Even More Work!

Marcus pulled his coat closer, feeling the cold bite through the thin fabric. The streets of Centari-IV were alive with activity, people bustling about in a chaotic dance of survival. 

His eyes scanned the crowd, wary of anyone who might recognize him despite his Disguise I skill.

The market was located in a labyrinthine maze of alleyways and side streets. It wasn't the kind of place you'd find on any official map, but Alex (the previous owner of this body) had spent enough time here to know the routes by heart.

He reached the entrance, a grimy doorway hidden behind a stack of rusted crates. Stepping inside, he was greeted by the scent of metal and decay mingling with the sounds of bartered arguments and low murmurs.

Vendors lined the cramped passageways, their stalls overflowing with components, weapons, and various oddities. Marcus took a moment to gather his bearings, then moved purposefully towards the first stall.

"Looking for something specific?" the vendor asked, a sly look in his eyes.

Marcus nodded, keeping his voice low. "I need parts. Robotics, high-grade."

The vendor's eyes lit up, greed flashing across his face. "Got just the thing. Follow me."

He led Marcus to a backroom, where shelves were crammed with various components. Marcus began to pick out what he needed: diodes, servomotors, microchips. Each item added to his growing pile, and with it, the weight on his mind as he calculated the cost.

As the vendor tallied his selections, Marcus's eyes wandered over to a rack of titanium plates, glistening under the dim lights. He knew he needed a lot of these for the mining bots, but the price tags were staggering. 

Twenty plates cost nearly 40,000 credits!

"Why are these plates so expensive!?" Marcus cried.

"You're looking at some high-demand items," the vendor said, noticing Marcus's interest. "Titanium's controlled by the Black Hoods. Prices are through the roof."

Marcus's stomach churned. "Are there no other vendors?"

The Merchant shook his head with a chuckle "The Black Hoods controlled the only safe mine on the planet. There are no other vendors, unless you want to risk you're neck out on the flats." 

Marcus bit his lip, the flats were what described most of the landscape on Centari-IV, a dull gray wasteland devoid of most life, except for various predatory creatures hostile to everything. There was only one settlement on Centari-IV and the reason was the rest had all failed, killed by the wild life. No one wasted their time venturing beyond the City walls, it was too dangerous.

No wonder the prices were extortionate, the Black Hoods must control the only mine within the City limits.

He selected twenty few plates, knowing full well it would eat into his budget severely. The vendor totaled everything up.

"That'll be 65,000 credits," he said with a grin.

Marcus tried to hide his frustration. "That leaves me with nothing for defenses."

"Sorry bud, if you got a problem take it up with the Black Hoods," the vendor shrugged.

Marcus glanced around the room, his eyes landing on a dusty box in the corner. It was filled with old Roombas, relics from a bygone age of simple cleaning bots. There were dozens of the little bots. 

An idea began forming in his head.

"How much for those?" he asked, pointing.

The vendor laughed. "Those? They're ancient. Tell you what— I'll throw them in for an extra 2000 credits. Deal?"

Marcus nodded. He had an idea. "Deal."

He handed over the credits, gritting his teeth as his balance dwindled painfully. The vendor called over a young boy, instructing him to help package Marcus's purchases.

"We will have them shipped to you by the end of today," the vendor said as Marcus tapped his wrist-holo with the man transferring the address of the Library.

As he made his way out of the market, Marcus received a sudden ping on his wrist-holo. It was a message from Detective Vega.

"Need to talk? Are you available?"

Marcus cursed under his breath. More pressure. He quickened his pace. The journey was slow and felt like an eternity, but eventually he arrived back to the Library. The police once again stopped him but he told them he had business with the Librarian. 

They tapped a message into their wrist-holo asking him to wait.

Marcus looked down amused a few moments later when he got a message on his wrist-holo asking if he was expecting a visitor. He replied yes discreetly and a little bit later he was on his way and he let himself back into the Library.

He had previously changed all the biometrics and codes to his own. It was his won personal fortress now, luckily the police had got rid of the bodies long ago so there was no odor beyond the stale smell of paper and metal.

Marcus's wrist holo buzzed, another message from the Detective asking to meet. Marcus quickly changed back into the attire of the Librarian, taking a quick puff of wakeleaf to ease the pain in his muscles before dawning the metal mask and his cane. 

He collapsed into a chair, the weight of the day pressing down on him but he had law enforcement to appease. He sent the Detective a message and not two minutes late the pretty detective was sitting across from him in his workshop.

She eyes the pipe on the table still smoking of wakeleaf with barely veiled disdain.

"Want some?" Marcus asked and she scoffed. "No thanks, that stuff is highly addictive, and illegal by the way." She cast an annoyed glance at Marcus who shrugged.

"So what do you want detective? The encryption will take some more time unfortunately, a few days at least."

Detective Vega sat across from Marcus, her demeanor as stern as ever. She barely glanced at the cluttered workshop, focusing solely on Marcus through the slits of his metallic mask.

"I didn't come here just for the encryption," she began, her voice low. "I have a personal matter I need your help with."

Marcus arched an eyebrow behind the mask, intrigued. "Personal, you say? What kind of help are we talking about?"

Vega shifted uncomfortably, glancing around to make sure they were truly alone before speaking again. "My sister. She's missing. I have reason to believe she's been taken by the Black Hoods."

Marcus leaned back in his chair, trying to conceal his surprise. "And you want my help to find her? You're the police aren't you?"

"Yes," she replied, eyes hardening. "She's been caught up in some... illegal business, drugs and whatnot. You're good at finding information. I need you to dig into this. I can't use official channels; it's too risky. If they find out, they could jail her—or worse."

Marcus considered this for a moment. Helping Vega could be dangerous, especially with the Black Hoods involved. But the leverage it could give him might be invaluable. He needed to tread carefully.

Detective Vega seemed to notice Marcus's hesitation so she spoke again "I can pay you! 50,000 credits, all I've saved up this past year!"

Marcus's eyes lit up with dollar signs.

"Alright," he said finally. "I'll do what I can. But I'll need more information. Anything you know about her whereabouts, or why they might have taken her."

Vega let out a breath she seemed to have been holding. "Her name is Elena. She's 19, works at a local clinic. She usually gets her fix from this address in the Market, I will warn you, it's run by the Black Hoods. Last Friday was the anniversary of our parent's... death. She went to get her usual fix but she didn't come home."

Marcus nodded, noting these details. "Understood. I'll start digging. But you must remember, this could take time. And, if my involvement is discovered, it could be very dangerous for both of us."

Vega nodded, her expression resolute. "I understand. Just—thank you. I don't have anyone else to turn to."

"Consider it a professional courtesy," Marcus said, waving off her gratitude. "Just be sure to stop any would be assassins' from killing me. Can't help you if I am dead after all."

Vega managed a tight-lipped smile at that, but worry still clouded her eyes. "I'll leave you to it, then. And please, any information—contact me directly."

"Of course," Marcus assured her. "I'll be in touch."

Detective Vega stood, giving him a final nod before making her way out of the workshop. Marcus watched her go, the wheels in his mind already turning. This was a risky game, but one worth playing if it meant gaining favor with law enforcement and finding more leverage against the Black Hoods.

As the door shut behind Vega, Marcus took off his metallic mask and set it on the table beside the wakeleaf pipe. He reached for his wrist-holo, feeling the weight of his new mission bearing down on him.

He asked the system to summarize the conversation.

[New Objective Detected: Locate Detective Vega's Sister, Elena.]

Marcus tapped into the System, feeling the familiar coldness of its monotone voice in his mind.

[Objective Details: Gather intelligence on Elena's last known whereabouts. Investigate her disappearance discreetly. Reward: Increased favor with Detective Vega, 50,000 credits and potential strategic information on the Black Hoods.]

Marcus cracked his neck, the weariness of his body fighting against the sharpness of his mind. He couldn't afford any missteps now, not with everything hanging in the balance. He needed to play this delicately. Any wrong move could alert the Black Hoods or Vega's superiors, landing him in a situation he might not be able to wiggle out of.

For now his focus needed to shift immediately to two critical tasks: assembling the bots and figuring out a defense plan. Then he could investigate this matter for Vega.

Marcus sighed, leaning heavily on his cane as he stood up. The day was long from over, and he had work to do.