Chapter 6 - "The Three Faces"

Ashok—no, Vyom—no, Raven—walked into his lab, yawning as he removed his blood-drenched coat. The red marks dripped onto the clean white floor, creating foreboding splatters at his feet.

"Man… I really gotta stop doing this," he grumbled, holding up his bloodied outfit like they'd offended him personally. He sighed and tossed it into the auto-cleanse chute, watching as the nanobots spring to life as they broke down the bloodied fabric at the molecular level.

He ran a hand through his dark, unruly hair, cracking his neck.

"At this rate, I'll have a blood fetish or something. Why do I always get bloody-bloody?"

A breath in. The smell of iron still lingered on his skin.

"Ugh, I'm gonna turn psycho someday."

With a sigh, he entered the shower. The glass door closed behind him, steam rising as warm water poured down over him. Synthetic citrus soap blended with streaks of blood as it went swirling down the drain.

Outside, Veyrasha was awakening to something new.

Neon signs flashed over the cityscape, their light throwing sinister shadows on the rain-slick streets. Holo-screens on buildings flashed breaking news.

Vague security camera footage indicated a shadow weaving its way through a body of people, red flashes against the black.

"Yesterday night, a total massacre was witnessed in Veyrasha's underworld. More than one hundred members of the Harven Syndicate were killed. Authorities are still confirming the killer's identity, but it is very difficult as there were no witnesses and they suspect one figure—"

The screen flashed to twisted video of a masked figure cutting through gangsters like a ghost.

Crowds stood around listening to the broadcast. A few of them whispered in amazement. Others averted their eyes, uncomfortable.

One shopkeeper beside a drinks stall jeered. "Good riddance. Perhaps the streets will now be safer."

Another man shook his head. "Nah, man. If there is some such dude, why can't he target us next?"

Two officers a little down the street stood beside a patrol vehicle, watching the report in silence.

"You think we ought to investigate?" one of them grumbled.

The older officer puffed on a smoke, exhaling with deliberation. "You be my guest if you want to. Me? I like breathing."

The government wouldn't hide this—because they couldn't.

Veyrasha had sensed it.

The underworld had fallen apart in a single night.

The city was holding its breath.

At The Lab

Ashok perched on the counter of his lab, eating a nutrient bar with the enthusiasm of a man forced to eat cardboard for survival. He washed it down with an energy serum, shuddering at the taste.

"Ugh, this tastes like burnt batteries," he grumbled, gazing blankly at the holo-screen in front of him.

Reminder notification appeared.

"Your cyber-pet repair appointment is in 15 minutes."

He groaned. Ah, yes—his completely legitimate job.

That was the cover.

Ashok, the nice, nerdy cyber-pet fixer who serviced robotic pets for spoiled brats of the wealthy.

"Incredible. I transitioned from tearing people apart to repairing metal dogs within an hour."

He rose, yawned, and stepped out into the streets of Veyrasha.

The streets glowed in neon glory. Giant skyscrapers hummed with digital power. AI-powered billboards promoted battle mechs, cybernetic enhancements, and new sensory additions.

Stopping by a cutting-edge beverage stand, Ashok ordered as usual. A robot arm delivered a hand-shaped metal mug of a blue, glimmering substance.

He sipped it, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Ah, refreshing!"

A stranger who ordered another drink asked Ashok curiously, "Bro, why are you not taking the serum drinks?"

Ashok chuckled, "I am allergic to cybernetic enhancements and for a serum drink, I need an enhancement on my hand."

The stranger replied,"So sorry Bro that you are missing all the fun. I will pay your drink, man. All the best in surviving."

Ashok was annoyed but thanked him.

"Man, even though my drinks are getting paid every time, it is a bit annoying that they are taking pity on me, sheesh."

Then-

A familiar voice called out.

"Oi, Ashok! My robo-dog keeps chewing on metal. What do I do?"

A gruff-looking vendor, a veteran who'd been selling drinks on this corner for decades, narrowed his eyes.

Ashok smiled. "Have you tried—y'know—turning it off and on again?"

The vendor glared at him.

"You and your big words. Just repair the damn thing before it devours my shop sign."

Ashok laughed, sipping again.

Behind him, another holo-screen flickered. The news anchor's voice echoed in the background.

"The entity known as 'Raven' is unknown. Some say he is a legend—others, a contract killer. But one thing is certain…"

A crowd of onlookers leaned in.

"Veyrasha has changed."

"Whatever, I ain't gonna get benefited by this, right?" grumbled the vendor.

Ashok smirked.

"It is fixed, goodbye then," smiled Ashok.

"Next time, you will get a free drink," replied the vendor while bidding him.

As he walked, he spoke—to himself, to the audience, to something unseen.

"You ever get the feeling that your life is just… I don't know, part of some story? Like you're a character in someone else's script?" He took another sip. "Weird, right? Creepy… but kinda cool."

He laughed. "Anyway, let's get to the point. I should probably explain myself."

Ashok leaned against a holographic bus stop column, awaiting the arrival of the next high-tech public transport.

"I exist as three different individuals," he revealed to the audience. "Ashok—some clueless pushover tech guy."

He stopped speaking as a great roar erupted from a nearby holographic TV.

His gaze shifted to the screen. A Level 6 Monster was in the process of being caught.

"Yikes," he grumbled, observing the massive, monstrous creature struggle against containment fields. "Forgot there are real monsters out there."

He breathed out, sighed, and went on, "Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah—my other selves. Raven—the nightmare criminals whisper about before they are killed. And the most hated one out of the three since he is like—Every single time. It's as if he wakes up and he is like, 'Hmm, what do I do today? Oh, yeah—get soaked in someone else's blood. And then there's…"

He stopped.

A humming filled the air with the approach of the high-tech transport pod.

Ashok boarded, entering the streamlined, bare-bones capsule-like car. Blue neon traced the borders, the seats tilting back to accommodate passengers entering.

He eased into a seat, stretching out his arms. "Let's do some worldbuilding."

Beside him, a child sat wide-eyed watching his cyber-beverage.

"Mister, is that tasty?"

Ashok looked at the glittering beverage.

"Tastes like… electricity."

The kid smiled. "Sounds cool."

To his right, a pair of lovers quarreled.

"You said you were only going to get a retinal upgrade, not a whole neural implant!"

"I just thought—"

"You thought what? That you could simply install a superior personality?"

Ashok chuckled. The things people fought about these days…

Somewhere in the back of the car, a cluster of young men stood grouped around a holo-screen, viewing the news of Raven.

"Bro, did you catch that? The man just walked through them like they didn't exist."

One of them trembled. "Man, picture this, running into him in a dark alley. Instant respawn."

The other jeered. "I dunno… kinda cool. What if he's doing the city a good deed?"

The first guy snorted. "Yeah, until you're next."

One of them turned to Ashok.

"What do you think, man? About Raven?"

Ashok shifted back, having a slow drag on his beverage.

"Sounds like a real scary guy," he remarked. His lips curled into an amused smirk.

The car came to a halt. His stop.

Ashok got out onto the streets.

"Well, let's proceed. So, as I was saying, all three personas don't conflict with one another's work or objectives. And now…"

A lazy stretch.

"Time to do my job."

He walked into a modern tech center. The receptionist smiled teasingly at him.

"Hey, Mr. Ashok! Late again?"

He smiled awkwardly. "Got... uh, stuck on a project."

She rolled her eyes. "Right, right. Your robo-pets."

An elderly man poked his head from behind the counter. "Ashok! Repair this kid's robot cat. The son of a gun keeps running into walls."

"Sounds like my kind of job."

As he tinkered, the receptionist leaned in.

"You're kinda a pushover, Ashok."

"Huh?"

"You work the crappiest shifts, never say a word, let the customers run all over you.

Ashok grinned awkwardly, rubbed his head. "Guess I'm just easygoing?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Or just dumb."

He chuckled it off, completed the repairs, and made his way to the elevator.

"So, guys, today's episode is done. Time for the persona switch."

His grin disappeared. His face became cold.

Fingers typed, pushing buttons in a particular sequence.

The elevator beeped. A seamless transition.

He was no longer at the tech shop.

He was in the HQ of SENTINEL.

His attire transformed. A black, designer suit took the place of his relaxed wear. A small, luminous sigil emerged across his wrist.

The doors slid open.

A futuristic underground complex stretched out before him. A line of monitors. Tactical drones floating. Ghostly outlines of agents weaving through the complex.

Ashok advanced. Then, suddenly, he turned back to the reader.

"Oh, yeah! I forgot to mention to you guys… This is SENTINEL. A secret elite agent organization that handles the ORDER, particularly."

He grinned. "And until I encounter someone, let me clarify how it operates."

He walked through the halls.

"The system here is perfect. Nobody knows anything about any other agent. Even the organization itself locks up identities. Trainee agents are provided with random numbers such as KT2050. You don't receive a code name until you've done something worth remembering."

He paused. His smirk expanded.

"My code name? It is the name of the last guy in me, I forgot to introduce him. So, it was assigned because of my incredible tracking and concealment skills. It is—"

A whisper slithered through the air.

"You have come??"

He froze.