Three months later.
I stared silently at the ceiling of my cell. Every day, those sadists put me in some kind of cell and tried to use those tentacles to extract part of Chronos' clock from me and implant it into a test subject. Not only did this yield no results, but the entire process was accompanied by excruciating pain. The system, however, cheered me up with several achievement notifications.
Skills acquired:
"Pain Threshold" Level 6 (34% to next level)
You have a 60% chance of completely ignoring your damage and continuing the battle. Exceptions are fatal damage for obvious reasons.
Thanks to prolonged physical abuse, you have unlocked the "Buff"!
"Masochist" Level 2 (10% to next level)
You are not afraid of pain. You enjoy it.
"Resistance to physical attacks +10%
"Resistance to mental attacks + 5%
That's awesome... "Baf"! I didn't think that shock therapy would suddenly make me burst into stupid, abnormal laughter. Apparently, I lost my mind a little last time, and my superiors became concerned about my... let's say... "functionality".
Thanks to your endurance and iron will, you have earned 76 points of Resilience.
Now I've found a way to become... "Resilient." Excellent. Well, at least after hundreds of attempts, they finally gave up. I think.
Over the past three months, I've levelled up five times. I've brought my hand-to-hand and firearms skills to level seven and improved my stats. Why did I level up so little in such a long time? It's because my usual training, exercises and assignments became ineffective. I needed a lot of "experience," which in RPG games is earned by killing various "mobs," "bosses," and completing normal quests, rather than fetch-and-carry tasks.
My main stats stopped improving after reaching level 60+. Apparently, this was the normal limit for my physical development according to the laws of this world. The system is hinting that I will have to level up in a different way and that there won't be many freebies. So now I'm focusing on at least getting my physique, endurance and strength to level 60. It's a pity that I can't openly test my full potential. During training, I always tried to hold back and not show my true abilities.
My firearms, cold weapon and hand-to-hand combat skills reached level seven and improved steadily without any problems. Well, I realised almost from the very beginning that in order to improve them, I needed ordinary "experience". The more I practised, the better my skills became.
I'm not going to sit here for long. It's time to get out of here. Over the past three months, I've managed to come up with an escape plan. It did have its drawbacks, though.
First of all, the main problem was our "collars." Yes, I wasn't the only one with this particularly pleasant accessory, and if I — or any of the other prisoners — did something wrong, immediate shock therapy awaited us all. Thanks to my brief conversations with the other prisoners, I was able to identify a kind of "leader" among them — someone who would agree to help us escape if necessary. The room that controlled our collars was directly monitored by the control system on the third floor, and the only way to get there was by lift. There were no stairs between the levels, and in case of an escape, the lift could simply be taken over. At least that's how Carl Stone, the leader of our underground resistance, explained it to me. He had witnessed a small group of prisoners trying to escape. One of them sacrificed himself in the command centre by locking the doors and staying inside, but it wasn't enough — the lift was opened directly on the second floor. A floor full of guards.
We must act quickly and in unison. After I disable the collars and open the cells, the prisoners will riot and attack. There aren't many guards on the first level, and most of the staff are on the second level. After that, I'll call the lift and distract the guards, take over the second floor and the lift control panel. Once we have taken the guards' weapons and secured the second level, all that remains is to make our way to the exit through the third level. What is the most obvious flaw in this plan?
I'm not very confident that the prisoners will be able to take down a group of five Nazis, even if they are not very strong, with their bare fists.
"There will be casualties. Don't worry, I'll make sure no one is left with any doubts," Stone once told me, and that gave me confidence.
Okay, it's time to stop these silly doubts and get ready. The next time the Director calls me to his office, I'll take action. I'll stop time, sabotage the equipment, go to the second level and capture the lift control panel, and then... then I'll play it by ear.
Just as I expected. I didn't have to wait long for my boss to call me. He always liked to call me personally and show me where to go, so I was already dressed in the standard Nazi parade uniform (kindly provided by the security guards) and heading for the lift with my escorts. As soon as I crossed the door of the office, my body was paralysed by an electric shock.
"You... are quite an interesting specimen, 88. Have you ever wondered why we tried to implant our gift into someone else? Hmm? No?" When the current stopped paralyzing me, my escorts immediately pinned my body to a special chair and shackled me in steel handcuffs before I could come to my senses.
"Did you think I was so stupid that I didn't notice you whispering to the other prisoners about escape? Giving them hope and faith in a better future, and most importantly, you sincerely believed that Carl Stone was really the leader of these stupid and ignorant rats that he sincerely wanted to 'save'?! You were right about one thing, he did want to save... but only himself. As soon as you started such a... "close relationship" with him, he asked the guard for a private meeting with me and asked me to release him in exchange for some very... very interesting information. You can probably guess what that was, right? No matter how badly you think of me, I am a man of my word. I really did release him to his long-awaited "freedom," he said, turning his laptop towards me, the screen displaying a picture of Stone smiling stupidly. He glanced uncertainly at the soldiers, then, as if afraid they would change their minds at any moment, he slowly began to walk towards the tall gates of the military base. The massive gates slowly opened, and he still couldn't believe his eyes as he stupidly walked forward.
"Scum! Louse! Dumb Stone! I'll get you out of the ground! I'll rip your guts out and make you eat them!"
So many emotions swirled inside me: anger, hatred, rage at him and at myself. Yes, I hated myself for trusting someone so easily. I believed in that deceitful, kind smile and his disgusting, sympathetic words about how organisations like this should be destroyed. Tears welled up in my eyes, and my face contorted into a crooked grin.
Meanwhile, interesting events were unfolding on the monitor: after Carl Stone left the gate, he was hit in the back of the head by a heavy bullet and his body fell flat on the ground. This image gave me an abnormal sense of moral satisfaction. It was as if a cockroach had been squashed in an instant.
"I promised him freedom, not life," he said, still unconcerned. "I can't stand traitors. As for you... I was extremely disappointed in you, '88'. I always had hope that maybe one day you would abandon this idea and come over to my side. As it turned out, after unsuccessful attempts to extract the Chronos Clock from you, the scientific department came to the conclusion that it was impossible, and that your death would destroy them once and for all. And so I had no choice. Our science department has created a device that can completely erase a person's identity and turn them into a blank slate. All that will remain is raw experience, skills... instincts. Believe me, I will be able to 'fix' you in record time," he said, taking something resembling a head mask, more like a gas mask, into his hands.
"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!
I was torn apart by stupid and insane laughter. Even with my ability to stop time, I wasn't sure I could break my shackles in that time. Break the collar, let alone get out of here. It was an unconditional defeat, so I could only find one way out of this situation.
"Go to hell, Mein Führer!
I gave the mental command to activate "Reset," but was unpleasantly surprised by the refusal, as a barrier had been activated in this "location" that prevented me from using this ability. So, if it couldn't be activated in the usual way, there was only one "non-standard" way to activate it. I had to kill myself. I didn't know if it would work, but death was better than losing my identity and becoming a brainless puppet in the hands of this madman.
I bit my tongue as hard as I could, causing profuse bleeding.
Critical Hit! You are bleeding to death!
I mentally commanded the system to disable the weak regeneration abilities from the physique bonus and slowly and painfully watched my HP drain away.
340/500
I was choking, suffocating, and tasting the nasty salty taste of blood, but seeing my "boss" freaking out and panicking at the same time... It was quite a pleasant sight.
140/500
He grabs me by the chest of my uniform and shouts something at me in German, but I don't care anymore.
1/500... 0/500
My consciousness was clouded by darkness.
You are dead. Time:Reset ability activated!
Amidst the pitch blackness, the familiar rectangular interface window appeared, and then it was as if I was being pulled somewhere, until...
I jumped up from the bed, gasping for air, my hand falling on my restless heart, and the thought flashed through my mind that it was just some kind of nightmare and unpleasant dream. But was it a dream? Nervously swallowing, I opened my skills status and scanned the entire list, discovering that the Reset ability was missing.
"It wasn't a dream..." My palms turned into fists, and my teeth clenched into a rough grind. A "snake smile" crept across my face, and the system, like Captain Obvious, notified me that I had used a "mask." One mistake almost cost me my life. I will never trust anyone again. Not "heroes" or "villains." This incident convinced me that everyone must get the most out of other people. I will no longer be a hypocrite and admit to myself that I never wanted to get out of here with all these pieces of meat that can't even defend themselves. Now, all that matters to me is "Victory." Victory at any cost. But for what? For the sake of enjoying this "Game." To laugh at those who try to find meaning in their lives through Money, Power, Protecting the Weak, Justice. After all, none of that matters, because in the end, the only thing that matters is who wins! That is the essence of every "Game Character." It's time to take a deep breath and exhale. I can't let these emotions get the better of me. Not now.
What do we have in the end?
I did use the "inventory" on rare occasions. The space-time pocket could almost instantly take any item. Food was easy. In the dining room, when everyone was busy eating, I would sometimes discreetly "vaporise" food under the table. Food usually healed a small amount of HP and restored some OD. The inventory cannot take items that cannot become "mine." Everything that has a category of use within human limits, such as Food, Clothing, Accessories, Weapons, and so on. The system gave me a clear and simple hint that if I wanted to move larger objects into my own space, I had to at least master the "Basics of Space Management." That is... "Magic" is not available to me. I... let's say I borrowed about twelve apples, a few bags of milk, and a couple of glasses of water. Not much, right? Well... If a plate of porridge disappeared from my hands, people would immediately suspect something. Also, with the help of inventory, I can't, like some kind of "uber-magician," steal my enemies' weapons into my space at will, because they are "their" weapons. That is, as long as the owner of the weapon is alive, I have no right to take it according to the law of the system. I wonder what would happen if I bought a patent for it? I'm starting to complain a lot about not having any magical potential. Never mind!
Even though the problem with the collar remained, I no longer had the right to doubt. I would take the risk to get rid of it, and then simply leave these filthy walls, not forgetting to take with me to the next world everyone who stood in my way.
That same day.
9:00 a.m.
"Get changed. The Führer is waiting for you," one of my two escorts said with a hissing German accent, throwing my clothes on the bed.
Everything was going according to plan... well, the uniform would be better than this disgusting grey T-shirt and trousers anyway. A white shirt, a dark jacket, matching trousers and high black boots. I tightened my belt, pulled up my black gloves and adjusted my cap with the swastika emblem.
A crooked smile appeared on my face.
"Are you ready?"
"Of course!" I replied cheerfully and immediately snapped my fingers in front of me. The black and white world faded away, and the collar activated instantly. A film of electricity bound my entire body. It felt like thousands or millions of heated needles were piercing my body. With all my strength, I touched the collar with my hands and, finding the right skill tree, spent one point on the "Inanimate Objects" time effect.
Learned: Time Rewind. Can only be used on inorganic objects. AP consumption will depend on the complexity of the object's structure and its size. This skill can rewind the time of an object, returning it either to its original form or to its final state.
I didn't have time to think much about the possibilities, and after "wisely" weighing my options, I rewound the collar, returning it to its original form. In just a few seconds, the collar fell apart and clattered to the floor of my quiet world. I knew that if I wasted another couple of seconds of my precious time in this space, I would be left completely powerless and, although free, completely helpless against two experienced soldiers. Before returning time to its previous course, I took a pistol from the holster of one of the escort soldiers — an old trusty TT-33, with which I had shot so many targets, and...
Time returned to its usual course.
"Wh-what?" Those were the last stupid words to come out of the filthy mouth of that dumb idiot, as a shot that thundered throughout the entire level blew part of his brains out. The second one was already coming to, but it was too late. My element of surprise prevented him from reacting in time to the series of shots that hit him in the chest. A siren wailed. I raised two submachine guns and put them both away in my inventory. One of them had a military knife, which I twirled playfully in my left hand and tossed into the air, humming the German national anthem, then caught it just as cheerfully with a reverse grip. I added another training point to my Stealth skill, which I had slightly underestimated given my ability to manipulate time.
There were only five guards on the first level. Two on the left and two on the right. One was guarding the lift. Using Stealth, I dissolved into thin air. They just stared in amazement at the two corpses in my cell and tried to find any clue as to where I had disappeared to.
"Boom!" I imitated a gunshot before pulling the trigger.
A shot from the TT blows the brains out of another fanatic, and at the same time, I turn around and stab the second one in the throat with a knife. I shoot the third one in the eye, and the fourth one manages to point his weapon at me before the next shot sends him to Hell. A burst from an MP-40 submachine gun hits the ceiling, and only one bullet pierces my palm. I stop the bleeding with a medical bandage I find in one of the corpses' pockets, and restore my health and stamina with apples and a carton of milk.
Already heading towards the lift and sipping the milk through a straw, I remembered something important.
"Oh yes! I almost forgot!
Karl Stone's camera was nearby, and the lock on his camera wasn't very secure. A couple of shots from my pistol were enough to knock it out.
"Why did you do that?! Now, because of you, we could be punished or killed at any moment! We agreed that you...
How quickly you showed your true colours, but not completely. You're still foolishly believing that you can use me.
"Yes, yes, yes, I changed my plans," I say carelessly, hugging him. "Thank you. Thanks to you, I understand what I have to do. You taught me a very important lesson.
"What lesson?
"Never trust strangers with a friendly smile," I say, shooting him in the knee. Carl falls to the cold floor, screaming in pain and clutching his wounded knee. The 7.62x25 cartridge has a weak explosive effect. He won't die anytime soon. "Always rely only on yourself, because only victory matters," three more shots finished the job, and only when he was lying motionless in his own blood, and I was still trying to squeeze a couple more shots out of my empty pistol, did I turn around and add indifferently into the void:
"You have only yourself to blame, you vile parasite. All right, it's time to get out of here.
"88! I order you to put down your weapon and surrender! If you disobey, all prisoners will be subjected to a painful death by collar!" I glanced at the surveillance camera and simply gave him the middle finger, simultaneously loading a new magazine into my pistol.
"You think I care about their fate? You're such an idiot.
At the lift, I was met by a slightly... frightened German in round glasses. He was shaking like a leaf, holding a submachine gun in front of him as if he was afraid of dropping it.
"Drop your weapon, or else! Who am I kidding..." And, doomed, with tears welling up in his eyes, he lowered his weapon and asked plaintively, "Please?"
He must have seen what had happened to his colleagues and was already certain of his defeat. Well, a sensible choice, but...
A moment of real time and two seconds of my time were enough to get close to him, put the gun to his temple and pull the trigger. The lift kindly began to descend towards me, and the prisoners' collars made themselves felt. The level was filled with screams of pain, suffering and pleas for help, but I didn't give a damn. I stepped into the inviting elevator doors and fired at the surveillance camera. They would surely try to stop me on the second level.
A view from the side.
Heydrich Faust II looked thoughtfully at the surveillance cameras and tried to analyse the actions of prisoner No. 88, who had suddenly, for some reason, decided to openly attack his staff.
"Could he have figured it out somehow...?" he thought to himself.
"It's a pity we were only able to develop one prototype.Why did he decide to act today of all days? Heydrich was very cautious and always thought several steps ahead. The science department, while studying the Chronos Clock and looking for a way to dismantle it and integrate it into other people, was also looking for a way to counteract it. There was one simple reason for this. After the clock was integrated, Subject 88 showed a desire to gain freedom. If their main plan didn't work, then in the worst case scenario, they would have to kill him using this device, which was more like a gramophone. One of the scientists found a way to block its effect with special magnetic waves that it would emit. However, he was somewhat concerned by the fact that at certain moments, the object displayed superhuman physical abilities and used incomprehensible "magic" that could create objects out of thin air or, conversely, make them disappear. "Invisibility" ...?
"Where, when, and how did it learn this?!" He struck his desk in anger, but immediately calmed down, realising that there was no point in giving in to his emotions now.
"88" was a threat that had to be eliminated at any cost.
I hid behind the corner of one of the corridors on the level. At my feet lay the corpse of "Buma," who had decided to fight me with only a knife when he realised I had gotten too close. It all happened in an instant. The crossing of knives, a moment of real time and a second of my time, and I was already behind him, shooting him in the back of the head.
"Klyk! Strelok! My dear teachers! I would be very grateful if you would allow me to proceed to the control room and leave this den of vipers! As it happens, I have seen the future with my powers! And if you do not join me, a tragic end awaits you. What is more important to you: money or your lives?
You attempted "Diplomacy" with your enemy! Thanks to your positive relations with the military, the attempt was "Successful"!
As I was leaving my hiding place, I saw Fang and Shooter turn against the Germans, and I joined them. When it was all over and there was not a single combat unit left, Fang calmly turned to me, replacing the magazine in his modified Kalashnikov assault rifle.
"Life is more valuable than money. When this is all over, we will go our separate ways, 'Fox Cub'.
He liked to call me that at certain moments during training, and he started calling me that because my slanted eyes often reminded him of a cunning fox. He also had a fetish for Japanese knives and carried a tanto instead of a regular military knife.
"That's what I'm counting on. But you go ahead, because I'm not stupid enough to trust you with my back.
"Caution, right? Don't forget that quality. It will save your life more than once.
We made it to the control room. Along the way, we encountered scientists who were either afraid for their lives or fanatically trying to stand in our way. Their efforts were... desperate and foolish. Still, it would have been strange to meet "normal" scientists at a "Nazi military base." We figured out the elevator control panel pretty quickly. The shooter just fired a burst at it. We calmly returned to the lift and realised that someone would be waiting for us on the third floor. Before we started, I brazenly emptied the remaining milk cartons and a couple of apples to replenish our precious HP. Their expressions were understandable — no one would eat anything now, given the situation.
We pressed the button for the third floor, opened the ventilation hatch in the ceiling, and climbed up.
As soon as the lift doors opened, a hail of bullets rained down on it. The shooter pulled the pin out of a flash grenade and threw it on the floor. After that, everything looked like a rapidly unfolding mess. Stop time, shoot the first, second, third, throw a knife at the fourth and kick down the door to Magnus Trask's office. Outside, a battle is in full swing, bullets are whistling and there is a lot of noise, and I... ...raised my hands in defeat, smiling stupidly at Magnus, who was holding me at gunpoint with his Luger. He didn't look very pleasant. He was thickly built, with a round face, a moustache like some Frenchman, and a uniform covered with medals.
"You! This is all your fault! I warned Faust that you would cause nothing but trouble! So many resources and so much time wasted.
"Um, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to? Will that make you feel better? I really didn't want any of this!
"You idiot!? You should just die!
Stop time. Shoot. Step aside slightly to let the bullet pass and silently watch with satisfaction as Magnus falls into his work chair with an extra hole in his forehead.
"The Left Hand of the Reich," Magnus Trask – Dead!
To complete the main quest, all three leaders of the organisation must be killed, for only with their deaths will you be free. Two-thirds of the targets remain!
Well, I had no desire to let this trio live anyway.
Attention! Your ability to manipulate time has been blocked!
It seems that Geydrich Faust really does have something that blocks my ability. But who said I'm weak without it? My... "partners" were already being cornered, and if I hesitated any longer, they could easily be hit by grenades.
I decided to spend another skill point on the "Acceleration" skill, which speeds up my body and mind. As soon as I activated it, my body was covered with a barely perceptible blue film. It felt like I was being blown by the wind. At the same time, I used Stealth. My OD points will run out soon. I need to finish them all off quickly. As soon as I step outside, I find myself behind enemy lines in a blur of motion and fire a full magazine at the entire enemy squad. I threw my submachine gun aside and, deciding not to stand on ceremony with my "director," took a couple of grenades from the dead bodies. I opened the door slightly and threw the grenades right into his office. There was a loud explosion, and I received another pleasant notification.
"Right Hand of the Reich," Arthur Schultz — Dead!
Going inside, I saw him lying under piles of wooden debris from his desk. The man who had turned my life into hell. Next to him lay Arthur's corpse, disfigured by the explosion, his face a bloody mess from shrapnel.
"You... you don't understand. All these... vile creatures will turn the world into a pile of shit. We could have changed this world, but you... you only think about yourself. Ha-ha!" Judging by his injuries, he didn't have much time left.
Now he didn't look like a strong and dangerous man. He was... a man who had a fanatical desire to restore what had been and should have been destroyed once and for all.
"And what would you do first?! Would you take revenge on an entire nation for your defeat?! Would you commit genocide against innocent people again?! Would you force others to live according to your rules and send those who disagree to the ovens like pigs?! Do you think I haven't learned anything from your history, "Mein Führer"?!
I spat out the words angrily.
"Ha-ha-ha... Have you ever heard such a saying? It's not evil to fight for what you love.
"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.
"I lived for my dream," — I didn't immediately notice a remote control with a red button in his right hand — "and I will die for my dream," — he managed to press the button before I could deliver the final blow to his head.
"Self-destruction system activated! Five minutes remaining!
Fuck! Why so little time?! Was this done on purpose so that no one would survive?!
Congratulations! Your main task is complete!
"Later!" I shout, closing the interface window with a wave of my hand. "Shooter, Fang!
"We heard you. Time to go.
After the Nazis were alerted, panic and chaos ensued. Few wanted to remain at the base, which was about to be blown to smithereens. True, there were those who simply stood in our way because... "Fanatics," that's why! I can't explain why they had no sense of self-preservation or desire to survive. They were the most disgusting people I had ever seen.
By some miracle, we managed to get past the gates of the military base at the last second. The blast wave threw us to the side. I was concussed, my body was exhausted, and blood was flowing from my nose. As soon as I focused my gaze, I noticed that Fang was offering me his hand to help me up. I took it and, in the silence of the burning base, I looked at these two mercenaries, their faces hidden by black masks with white skulls. Their blue eyes did not exude that vile fanatical gleam, but looked somehow... respectful?
"You did well, fox cub. Here, take this," he said, handing me his favourite tanto, "my last gift to you before I leave. Do you have any questions for us before we part ways?"
"Yes. Where are we?"
"Somewhere on the Canadian border, more precisely in the eastern forest. The city of Oshawa is nearby, so I advise you to go there.
"Where are you going?
"I'm sorry, but we can't say. After all, we are mercenaries and we have a certain 'code'. We do not disclose information about our clients, and in return we receive good money and a good reputation.
"So you didn't work for Geydrich Faust from the beginning?
"We had a 'double' job. We simply passed on information to important people. It was profitable until you showed up and messed everything up. It's a shame that 'Bumu' was unlucky, but he understood that he had to play his part even if it meant his death. Don't worry, I'm not angry that you killed him. We all knew what we were getting into when we agreed to do this. Sacrifices are inevitable, and it would be foolish to expect anything else. Some people are always lucky, and some aren't. We, for example, were lucky with Strelok.
"Then I can't take the risk," I raised two TT pistols at them, to which the silent Strelok immediately reacted and pointed his automatic rifle at me.
"Lisenok, I'm sure you'll come out the winner in this duel, but can you trust us one last time? I promise you won't see us again and no one will hunt you down.
"Where are the guarantees? What will I get in return for your lives? What's in it for me?
"Well, we have our connections and reputation in interesting circles. If you're interested, you could even become a 'mercenary'. Contracts will bring money, influence and challenges. If you're not interested and you want a quiet, peaceful life as a farmer, then you should shoot me right now. Of course, our deaths will only give you a short head start before they track you down.
"What would you do in my place?
"Honestly? I don't know. I've never been a test subject with supernatural powers. All I know how to do is fight other people. Against people like you or monsters, I don't stand a chance," he grinned, as if remembering something funny, "ha, although Batman would probably come up with something. He's like a legend among mercenaries and villains. Like a scary story for all the bad guys at night.
"What did you just say?!
"Um... That I have no idea what to do with you?
"No! Something else!
"Batman?
"Yes, isn't he... The comic book hero?!
"Well, I haven't heard of anyone drawing comics about his exploits, but if you want to see him in real life, you should just visit Gotham and try to stumble upon some serious and loud trouble.
"So this is the world of DC Comics? Well, now I think I understand why I had such a 'dark' start," I muttered to myself.
"What are you talking about?
"Nothing. Never mind," I lowered my guns and sighed deeply, "I can't hide my existence anyway. Can you leave me something like a 'business card'?
"Ha ha, sure, buddy," he took a white card with only a number written on it out of his outer pocket. "He's a piece of shit, but he pays well, no complaints. Your name, your bank account number, and your location.
"That's all?
"Yes, as silly and easy as it sounds, but that's really all. They'll check you out in five to ten minutes, and if they don't find anything strange, they'll call you back and give you a contract. Most often it's related to either murder or security.
"Interesting...
"That's what I'm saying. The number is a disposable one, so think twice before you call. The law enforcement agencies are trying to track her down, but they're not getting anywhere. Their hackers are too good. By the way, if you do decide to go ahead and meet the legendary Slade Wilson, tell him he was right.
"About what?
"About not getting involved with fanatics. He has a good memory and he'll remember.
"What year is it now?
"2002, 3 June.
"Okay, I don't have any more questions. Thank you and goodbye.
In the short time I stopped, I walked away towards the city and checked to see if they were following me. They weren't. Well, it's good that some people stick to their principles and code.
"So I'm free. Now I'm finally not some kind of weapon, not an '88', but a real person. Let's celebrate my birthday by coming up with a new name. How about... 'Alex T. Keeper'?
Sounds good. First, I need to figure out my reward and perks, then we'll head into town, and then what? I don't know, we'll see.
***
patreon.com/posts/chronos-in-dc-in-134034864