I stood out at my overlook, leaning against my dirt bike. Behind me, the Transporter slowly but steadily punched a hole in space. It was finally time to give my hover bike a test drive. I finished everything up earlier today. It looked like everything would work. Hopefully. There was always the unfortunate risk it’d blow up as soon as I got on it.
I pulled up my Skill list to check it all out now that I had everything spent.
「Tracking - 9
Panther’s Sight
Stalk
Tech - 12
Eidetic Schematic
Corvid
Transmutation
Quantum Automation
Stealth - 13
Fox’s Paw
Cold-Blooded
Illusive
Sleight of Hand - 10
Hidden Hands
Ambidextrous
Perception - 11
Aetherial Perception
Technical Expertise
Net - 4
Echidna’s Code Scan
Melee Weapons - 9
Throwing Weapon Master
Viper’s Strike
Intimidation - 7
Fear the Reaper
Firearms - 10
Dexterity
Aether Imbuement
First Aid - 7
Calming
Explosives - 6
Concussive Connoisseur
Evasion - 9
Burst Step
Arc Flash
Driving - 8
Land Vehicles
Air Vehicles
Deception - 9
Honest Face
Master of Disguise
Criminology - 8
Cues
Background Noise
Concealment - 9
Lethargic Presence
Hidden Weapon
Cleaning - 4
Squeaky Clean
Brawling - 7
Swipe
Art - 1
Accounting - 3」
I should take the chance to level up Art at some point if I could. It was now my only Skill still at level one. My skillset was becoming more and more flushed out as time passed. I wasn’t a master of all trades, but I was good at what I did. Better to be really good at a few things than mediocre at everything though.
Oh- that’s right. I dug around in the sand for the Sentinel blueprints. I had a better hidden storage space now. No point leaving them out here anymore. They‘d be much safer with the Aether than out here. At least, assuming no one walked through the void to get out to my hidden away bunker.
The portal finally opened up, opening the way into the Aether. I stepped in briefly to roll my new hover bike out into the sand and store the blueprints. It was almost entirely done. I hadn’t quite got around to the armor, but that’d only take an hour or two of work. All the core parts were ready to go.
I shoved my trusty old dirt-bike into the Aether and grabbed the Transporter, shutting off the connection to the other dimension. If this didn’t work? I’d have to wait another ten minutes to get my ride back out. Here’s to hoping it went off without a hitch. I had faith in my own tech though.
I hooked my deck into the hover bike and set up a few other monitoring devices. Mostly just simple stuff. Nothing would be better than Technical Expertise, though there were a few things I couldn’t see with the Perk. Mainly heat and radiation from the thermoelectric engine itself. I was a tad worried about the radiation chamber that the thing ran off.
I turned the key in the ignition, starting up the engine. Unlike the rough chugging of my dirt bike, the new engine of my hover bike sounded like a gentle purr. I inspected the bike carefully, running a hand along its frame.
It was thicker and much more heavy duty then what I was used to. The frame was chunky, giving way for much more storage than the last one. It even had built in compartments to hide stuff should I have the need. Also, a couple of hollow spaces to add in modifications when I got around to building them. There was a spot at the front for some heavy guns.
I wrapped my hands around the handlebars, twisting slightly. I needed to add a grip when I got back. It was too smooth. I flicked a couple switches, kicking on the Gravitic devices. For a moment, I felt pure weightlessness. The ionic thrusters kicked on, pushing the bike off its stand and gently into the air.
Sand blasted around me, creating a localized sandstorm. The ionic winds coming from the thrusters stirred it constantly, adding an electric charge to it that felt so very pleasant across my skin. I slapped on the mask, blocking the flying sand somewhat. Note to self, add a windshield when I get back to the speakeasy.
The hover bike rose into the air, shifting violently underneath me. I flicked on a few more switches, activating the gyrostabilizers to keep it level. The trembling cut off, becoming much, much smoother. Almost like the few flyers I rode in the past?
I kept it hovering just over the sand for several minutes, constantly pulsing the vehicle with bits of Technical Expertise to monitor its internals. Likewise I monitored the actual monitoring devices I set up. Everything looked fine. A couple of fluctuations here and there, but nothing too bad.
Okay! Just have to actually… well… drive it, right? Please, nothing blow up. Oh please, nothing blow up. No- no, I needed to have more confidence in my capabilities. This would hold. It had to after all this time investment.
I pushed forward. The hover bike followed the motion and gently glided across the sands. Its elevation was locked, so it kept to just right above the ground. Sand blasted in every direction, launching into the distance.
I pushed it a bit more, speeding up. Not max speed, but slowly climbing. I flew across the desert- literally this time. The speed pushed further and further. I moved much, much faster than my little dirt bike ever could. The gentle purr of the engine turned into a roar underneath me.
I messed around with the hover bike, flying across the sands. It was freeing, almost. I wasn’t bound by the limitations of a terrestrial vehicle. Without the restrictions of weight, I could move almost as fast the thrusters could push me. There were a few limitations of course, but it was so free.
I whipped back by the overlook, dropping the accelerator. I slowed to a halt just above the desert sands. One last thing to test, then: height. I flicked a switch, shifting the sensors from elevation above the ground to altitude above sea level. Basically, I disabled the imitator keeping it tied to just above the ground.
The bike flew into the sky. It slowly built up altitude, climbing higher and higher. It flew just the same, though controlling altitude made controlling the bike itself much more difficult. I tested it a bit more, flying at several different altitudes to make sure it ran.
Honestly? Probably never use the hover bike to actually fly. It was cool, but situational. That, and I’d have to actually abide by flyer laws within the city. Would be nice for infiltration though. I wouldn’t have to take stairs and elevators anymore. I could just set the bike to auto-pilot and jump off like when I got into Cold Moon. Of course, assuming I set up the auto-pilot at some point.
I summoned the Transporter once more and swapped vehicles. It wasn’t quite street ready yet. I’d have to go get a license plate, set up blinkers, and all that. Not to mention the armor wasn’t even attached yet.
— — —
I adjusted a plate of carefully welded it into place. It was almost there. Soon it’d be-
Ding! Ding!
My phone rang from the other side of the room. I’d like to say Background Noise proved vital for hearing it… but it was right there. I put down the welding gun and pulled off the hood. I brushed a soot sleeked against my face to wipe off some sweat and picked up the phone.
“Shiro! Oh, thank God you’re okay.” There was tension in his voice. “Are you okay?”
“Hey, Uncle Ezra! I’m fine now.” How’d he know something went wrong with me? “Haven’t heard from you in a while.”
My uncle sighed in relief. “Sorry I’ve been out of contact. I just got service and heard about the shit show in Aythryn City. Damn sandstorms completely block the signal this close to the center.”
“I get it.” Must be near the middle of the Eternal Sandstorm. What was the FSA up to there? If it was just clearing Dune Walkers, he wouldn’t have been out of contact for so long.
“Mira with you?” He asked. “My calls haven’t been going through.”
I froze, the phone nearly falling out of my hand. There was something in the way he said that- was it the expectation that she was with me? It struck a heavy discordant tone. A sick feeling rose from the bottom of my stomach. ”What do you mean?”
“She left for Aythryn City a month and a half ago. She promised she called you?” Worry crept into his voice once more. It made the anxiety building within me all the more prevalent.
”I- I haven’t heard from either one of you in months.” It’d been complete radio silence. I just assumed that they couldn’t contact me for whatever reason… but if-
”Did she- where is she if she isn’t with you?” He paused, a keyboard clacking from his end. “Mira definitely got on the plane- I’ll call her again. Maybe she just-”
He cut himself off. I had a feeling we were of the same mindset though. It wasn’t like her to just drop contact for this long. I could probably do it and just not realize, but definitely not Mira. He hung up, likely to call Mira again just as he said.
Okay, okay, let's think this through. It wouldn’t be all that surprising if she didn’t call me. She always loved trying to surprise me. Maybe she was planning on just dropping in-
Shit, did the circle get her? They were camped outside of my apartment, right? How’d the timing match up? Did she even get to Little Yukoto? Or did something happen before then?
Uncle Ezra called back a few minutes later. “I can’t find her phone. The tracker is- it's been shut off.”
”She has a tracker?” No- that wasn’t important right now. “Would she shut it off herself?”
“No!” For once, the ever-confident man I’d called uncle all my life sounded like he was falling apart. “Just- just let me think. Here- yes, she definitely got to Aythryn City. I have records of her arriving at the Blitz Base.”
I flushed myself with Cold-Blooded. The sick and panicky feelings faded away under my slowing heartbeat. ”Send them to me.”
“Right- look, I’ll try to get back-“
”How long?” No chance he'd be able to get back in a timely manner. Assuming the FSA even let him off in the first place.
“From here- couple weeks at least. Sandstorms have this place shut down- Fuck! Mira- please be okay. I can’t loose you too…”
I checked the arrival details he texted to me. She’d already been out of contact for over a month and half… I hated to even think about it, but what were the chances she was even still alive? In a city like this? Disappearing for that long was practically a death sentence-
No, let’s think positive thoughts. Maybe she just- just got hit over the head? Maybe she was just at Medtech, and hasn’t had the chance to call. Mira was a fighter anyway. No way something basic like Scavs could’ve snagged her. What could’ve- was she in East End when the AEZ went off?
She would’ve come back before then. At least a week before it happened. Not to mention there’d be no real reason to go to East End. So maybe- maybe-
More documents from Uncle Ezra came across. It’d give me a starting point to look, at least. I checked the hover bike- it still wasn’t quite done yet. A few armor plates were missing here and there, but it’d work. It was street ready now if I just tore off the license plate from my old bike. It’d definitely move faster.
”And take this.” A ‘Special Investigator’ pass came across text, alongside Uncle Ezra’s credentials to back it up. His voice calmed down significantly. There was still tension, but it was suppressed. He didn’t reach his position for no reason. Even without Cold-Blooded, he could calm himself enough to not let emotion take control.
I flicked through the file indicating the plane Mira rode on. It was a FSA freight plane, departing from a FSA base somewhere in the east and arriving in Aythryn City without any stops. She definitely got into the city, at least.
I looked over the badge he sent. “What’s this?”
“It won’t get you in everywhere, but you should be able to get into the base and ask around without issues.” The sound of his keyboard came across once more. “I’ll contact security. Get you access to the base’s camera feeds for that day.”
Right. If I could find her there, I could try and track her through the city. I doubt I’d be able to find too many traces after this long, but most places should have up to three months worth of footage kept. How would I-
My badge. I needed to swing by the BC Gym. This- this was an official Blue Crusade investigation now. Full intimidation. It was a good thing I’d been charging Fear the Reaper up.
「Request - Lost Mikata - Received
Find Mira
Reward: 25 EF, Pack Gift」
Pack Gift- Wolf? Definetely a request from Wolf. I nodded my head to empty air. With an eidolon standing behind me? No one would stand in my way. Those that did wouldn’t be standing for long. I gathered up my weapons and gear, and then headed back up streetside.