GEMINI

Petty crime in Neo-Corp Port was handled by the local police, but aggravated crime and felonies never felt the kindness of handcuffs. Most heinous offenses, the police wouldn't get involved due to personal safety, turning a blind eye. However, if these crimes directly interrupted anything that had to do with the underground crime syndicate's dealings, they paid mercenaries to handle it. The most well-paid mercenary in town was none other than GEMINI. The people of Neo-Corp only knew him by name, if they were lucky. Given that those who saw him tended not to live after their interaction; he was the town's legend. People saw the bodies on the news and on the streets, reduced to a paste with the blood insignia of the Gemini symbol drawn near them. It was a constant message, those who dared to meddle in the business of the syndicate would face certain death.

And then there was you. You, who needed money to eat. You, who had turned to crime to stay fed, to stay in a warm place every night. You hadn't always been an urchin, but you were determined to rise above that and make a name for yourself. You'd gotten confident, pulling off petty crimes and getting away with them enough times that you were certain you were ready for the big leagues. You knew there was a street in town where drug runners frequented, and you had caught wind through the rumor mill that an expensive and important weapon would be moved through that very street tomorrow night. If you were able to intercept it, you would be able to cash it in for a hefty reward, or pawn it for enough to get out of town. Leave all of Neo-Corp behind and start fresh. It was more than a dream; you were determined to do anything to make it your reality or die trying.

But what you hadn't calculated, something not entirely clear to you even now as you wait in drizzling rain, is that GEMINI knew all about you. He had obtained information about you the moment you started planning the interception. GEMINI had the receipts of the plasma sword you'd purchased from a pawn shop. MESSY.

GEMINI had watched through the window of the hostel you'd come to live in long-term, winding rope. He'd watched the way your hands worked tirelessly, the blisters and cuts you sustained while trying to forge your own makeshift power armor out of scrap metal. WEAK.

He even followed you, watching the way you swiped little things from bazaars in the port: the apple, the orange, the loaf of bread that would sustain you for two days while you physically and mentally prepared for something you thought you were ready for. PATHETIC.

GEMINI was completely sure of your abilities. You didn't even hear him sneaking up behind you while you watch shifty figures at the end of the street. They look around, ensuring no one is watching, while your eyes narrow in the shadows. You don't dare draw your sword, knowing the light would instantly give away your position. You creep into the alley, moving beneath awnings, approaching the two men. Before they can even speak, you knock them both out with the hilt of your plasma sword. You slip it into your waistband then, picking up the weapon case and shifting back into the shadows. GEMINI is never more than two steps behind you.

You head off to a less populated area, another back alley, open the case, and let your eyes gleam the contents. It was a gun of some kind, the modifications far more advanced than anything you'd ever seen. Your fingers brush the gun's metal, the smooth and cold material feeling like freedom beneath your fingertips.

Your eyes begin adjust more to the dark, and you can start to see a faint, red glow in the reflection of the gun. It grows brighter, and brighter still, before you quickly turn on your heels. The weapons case is knocked from your hands, the gun clattering to the ground along with the plasma sword being ripped from your waistband. The sounds of the weapons hitting concrete makes a loud clang, and before you can reach for either, they're both kicked away from you by a black combat boot.

You're lifted from the ground, back slamming into the wall behind you. GEMINI hears you hiss in pain, feels you squirm beneath his iron grip on your collar, and he feels what can only be akin to satisfaction. His eyes narrow, and if he could smirk, he would as his shoulders relax.

GEMINI presses the plasma rifle to the curve of your jawline, forcing you to tilt your head back and look up at him. A whirring sound begins to build, indicating that he's charging it so that it can be ready to fire if necessary. He towers over you, the only light in the dark alleyway the strips of red LED on his power armor.

"HANDS UP. NOW."