The following story was written with the assistance of AI Dungeon. For transparency, edits were only made for the sake of technical aspects like consistency, coherency, narrative structure, or formatting.
Key: AI Input, Human Input.
> You follow Leo and Nidas down the alleyway.
The group makes small talk as you walk, passing by a dumpster.
Derek: "Please don't tell me THIS is your HQ," he chuckles.
You start sweating again before the brothers start laughing along. Strange, if you made a joke like that you'd get decked in the face right then and there.
> You push the dumpster to the side to reveal a manhole, the entrance to HQ. You then gesture for Derek to enter, a posture best described as "The Bootleg Clown Gentleman."
> You say "Soft boys first~"
Derek obliges you and raises the manhole, letting the others follow. As soon as your head passes through, you pull the lid down and climb down.
You emerge inside a dimly lit garage.
Leo: "None of that fancy Centurion shit, but hey, it's home," shrugs.
> You say "Living units are open for use, right? Pretty sure that bounty would follow me home."
Nidas looks at you with a tilt of his head, as if pondering some inner dilemma.
Nidas: "Fair enough," he nods.
As everyone gets set up, Leo begins to speak.
Leo: "Well, you said you wanted the heist team back, well here they are."
Leo takes out a card and slides it on the door's console.
It opens to reveal a tiny board room with three other people in it.
???: "Hey Jack, see you got a new friend over there," Bytes opens.
???: "About time, I was starting to get bored," Kilo says.
???: "I know right? Like I get we owe him a solid, but right now?" Terra scoffs.
Jack: "Guys, I'm right here," you say.
Kilo: "Hm? Whatever," he says, and the three of them sit down at the table.
> You say "Derek, these are the crew. Kilo and Bytes, our stealth aficionados. Over there is Terra, our muscle. Figuratively anyway, cuz she uses turrets and shit to mop the floor with guys! Everyone, this is Derek, my... uh... my boyfriend."
Kilo: "Ooooooh, romantic," he laughs.
Terra: "So what's the job?" she asks.
Jack: "We're stealing a Rhea," you say.
The room goes silent.
Nidas: "Yeah, saw that one comin'. You owe me 12 deca-credits, Bro," he says.
> You take a deep breath, and start from the beginning. Your accidental killing of a cop, the bounty, and (skipping the sexy part) your idea for getting out of Plato City.
Bytes: "Sit down," he interrupts you. "Sounds like a pretty sweet gig."
Terra: Blushing a bit, "I wouldn't mind getting our hands on a Rhea. THINK of the MECHS WE COULD BUILD!"
Kilo: "What's in it for us?" He interjects.
> You say "For you?"
Kilo: "So we're gonna be stealing this mech so you and your boy toy can beat it to New Promise. Okay, what's in it for us?" He accuses.
Jack: "Well..."
> You say "Hey, Derek, back me up here!"
Derek: "Uh... well I dunno what it'll be like to be in the actual mecha, but... I mean we could have a share of the profits," he says.
Kilo: "...eh, where's the loot at?" He posits.
A lightbulb goes off in your head.
> You say "The mech! Duh! Derek and I won't need the Rhea after we're gone. Soooo, once we're past the border, you guys can keep it, reverse engineer it, and start your own mecha army!"
Kilo thinks this over, then shrugs.
Kilo: "The loot's the same either way," he shrugs.
Bytes: "Fair enough," he says, "how 'bout you Terra-?"
He turns to see Terra's face beet red at the prospect of being able to study and build mechs.
Terra: "I'm in. Yeah," she mutters.
Derek: "Hold on," he interjects, "don't Rheas require two pilots with plugsuits on them?"
Bytes: "Oh, you bet!" he says. "The two of you will need to put on those heavy suits and do a perfect synchronization."
Derek: "W-wait! Both of us?!"
> You say "I mean, we are the ones leaving, might as well pilot the mech out of here! With your obvious mechanical skills, I'm surprised you haven't noticed that I need another pilot."
> You say "Leo, we got any spare Drive Gear?"
Leo: "Yeah, in the garage," he nods.
> You say "Perfect, that means we can skip to setting up the heist!"
> You say "Luckily, I did a bit of research before heading out to get our heads in the game. First, we're gonna need to get our hands on some Centurion uniforms. Gotta scope out a good Rhea Factory, find every exit, and most importantly, where all completed units are stored."
Terra: "Guessing you'll be able to get us some uniforms?" she asks.
Jack: "Only need one, but yeah."
> You say "Kilo and Bytes can look through all the hidden channels for getting rid of security. As for our spy, I'd say you could go, Terra! Once in, you'll be looking through our actual route through the facility!"
Terra raises an eyebrow, but nods.
Kilo: "Okay then," he grunts. "We'll get it done."
> You say "Derek, you're alright with walking everyone through all the technical shit, right? You know me, I'm more of a software guy."
Derek: "Got it," he nods.
Jack: "Perfect," you say.
You've got the team pretty much set.
> You pull up Disk Drive, set your horn to Browse Mode, and start searching for the nearest factory.
You browse through a few files, before finding one labeled f-000.
You quickly open it, and find a long list of factories, with their location clearly labeled.
> You say "There we go! Machina Sector G-9. Not exactly close, but it's better than 10 miles!"
Terra: "Got it," nods. "G-9, it is! RHEA, HERE WE COME!"
> You say "Calm down, we still need to get our hands on your guard uniform, plus a Hacker Van and Stealth Van, but I'm guessing Leo's got us covered there."
Leo: "Glad to," he nods. "They're all still in the garage from last night!"
Jack: "Perfect!" you grin.
> You say "Think the best option for right now is getting the uniform from the Black Market. Terra, Derek, and I can stop there and HOPEFULLY get back here in a jiffy so we can start scouting pronto."
Terra: "Okay then," she nods. "Let's do that."
You smile, and quickly walk out of the headquarters, towards the garage.
> You say "Hey Nidas, think you can get Derek's Gear Bike down here?"
Nidas: "I work at the garage, not the fucking lift operator," he laughs. "Yeah, no, I can get it down."
You nod, as your team hops on Terra's car.
> You give Terra directions to the nearest Black Market District.
Terra: "Yeah, I know it. About 5 miles that way."
Jack: "Let's go."
> You take the ride as an opportunity to just unwind. After the back-to-back action and planning, you take the back of the car and let Derek lean in on you, as you just look out the window and watch the broken streets pass by. It looks oddly peaceful despite all of the chaos its people have to endure.
Derek himself seems to have changed a bit. You're not sure if its because he's finally gotten some rest or what, but his attitude is much more calm and relaxed.
> You say "I'll be honest, I like you like this. All collected and shit even when we're on the run, reminds me of when we first met."
Derek: "............"
Jack: "Hah, you know what I mean."
Derek: "Yeah, I know."
The two of you laugh.
Terra: "Might not be any of my business, but how DID you two meet?" her eyebrow raises.
Derek: "Fair, I'm not usually matched with a meathead like Jack."
Jack: "Hey!" You squeal. "I'm not a meathead!"
Derek: "Yeah, sure..."
You roll your eyes as you turn to look out the window.
> You say "It was a few years ago, we were around 16 back then."
Terra: "I thought you'd say something along the lines of 'I was twelve and he was a monster' or something."
> You say "No, Terra, that was with my ex. We don't talk about her."
> You say "Anyway, I'd gotten my first Biomech Arm. That one had some extension features that I used for dumpster diving. Then... hey Derek, why were you out in the slums in the middle of the night again?"
Derek: "I had to steal a car."
> You say "Ohhhh, so that's why those escorts were trying to kill you!"
Derek bursts out laughing.
Derek: "Yeah... something like that."
> You flashback to that day. You remember pulling out a few old world computers from a bin before Derek ran into your alley. You turn to the tired twink, who looks like he's about to pass out.
> You say "Running from death?"
Derek: "Something like that."
> You say "These parts of town ain't a joke, man. You wanna live, you gotta be willing to break some bones."
Derek: "Break some bones huh? You a cop?"
Jack: "Eh, I'm not a cop or a robber. I'm just some punk."
Derek: "A punk huh? Guess that explains why you're scavenging out-of-date hardware."
Jack: "H-hey! These PC's are a classic! You gotta respect the classics, man!"
> You eventually walk him back home. Quickly leaving to avoid being seen, but something had already clicked. Something about his demeanor, how he could instantly have a level head in a dire situation, it gave him this allure you hadn't seen with previous relationships. You wanted to know him more, and so, you gave him your number.
Jack: "By the way, keep that smile, it looks good on you," those were your last words to him that special night.
You then flashforwards to your first, and subsequently your last day of college at around 17-years-old. In your room, with Derek trying to calm you down.
Jack: "I'm sorry. I just... he's fucking with us man, and it's so far away. The old man's a complete prick."
Derek: "Yeah, try not to yell, your neighbors..."
> You say "Whatever. Not like I needed it anyway. All I need to live off of my skill is this horn."
Derek: "So... you're serious?"
Jack: "Yeah, man. It's time I got my Devil on and give back to the Spartans. You in?"
He keeps quiet, before kindly rejecting your offer. You don't fight it.
> You say "Yeah, no worries, actually kinda glad you said no."
Derek: "You... don't seem to be taking this well."
You sigh gently, and sit down.
> You say "No, just relieved. You told me how much you do wanna go the college route and... I get if you don't want to get wrapped in my shit."
Derek: "Ah... crap. You're not mad are you?
> You say "Are you kidding? I can't get mad at you! I...! I like you. Alot actually."
Derek leans in with a smile, as he moves his chair closer to you.
Derek: "Heh, I like you too, man. Really glad you're not mad."
You return the favor, leaning in...
> You say "Yeah, um... had this feeling since we first met, you know? Just, that smile of yours, I wanna be able to see it more."
Your lips touch. The feeling of being so close to another human being, the feeling of warmth. Something so simple, can cause such sensation among you. You soon pull away breathlessly.
Derek: "Well..." He pants, stuttering.
> You move on to the next year. You hadn't been a virgin for a while, but a few months after you both turned 18, you finally asked if Derek wanted to hit third base.
He said yes, with ease.
[REDACTED FOR THE CENSORS]
Then, you collapse on the couch.
Derek: "Fuck... I need a minute."
> You say "Hell of a first time, huh?"
He laughs, and nods, before lying down next to you.
Derek: "Damn straight."
Back to the present, you and Derek at the back of Terra's car, with Terra driving.
> You say "And that's how it happened!"
Derek: "It sure was..."
Terra: "You could've left out the nitty-gritty about the fucking, but hey, not every day you get a sexy storytime in person."
Finally, the car stops at the shady side of town again. The Black Market District.
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