Off the coast of South Korea and Japan, the island city of Tsushima was one of the eight great cities for divers. A large number of gates alongside a disproportionately small amount of divers made for contracts and commissions to always be in high supply. Despite being a small island in the middle of the ocean, transport was no issue. Large bridges connected the small island to the adjacent lands. The modern age also made liberal use of planes, bypassing the need for bridges all together. Sporting a population of eight million, the once small, rural communities and townships have since been replaced by skyscrapers and neon billboards. The thin island had since been expanded with concrete, resembling nothing of its former self.

Tsushima's diver district was no different to the rest of the city. It had everything a diver would have wanted in their downtime - a place to stay, somewhere to eat, entertainment, equipment stores, and at the core of the district: Diver Services. It was as close to home as a diver could call it. The rubberized floor gave an unexpected comfort compared to the concrete outside. Posters littered the walls. Some were advertisements for hired positions. Some were advertisements for brands of equipment. Rhodes Wears Dewa Heavy Industry, a memorable poster depicting a man clad in black plasteel armour, his massive sword Cross Gear resting on his shoulder. Some were just plain motivational. Tsushima Wants You To Protect Mankind. The lobby of this Diver Services office wasn't as packed as other cities'. As a result, it became considerably easier to see what other, interesting looking divers were doing.

Brooding in the corner (or perhaps just waiting for someone), a man in a familiar uniform stood. An investigator for Diver Services, they were some of the only divers that had some form of uniform; it came with the position, after all. The exact duties of an investigator were unknown to the general populace. What was known was that becoming one was probably the most difficult thing for a diver to do. Becoming an investigator was an invitation only affair. Seeing one in the flesh was exceptionally rare and, more importantly, meant that there was something big going on.

Much more noisily was a boy at the reception counter. Speaking to the receptionist, he was under duress. Panic filled his voice and he gestured with the intensity of a thousand mimes.

"What do you mean they all cancelled?!" The boy exclaimed.

"Sorry sir, but that group of divers is currently unfit for any form of excursion as they are in the hospital. The cancellation clause of your contract will be repaid in fu-"

"It's not about the money!" He yelled. The glances of those nearby calmed his tone, forcing him to take a deep breath. "Sorry ma'am. Money's no object to me and it's just that this is a very time sensitive matter. Is there any replacement that you can give me?"

"I'm sorry," the receptionist bowed, "but we don't have any active groups able to help. There are plenty of independent divers. Certainly some of those here would be able to help."

The boy instantly turned around, approaching nearby divers. Like two magnets of the same pole, everyone he approached turned away. Even if he called out to them, they gave a shake of the head, sign of the hand, or blatantly said no. The boy was hopeless. The one group that actually heard him out was suddenly struck by a case of 'trapped on a hospital bed'.

The young boy racked his brain, tugged his hair, and took a seat on a nearby chair. For him, finding someone to help wasn't going to be easy.

---

Lounging at one of the seats in the lobby, Michael yawned as he counted his cash once more, flipping through his finances via his UNIT. Throughout this month, he's been hitting nothing but financial slumps, just barely paying his monthly dues. A cold sweat dripped down from his forehead, almost betraying his otherwise cool demeanor as he shut his UNIT off and slumped deeper into his chair with a sigh. If he didn't find any sort of high-paying dive soon, he's sure those damn thugs will come knocking again tonight! Michael took a deep breath, and silently prayed for a miracle.

His prayers were quickly answered in the strangest of ways after hearing the loud cries of the disenfranchised youth coming from the reception area. The phrase that the young Diver exclaimed was like heresy to Michael's ears. What do you mean it's not about the money? Michael thought to himself, silently pitying the young soul. It's all about the money! Michael's attention was grabbed by the boy as his eyes silently followed his path of desperation. The more he looked at the kid's urgent begging for help, the more Michael could see a younger version of himself during the days he first started Diving...

... And as he watched the boy get rejected by each person he asked for help, a scheme had slowly concocted in Michael's head. One that he would execute just as the boy would seem to give up.

"Yo, kid!" Michael called the boy over, standing up and picking up his sheathed Cross Gear, slinging it on his shoulder with a quick flourish. "You're the one that said money doesn't matter to ya, right? Then I'll help you out... so long as there's a cash reward and I get the biggest cut. Sounds good?"

Michael did not care about the apparent dangers that accompanied the boy's offer, his mind filled with nothing but monetary notes. Rushing headlong into danger for the promise of a reward was something Michael had already grown accustomed to, after all.

---

Da-Xia appeared uncomfortable in her skin as she walked in Tsushima. Opposed to the cool confidence she portrayed aboard her loyal steed, relaxed and set back, Da-Xia's shoulders crept forward, and her arms kept tight about her frame defensively. Something about islands always felt so claustrophobic to her, and cities doubly so. More at home on the mainland was she, where there was always the option to simply roam into the wild as Da-Xia was wont to do. But such flights of whimsy required resources, which in turn required money, which brought her to Tsushima. The Diver Services in particular, of course.

But a certain sound shocked Da-Xia straight up, sending a tingle of joy through her spine and joy to her lips. The cries of those in distress always brought a smile to her face! Wait, it sounds really bad when you put it like that... She's just excited to get a chance to be a big hero, really, honest.

Regardless of various confused motives, Da-Xia bounded across the lobby several times excitedly, looking for the source. Her haste was her undoing, as she passed the boy several times before locating him, by which time Michael had already made his full pitch. Nonetheless, she did find him eventually, coming to a skidding halt in front of the boy just as he was was half out of his chair to respond to Michael. "Hark! I cannot stand idle while those in need cry out for want of righteous might. Da-Xia, Knight-Errant, stands ready with her lance to take up your noble cause!" She firmly smacked a tightly clenched fist to her chest with rather more jiggle than normally considered elegant.

It was only after delivering this full impassioned speech, that Da-Xia seemed to finally notice the boy had been getting out of his chair to engage with Michael, and she followed his gaze and pieced it together. "Ah! My deepest apologies sir." Glancing at his sword, she assumed he must be another diver. She bowed deeply before returning upright. "I did not notice you had presented your services first. I will not oppose your first right of refusal." Drawing a step back out of the way after stating her piece, she waited for the boy to address Michael.

---

Tsushima wasn’t the best place ever in the world, but it was a decent little hole for Divers and civilians of all kinds. As far as other locales went, it was downright luxurious in comparison. But so long as it had nice beds and a decent meal, it was a fine enough spot to be in. Indeed, Reina had spent the better part of a half-hour walking around the extraordinary backdrop, taking in the sights of man-made perfection and power. With the number of skyscrapers that scratched the horizon, it was almost a wonder humanity hadn’t yet become the masters of the Gates.

As if. Sometime later and she’d find herself lounging around the Tsushima Diver Services. Scouting for herself one of the seats in the lobby, she made the smart notion of taking up two, laying down horizontally across both as she as flicked her eyes about boredly. Nothing was happening. Nothing was going on. Aside from the loud sound of slurping, there wasn’t much to catch her attention besides the overspun milkshake in her hands. Gripping the cup and clenching her teeth against the straw’s end, she crossed her legs over and under before obnoxiously slurping once more.

Despite the number of Divers around, the place was surprisingly dead to her standards. She supposed she could take up a mission but that required some level of effort and interest. In fact, she was just about on the precipice of taking a nap before the sound of boyish yelling caught her attention. Something about money not mattering-which was bullshit and every Diver knew it-along with a boy frantically moving from one group to the next for help. It wasn’t long before someone eventually took the bait and Reina watched as two answered; some guy with a fancy blade and a girl straight out of a knight’s fairy tale.

Relatively close by, Reina quietly watched the scene unfold, silence broken only by the occasional slurps. She could tell what the older guy was going for, a lopsided smirk forming around her straw at the prospect of some boon to be exploited. Then the knight bumbled her way in and apologized for a transaction that hadn’t even been completed yet. All of it culminated into a rather funny viewing and soon enough, Reina finally unclasped her lips from the straw to throw in her two cents on the situation.

“Hah! Hah hah!”

---

---

Some people just couldn’t handle life in the big cities, the hustle and bustle of a packed metropolis was like being confined in a sardine can thrown in the middle of a blast zone to them. Nothing like the peace and quiet of the countryside.

Erika wasn’t one of them.

In fact, the blonde thrived at the thrills of the concrete jungle, living a life fueled by “unhealthy” food and wanton consumerism. Such a life didn’t come cheap, and even though it looked like she didn’t really need to work to sustain it, the chance of testing her skills against the beings of the beyond was too alluring.

And that alluring call was what brought her to the front door of TDS right at the same time as another diver who happened to own a pair of way too grabby hands. Hands that were about to go flying–along with the rest of his body–right into the clerk’s corner, zooming past a certain commotion involving an unlucky kid.

“If you are such a loser who can’t even get a girlfriend, go to the red light district next time you wanna cope a feel. But I guess that even they would say no to a slimeball like you,” Erika said as she fixed her skirt.

Maybe the life in the countryside wasn’t so bad after all. At least there were less perverts over there.

---

Like an angel from the heavens, some higher power had heard the young boy's prayers. Though, that higher power must have had a sick sense of humour. The call of 'Yo, kid!' had turned his attention to his saviour: a slimy grease ball who had the brazen audacity to instantly ask for the largest cash reward. Beggars couldn't be choosers, though. He needed any help he could get. He could work with someone completely in it for the money. Having someone cash-brain was decidedly easier to handle than certain rivals. Before he could open his mouth to accept the newcomer and give him his thanks, an odd woman approached.

Well, less approach and more charge directly into his personal space and almost launch the young boy onto his ass. In some bizarre form of gymnastics, his entire body leaned back over the chair with only a single leg in the air to act as his counter balance. When the proverbial dust settled and the young boy could stand upright again, he was hit by her sudden introduction. Another weird one. More heroic than Michael, that was certain. When she gave a Roman salute, the young boy's cheeks turned a rosy pink as he let out a cough, averting his eyes from Da-Xia. Eye contact was something that the boy would have trouble with, at least for the first meeting.

"Well-" The boy said before being interrupted by the hyena-like laughter of a certain woman watching. He coughed in an attempt to compose himself. "I certainly can use the help from both of you. This was originally supposed to be a five man job, but uh. The four others who originally signed up for my contract... Not available anymore. 'Nyways, name's Hyun-jin. You could call me a researcher first and foremost. I can fill you in on the specifics of the job later, but the basics of it are that the pay's twenty five thousand credits and we're entering the _{night city gate} to do something important."

The basics were both enticing and dangerous. 25000 credits was a considerable amount of money. To put it in perspective, a single credit about equal to about $100. D.S. didn't ever let divers cash out for that much, but it was a substantial for one's debt and equipment. The debt for an AEGIS and basic Cross Gear was about 100,000 credits, and a diver could make usually about 2000 on a good week. Offering 12.5x that for a single job was unheard of for divers that still had enter the Diver Services office.

But with reward came risk. Colloquially called the Night City gate, it was one of the most dangerous gates nearby. In the past five years, 50% of outsider invasions nearby came from this gate. It took the form of a city's nightscape and held some of the most dangerous outsiders known. On a scale from 1 to 10 in terms of difficulty, it was probably an 8.

Of course, these thoughts were interrupted by the sudden (and unbalanced) entrance of a pervert getting slammed through the already-open front door, flying (more like running backwards in an attempt to catch himself) into the clerk's corner. While divers were effectively nerfed outside of the gates and weakened by the barriers that protected the cities, they were still genetic and augmented freaks that could bench more than any natty body builder. Before the perverted diver could even reply with "why I oughtta", the large investigator appeared between Erika and the lecher. He gave a silent sign to the lecher to stay there. The lecher gave a frightened nod as the colour on his face drained.

Then, he walked up to Erika. His face displayed no rage, disappointment, or joy. Rather, an amiable, emotionless smile that somehow made things worse was shown to the woman.

"While defending oneself in dire straits is certainly an allowed action, it only allows for necessary action in order to protect oneself or others. Please familiarize yourself with the full guidelines set out for divers." He warned her, then produced a small paper handbook from his breast pocket and handed it to her.

Well, he was an official employee of Diver Services, after all.

After that, he walked back to the lech. Picking him up by the shoulders, the lech was placed onto his feet, only for an arm to be wrapped around his shoulders as he was walked off into the backrooms of Diver Services. His fate, for the time being, was unknown. What was certain was that he wasn't going to get off with just receiving the guidelines.

Again, Hyun-jin coughed to break the mood's room.

"A-anyways, you guys still in?"

---

Michael grinned as he watched the boy stand up, optimistic that his sick plan to take advantage of a desperate youth had worked! Before he heard the details however, his attention was quickly turned to another young Diver charging her way over. While Michael would have bared his teeth at such an offer, he was honestly too taken aback by the young Knight-Errant's comical display to really protest her offer of help. Woah, people like this really exist? Michael thought to himself, scrutinizing her intently as she made her apology. The sound of laughter from nearby quickly broke his train of thought however, and before Michael could fathom the source of it, the boy had continued to explain what this job was about.

"A five-man job, huh?" Michael muttered as the boy introduced himself as Hyun-jin. Between the kid and the honorable knightess, Michael was sure he'd be able to make a good enough profit, and wasn't too worried about competing for credits just yet. "Eh, it wouldn't hurt to find anoth-"

Twenty five thousand credits?! A cut from that is more than enough to... well, Michael knew at this point that such a high pay wouldn't completely pay off his debt, but it would have certainly kept the loan sharks satisfied for a while. He wouldn't have to worry about being bothered for a while! The catch, however, was quite hefty... The Night City Gate was quite the infamous gate, and one Michael had avoided to the best of his ability throughout his lengthy career. Unlike his late father, Michael was not one to gamble when the stakes are too high, especially when the stakes involved his life. The highest he's ever gone was a 6, and that was with a whole raid of Divers. Now it's a three-man squad for a five-man job... gears started turning in Michael's head as he began to think of just how he'd come out of this with his life intact.

Before his body could betray his thoughts of unease, another grandiose entrance had occurred in the lobby, this time of some sleaze getting a bit too handsy with a young girl, and paying the price for it. Michael couldn't help but shake his head at the scene, watching the suit from Driver Services professionally take care of the issue.

"Huh... bad luck to run into an investigator doing something like that, eh? Wonder how much Diver Services pay their rent-a-cops..." Michael uttered, under his breath, before Hyun-jin quickly got his attention back.

"Guess it's best to spill what we all can offer to the table before we commit, eh? The name's Michael Ongi, but just call me Michael. I've been in the business for about ten years now, and I know my way around a dive. I'm a swordsman... and I can tell you for certain that there isn't anything in this world or any other world that my sword can't cut."

That line, calling himself a 'swordsman' and boasting about his blade... it was something he'd use every single time to introduce himself to his potential colleagues with a sense of confidence he still isn't sure he has. No matter how many times he'd utter those tired old words, however, he still didn't believe in them, himself. He was no swordsman, he just had a photographic memory and a good sense of what to cut, enhanced further by his AEGIS. His Cross Gear wasn't something very impressive to boast about either, at least if it wasn't in Michael's hands. As far as Michael would know, his status as a 'swordsman' was all a long con.

It was a good thing his allies didn't need to know about that.

"I'm still in, but I'd prefer if we meet the required number before we took the dive, yeah?" Michael begrudgingly stated, knowing that finding more people would lower his cut even more. "But first off... are either of you Holders? A group of Divers could only get so far, especially in Night City... it'd be nice to have that bit of otherworldly finesse to help us out."

---

The laughter didn't phase Da-Xia any. She was in a crowded building full of people, any one of whom could have looked up something funny on any number of electronic devices, and was not the kind of person to hear laughter and assume it was aimed at her. When someone went flying past her, on the other hand, she looked for the unusual source of wind, in precisely the wrong direction to see what was going on. Scratching her temple for a moment, she shrugged it off.

The location being Night City was both advantage and disadvantage to Da-Xia. Streets were the flat out ideal terrain. But there were also lots of buildings and verticality that were decidedly the worst terrain for her. But after having offered her services, there was no way Da-Xia would back down. "My deepest thanks that you would allow me to join you, Sir Michael, Sir Hyun-jin. Da-Xia shall not let you down." She bowed to each in turn.

At the question of whether either of them were holders, Da-Xia's brow furrowed. She glanced over her shoulder at her massive lance, then at Hyun-jin's not unimpressive sword either. Then back at Michael. Then at the weapons again, then at Michael. Oooh! He had a cool eye-scar and was wearing sunglasses indoors! He must be one of those cool blind swordsmen from the stories! "Nay, Sir Michael, I am not a Holder, but Da-Xia Chen's lance and steed are ready to serve. It also has a grenade launcher with flashbangs!" She unslung her lance held it in front of her with the same proud grin one might use when holding forth a particularly stretchy cat. Before realizing that she had just come to the conclusion that Michael was blind and she put it away.

---

“I’m in. Don’t much care for the time and place, but if it’s fun and if there’s money, you can count me in~” Reina appeared behind Michael and Hyun-jin, wrapping a casual arm around both as if they were long lost friends. They weren’t, but she didn’t much care for personal space. What she did care for, was the proposition of traversing through the Night City Gate. As infamous as it was, that only meant it held the greatest of treasures and the largest of boons. More so especially if this kid was offering up such a hefty prize.

“Besides, you need five people, right? Well I’m not too great at counting where it doesn’t count, but I’m pretty sure you’ve got four right here. Five if you count the blonde psycho, hah!” Reina turned her head back, voice raised as if wanting the new girl who just got scolded to pay attention. There were five very willing and very happy to accommodate Divers in the room already, so it was almost too perfect of a scenario. Whether or not she met Erika’s eye was up to her but soon she turned back to face the group, still all smiles and smirks.

“And the bounty? Well, well, that’s a good cut between five people. Fair’s fair I think if we divide evenly too.” As she said this, she gave Michael a knowing wink, leer spreading wider. Pulling a fast one over the kid and the knight may have been easy, but she knew how the game was played. Spending some time watching the group develop from a distance away might have helped too. All the same, she shook her head to the swordman’s question.

“Holder? Nope, not me. I’m more of the rely on guns type of person with lots of bullets too. You lot look like you need someone with long range anyway." A glance at Da-Xia. “Well, long range and will actually hit their target~ Say kid, any more details about this mission we’re doing? Money’s good and all, don’t get me wrong, but you can tell us a little bit more other than it’s in the Night City Gate. What’s this ‘something important’ you had in mind.”

---

---

“Don't worry, officer, there were no power abuse involved here. Just a good old judo throw,” Erika said after being approached by the investigator. Nevertheless, she pocketed the n-th copy of the handbook she had been handed in the past few months. “A girl gotta know how to protect herself in a crazy world like this.” With that last remark she stepped away from the oppressive enforcer, entering the Diver Services lobby properly.

The smallish blonde looked around while munching on a burger she produced from a paper bag. It didn't take long for her to notice a certain gathering talking about an upcoming job and the lack of a Holder. “Excuse me for the intrusion but, if it's a Holder you want, I'm your girl,” Erika said as she approached the group with a smile stamped in her face. “Don't worry, I promise I'm not gonna bite,” she added, looking at the obviously true deranged one here before taking one more bite of her burger.

“If no one bothers getting me up to speed, that is.” Erika smirked before taking another bite of her burger. A girl gotta eat if she wants to grow. Thinking about growth, she couldn't help but check out the group's knight in tight spandex.

---

By luck or convenience, the appearance of Michael Ongi and Da-Xia had spurred two others to join. The question of party composition came up, to which Hyun-jin had replied in earnest.

"Swordsman through'n'through."

With a sudden arm around his neck, a startled Hyun-jin let out a womanly shriek before almost breaking his neck to see who spooked him. An odd woman, of course. Almost instantaneously, he took three large steps away from the woman, coughing as he hid his flush face with a wayward glance and fist in front of his mouth. The young Diver was obviously not good with women. Close encounters of the feminine kind were not his strong suit.

Surprisingly, the blue-haired gunner's call for the blondie actually worked. Heeding that call, the blonde woman actually came over to join and fill out the party. Your-Girl introduced herself as a holder. Still, they weren't rare enough to attract the awe of most seasoned hunters. Having a holder on the team was definitely a plus. With finally getting the amount of members.

"Specifics are a bit above the pay. More theoretical and requiring of a doctorate to get most of it. I guess it's easiest to say that we're entering the night city trying to stab a thing with another thing and measuring what comes out. For 6250 credits a pop, of course. Anyways, anything more is pretty confidential, so here."

After rifling through his pockets, Hyun-jin handed the four of them a strange business card. Printed on a single piece of transparent plastic, the name TK GROUP was laser etched alongside an address. The name was familiar to most hunters; many of the high-end, prohibitively expensive upgrades that Cross Gears had possessed that name stamped onto the side.

"We'll reconvene at this place tomorrow at 'bout noon so you can be briefed on the more fine matters of this job and get a lift there. Ride there in a plane, too. So uh, get ready today I guess. Oh, and advance pay of 400c when you file the paperwork for the job," he said the last bit moving his head towards the receptionist.

---

The research district was always a sight to behold. Between high-rises made of glass and actually clean streets, there was no place that made divers feel more out of water. Here, people wore tailored suits and applied product to their hair. Between all of the science and fashionable youth, it was hard to say.

The TK Group's office, at least in this city, was no different. A twenty story high-rise, it was about as pristine as could be. Its lobby was filled with chairs and seating, but appeared to be closed for the day. The door, however, was unlocked. Save for two figures inside, it was devoid of any activity. A familiar face and an unfamiliar one: Hyun-jin and a smoking woman with dyed hair. Hyun-jin was remarkably more excited, pacing around by himself. The woman, however, was simply waiting with a cigarette in her hand that aimlessly drifted its smoke upwards.

---

Da-Xia's main reaction to Reina's presence was a slightly furrowed brow as 'actually hit their target' was brought up. It did not seem she particularly enjoyed being made fun of, but she otherwise held her tongue and instead looked to the next one to come and join the group.

"That is, you say you will not bite if we do not inform you of our proceedings?" Da-Xia went from a mildly sad expression to thoroughly bewildered as the Holder took the stage. "Is this to be implying we should not inform you? Or we should?" Fortunately for Da-Xia, Hyun-Jin took the lead in explaining things.

---

"Ah! Are you to be the one our services are in service to?" Da-Xia smiled brightly, waving to the smoking woman. "I am eager to begin this quest, so please, let us start with the briefing and paperwork!" Da-Xia, though she did feel out of place on an island, certainly got a booster shot of cheerfulness when on the cusp of a heroic quest!

---

Reina’s grin widened when the blonde girl actually followed her lead. She had no idea Erika was a Holder of course, but luck was always a nice follow up to anything else. Still all smirks, she couldn’t help but snicker along Da-Xia’s words towards the newcomer. Cute. Well, regardless, they had a job to fulfill and while although she would have liked the boy to be more specific, she didn’t much care for it all the same. “More mystery just means more fun. You’re just lucky we all look like the desperate type to take on a mission without any briefing boy!”

Taking the card Hyun-jin handed to everyone, Reina whistled once she spotted the trademark logo of what she assumed to be their employer. “TK Group eh? Better be getting some fancy toys of this one.” With nothing but their directions and Hyun-jin’s explanation to go along with, the group had an entire day to rest and prepare. Indeed, the very next morning came by too soon and Reina entered TK Group’s office with a bit of a yawn in her step. To no surprise, she spotted Da-Xia and Hyun-jin already waiting, along with some new lady.

“Figures I wouldn’t be the last one when you kids are up and about, bright and early.” Reina flashed all three of them a grin, including the smoking lady. There was no need to make small talk or even ask any questions. She was sure Da-Xia would ask all that she wanted to know and so for now, she hovered behind the group before wandering around the small area. Looking about the office walls, Reina hummed to herself, biding her time once events started moving.

---

---

Erika finished her burger with one big bite before crossing her arms and looking at their supposed employer with a knowing smirk in her lips. “It's your lucky day, then. I may not look like it, but I'm quite the bookworm, I'll be glad to join your expedition. You don't seem to mind about money either. That's even better.” She extended her hand to him and the others. If there were going to work as a team, they might as well make it count, right?

Of course, she still had to address her future workmates. Beginning with the self-styled, busty knight. “Chill out, girl. That was a joke. A joke, y'know?” Erika sighed.

And then, the blue-haired, dangerous-looking one. “I know, right? There ain't no rest for the wicked. And who is more wicked than us divers?”


“Fancy stuff is fancy,” Erika said to herself as she looked at the business card once again on her way to the TK Group building. “I can't complain, I guess. This place is quite neat, after all.” She looked around at the fancy fanciness of the research district while trying to avoid any troubles.

“Well, seems like I'm not the last one this time.” Erika greeted the others stylishly as she arrived.

---

---

Michael made his way into the lobby with a yawn, staring at the business card in his hand. The look of the district piqued the swordsman's interest greatly, as if it was another guarantee that he would be made well-off after this job. Much more than that, it was possibly the first time in a long time that Michael felt like he didn't need to be looking over his shoulder when he made his way through the research district. If things go well, Michael may see about finding more work around this district after this! Maybe that degree will finally pay off...

"Yo!" Michael hollered to everyone as he strode towards the group, fashionably late. It was a good thing that they managed to form a well-rounded party, although most of them were on the younger side. It worried Michael only slightly, seeing as they were diving in a pretty dangerous Gate. At the same time, youth does have its advantages, and one of them even happened to be a Holder. Silver linings. Out of everyone however, the one person whose presence displeased Michael the most was the blue-haired rifle-woman. Snarky and opportunistic, she didn't seem like the type who would get along with others too well. At the same time, her choice of weapon appeared to fit her personality well at the very least, and having a marksman of any sort was always a welcome addition to any dive. Michael only hoped that she wasn't the type to be fond of friendly fire as well.

Michael's attention was quickly caught by the smoking woman. Not only was she the only unfamiliar face of the bunch, but she seemed to have an air of authority surrounding her... or maybe that's just the smoke. Either way, it seemed like she was the one to talk to, seeing as the ever-eager knightess was already asking her questions.

"You're Hyun-jin's boss, I take it? Feel free to brief us whenever. I'll just be calibrating my gear." Michael mentioned before turning his attention to his wrist-device. Pushing a few buttons, Michael's arm began to move in an erratic, yet somehow controlled matter. The movements seemed uncontrolled at first, and only those with keen eyes would be able to see the technique behind each stroke. It would also go without saying that these movements were only a fraction of how fast Michael would be able to move, serving as a bit of a "teaser" for when the group finally began their dive.

In Michael's case, he really just wanted to get some stretches in before he started on his dive, worried that he might dislocate his shoulder if he didn't. The ever-creeping feeling of his age getting to him lingered on, brought forth by the youth surrounding him. Even if he was still at a relatively young age, Michael still couldn't help but think that he was almost 30! It was a frightening thought, indeed.

The arrival of the group to the TK Group's office was heralded by Hyun-jin. The moment they became visible through the glass walls, the young Korean diver charged towards them. The look on his face was one of that of pure excitement, like a kid in a candy store. With a surprisingly loud thump, his torso hit the handle and the surprisingly heavy door launched less than a foot open. After his failed greeting, he opened the door the rest of the way. The glass taking such an impact with nothing more than some shaking.

"Come on in, come on in!" Hyun-jin said, already amped up to leave to the Night City.

The group entered the lobby, the smoking woman refusing to approach them. Instead, she kept a healthy distance between herself and the rest of the hunters. With the cigarette still aimlessly drifting and filling her surroundings with the smell of smoke, she elaborated on the job.

"There's two injectors by your contracts," she pointed at the table containing everything they needed, "your job is to inject what we've come to call 'The Duke'. After that, get a sample of whatever comes out. Doesn't matter if Duke's dead or alive when he's injected. The former might be easier because the injector can't pierce his armour. Though we give you two, this part's the most important: only use one. Once he's injected and you collect a sample, destroy the other. Burn them, crush them, whatever you do, make one hundred percent sure that the injectors are unusable. When you're ready, head up that elevator and get on our carrier."

The table had contracts for all of them. The mostly held words of accountability and NDA. The divers couldn't speak to another soul about what was going to happen and would be held severely responsible for any injectors left usable after it was all said and done. Next to the contracts was a picture of the duke. Such a title fit for this kind of outsider. While the image quality was poor, noticeable details could be made out. More man than monster, the duke stood on two legs. While his proportions certainly weren't human with short legs and a massive upper body, he was still more human than many monsters. A gaping maw filled with sharp teeth, four eyestalks with slits that looked more mechanical than biological, and a massive horn protruding from his forehead. The Duke was almost pure white, save for fists and legs stained red. His entire body appeared to be covered in an otherworldly armour.

Besides signing the contracts and asking for any elaboration, there wasn't much to do save for entering the elevator to the roof.

---

"Salutations, you complete our number! Together we are ready to sally forth." Da-Xia perks up as Michael makes his late entry, and accept Hyun-jin's open door.

After having things explained, Da-Xia questioned. "Ah, I am understanding the need for, I presume secrecy. This does mean you would be unhappy with returning the extra to you for you to dispose of as you wished or would that be amenable to you?" Da-Xia pondered the unusual request and it's potential purposes as she signed the papers.

"With two syringes I would judge keeping them separate in case of disaster prudent. One in Sir Michael's hands seems logical, as our noble vanguard might have an opportunity to use it in battle. I could keep the other stashed in the storage compartment on my motorcycle to keep it safe. Is this agreeable to our cause?" Da-Xia reaches for the injectors after filling out her contract with reckless abandon.

Presuming the injector issue was quickly resolved, Da-Xia would quite happily head for the elevator, until realizing she was in an elevator, sticking herself to a back corner and grabbing both rails with a grimace.

---

The morning played out as slow and usual as ever with little anomalies. One by one the rest of their merry team filed into the building and awaited their orders, from Erika, to Michael, and finally ending in Hyun-jin’s door stunt. Reina smirked at the entire display before looking back to the smoking lady who was to be their informer. Now that they were all gathered, the mission could finally begin underway, with some explanation and elaboration of course. Reina waited patiently with crossed arms as the lady did just that.

“Oh ho? So, we’re trying to be sneaky here eh. We may as well be called glorified scientists then, hah!” Though she shouldn’t be one to complain. It was only natural for people to want to know more about the creatures on the other side and such research was deadly on field for the highbrow lab coat types. That’s where they came in as Divers of course. At the very least, the additional order of destroying the evidence so to speak and such disregard for their target being dead or alive was enough to keep her from walking out the door.

“Sure, sure, we’ll bag your sample,” Reina said as she signed the needed papers and took a glance at this so called “Duke”. Once all was said and done, there was little to do but wait for the rest of the team with the elevator waiting for them. Reina did exactly that, heading into the elevator to pass the time before noticing one of the younger members of their troupe huddled in a corner. She couldn’t help but find it funny how Da-Xia was holding onto the rails for dear life.

---

---

As they were briefed, Michael couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy about the whole thing. Indeed, this seemed to be one of the shadier jobs Michael had signed up for, especially if they essentially have to destroy their evidence of meddling after their job is complete. At the same time, Michael thought less of the potential moral or legal repercussions of this job. He had already spent enough time thinking about those semantics and all they did was sink him deeper into debt. If one wants to make money, they'll have to get their hands dirty, after all.

However, one other thing mentioned by the woman briefing them caught Michael's attention.

"What's up with this thing's armor?" Michael asked, scrutinizing the photo they were given of The Duke. "I get that the details are on a need-to-know basis and all, and I'm not the type to really care about any of the science behind it, but if you can tell us anything else about it, namely how tough it would be to cut through, it'd make my job easier. I need to know how I'm going to have to cut through it if we'll be injecting it, after all."

Whether his question was answered or not, Michael worked on signing the contract. He took his time reading through the details, but not so much as to seem suspicious or difficult to work with to these sorts of people. Michael was used to searching for key words for these sorts of things by now, and his mental enhancements helped find them faster. Once all that paperwork was done, Michael reached for one of the other injectors, agreeing with Da-Xia's suggestion without argument. Out of them all, it seemed like Michael would be the one most likely to stab the thing effectively and accurately. Still, there was a bit of reluctance being held responsible for such a dangerous duty, but Michael tried his best to push those worries to the back of his mind.

Walking into the elevator, Michael took a deep breath as he began to put his poker face on.