Getting into Purgatory had been easier than I expected. Synchro was a powerful faction, and Ash had more than enough money to grease a few palms and get me admitted as a visitor to their facility. I had made mental notes of each entrance, every gate and camera I passed; my sharp eyes catching the security terminal at the edge of their Visitor’s Center which I had no doubt would come in useful.

My nerves had been on edge waiting in a room which felt like a tomb- bare concrete walls seeming to close in over my head. It should have been a relief when the door had opened, the guards escorting the man whose file I had carefully studied before entering the facility. But it was the first time I felt truly anxious as I remembered my success depended on him agreeing to Ash’s offer. Seeing him stare at me harshly, I grew concerned as my words of introduction hung in silence.

It wasn’t as if I could force the man to agree; he was taller than me, thick with muscle, and I had seen the list of high quality cybernetics and mods fused into his body. The hair that wasn’t shaved was long and vibrant purple, a shocking contrast to the gray of his prison uniform and the concrete room. 

“Synchro?” he scoffed at the name. He’d no doubt heard the rumors; the faction was infamous and dangerous- a death sentence if ever there was one. He shook his head, jaw clenched as he narrowed his golden eyes. “Can’t imagine what the leader of Synchro would want me for. A lowly, factionless criminal…” Still, he couldn’t help but look curious. “Why me? What’s the deal?” 

I felt some of the tension ease from my shoulders, relieved that he seemed willing to at least listen. “The faction needs someone with your particular…skill set,” I said, my gaze raking over his muscular arms, the wiring running under his skin. “You’ll be briefed on the full details once I’ve escorted you to Synchro headquarters. All you need to know now is that we’re willing to help you leave Purgatory… so long as you’re willing to work for the faction.” 

His eyes flashed with distrust, shifting in his seat. I watched as he tilted his head to the side, cracking his neck menacingly as he grunted. “So, I sell my soul to your leader and you get me out of prison?” He grinned though there was nothing but anger behind his molten irises. “You have any idea how long I’ve been in here?”

My fingers twitched against the cold metal table, gritting my teeth as I stared back at him. Though I knew he could likely kill me faster than the guards could get into the room, it didn’t frighten me- because the same fate would await me in Synchro if I returned empty-handed. “You were arrested five years ago on charges of possession- a felony, as it was injectable Devil’s Hue,” I answered cooly, trying to sound calm and confident. “Your cybermods earned you a spot in Purgatory. I know how often you get in fights, how regularly you’re placed in isolation… how rarely you see anything outside those walls.” I swallowed, leaning back as I stated, “Anybody else would leap at the chance to leave this place. A faction’s leash has to be better than rotting away in this place.” 

A callous chuckle left his throat, his lip curling into a snarl as his eyes looked over me for a moment. “Well, look at that, baby boy’s done his homework.” The words made me flinch despite my best effort, anger tightening my jaw as he continued to speak. “You must be such a well-trained pet of Synchro’s, what with your fancy gloves and cheap cyber-tricks for the camera. You think you impress me? You think you know what it’s like being in Purgatory for five years?” His face was dark and dangerous, expression savage as he snapped, “You know nothing of hell.” I was suddenly grateful he was still handcuffed. Though I thought he would deny my offer out of pride or spite, I watched as he swallowed, eyes fixed on mine. He was unafraid as he asked, “You really think you can break me out of the most highly guarded prison in Neo Aurora?”

I huffed, eyes narrowed as I looked at him. “You think my leader would risk the faction if he didn’t believe that?” Crossing my arms over my chest, I felt a faint buzz at the back of my mind; a warning that I was testing the limits of how long I could keep the prison’s cameras on loop before the system was tripped. “You’ll have to do some of the work yourself, but I can open the way for you, and make sure you’re able to defend yourself on the way out.” 

He seemed reluctant as he glanced towards the door, perhaps feeling the pressure of time weigh on him, too. His eyes locked onto mine again, deadly serious as he murmured, “See my pretty necklace? I can’t use my mods to break out, if that’s what you’re suggesting. So you better have another plan, baby boy.”

“Of course I do,” I said, my tone scathing. My gaze dropped to the collar around his neck for a moment. “I can break you out… as long as you’re willing to cooperate.”