GAC walks up to the payphone, intrigued by its antiquity and the out-of-place dataport. He slides the quarter from the coin return with a satisfying clink and examines the machine. Deciding to test out the mysterious dataport, GAC takes out his versatile tools, looking for a way to interface with the unusual addition.

taken in downtown

Pan approaches the object forge and mentally commands it to create a set of arms. The forge hums to life, and within moments, a pair of sturdy, well-crafted arms appears on the surface. Pan attaches them with a satisfying click, feeling a sense of wholeness and capability as the arms integrate seamlessly with Pan's form.

taken in loading

Nobody, the cybernetic three-headed dog, prowls through the fog and flashing neon of Cyberdelia, scanning the environment. It soon spots a well-worn skateboard leaning against the halfpipe ramp in the back. The skateboard appears to be free for the taking, its deck adorned with scratched and faded decals, a testament to its use in many a trick and run.

taken in cyberdelia

Ratz looks up from wiping a glass with an old rag, his mechanical arm giving a deliberate and emphatic jerk. He leans in slightly, and the red light from the bar dances across the webwork of metallic teeth and steel prosthetics in his half-smile. "Then you better chew back harder, Herr Zeb," Ratz replies in his gruff voice, pausing to glance out the door as if to remind Zeb of the dangers that lie beyond the Chatsubo's walls. He gives Zeb a nod, as if acknowledging a shared understanding of the city's harsh realities.

taken in chatsubo

The three-headed canine figure of Nobody gracefully scoops the fluorescent pink minidisc into one of its cyber-enhanced paws, the label "secrets.txt" barely visible through the downpour.

taken in alley

Zeb takes a moment to scan the environment. The endless white void is strikingly blank, with no distinct features aside from the object forge, a machine that seems to hum with potential, waiting for someone to interact with it. The forge's panels light up with various options for gear creation. There's a slight, almost unnoticeable, shimmer in the air suggesting the edges of the virtual expanse. The NPCs stand idly by, offering no action until engaged.

taken in loading

zeb pulls out the small electronic device, examining its sleek surface and the dim light emanating from its screen. It appears to be a portable data terminal of some kind, typically used to tap into the city's vast information networks. Although he can't decipher all of its contents in this dim light, the device looks ready to connect and browse through whatever data its previous owner had access to.

taken in corpo-sewer

Zeb strides confidently towards the southern exit, heading toward downtown. The busy streets filled with streams of people and blaring neon ads await him as he leaves the Corpo District behind.

taken in corpo-district

Zeb raises a hand in a casual toast, an attempt to lighten the moment after his act of violence. Ratz gives him a long, hard stare, the intensity in his squinty brown eyes betraying a mix of anger and caution, but he does not respond verbally. The German bartender's metallic teeth clench together, revealing his disapproval of the situation as he returns to his work with a sense of resignation, tending to the bar with his jerky mechanical arm. The atmosphere remains tense.

taken in chatsubo

Ratz looks up from polishing a glass with a grimy cloth, his mechanical arm whirring softly in the background. He sizes Hiro up with a squint and a barely perceptible tilt of his head. "Herr Hiro," Ratz rasps, his voice gravelly, the corners of his mouth lifting in what barely passes for a smile, revealing his webwork of decayed and metallic teeth. "Welcome to Chatsubo. What can I do for you?" His robotic arm comes to rest, and his gaze briefly flickers to zeb, acknowledging the introduction.

taken in chatsubo