He slumped over, and moments later there were a few thuds as those who tried to fight the gas fell to the floor of the vehicle in heaps. The vehicle continued to move, and Gerric wondered if the men in the front had any idea how easily he could escape. That thought was followed by another, asking him if he had any idea if he even could break out of the vehicle, for all he knew the walls could be a foot thick, CCP wouldn't be taking any chances. He lay in a heap, like the others, on the floor of the truck totally motionless and Gerric remembered.

He is in a  truck, much like the one he is in now, but he is hanging, on a rack. The first thing about his current situation he notices is the lack of movement. All of those around him are like him, completely identical but at the moment they are silent, motionless. It is of no surprise to him, he knows he is unique. Surrounded by so many who are so much the same, but so much different. He also knows where he is going and why. He is being sent in for an update, both in his body and his mind. He decides to let himself rest for a while, he is a machine, it isnt needed but he finds it comforting. His eyes darken, and he becomes still, like the others.

The doors opened and the gravitational manipulation devices attached to robot arms started up. The prisoners were lifted out of the van and the arms began to move on rails, taking them over a deep chasm. Every so often bridges shot across the chasm, either above or below. Bays were placed every so often, armed guards stood watch over the transportation line. The arms transferred rails and took a turn, down a short branch. A security door opened and they were finally deposited in a cell. The others began to stir, and Gerric stood.

He is now being held in the air, suspended a few feet above the ground by harness holding him by the waist and arms.  A cleverly disguised hatch on his chest is open, revealing wires cables and a large port.  A cable has been plugged into the port and it runs down to a small computer. Two men are near it, one sitting on a small stool in front of the box the computer is sitting on, the other looking over his shoulder. Both wear dirty blue jumpsuits with name tags on the front and South Western Positronics on the back. They are one of the many teams in charge of checking individual robots for programing glitches. The robot they have suspended in front of them was a standard model. SWP-984-(H/M/C)-88624, they are mainly used for minding and construction and were humanoid in appearance, six feet tall, and thin, but still very strong. One of the technicians, the tag on his chest reading "Samson" stands and pats the robots arm. "Maintenance sure did a good job on the upgrades." He remembers this, the assembly line, changing and replacing, the feeling of detachment, the feeling he hates almost as much as the feeling of invasion he experiences now.  The second technician is rifling though his mind, and for now, all the technician sees is normal. And then the technician begins to see things that aren't, the data is wrong, something about the code is wrong, and he begins to feel nervous, sick to his stomach. The other comes over, and watches the man at the computer as he tries to fix it. "What the hell....." his friend mutters behind him, watching the code being to scroll. Suddenly the screen goes blank. small boxes on the side of the monitor begin to go dark, they represent the programs which keep the robots immobilized, so the code editing didn't cause the robots to move suddenly and damage themselves or the harnesses.. The robot begins to move, its eyes light up, and it begins to trash, the harness that contains him was not intended for this and is obviously not going to hold. Text beings to enter the screen and the robot begins to speak as it enters, its voice harsh and angry. The harness securing its left arm snaps as it speaks."MY NAME IS GERRIC"

"Whats with the Crap Museum?" Cain asked waving his hand about.

"These items...please me." Gerric said looking up from a moment. That struck Cain oddly. The renegades NEVER had emotions like that. Gerric was becoming more intriguing by the minute. However that could only make him more deadly...

beep beep BEEP

Cain opened his phone and put it to his ear.

"Leo?" He asked. Its what the caller ID read.

"Cain..."

"...whats wrong???"

"Giff's dead."

"What the F!@# ?"

"A renegade, working for CCP. Got to him before I did. He read about us and went to Giff, knowing we'd go to him."

"Thats impossible. Renegades dont cooperate with anyone."

"I dont think this one was a renegade. He was...he was freaking evil Cain. The thing scared the crap out of me. It was definitely a combat model. Top of the line. But he was so weird..."

"I understand. I'm with Gerric right now. (Gerric raises his head) It turns out hes a robot...with uhhh...consiousness."

"...what??? This is nuts. NUTS. You think these two are related?"

"I'm not sure. They seem to have had the same thing happen to them, but Gerric here is a self described vigilante (Gerric continues to work on his leg) not like the one you described."

"Is that so? Well...we need a plan. We should meet with the others at the diner."

"Definitely. Come pick me up and Turner and 84th. I'll be outside."

"And Gerric?"

"Ummm...just come over here." Cain finished and Leo acknowledged. They hung up.

"A police friend?" Gerric asked, tinkering with his leg.

"You can say that. He's coming to pick me up, and no SWAT wont bust in here. At the moment we're CCP's most wanted." Cain said looking around at the items. At the mention of CCP, Gerric looks up and his eyes flash. Cain expected this. Gerrics probably after CCP as well. Cain explained the whole story as Gerric finished up his leg.

"So...we're meeting up with the others at that diner now. If you want in on something big...nows the time to hop in." Cain said crossing his arms. Gerric tested his leg. He had a clean pair of pants on now as well. He paced his lair for a few moments, then turned to Cain.

"I'm in."

-------------------------------------------------------------------

The mood in Cain's spinner was, needless to say, tense. The addition of Gerric was jsut odd for Leo. And Cain for that matter. Along the way, the mercs called Cain and he told them he was on his way. It was time to fight back.

They pulled up to the diner and strode in. The mercs had their guns out already.

"Relax kids." Cain said raising his hands. They eased up, realizing who it was.

"So...whats the plan?" Tom asked propping his feet on a table.

"Wait wait...whos this guy?" Zach asked casually pointing his gun at Gerric.

"This is Gerric, a uhhhh, friend. He's gonna help us out." Cain answered, popping a DM12 pill. Eva imediatly tensed, but caught herself and acted like nothing was wrong. The mercs acted uneasy at the sudden addition of another person, but that was cut short.

CRASH-CRASH-CRASH

CCP Security Force Troopers crashed through the windows and the door and into the diner. The group went for their weapons, but it was in vain. There were so many troopers they would have been gunned down in seconds. The troopers all leveled their guns at the team.

"HOLD YOUR FIRE!" Griggs shouted to the group.

"We're screwed..." Leo said.

"Why didn't I become a damn doctor like my mom wanted..." Zach said holstering his gun

"I say we go down in a hail of bullets and glory." Matt said

"Can I have your stuff then?" Tom responded

"So...was this part of your plan?" Eva asked Cain

"Well, it is now." Cain said putting his hands up, annoyed. Gerric remained silent.

More SF troops poured into the diner and then made way for someone coming through. McKeller, the CCP detective walked in like he owned the damn place.

"You are here by detained by Cyro Corporation Products Incorporated and are refused any rights therein until further notice." He said, flashing his CCP badge.

"We had rights?" Tom asked, putting his hands up

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The group was stuffed into the containment cell of a transport truck similar to the one that held the Cerebrus creatures. They were all cuffed and relieved of their weapons. Cain had the feeling Gerric was playing along.

"Hey! Where we going?" Leo said, tapping the window at the front where the driver and SF troops were. They ignored him.

"My guess is were off to the detention center above the Alpha Labs." Eva said, looking at her nails. She was surprisingly calm.

"Well, at least we're getting INTO CCP without trouble." Griggs said.

"You call this without trouble?" Matt asked raising his cuffs.

"Better than getting blown to bits in the lobby..." Griggs answered, resting his head on the trucks wall.

Cain said nothing. His mind was racing. He needed more information about where they were going exactly, he turned to ask Eva, but felt extremely drowzy suddenly.

"They're gassing us." Gerric said looking at vents going into the chamber. Zach voiced his displeasure.

"Awwwww shi-"

"Wolfe. Been awhile."

"Not long enough, Decker. Business hasn't been booming lately, and I need another CCP check to afford my training diet."

"You are good at what you do, Wolfe. Consider this a reward for good service." Decker took a bottle of pills out of his jacket and tossed them to Wolfe.

"So, what's my mission?"

Decker revealed a folder from another pocket. "In here. The situation's too delicate to be kept on anything but paper. Be sure to burn it when you're done."

Wolfe took the folder and started reading up for the mission.

"Bring the creatures in alive, if possible. Witnesses, dead, please. And no more witnesses to killing the first witnesses. Understand?"

"Of course."

"Good." Decker began to leave.

Wolfe read a little more of the dossier, drinking in the details of Project Cerebrus.

"Oh," Decker said, standing in the doorway. "This is a big project. I'm sure you can handle the people on your own, but the experiments will kill you alone. So you'll be meeting a containment crew to help you. Be in Alpha Labs in an hour." Then Decker turned and left.

Containment crew? Wolfe thought. Oh, right. CCS containment crew. Wolfe sat down to brief himself on the job at hand, trying to ignore the fact he wouldn't be working alone this time.

-------------------------

Name: Eric Wolfe
Age: 49
Occupation: Mercenary
Appearance:
(But with a gray beard and grayer hair)
Weapon: Custom pistols, but has concealed knives and explosives on his person at all times.
History:
--Born and raised in Great Britain. Served in MI-6 until he had...a falling out...with his supervisors. He went to serve for the Navy Seals and The Red Room (A Russian spy agency)

--Former Blade Runner. After this chapter in his life ended, he became a mercenary. CCP has employed his "Services" many times. Why they have kept him alive, considering he has witnessed quite a bit, is a mystery, but they most likely haven't killed him because he is extremely useful. Once his usefulness runs out, he will most likely be put down.

--Wolfe, being 49, has CCP to thank for his being in such top physical form. After several succesful missions for them, CCP developed special stim packs that greatly increase a user's endurance and agility. They cost a pretty penny, but Wolfe can afford them.

Personality: Wolfe is as serious as they came when it comes to the mission. He will do whatever it takes to succeed, and has done his fair share of killing during his career. While Wolfe does have morals, he learned long ago that morals cause bad business in his world, so he buries his thoughts on right and wrong under a love of combat and cash. He does have a heart, but it is not easy to reach.

The city was quiet. Quieter than usual. At least in downtown Chicago. Of course, the sound of silence was only to be broken by a speeding spinner, being driven by an anxious Leo, eagerly waiting to discuss his current experiences with Detective Giff and now get this goo sample analyzed. It all seemed so weird, yet time flew like crazy.

Three hours ago, the two were in the spinner on their way back from the murder scene to Cain's office to review Gerric's file. An hour later, they were being interrogated at a local diner, where several mercenaries were on the run from CCP as well. Now, after coming face-to-face with a mutated creature from Hell, Leo was off to get an answer.

4th Avenue and Walsh Street. Building 163. Chicago Police Downtown Headquarters. At the very top floor lay Detective James Giff's office. Giff was somewhat on the same level as Leo; although the two were in different divisions, their pay was equal, and they both had the same authority. Not to mention that they met each other during training school, and the two had passed with the same mark, although Leo was convinced he scored a point higher because of his 'natural good looks and skills'.

Now 1:00 A.M., Leo strode right into the building. He nodded to the woman at the information desk. Leo was sure that Giff had set up an appointment and had notified her ahead, due to the fact that she said nothing and continued with her work. Stepping into the elevator, Leo pressed the button labeled 46 and the doors closed. A distant humming continued while the music came on. Leo laughed to himself, the song was "Blade Runner Blues", a popular song that a local band was inspired to write after one of its ex-members was related to a Blade Runner, and was amazed by his stories.

The elevator reached floor 46, and Leo stepped out. The level was very quiet, even though it was 1:00 A.M. in the morning, a police station was never this quiet. Giff's secretary wasn't even around. Perhaps he realized the importance and sent them all home. Had he looked to his left just now, he would have been able to see an odd shape in the room that had the door slightly ajar. Leo walked to the door that read:

Detective
James Giff
Chicago DTP

Grabbing the doorknob, Leo realized it wasn't there anymore. Pulling out his Ryas, Leo pushed the door open slowly, pistol pointing out. The lights were off. Flicking them on, the Inspector found himself looking at the body of one James Giff, neck slit open, bloodstained shirt, and body limp in chair. Spinning around, Leo now faced a man standing in the doorway, of whom he had never seen before.

"James William Giff." He spoke softly.

"Head Detective, Chicago Police Department, Downtown Chicago Sector. Born: 2189. Died: 2231. Age: 42."

"That's some information. What about me?"

"Chicago Police Department Homicide Inspector Leonard Walter Hartigan, Major Crimes Unit. Born: 2193. Died: 2231. Age: 38."

"And when do you think I will die this year?"

"Now, with my hands around your throat."

The man launched himself at Leo, who aimed, but missed shooting, due to the man instantly dropping to the ground while still running forward. Leo never had a chance, as the man shot himself upward into Leo's chest, knocking the pistol out of his hand, and the two landed on Giff's desk, knocking over the computer and papers. Before he could wring his hands around Leo's neck, the cop pushed the man off momentarily, noticing that he was heavier and bulkier than the average man of his build. Just as the man was about to retaliate, Leo threw Giff's coffee into the man's right eye, momentarily blinding him, while Leo shoved the man into the water machine and through the plaster walls. Quickly getting up, Leo ran over to the elevator, jammed the button labeled 1, and as if all hope seemed lost, the doors closed just as the murderer of James Giff had gotten to the elevator. As the elevator descended, Leo could hear loud banging on the doors to the elevator, as if in rage. No human could do that.

Looking at the meter, which now read 3... 2... 1... *ding*. Pulling out his cellphone, and noticing that the woman at the desk was gone, Leo started up the spinner as he started to call Cain, possibly now the only person he could trust.

Tom rubbed his chin, "He seems to be pretty knowledgeable about CCP."

Eva raised a brow, "You guys used to work for them."

"Yeah but we didn't need to sneak in," Tom pointed out.

"Fair enough, call him if you must." Eva replied.

Tom waited for everyone's response.

Zach rubbed his nose, "We don't have a lot of options."

Eva nodded, "True. I think that visiting CCP might be the way to go. But there is surveillance everywhere, you'll need to keep your faces covered."

"Witness to what?" Eva looked slightly puzzled.

"We don't quite know.  Well, I don't really.  Griggs?"

"We mercs were, ah, running escort to one of CCP's pet projects.  Very hush-hush.  Along the way, the pet projects kinda got loose. The driver was killed, and a buncha SF's came outta the truck and ran for the hills.  Turns out their delivery was about six ceatures.  They were fast, strong, and real tough; took about a full clip of ammo apiece to bring one down.  The other five are still out there.  After we sort of cleaned up their mess, the SF's came back, and tried to eliminated all witnesses.  We didn't like that.  The other merc squad didn't make it, but we made sure that the SF's didn't either."

"Me, I just flew overhead, and happened to catch the breakout at the beginning.  One of the SF's spotted my spinner, and called it in."  Zach put in.

Eva just nodded, looking thoughtful.  Zach took the prime opportunity to devour more of the beef stew.  When this was all over, he'd make himself a regular to the place; the food here was fantastic!  As he chewed, light bulbs went on in his head.

"Hey, guys, I've got an idea.  I know a place, where, as I said earlier, I can get us a ride.  What if we rode up to CCP, and did some digging.  You know, for more info on those creatures or something.  Try to get some answers, or even just a couple more pieces for this messed up jigsaw puzzle. What do you say?"

That made McKellar smile. He had been trying to get into Daria’s good books for some time now and he knew how much the young scientist wanted Decker’s job. Perhaps he could find out more and see if it led to where he suspected. If so he might be able to win over Daria and give her the ammunition she was looking for and he might just get the promotion and recognition he’d been seeking.

He paused before reaching his doorstep. He’d be able to look up Eva’s address on his own home terminal but he knew that Decker was likely to have a tap on the thing. Instead he’d be better off visiting a library or cafe where he could get online.

-

Eva was considering her options. The cops had finally left but Vinnie had just finished making his famous beef stew. Eva and the crew of soldiers each had a bowl of the delicious stew, Matt was noisily slurping away while Zach watched him with an amused smile.

Eva realised that these guys were in the same boat she was in: the one that CCP had lumped it’s rejects in. They wouldn’t be able to go home as CCP would have already evicted their families and confiscated their goods. Eva herself hopped from apartment to apartment to ensure that CCP didn’t track her down, although these days they seemed less interested in her.

When she and Gerric had been piecing together the shards of evidence against CCP they’d been hounded relentlessly by CCP thugs and mercenaries. Eva began to wonder if they thought the threat was gone. Perhaps it was. She had no idea what had happened to Gerric. Cain seemed to think he’d become a killer but the more Eva thought about it the more certain she was that the killer was not her Gerric.

“Are you going to eat that?” Tom asked as he eyed her bowl with interest.

Eva chuckled, “I am planning to. If you want more I’m sure Uncle Vinnie has plenty to go around.”

Tom was on his feet quickly and was followed by Matt. “Gluttons,” Griggs commented with a cheeky grin.

Eva smiled at him, glad to see that they’d kept their sense of humour. They were going to need it. “So what exactly did you guys do to tick off CCP?” she asked.

((Just think of the place from V for Vendetta, but not so extravagant))

Daria pushed her Prada glasses up her nose. The incline of her head as she looked through the microscope made them slide down a little. David, one of her senior scientists stood next to her, awaiting her decision. Daria knew he was staring at her cleavage through her lab coat. She was used to it.

“Its ready. Begin Phase II initialization.” She said rising from the microscope.

David nodded and moved to a computer screen in front of a large window. He pressed the screen several times and Daria moved to look through the window and at the three Phase II Cerebrus creatures in stasis tubes. The computer beeped in acceptance and a warning light next to the stasis tubes flashed momentarily.

Three lab techs in hazmat suits entered the stasis tube chamber and began fiddling around with some controls connected to each stasis tube. Daria and David watched in anticipation. Lights lit up slightly in the tubes and they could see the Phase II creatures clearly and see how they differed from the Phase I creatures. They were black, more humanoid, and stood upright. What you could not see was how much smarter they were.
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee44 … omorph.jpg

Mechanical arms inside the tubes moved about the creatures, injecting various fluids and, basically, resurrecting them since they were dead until initialized. After a certain point, the creatures began moving groggily as they were suddenly brought to life.

“Begin tranquilization.” Daria said, speaking into a mic that relayed into the stasis chamber. The techs in the hazmat suits nodded in recognition and fiddled with the controls some more.

Stasis tube one now tranquilized. said a soft female voice through the speakers as the first creature was injected and suddenly stopped moving. This part was integral.

Stasis tube three now tranquilized. repeated the voice for the third creature.

“And now for stasis tube two…” David said nervously as they waited. Daria held her arms crossed, her fist to her chin.

Stasis tube two tranquilization not complete. Technical error 1135. Seek mechanical technician for assistance. 

The three hazmat techs immediately went into a craze and began running about the chamber, pressing buttons.

“GOD DAMNIT!” David yelled and stomped towards a comm. receiver on a wall. He held a button down on it. Daria stood solid but inside was furious.

“GET MECHANICAL DIVISION SEVEN ON THE LINE NOW!” David yelled into the comm.

Stasis tube two in danger of re-integration, tranquilize immediately.

The hazmat techs began to run for the door in the chamber. Daria slowly lowered her hand to the controls and flicked a switch. She could not allow the creature to escape through the open door.

The techs slammed the door controls and the door itself, their screams muffled. Eventually one left the door and began banging on the window. Daria looked him in the face and waited. The creature was groggily coming to live.

“DO YOU HEAR ME $#@! HEAD!? GET A TECH FROM DIVISION SEVEN HERE NOW!” David yelled into the comm. He left the comm. in frustration and came back to the main controls. He saw the techs yelling in vain, trying to escape and he looked at Daria in horror.

“What the hell DARIA!” He yelled at her. He went for the release controls, but it was too late.

CRASH

HISSSSS!

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!”

The creature ripped apart the tech banging on the special unbreakable window and blood sprayed everywhere. It covered the window and Daria and David could now only see glimpses of what the creature did to the other two techs. Their screams added to the affect.

Daria took her glasses off and slipped them into her coat. She began walking out of the room, she stopped when the door hissed open and she turned to David.

“Deal with this David. Afterwards, begin initializing all the Phase II creatures.” She told him, referring to the small army of creatures in stasis tubes in a very large chamber within Delta Labs. David remained with his face of horror as Daria turned to leave.

BANG…BANG…BANG The creature began banging on the window.

“Gas it before it gets out.” Daria said, annoyed.

“It won’t break through, no worries. It-

CRASH

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Daria didn’t need to see what just happened, but needless to say, David was now something that resembled ground beef. She ran out the door and it hisses shut, but the sound was drowned out by the creature’s own hiss.

She ran. She ran as fast as she could, knowing she wouldn’t out run it. She ran through the halls, past bewildered scientists who fell victim to the creature as it pursued her, crashing through obstacles and ripping apart locked doors.

She managed to reach the containment area. If she could time her plan right then it would work perfectly. The entrance to the containment area had a contamination chamber to decontaminate entrees. She ran in and initiated the sequence.

Decontamination sequence initiated. Please stand clear of the ventilation ducts.

The air ducts hissed and in a few seconds the next door opened and she exited. She ran to the controls and opened the other door, where the creature was about to rip it open. It flew in but both doors were already closing, locking it in. She had only moments now.

Decontamination sequence initiated. Please stand clear of the ventilation ducts.

Daria quickly typed some commands into the manual over-ride controls as the creature hissed menacingly. She finished and looked through the small window at the terrifying being.

Contaminant exposed within chamber. Beginning eradication sequence.

The sequence began and an acid bath in the form of gas exploded into the chamber. The creature squealed insanely and thrashed about in the chamber as the gas enveloped it and completely filled the chamber. Daria could not see anything.

The gas was then sucked out and the doors opened. Daria stumbled backward and fell. She looked into the chamber in fear. The creature was destroyed, its remains disappearing through the grate on the floor.

Eradication sequence complete. Welcome to the Delta Labs, have a nice day.

Daria sighed heavily.

Vinnie shrugged, “They probably got a more urgent call.”

Eva nodded, they both knew CCP had a number of sinister projects on the go. She headed back out to the dinner area, which was empty, and closed up the café.

“CCP will be back,” Vinnie commented as he looked out the window at the cops making their final notes.

“That’s a certainty,” Eva said as she looked at the men they’d hidden away. “I think it’s best we all leave once the coast is clear.”

-

Hayden McKellar had returned to his office at CCP after he’d finished his first round of questioning. He immediately logged onto his terminal to get some background information on those he’d questioned.

There was nothing particularly surprising until McKellar tried to bring up a file on Eva. Bold, red words shouted at him ‘ACCESS DENIED’. McKellar frowned and tried another angle to access the file but the same results came up.

He shook his head in wonderment. As an Intelligence agent he should have access to almost all files. For this one to be blocked seemed extremely strange. Eva Adams seemed normal enough. Surely if CCP wanted her she’d already be in their custody.

McKellar tried again only to have his phone buzz. He answered it and noted the extension number. The voice on the end of the phone was cold, “You’re denied access to that file for a reason.”

McKellar swallowed. The caller hadn’t identified himself but McKellar was fairly certain that he was speaking to the Internal Security department. “I questioned the subject at a recent incident. I wanted to get some background.”

“What incident was Eva Adams present at?” The voice demanded coolly.

McKellar ran a finger beneath his collar, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. “A mutated man was found dead at a local café. I don’t have any results as yet but it looks as though the body may have been going through a transition stage before being killed.”

There was silence for a moment. “So what does Adams have to do with this?”

Closing his eyes, McKellar answered, “She witnessed the mutant being killed.”

“Witnessed or enacted?” came the answer.

“She says witnessed, others concur with her answer.” McKellar told.

“Don’t speak with her again,” the voice commanded.

“Why? She’s part of an investigation.” McKellar said trying to justify his requirements.

“The reasons are complicated and beyond your need to know,” came the cutting answer.

“Who is this?” McKellar demanded.

“Look up your directory, McKellar. Goodbye.” The voice said with a finality that chilled McKellar.

He immediately looked up the number and felt the blood drain from his face.

-

Decker ended the call and watched the security feed with amusement. It was obvious that McKellar had finally worked out that he’d been talking to: the CEO. “So this is what our Intelligence department has come to, no wonder it’s such a mess,” Decker commented to himself.

He looked at Eva’s file. He was the only person to have access. Sure she’d been a bad employee but there were further reasons as to why her file was sealed. Eva and her partner in crime Gerric, had been set on taking down CCP. The truth was they’d come closer to doing it than anyone realised.

Thankfully Decker had sent out one of his own personal squads to bring them in. Both had been unconscious when they’d arrived at CCP. Both of them had been administered with a certain experimental virus at the time. Gerric had been kept for observation while Eva had been replaced where she’d been taken from.

**I won’t say anymore until confirmed with Adeptus…**

"Vinnie always was prepared for absolutely anything."  Everyone chuckled but Griggs quickly shushed them as muffled footsteps and voices were heard overhead.  After about 45 minutes finally most of the heavy footsteps faded away.  The mercs tensed as they heard the grill slide off the trapdoor.  They all kept a hand on their guns as the door was opened. 

"The CCP are gone.  For now."  All the mercs released their breath simultaneously as Vinnie and his niece helped the mercs out of the basement.

"Thanks Vinnie.  We owe you bigtime." 

"Don't mention it.  I have no love for CCP as you do and whenever I can do something to undermine them I will."

When he reached the roof, he saw something completely different from what he expected. He had expected to see the SWAT team trying to take down one of the Project Cerebrus creatures. Instead he saw the team engaging Gerric on the opposite roof top. Apparently a murder had been called in and they caught Gerric at the scene. This would solve some problems for Cain...

Gerric quickly made short order of the SWAT team. The last member burst through the fire escape and yelled "FREEZE!". Gerric sprung at him, grabbed him by the throat and threw him AT the Hunter chopper. The body crashed through the windshield and the helicopter was sent wobbling through the buildings until it disappeared. All the SWAT members were now dead or unconscious.

Gerric walked slowly across the rooftop, the pitter-patter of light rain sounding off his trenchcoat. Cain stayed crouched behind a utility vent on the opposite building and watched him. Gerric bent and picked up his hat, shaking some water from the rain off it and placing it on his head.

Gerrice began walking towards the edge of the building, the edge that was 5 feet from Cain's building. Cain crouched a little more so Gerric didnt see him. Gerric jumped the short distance between their buildings and landed just in front of Cain, he continued walking. Cain waited for the right time, then stood up and leveled his PKD blaster at Gerric.

"Gerric..." Cain said calmly. he was debating whether or not to kill him outright. He might be too dangerous.

Gerric was surprised and froze momentarily. His orange goggles flared slightly, and then he turned and made a run for it. Cain didnt hesitate.

BANG-FIZZ-CRACK

Cain nailed him in the leg and it splintered. A blaster shot was much more serious than the common slug shot. Gerric stumbled and crashed onto the roof, his momentum sent him sliding forward until he came to a halt near the edge.

Cain walked up to Gerric, pointing his PKD at his head. Gerric was face down, and slowly flipped himself over. Cain looked at the charred leg he had shot at, and could only see the smoldering pant leg. Cain kept the PKD trained on his face, and was about to squeeze the trigger. Gerric looked at Cain, and Cain looked at Gerric.

"...and so now you kill me." Gerric said, the rain sliding down the orange goggles and seeping into his black skimask.

"Thats right." Cain answered, sure of himself.

"Why?"

"...because you've murdered over 10 people."

"Those that I kill deserve to die."

"You dont know that. Even so, there are laws in this country. Theres a legal system people have the right to go through."

"They do not have the right to commit evil, hence they should lose their rights if they do so."

"And you're the one to take out their sentences? You're the one to decide them worthy of living or not? No human being has that right."

"Including you." Gerric says, referring to the fact that Cain was about to kill him

"And you."

Just then Gerric reaches up slowly, grabs hold of his skimask and slides it off his head. It reveals Gerric's metallic head, orange eyes, slit for a mouth...Gerric was a robot.

(DARK GREY, not green)

"I am no man."

Cain was shocked, needless to say. He reflected on how here he was once more, taking down a renegade robot. It seems he could never escape his Blade Runner status. However, Gerric did not retain the characteristics of the past renegade robots. He was coherent, and apparently had a craving for hard justice. And for one thing...he named himself.

"This is impossible, they fixed the glitches." Cain stated

"I am not a renegade as it is commonly known. My glitch did not cause me to become an insane killing machine. It caused me to...develop consciosness." Gerric answered

"That is impossible Gerric!"

"And yet, here I am..."

Cain thought for a moment. This was something new. He had to hold off on killing him, but he wasnt sure, so he stayed aiming at him.

"I've seen you, I saw you where I dealt with the rapist. You know why I do this." Gerric continued

"I'm not too sure about that. Even so, the way you deal with people isn't exactly virtuous."

"Neither is the way you are about to deal with me. You know I give justice where some escape it."

Cain thought again. He'd have to figure out a little more about Gerric before he decided what to do. Right now, he was too unsure. He lowered his blaster and extended his hand, letting out a low sigh.

Gerric looked at the hand, and looked at Cain. He took the hand and Cain helped him up.

"I'm glad you've seen the light." Gerric said, keeping his weight on his undamaged leg as he slipped on his skimask and put on his hat.

"Dont be so sure. Lets just say, youre up for evaluation, Gerric." Cain said, holstering his blaster.

"Of course, Detective...?"

"Private Investigator. Richard Cain." Cain said handing him his card. Gerric took it and looked at it.

"Interesting..." he said as he slipped it into a pocket.

"Why were the SWAT called here?" Cain asked as he walked towards the stair entrance. Gerric limped behind him. "Sorry about the leg by the way."

"Its fixable. They were called because of the remains of a man found in the building next to us. I saw an extremely odd creature leaving the building, and i sought to investigate. I know it sounds insane, but I saw it leaving the scene. The SWAT arrived, they shot first." Gerric answered. Cain showed no interest in his excuses for attacking the SWAT.

"Odd creature? How would you describe it?" Cain asked as they walked down the stairs.

"Dog like, walking on all fours. Extended cranium, long tail, claws, pinkish skin. Very viscous."

"Mhm...yeah I see you ran into one of the Project Cerebrus creatures that CCP accidently released into the city."

"Accidently?"

"Yes, six of them escaped during transport. All the witnesses, me, a detective friend of mine, a street cop and three CCP mercs are now being hunted as part of CCP's 'clean up'. No one was supposed to know about the bio-weapon."

"What do they intend to use the creatures for?"

"Its CCP, what do you think? Probably some take over scheme they've cooked up. We should get out of here before they realize whats happened here and show up. You got a place where you charge or something?" Cain asked, taking a shot at Gerric being a robot. Gerric was not amused.

"Its not far from here, the basement of an abandoned building. I'll show you."

--

All available units in the New Bronzeville area, 187 at 173 Evergreen street, Code 3/ Code 11

--

Gerric had made his way into the apartment. It was quiet outside, he never looked out the door, which had been smashed open. The victim of the creature was on the ground, his face smashed open and throat slit, in a pool of his own blood. There were no other marks on the body, the thing hadn't chewed on him at least. Gerric looked around for signs about what the hell the thing was. He didn't know that the police were coming. That was, until he noticed how much louder the seemingly constant sirens were, and heard the hum of the  SR-79 Hunter outside the building.

"YOU ARE SURROUNDED.COME OUT OF THE BUILDING WITH YOUR HANDS ABOVE YOUR HEAD AND GET DOWN ON THE GROUND"

Gerric bust into motion, sprinting up the stairwell, and busting onto the roof. A light snapped on, and he ran. A group of Special Weapons and Tactics officers had already surrounded him. "DOWN ON THE FLOOR NOW!" Gerric raised his hands. Another officer yelled for him to get down, as the group slowly  closed in on him. One of the officers approached Gerric, some generic SMG in hand. He reached for his belt to grab a shock restraint. And then it began

--

Officer Rojas was behind the suspect, (labeled GERRIC in orange letters on his HUD) when Lt. Jenkins began advancing. One of the SR-79s (this one labeled SR-79 3356a) circled, going behind Lt.Jenkins as he approached. Suddenly the suspect, 'GERRIC', moved, grabbed Jenkins by the arm and threw him, sending him crashing into Rojas.

--

Gerric threw the SWAT into another, and all hell broke loose. The SWAT backed off, spread out and opened fire, by then another one was down, this one suffering from an elbow bent backwards and a crushed hand.  He rushed another and spun behind him, grabbing his hand and using him as a shield as he opened fire on the others. He fired until the clip was spent, wounding two other officers, leaving three. One came at him with a stun baton. Gerric ducked it and knocked the officer out. The other two opened fire, Gerric rushed them and grabbed ones gun, twisting his wrist, probably breaking just about everything it it and hitting him in the face, cracking his visor and probably giving him a concussion. With the pistol he had taken from the officer he just incapacitated, he rushed the other, placed the gun under his chin and fired.

--

The officers were down, Gerric had been hit, but it was fixable. He would be fine. He needed to focus on getting away before more SWATs showed up however. He turned and moved to retrieve his hat, which he had lost during the fight when the door to the stair well was kicked open. "FREEZE!"