartments. Every detail was no factory pressed form or hammered by hand. There was no driver wheel to stir. No dashboard dials as indicating the speed or petrol. Simply a ton of only hand crafted items that decorated at the edge along the lower end of the windscreen, not visible to that outside. Mr Mulberry was last seated, the door closed itself for him.

"The officer isn't going to bother us for now. Although your right to take his words carefully." She leans right into a another shape that was assumed as part of the driver seat, as it turns out it was amazing body work of a sever puppet type.

Its parts were repaired or improved from many other factory models. It truly was a well crafted mesh of deeply practical detailing, pattern of the external wiring power mirrors the human nerve system. There was room to guess that any internal structures was also a near mirror of human bone structure. Without being rude, I couldn't ask which of the two was the maker of that machine.

"Do you recon my original apparment is untouched or do you think someone moved in?" She almost lays on this machine body, her head resting on the shoulder.

"If not made into a museum or torn out for any contraband materials. I doubt it been left unchanged. Unless the house keeper continues to lie about you living there still."

"I never got their name. I guess they were afraid at the time."

"It be rude of me to ask but I might know if I can track down any information about it." Mr Mulberry sat with a feet raised to the other knee, an arm resting across the window and the other hand closed near his chest as always. He turns only slightly to direct his voice towards the rest of us.

"Dont worry about it. I only hope that my roommate is doing ok. If there was anything I could do to help them." She looks about me with that slow scan that a lot of machines do when they analyze what is in front of them. Yet the order she went about it was direct stare at area I felt pain with lately. I find it almost unnerving how accurate she seems to stare, "This child is a idiot to get into fighting when he has fibre glass internal structures. The frying glass fibre has got to be unhealthy. Honestly why do boy think they are more tough then women? I would argue that women have more pain management abilities then them." I got to say my point of these wounds weren't over another woman or anything. She jolts me good with her foot, preventing me from speaking, "Dont speak. It was a rhetorical question."

Whichever of the two whom own the van was driving was very clever in avoiding security or check points. Even better then the smugglers whom get paid for it. I am to wrapped up in my pain to work out the real direction. Besides, it was Mr Mulberry whom to snatch me on holiday. If I was working right now, I would be in the edge of the city looking after broken spider drones. Mostly all of the ai controlled machines were similar in term of avoiding rooting human peace. It makes me wonder if Jackle is any different. This is despite from being out of city.

"We will be parked here a little while. This was the location that many of my cleints wished to met me." She partly stood and then squeezed herself through a gap made from the wall of legged boxes. I nearly hurt myself to see the puppet sever type suddenly move on its own too. It posed a hand with the driver side opening, the flopping tray hand to the other where the passager door opens too. Mr Mulberry got out, helping me out in the process.

It was us three whom stood back, out of range of the metal plates that was assumed as defense. They came unfolded. Several crates from the open doors crawled along. Tilts with contain spilling neatly across the now tables. She would then come through a side door where the main items were held. She was completely covered up in a suit I have never seen before. Not even military had that kind of technology.

"No way is this for real." The marketing and sales director for clothing. A rich man with many grabs in several city wide brands (not all of them being good or clothing). He is infamous as the keeper of the red light district, his highest profit market. He is never alone without at security detail. Today was his second shadow, a lass whom is the face of one his brothel houses. They are the highest ranking of the lady troops. Deceptive for a male in women's clothing, if you didn't know than you might as well be a pawn.

It took me awhile to realize that this mircale doctor was speaking either in code or arugment reality. Words may not be spoken by them but there was gestures in how they looked. Silence broken with Jackles sister grappling the secuirty detail and throwing them to the way side like it was nothing. Someone whom shouldn't be easily picked up, crashing a near wall.

"Think that I am not able to hear you scheming at my face. So poor little child with dirty laundry." She now pulled the director himself by the chin, "Look sick minded child, I am a outsider of Hollow Bastian. My prices are set. I am not for sale. I can take your organs in exchange of not dismantling you little male troop in a hideous excuse of a dress. I knew drag queens better then that little thing there." She let's the director go and his holding his jaw close. Tears streaming down his face, "As for the rest of you in digital ghost, don't ever think I will not fond you. I keep my words about delivery seriously. Even for you." She pointed at a area, "Smug in that air filtered tower. I already know where you sleep at night, don't think I not going to find you for scrap in return of last time we traded."

In her helemt face screen, I just about make out the shadows of argument reality. Shapes nothing short of detail corpses. It was real unfiltered imagery of dead people then it were the model ghost's the public use. There is a system filter that should have prevented folks using gore details like this, meaning these folks had the influence or hacking to surpass law limitations. It would seem the rumours of hackers wasn't unfounded, that a real black market did surpass dark market veiwing.

"Forget currency that this city relies on. If you trade with me or my brother, you trade in exchanged items. I not flattered with hacking signals and don't think for a second that I don't already know your real names and faces. Don't assume that I follow city laws all the time and that I am afraid to dirty my hands in your blood." The folks must have eased off as she stands casually once again, yet it was then that she was doing a motion that didn't make sense. Her hand posed at her face several times or to flick a invisible small object. After a while of silence, she drops it down and stamps on it. Replacing it with another. It must be she was talking in code again, her head bobbing between stares of ghost images.

"I came to request my normal trade. I sent my ghost ahead to be sure it was you." The club owner at the place I work night shift at, he was dressed formally and as always held a stiff back. He noticed me and Mr Mulberry. A even slower looking about to Mr Jackle in the puppet sever.

"Looking a little empty handed." She flicks that invisible item. Come to think about her hieght comparing the the roof of the van behind her, she seems taller then at the landing platform of the hidden docks. The suit she wears has became vivid in a deep red in a sheen of rainbow off set. It was white with a blue halo effect when she got out of the van originally. This colour changes had me check if I was wearing a realistic face cover.

"Please pass no worries of my empty hands." The owner has the top three staff in the vip cleint uniforms, each with a case of items. I knew that those were the lost property of cleints to drunk, most of it were bribery trickets in attemp to have the owner favour folks. A lot of expensive things. She wasn't all that impressed, posed attention away. The owner shivers and poses with waving the chief from the back bar out. A box well covered up. The chief himself was pale and shivering.

"My you brought a human along the trade. You must trust the man. Although if I am right about that content... Your just making sure you don't get told off." She may not have finished whatever invisible item she hand in her hand but she throw it down and stomps on it regardless, "So all this trade. Is for what exactly? What were you looking for? You have my favour of attention for now." She hops over the table, walking right up to inspect the boxes better.

"That is rather convenient for us." Mr Jackle moved his hand to his jaw, "The source for how a fancy man has such quality of underdweller can mean this man is serious." It was Mr Mulberry whom knocked Jackle's shoulder, "Ah, that makes sense." Jackle ignoring us with walking forward into the crowds. He plucked the box from the chief, "We understand more then you think. You have our word on this deal." He personally takes it to the van. She takes the other boxes from the three others, stacked in one hand lift.

"I will give you your receipt once I had finished and expected that I have some left over change to give back. In the nature of your request, there can't be a set price until after. Its honestly very sweet that you treat those in your care with value." She was at stop beside the owner, patting his shoulder, "I had already interest in helping the child. A certain someone higher up the chain wanted to be sure of the best qualities possible." She makes it look easy with jumping back over the trade table. No disbalance, no trips over merchandise on show and no spill of the three boxes stacked in her hand. She pets the door as it opens and in slides the boxes. She peers deeper in as a different door that Jackle entered from, prolong staring with the eventual move out and closing doors.

"Mr Lucas Mulberry, you should come in sometime for a chat." The owner was shivering as he pats Mr Mulberry in the same gesture she did before.

"Have some faith in folks that are the top speicalist in recovery. If death did come, it would be something natural or..." Mr Mulberry takes the hand off him, "Respect your elders whom been in the business of public health longer then you be coded." The owner retracted with sharp eyes, "You can't fool someone that counts heart beats. They aren't a joke to mess with." The staff leave keeping showmanship to as high as possible.

"Oh Lucas, don't be scaring them more then they need to be. They are just children." She shouted over, "Let them go now. Let them have patience learnt. Just make sure my patient doesn't run off. I don't need him running away on me." I am looked at by several, "Easy on the staring. It unnerves humans." The few stop doing so, "Go before your late to that first meeting with the governor." Spooked enough the night club team was gone. Always looking back towards me for last glances, "Oh they know how to worry like humans do. Its such a improvement. I am impressed." She quick to pull someone lurking near her, "You. What are you snooping in at my windscreen for? You starving or something?" The fella in her hand is quick to nod. She drops them, "Got anything interesting? I could ask a question in exchange of some food stuff."

"Really?" The guy sits on his legs and postrates to the floor, "Please. I will do my best to answer." She sighs and lowered to eye level, kneeling. She was quiet. It was a lot of talking between. Jackle was return beside Mr Mulberry and me.

"Tough life being suspected as a infected within the city. Having a faluse result being what took away his job and made his wife leave. Desperate to steal to feed his daughter." Jackle shook in sorrow, "The greed that humans will go to. There is always competition for the 'best' living."

"Are you two network linked or something?" I slipped my tongue asking questions.

"You wouldn't understand. In short, no. We are not linked by network. Although our conversation maybe passed through it." Jackle puts a hand at my head, petting me, "She is my sister. A bond that isn't same as human understanding."

"It is a literal meaning then a family bond assumed between them." Mr Mulberry says into the conversation, "She was one the iced researchers. If you bother reading city history, you will know about the ice box project. What you dont get told is the horrible details it took to acheive it to the full success. Enough to scare humans and machines back then." Mr Mulberry shook at something else, "It is public knowledge that researchers were frozen for future plague prevention, that it was scrapped funding yet secretly continued. It was the other details that was black tape. The extent it took. That it was scuessful was hidden from general humans."

"Future disease prevention... which never made sense with the nanotechology being public knowledge too." I was lot in thoughts with just how for this conspiracy theory goes. It makes her credibility as a doctor less favoured to me. It seems to elaborate of things to be true.

"Honestly, this isn't real diamond." She was shaking a rock at a new customer, "This isn't worth anything to me."

"The latest graphite based security programming. How can it be worthless to a machine like us?" She forced the customer hand open, puts the stone there and pushed them away.

"Us you say?Did someone not tell you?" she shows her arm and to a nail across it. She opened it up like it was nothing, dripping blood, "Think again you idiots. I not a machine." She puts the part she open back together. Quick to have a needle out sewing the wound closed, "Honestly, we don't need crystal chipping. We are already anti-hacker safe."

"She is right. We do not use security crystal." Jackle stepping in and walking around to her side. Takes over sewing her arm, "You really didn't need to cut your arm to prove a point to these folks. Did you even consider the infections potential?" She stares at Jackle, flicked him in the forehead. He finishes regardless.

"The architect?" The customer backs off.

"No." Both of the sibilings said at the same time.

"Look Mr Darrell, you have no business with us. There nothing we trade in dark market that you think you need. We not here selling anything illegal. You're not injured and no one around you in your network is either. Just leave. If we did have any trade, it would be luxury items such as scarves for your wives or wooden decorations for the home." The man stares blank in confusion, "Any made craft items are set priced to a meal voucher or scrap of interest. We take in corpse remains of fallen machines, our highest commodity in this setting. We do not deal in underground trades such as crystals." This customer leaves for the time being, wavery steps that trip from time to time.

"You turned down the highest gem crafter on the market. It must the the first time he has ever been rejected. Gem stones are still big trade for humans like me. Not ways going to just machine industry use."

"We know that but my sister hates being lied to. It wasn't a diamond as he claims it as." She nods in agreeing with her brother whom still has not let go of her arm. She was about to take a step to move something, tugged in stay by her brother with her arm. She pouts at him with a sibiling argument between them. A staring contest that if broken was darkly silence the one interrupting it.

"Honestly, you sometimes forget yourself. I do wonder why you use that influence of me like that." Her grappled arm pats his face. He then let's go shocked that she used it like that, "You are forgetting whom had to take over eye surgery." He crossed arms all pouty now. She leans to him yet was on stare to the next customer. My feet ached from standing so long, I took a seat. Forcefully stood up by Mr Mulberry. I fidget to adjust my stance instead with then he let's go.

"Pardon me, but is this a dark market stall too?" A masked person, another that is hard to tell if it was just the clothing or that they were digital. I stared a lot with not answering at all.

"Put some real clothes on!" A cloth wade was face frist over this guy's mask. The mask knocked nearly off, "There is some of us whom don't use the arguement reality, and find you lack of clothing undignified."

"How old are you?" Jackle is shoulder knocked by her, as she was looking away.

"It is rather rare anyone bothers to tell me off. Its how I know if they are to into the fake world or not. In future, I will be more covered." This werid person puts it on, "It's strange for a doctor of all people to be shy of nudity."

"She's often embarrassed of machines not being clothed too. She is odd. A sort of left over human pride thing or old social practice that doesn't mean anything nowadays." Jackle tilts with trying to wrap his mind about it.

"Walking around nude is rude to me. It's a sort of having pride or dignity with yourself over others." She was totally covering her eyes, "If you were being medically checked over for anything, then there is a time and place to be nude." Jackle tilts more, "You would think humans would know better. At least when I taught it to the others, they understood and had respected this." Jackle straightens up with the now covered stranger in a mask.

"So there is other things then just humans and machines outside the city?" She sighed in annoyance with Jackle turned away disappointment, "What a strange pair you are." The lady frowns with looking at this mask guy, "I wanted to ask if you had any honey in stock?"

"I have all sorts of types. I have wax, unprocessed combs and processed grades of honey. Many flavors and consistency." She sounds so proud of the range, "If you want safe eating honey, I have clear and golden. Looking for a facial mask, then light brown. Hair removal, try the melting wax." She takes pause as the customer is perplexed, "I guess you don't really understand what I mean. Honey is just honey to you."

"Did you steal a entire hive? Weren't the bugs mutants?" She stares blankly at the mask guy, "I will take three jars of clear honey and a small jar of the luxurious combine." She knocked the van door and it opens small gap, the four jars of glass placed down. The mask fella passed over a bag with items in, chimed of empty clean jars from a previous trade. This person had to be a returning customer. She doesn't even check the content, back through into the van and back out. Five jars now.

"You need to sleep soon." Jackle poking her back. She points, "As does the patient too." She gives in and goes into the van from the side door, doing as she is told. Mr Mulberry pushed me along to the passenger side, getting us in.

I didn't really realize I was quick into deep sleep. To only partly way in notice of the van moving and with stung sunlight. Lost time I couldn't account for how I ended up like I am. Staring at the ceiling, dazed of his spacious this van is. Sight blurred to just edge out that there is two folks sitting next to me. All the sounds are muffled and dulled. Phantom pains in my nerves. My palms warm to the touch if my face. A double take of it being not the faluse cold plastics fibre cloth that should have been.

"See the levels of ccsc can be used as a medical anastasia as well as a catalyst to human cellular grown. He not going to be showing any symptoms of altering since his dna was unchanged by the versions of Ddc195 or Ddc198 he was influenced by." Her voice was clearest now, mid explaining of my condition and details down to the levels of what could happen to me under influence. She got more technical with several other languages thrown in.

"Waking up now." Mr Mulberry assisted me to sit up, "How are you?" I wipe my eye and was very focused in the notice that I felt their texture differently. I happened to look past my hands to my exposed leg. the teo that I unconsciously twitched. I scrunched in the attempts to reach my new foot, feeling a sting soon quickly in my chest. One pinky red continued line that was smooth yet sensitive to my finger tips. Only wearing underwear and then blanketed with a sheet of cloth.

"He got to be speechless." She wasn't in the suit that was her trade uniform, stained with some blood on her shirt, "Did you want them back?" She pointed to a open crate at the side. I peer over the edge. My mechanical parts, "So officially his only machine in the chest, eye and spine. He is back to the amount of human limit that the city cares to have law for." I gave a sharp stare at her, "I am serious. You are no longer underclass." I cant really stop feeling mixed about all this. A lot to sort of take in. The level of expertise to reconnect muscle, nerves and induce body acceptances to those limbs. The extensive and expensive blood tests that would be needed for certainty of success, "That night club owner sure cares about you, kid. He paid what it would have been for a royal to have surgery." She said.

"You both didn't know." Mr Mulberry sighed, "This is the closest to royal as it gets. This is one the top seats sons." she jolts with surprise and the Van slows done considerably to a crawl. The sound of a honk out back puts us to move again.