It was the first time Arthur had seen a Machinist.
Her hooded eyes were altered. Lines of black ink ran vertically across her sclera. Pupils were gray and metallic—like iron. Jet black hair.
Pale skin like snow in winter with tattoos on her neck depicting a radiant black sun—located on her adam's apple—around which machines kneeled and reached out towards.
Loose, gothic-style clothing. A long, tattered cloaked draped over one shoulder. A black choker on her neck with thin spikes studded across with tiny dot earrings.
Both her hands were metal, the tips sharp and blade-like.
An eerie smile sat on her lips.
Arthur disliked her instantly.
"You must be Raga," the Machinist said, her voice oddly gentle.
"That's me." Raga smiled like normal. "And you are?"
"No one important." The Machinist gave a wide smile with a set of crooked, chipped teeth. "Follow me. I'll lead you to Johan."
She turned and entered the building. Raga followed first, followed by Grim, Kai and Arthur.
The entrance section of the building was a labyrinth of hallways and narrow spaces made from a mixture of concrete and metal.
Arthur could hear banging noises from below. The factory most likely had an underground basement area, but that wasn't where they were headed.
They ascended a flight of stairs. Arthur felt his hair rise. The air was cold. Freezing cold. And there was no natural light coming from the outside—the windows had been boarded off.
Matter of fact, it was pretty fruckin' dark everywhere, except for the motion sensors that switched on the lights along the path the Machinist walked.
Must've switched the brightness off to hide whatever operations they had going on inside. Or maybe they just worked in the dark?
They were on the second floor now, overlooking space below.
Arthur could see the faint metallic outline of industrial machinery blinking with red lights and diagnostic screens.
Dozens of pairs of glowing eyes peered at him from the darkness.
His heart lurched. He looked away and continued walking, clenching his fist.
A mechanical whirr, the faint banging underneath the factory, and vague moans resounding from locked doors in the corridor they were passing through.
The moans were either of pleasure or pain. Or both at the same time.
The Machinist looked over her shoulder and said playfully:
"Don't mind them." She gave an innocent giggle. "They're enjoying themselves."
Arthur gave Kai a sideglance, and the man had a tight scowl on his face. Grim was emotionless as usual, while Raga struggled to keep his usual smile.
Their guide put her hand imprint on a scanner fixed on the door. It beeped with authority and the door slid open at once. She stood aside and gave them a smile.
The crew walked in and the door shut immediately after. Arthur and the crew took a quick glance around.
The spacious meeting room was lit by a white strip of light lining a long rectangular table. The walls were insulated with sound dampening material.
A Machinist sat at the end of the table, spotting the new arrival. Just as they judged his morbid appearance with suppressed horror, he did the same to them with particular coldness and disgust.
The top half of his face was black chrome. His eyes seemed to rotate and twist upon the slightest shift in focus, humming faintly with noise.
His jaw was metal—square and bare, lacking skin. Hundreds of thin wires branched out from his scalp, forming a bundle as it tapered out into a long cable connected to a plug on the wall behind him.
Although he was seated, he was noticeably tall and well-built. Longer, thicker clothes that hid whatever monstrosity lay beneath the fabric.
With a scratchy metallic voice, the Machinist head said emotionlessly:
"I was under the impression Snake herself would come."
Raga looked calm.
He paused for a moment as a neat-looking chair slowly rolled towards him, circling around his back and lowering down to adjust for his height. For a place so ghetto, it sure was advanced.
"There were complications," Raga said as he sat down. "She sent me instead."
"And three others, it seems."
"All capable men here to give you a hand," Raga smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "With all due respect, Mr. Johan, you called us. And you didn't even offer tea."
Silence.
Arthur could feel his heartbeat quicken. He was calm, but his previous encounter with the ghostly eyes in the darkness chinked his mental armor.
Raga, Grim and Kai were far calmer.
The Machinist disregarded Raga's conversation and shifted to a less confrontational topic:
"Our feud with the Jack Boys have escalated." The thin strip of light on the table suddenly transformed into a holographic projection, showcasing a burnt down factory alongside Machinist members killed in action. "They recently burned down another factory, killing many and capturing our lead Cybernetics Engineer."
Arthur couldn't read much of the text because it wasn't in a dyslexic-friendly font.
"We've tracked down where they are."
The holograph broke away and regenerated into another projection, displaying a Jack Boy's compound. It zoomed in and spread through the interior layout. The cameras, sensors and other security measures were all highlighted in red, with certain parts unexplored and unknown.
The projection dove deeper into the basement of the building, towards a corner room. To the side, camera footage played of the engineer—a vague feminine figure— chained to the wall, kicked in the stomach by a gang member, the surrounding floor stained with splotches of blood. The footage cut a second after.
The holograph shifted to a picture of the engineer. She looked nothing like the Machinist. In fact, she seemed normal.
"Why are they keeping her alive?" Raga asked with a disturbed frown.
The Machinist looked at Raga with clear disappointment in his advanced optics.
"Why wouldn't they?"
Raga said nothing. It was a stupid question. An educated engineer capable of creating and modifying cyberware was a rarity among gangs. Most likely they were putting her to good use.
"And you want us to bring her back?"
The Machinist nodded. He said seriously:
"Yes. Alive, and by tonight. Complete this for us and the Leader will be very pleased.
Raga's gaze lingered on the picture momentarily, and he stood, nodding. "We'll get it done."