Standing on top of a mall that held a cosplaying activity. Accompanied by a woman who he had seen change her private parts and a friend who wore a maid uniform.

He confessed.

“Julie… I’m actually a Magician from the past and the future… I have traveled back in time and then went forward in the future!”

“So does that mean you’re very old?”

“I’m forever young.”

Julie shrugged, “Well at least you got the idea of role playing well. Felt really authentic. Also, uh, so you two were acquainted?”

“Small world.”

“Right.”

Mimi, who they met at the holiday convention, shrugged. “I didn’t think you’d meet my favorite Bi.”

“Oh, she's a customer?”

“Once.”

“Damn,” Robert looked at Julie, “you really know how to get around. Must have paid a lot.”

“Actually, it was free.”

“Free?”

“I was lonely. She was lonely. Two beautiful women in a lonely night and you know how it is… do you even know what it is? Or is this going to end up in a threesome?”

Julie raises a brow.

“Don’t give me that look, girl. I did ask her to be my partner in my premium vids. Can’t believe this man refused.”

“Sorry, I just can't get into it after seeing you replace your body parts.”

“Such an old-fashioned man,” Mimi scowls. “Julie, stop hanging around with this man. Clearly only after your body.”

“I don’t think he is.”

“You don’t know that,” Robert said with a grin.

Julie cringes at Robert’s remark and backs away. “Sorry, I like cute girls.”

Mimi sighs at them and then arranges her dress. Some asshole had tried to take a peek of her and now her implants are malfunctioning. Specifically, her cyberware is.

Robert stopped his foolishness and helped Mimi diagnose her arm while Julie looked around while chewing the butt of her cigarette. Looking at the pictures she had taken. Robert, who had seen the contents, snorted.

“Ma’am. You should really get someone cute. Julie’s going to lose it.”

“Maybe I will. How about you, Eunuch? Want a cute and available girl? Or a woman that’s willing to be friends with benefits to an organic man?”

“You… have quite the friends, eh.”

“In my profession it’s hard NOT to find a friend that isn’t into pleasurable hobbies. I’m envious that you have such pure love.”

Robert went silent. He checked his deck for the diagnosis, then found the cause of malfunction. He gently removed the clothing while Mimi stared at him coolly. Julie took a picture of Robert grabbing Mimi’s clothes.

“Can I use this as blackmail?”

“Your friend wants to blackmail me.”

“She might be into that. I did see her looking at those comics in the booths.”

Robert took the screw, removed the plate under her synthetic skin and pushed the diagnostic tool on the slot on her arm. Sending this shock that should have stung. Mimi remained stoic. As if she had felt that occasionally.

“Is this a bullet?”

Robert plucked the .50 caliber out of her arm.

“How many are there?”

“Only three.”

Robert traced the pathway and saw that it should extend right out of her forearm.

“Good Lord, how do you handle the recoil?”

“I haven’t tried it on a live human target.”

“So you have cyber claws and mounted armament. Ever worried that it might malfunction like this? Your ware’s probably causing this.”

Julie stared at the bullet. “I sometimes forget that I’m a pretty civilian compared to you two gangsters.”

Mimi exhales, “And you think you are normal? Hanging around with a courier, a prostitute, and I think you also hang out with that hitman too. Please, don’t ever think that you are ‘normal’ in any standard.”

“I told you guys. I’m a magician working on the shadows. Protecting the world from devils, demons, and cultists!”

Mimi glares, “And I appreciate that you stick with your magician roleplay, but can you fix my arm first? You are quite experienced.”

“No one believes me.”

Robert mechanically adjusted the malfunctioning part of her arm and pushed it back in. Running a diagnostic check, testing the sensitivity and carefully placing the skin back.

“You can keep the skin. Use it. Smell it or something.”

“No thanks. Sell it on your page or something. There are freaks that might buy it for thousands of dollars.”

“A great idea, Robert. This is why I always wanted to star with you in a premium vid. Come on, I’ll even ask my Doc to give me real and authentic flesh this time.”

Robert ignores her and turns to Julie. “I get the feeling that she is always like this?”

“I mean she is a professionally lewd woman. What did you expect? If anything, this uncaring behavior is quite a turned off, Robert”

“You two really like to put me in this place where I should be rather ashamed that I’m not acting like a horny teenager. I should have brought Gu along or John.”

“John’s too busy with his girlfriend. Didn’t Gu go to that concert?”

“He did. The bastard.”

“Hey, if you don’t like hanging around with us. Just say so.”

“When did I say that, bitch?”

“Wow… look at this man,” Mimi pulled back her hand and stretched it around.

Robert palmed his forehead. “I do appreciate being paid while carrying your luggage around. But shouldn’t Julie be carrying your makeup kit?”

“Too tired.”

“See? Stop paying this woman. Pay me fully.”

“It’s okay. It’s not like you're breathing hard. Really, haven’t seen you sweat at all.”

Robert blandly pointed at the snow layering the city. “I wonder why, Miss?”

“Stop complaining.”

Robert shrugged. He tossed the .50 caliber in Mimi’s purse. “Have to pull that out. Should stick with only two bullets or 9mm rounds for a hidden gun.”

“You have your own panel, right?”

“I do. Are we still on time?”

“Yeah. No problem with the schedule. Are you meeting with your e-celeb friends?”

“They’ll be good company. Maybe I will be away from Mr. Eunuch here.”

Robert checked her schedule and then wore his digital mask. “I didn’t think that I’d have to blend in and punch stalkers.”

“Just do it quietly. I need to teach these assholes that I can’t be messed with. I’d sue them out of their wealth.”

 

***

 

Mimi went with her online friends while Julie went around the booths. Life wasn’t constantly just criminals roaming around. It is a large city, and some places of the city remained peaceful because of the constant watch of the LCPD and the companies who were ready to hire security forces to watch the convention. Robert wasn’t planning to attend this convention, but nonetheless he had a job and it was worth the pay. How he had been convinced to play the protector. He didn’t know.

This sea of people contained many. Elaborate cosplayers among stalls selling 3D printed guns that are customized to look like they are from the shows. One of the most popular venues is where photographers take photos of scantily clad women, roleplaying as their favorite character.

It was quite a sight for him. He had heard of conventions like this. But never participated even in his other life. He didn’t have the time or the money. Always having a job protecting clients and then spending his free time on taking a rest.

Robert thought hard. Lately, he has been having a hard time remembering about his past life. Maybe it’s why he had been drinking frequently, afraid that those might be a delusion of the past. He had to blame Julie for putting the idea on his head. That he might have experienced one long elaborate simulation.

The past remained and although he had somewhat taken steps to move on. There are times where he finds himself awake with his hands covering his face.

A constant scar that remained on his soul.

If it was the old him.

He wouldn’t even dare to take a step in this event. Roaming around without a worry about what may come. Just trying to find some scrap of fun.

Really, he needed to clear his head. Maybe that’s why he’s here with the excuse of getting paid to punch a few stalkers who might be too obsessed with their ‘Goddess’.

He got inside the booth where Mimi and her friends were speaking. Answering questions while showing off their body in front of their rather eager fans.

Seeing through his inner-eyes. He scanned the crowd with his all-sense and found a few who were feeling hostile. Everyone was carrying a piece, but this one was itching to take his piece out.

Robert approached the guy from behind and pressed the barrel of his pistol on the guy while quickly texting Mimi about the guy.

“Don’t move. One movement. One reason and I’ll blow your spine.”

Robert plucks a cable off his deck and slots it in the neck of the guy. Running a crackware, disabling the cyberware and giving a warning that he will fry his brain.

Holstering his integrally suppressed pistol. Robert led the guy outside of the booth where one of the security in-charge quickly grabbed the guy, take his pistol equipped with EMP rounds.

Robert pulled data out of the guy’s neural processor and then filtered the words related to Mimi. The guy had quite the content he had subscribed to. His accounts were subbed to Mimi’s fan page and even her premium. One of the group conversations that this creep had was about some nefarious plan straight from some eastern comic. It baffled Robert how anyone would even dare to do this, despite knowing how much of a shitty plan it was.

If they failed then it’s for the content.

Even with the simple exchange, they did it for her.

To gain Mimi’s attention and if they succeeded. They had quite a plan.

The security that was reading through the logs growled at the creep before sending a message to the group chat he was using to lead the rest of the creeps to a location.

Robert followed up with this plan, but unfortunately, they were quite witty, with one of their fellow Creeps watching the stream broadcasting the event. He had to follow up, and identifying them with his all-sense made it quite quick. He spent the rest of the day catching the Creeps, and then delivering them to Security.

It baffled him.

Though Mimi only replied about how he technically ‘delivered’ the Creeps to jail and that he should still be called a courier.

He joined Julie who was carrying her goods.

“Done with your creep hunting?”

“Found one just now.”

Robert lifted a finger and pointed at Julie. She kindly replied and showed her glorious middle finger that was holding the strap of the goods she bought.

“Mimi paid you yet?”

“Where is she?”

“Doing a hot tub stream with her streamer pals?”

“Oh, figures.”

Robert sent a message to Mimi. She replied with a thumbs up and wired Robert’s payment. With that job done, Robert found his way to a fast-food chain near the convention and ordered some food while Julie sat across, examining her goods.

Looking away, Robert opened his inner eye and scanned the city. It had been a few weeks since the presence of anyone belonging to CASE left the city.

Crossing his arms and leaning back. Robert glared outside, wondering if it was alright to hide his presence to CASE. Blending into the city, acting normal as best as he could. He had not been using his spells after infusing it on someone. Wary that someone could sniff him out.

“You found shit on the glass or something?”

“Nothing.”

Robert eyed the person who he had been talking to.  At first, she was just this bartender that was listening to him, and now she was this friend that he could chat up to. He was rather envious of her. 

Her fondness of life.

That optimism that shines no matter how much of a shithole this city could be.

And the normality of how she conducts herself despite speaking to other people who might have blood in their hands. Robert doesn’t know if she had been desensitized or not.

It might be odd to hear it from a mercenary.

But there was no one that walked the earth that truly wanted to fight all day. Even in his other life he sought a peaceful place. An oasis where he can find peace.

“But why a drunkard with a liver implant of all things?”

“Stop insulting my implant. It is a good one. If you’re jealous of it. Just get one, will you?”

Robert looked away and sighed.

No rain had come to the city of Lux after the drains had frozen and malfunctioned. It was strange to Robert that he would find this era more pleasurable than back in ‘97. 

He guessed this kind of era is where he feels a semblance of peace.

And yet there are still lingering feelings.

He might not agree with being collared to an organization that fights against demons and devils, against his will. But there are things that he agreed with CASE.

And they held purpose.