The Beast Awakens Again

Hunter growled as he walked up the entrance to the "capitol" of Forlorn City where almost all records were kept. He was angry, everyone was doing fine but how could NIB know anything besides the possible drone over head. He kicked the door open walking inside so many options and possibilities swirling around. He yelled into the whole building his anger very well showing, "Joe, we have a fucking problem, get your ass here now!"

Bill walked out of the bar and saw Hunter, his demeanor obviously meant he wasn't happy or content. Bill waled towards Hunter and he said, "What happened, Hunter?"

Hunter growled slamming the door shut behind him. He was looking for something to main or slaughter. "NIB is in our asshole again and they're swinging hard. I want everyone on high alert, I have a back up of the files already but soon as someone even peeks into it forcefully or data starts disappearing, wipe it all, understood?"

Billy nodded to Hunter, NIB had been a constant thorn in their side for years now, but he never hoped it would ever become this direct. "I'll tell the men then I guess," said Billy as he moved into the bar and stood on a stool so that he could be seen as he projected his voice.

"Listen up, the boss wants everyone on high alert, seems like we may be having some very unwelcome visitors soon and as such the whole city needs to be well guarded, as well as the factory! So everyone shut up and gear up and start patrols, anything suspicious report it! Now get lost!" yelled Billy over the crowd of drunken soldiers.

In the crowd though there was a certain person who knew this threat all to well, he should have he was a member of the threat. If all went according to plan, hopefully no one would have to be hurt, but one could never be to certain. He looked at his watch and walked out, time to go and start the show.

Hunter walked into his office, he was happy the new features were installed. "Eden, activate all monitors, continue switching cameras, I want to see everything in Forlorn important areas." So, the monitors lowered encircling Hunter in a glorious cylinder of the city's footage, right in front of him. Everything was at his finger tips, soon as they simply made themselves known, he would be there to reap their soul as if they were cattle.

Trevor walked into the Church of Iheim monastery in the city after having left the Forlorn Rangers headquarters. He walked in, the monastery mostly empty he walked into the back, away from any possible cameras and met with the Shepherd. Trevor had been contacted by the Shepherd only a few hours ago through a carrier pigeon. In the room it was just him and the Shepherd who looked him over before nodding and, from his seat at his desk, passed him a black folder. Trevor picked up and analyzed it going over every detail and letting it sink in, absorbing the information. The Shepherd watched him the entire time, making sure that nothing else happened.

"Is that it?" Said Trevor setting the file back down on the desk.

"This comes with the package," said the Shepherd as he handed him a sidearm, Trevor assumed it had been scrubbed but still was careful picking it up and stashing it.

There was work to do.

Hunter sighed as he activated his PDA. He was putting a lot of traps in the data network, just little things to set up an alarm from now. Files that shouldn't be opened unless by him. More protocols were being put in for this panic situation and more or less an update to the older security measures. Hunter was also designating patrols, more than usual but with so many troops at the Forlorn City prepping for the reclamation war, man power was no issue.

Trevor walked out of the monastery and onto the bustling streets of the city. The shouts of the Arabic vendors trying to sell their newest goods were especially loud today, something Trevor didn't truly mind, he was fine with Arabic making the words words and not mindless gibberish. Trevor walked, blending into the crowd and moved towards the Zalabia hotel, far on the other side of the city from the Forlorn Rangers base. He went to a pre-paid room under a false name, just someone passing through, and opened the rugged laptop he had stored in his backpack. He had installed a physical backdoor onto the Forlorn Ranger files during his time there and was going to exploit it to route himself into the Black Iron Servers.

It was mostly a cake walk.

Trevor accessed the files as if he were Hunter himself, having hacked his identification protocols. Trevor grabbed the financial reports and a facility list and project list, interesting information for his employers.

Now it was time to run.

Hunter smiled as he watched the filed being tampered. He hadn't accessed any of them himself but oh how he watched the update go. This man might of gained the files but oh, how he gained all of it's compatriots along with it. He smiled and began the process for the virus to tell him where the little vermin was, the bear trap had been triggered, now it was time for the Hunter to catch his prey. He spoke clearly activating his comm with Joe.

"Let no one leave the city by any means, guard every single means of escape possible. I guess my paranoia is good thing after all, Billy. Please send a thank you to Cerberus, I think Joseph's homeland has just tried to betray us." With that, Hunter disappeared from his office and on top of the highest building, waiting for the signal to come in, and end this petty game.

Trevor shut the laptop the second the files were downloaded onto the hardrive and pulled the hardrive out, cutting any power to the device. He knew Hunter and the Rangers were smart so he needed to get out of the city quickly. Walking back onto the streets he noticed that the Rangers had begun doing their patrols, groups of four it looked like, not too bad. By this time most of the gates would be completely locked, no way he was going out any main entrance. Trevor walked fast towards the docks on the far side of the city, more than likely it would be the quickest way out of the city.

Hunter obtained a decent area minimization before quickly speaking into the comm. "Have all patrols blockade sectors A1 through A3 and B1 through B3. Make sure no one leaves the city without a full search of their person and any other items they might have. If they have any kind of device check all data upon them, look for a presumably lone man who is most likely armed and holding some kind of small electronic device, my feeds went dark. Whoever catches this man gets a vacation to the canary island with pay for him and his friends or family."

Trevor heard Hunter's orders through his comm, looked like they had a general area of his whereabouts. He needed to join a squad and make his way towards the port. He made his way through the street and found a group of three men, all Rangers and slipped into the fold of them.

"Hey boys," said Trevor as he addressed the men.

"Hey James, where ya been?" asked one of the men, he was tall with dark brown hair and a burly beard.

"I was visiting a girl," said Trevor pulling a slight smile.

A few of the men began to laugh, to them this 'James' had been a bit of a ladies man and they dismissed his absence as just a regular thing.

Trevor turned to the burly bearded man and said, "Yusuf, do you know where we're supposed to be looking?"

"Around this area, that's what the boss said at least, you have any ideas?" said Yusuf asking 'James' for some friendly advice.

"Well, I was going to go and check the port, with the gates closed the guy is probably gonna try and head out that way," said Trevor as he lead the group towards the dock, so far so good.

Hunter sighed just waiting it was only a matter of time. This guy was quick....probably had the battle fatigues. He sent however encrypted messages to a few of the Purgers to stake out the large sewer exits, the port and rail stations, to apprehend anyone trying to make a quick escape. He himself waited, waiting for any kind of red flag.

Trevor and the group of Rangers reached the port to find an unpleasant surprise: Purgers. Trevor dreaded the Purgers, they may as well have been the SS of the Forlorn Rangers, they were loyal to Hunter's word to a fault and it wasn't a good thing in most situations.

"Halt," said one of the Purgers calmly speaking from behind his helmet.

"What is it?" asked Yusuf quite annoyed, keeping his rifle at his side.

"What is your business here?" asked the Purger, straight to the point as always.

"We're lookin' for the guy who's givin' us problems," said Yusuf, not knowing the man they were looking for was among them. A regular wolf in sheep's clothing.

The Purger just stood there pondering the request, "Proceed, hopefully you find the bastard," said the Purger as he let the group pass, but not without sending a message to Hunter's office about the group moving into the docks.

Hunter tilted his head slightly as the message came through. This, irregularity was not something he ordered. Only specific squads, mainly purgers were assigned areas of exits that weren't roads. He was eager however and within a few moments he was walking up and around and alleyway walking straight to the same purger that had sent him the order. "We shall inspect this squad, it might of been a communication error but we can't be too careful, lead the way please."

Trevor and the squad made headway on the dock, making their way to a large ship that was set to leave within the hour for the UKSF, one of the many that was a part of the trade fleet of Black Iron Incorporated. Yusuf had given distinct orders to split up and search the ship. It was perfect, almost too perfect, but Trevor knew that Yusuf suspected next to nothing about his plot.

Trevor searched the ship for an appropriate container, one with an ideal shipping location. He found one, being be sent to Los Angeles, he opened it up to see the multiple AI data drives. He moved through the container and into the back and placed the hard drive inside one of the data ports, putting it out of plain sight and any x-ray would simply see more electronics.

Trevor exited the container and spoke into his radio, "All clear, he's not over here,".

Hunter stepped onto the ship, several purgers following behind him. He loved his project, the CAP forces had even mimicked him at one point for such forces, it only brought him more of a smile. This was a very fun game indeed however, royalty and the aristocracy usually only played him. However, in the world that has ended twice, well. . . military men could join too. His voice came across Trevor and the squads' comm. "I heard a squad got lost down this way, report to me immediately and let's see if we can't find out why you ignored orders, yes?"

It didn't take long before Yusuf and the rest of the squad, including Trevor, showed up all in an orderly line. Yusuf jumped out of the line and said, "We were under the impression that the culprit may have evaded the ship to go to the docks and escape," said Yusuf, voicing his opinion.

Hunter slammed his around the back of the man's neck. He was gripping hard but not the strength he could do. He just laughed a bit before going to a serious tone. "I thought it was understood we don't go and wander off with out orders to start thinking outside the box. The purgers were selected for these areas like so." He Looked at the rest of the squad before looking back at Yusuf. "Any of your boys been missing and just showed up not long ago? It's being suspected that he's either hiding with the civilian population or he's snuck into, one of our uniforms, I'd suspect a purger suit, but you never know."

"Nope, we've been working since we left the bar, we got a tip from a civie that there was some suspicious activity down by the docks but then again when isn't there?" said Yusuf explaining the situation to Hunter.

Hunter sighed looking them over before shrugging and typing an order for the Purgers to go back to their posts before cracking his own back loudly. "Fine you men are dismissed, in two hours the search will be over, if we can't find him by then he'll already have been gone. I guess that shot up Rasta Man will just be a little more lonely this year."

"Yes, sir" said Yusuf as he led his men off of the boat and away from the docks and continued for the culprit among the city folk. They had little to no idea that their 'James' was the one they had been looking for the entire time and probably would never know.

Hunter sighed before disappearing. Everything was now put into place, he'd get some kick out of what was to come, maybe. His office turned back to it's normal self, as he kicked back and relaxed. While typing on his of course, being left to his own devices.