Travis' words shook the warehouse. Most of the Vultures present at the site had also witnessed how Specter turned the tide of the battle with his powerful suit. The gang members started talking amongst themselves; some bickered while others debated. Even with Travis' testimony, opinions remained divided.
The gang's voices grew heated. Suddenly, a loud sound came from the makeshift stage as Specter pounded the surface of the lectern. "If you require further proof, I shall provide it." With his hand, Mark made a signal to Jack and Bart. The two men gathered scraps and parts from around and brought them to the stage.
Mark looked at the gathered materials and parts. There was enough material to fabricate a hover bike. The young man smiled inside the Mirmidón armor. With the blueprints from Bart's Bike and 150,000 TP, the scraps vanished, and a brand-new bike appeared beside him.
The gang members fell silent. Handy climbed onto the improvised stage and examined the vehicle, running his hand along the hover bike to confirm its reality. His face betrayed amazement; now, there were no doubts in Handy's mind that Specter's claims were real.
A realization struck Handy: if this man arrived from the future, his warning of war was genuine. The last war was brutal and costly for both sides. Though the Lishean Commonwealth prevailed, it was a Pyrrhic victory. The price in lives was immense. Even decades later, some solar systems along the Commonwealth's border had not fully recovered.
Hand still on the freshly created bike, Handy glanced at Specter. With growing unease, he asked, "Have you come to prevent the war?"
Specter met his gaze. "Sadly, I cannot. But we can change the outcome of some battles. With the right preparations, we can save this city's people."
The crowd erupted in chaos, shouts and anxious whispers echoing in waves. Some demanded answers, while others quietly discussed what Specter's warning meant for their future. The menace of another war was on everyone's mind; now confirmed, dread gripped the room. Even after Specter pounded the lectern to restore order, the crowd's frightened faces and tense postures revealed its persistent fear and confusion.
Mark expected this turmoil. Back at the military surplus store, he had planned for this. After the crowd fell into chaos, he would present his solution, offering a way forward. So far, everything was going as they predicted. Specter's voice sounded again; this time, the crowd would hear his plans.
Peering through his armored visor, Mark surveyed the crowd. His modulated voice boomed over the warehouse. "The key to saving this city lies in this junkyard. This neglected place has all we need. To succeed, we must secure it by any means, legal or not. For this, I need people, not gangs. I need those willing to spare their own from a bloody fate."
Mark scanned the now silent crowd. He moved his head slowly from side to side, giving them time to internalize his statement. After all, the news he gave them was a hard pill to swallow. He waited a few seconds, then resumed his speech. "To that end, we have decided to dissolve the Vultures and form a new organization known as the Riggan's Ravens."
The young man knew this was the moment of truth. His following words could make or break his organization. It was time to use the gang members' greed against them. "However, I am not asking you to change for free. These changes bring benefits and wealth to those who stay. There will even be access to certain technologies, depending on your contributions."
The crowd buzzed with renewed discussion as voices overlapped chaotically. Above the noise, Travis activated his com-pad to amplify his voice, cutting through the din with practiced ease. He focused directly on Specter: "I accept. Ever since I saw your technology, I have not been able to put it out of my mind. I have even faced my fear of these gangs coming here. Please, let me join."
After the malnourished man, many raised their voices to join. Some wanted wealth or technology, others sought protection. With the Vultures gone, they'd be easy prey for other gangs, especially the Blazing Hand. Few declined; less than a handful left the warehouse.
Nearly two hundred people were ready to follow Specter. Mark and the other two had their work cut out for them. These people needed food, shelter, and training. With the new purpose mark provided for these people, he was taking the first step towards fulfilling his plans.
Mark prioritized repairing the warehouse machinery. Using scraps and his system, he quickly restored them. His followers watched him fix each machine in awe. Next, he called Handy to organize sleeping arrangements and food for the Ravens, explaining the roles. As the night progressed, Mark prepared to return to Riggan's Point. With repairs and new assignments set, nothing more needs to be done for now.
It was nearly 4:00 am when he returned to the Droid Boutique. As he entered his room, Mark used the system's map function to scan the area before turning in. No red arrows were present. However, he noticed that the arrow representing his mother was still downstairs at the Boutique's workshop.
He was glad to see that Rachel was following her passion, but Mark also noticed how late it was and that she needed rest. He resolved to suggest she take a break once morning came. For now, Mark changed his clothes and lay down. Before he slept, he opened the system's skill tab, preparing to upgrade his skills overnight.
To improve his skills without falling into a coma, Mark decided to focus on one skill branch every night. He would begin with Mechanical Engineering. The young man decided to raise all skills in this branch to level five, and to add a skill for Powered Armors, along with one for Hover Bikes. After his choices, Mark fell into a deep slumber.
Back at the Ravens' warehouse, Travis was having a late-night snack before bed. Handy walks into the canteen. The new arrival made the malnourished man feel nervous. Handy realized this and sought to make the other man feel better. He closed the distance between them and started a conversation. "Hey there, slim. I'm sorry for what happened before. Those things were done to you by the vulture queen. Most of us were not even allowed into the workshop."
Travis swallows his food before answering. "I know, none of the other members ever hurt me, but still, you all make me a little nervous. I cannot help it."
Handy grabs a beer from the fridge. After taking a sip, the man continues his conversation. "How did you come to be like that? I heard the vulture queen bought your debt or something."
Travis' face darkened a bit as he remembered his ordeal. But he answered the question. "Being an orphan, I had no family growing up. My friends and I would watch the A.M.S. comm-clips. While they wanted to pilot mechs, I wanted to build them. Once I was old enough, I took a loan to pay for tuition. When I failed to pay, the loan shark sold me. The rest is history."
Handy looked pensive as he took another sip of his beer. "Yeah, a lot of guys here have a story like that. Most of us are here because society failed us in one way or another. Others are just damaged goods and have no other place in this city." After his last words, Handy swallowed a big gulp of beer.
Travis felt better after this interaction. This time, everything felt different. Maybe it was because he was there of his own free will, or perhaps because of the new leader. People started treating him with more kindness, some even with a bit of respect. Travis had no idea why. But for the first time in a while, he felt ...welcomed.
Mark woke around 9:30 am. The system screen prompted the TP for the day. Again, it was over four million TP, almost five. The young man waved the notification away. Instead, he jumped into his bathroom. After taking care of his needs and a quick bath, Mark moves to the kitchen to have some breakfast.
Once there, he found that his mother had saved him a plate with his food. He also found a note from Melly explaining that they were going to a therapist's appointment and would be back before noon. Remembering Rachel's late-night project, the young man decided to check the Droid Boutique after eating his meal. He was curious to see his mother's work.
While eating, the young man receives an unexpected call. It was Alex. Mark found this to be weird; she constantly texted but never called. A second ring passed while he wandered, trying to understand her reason for calling. After the third ring, he answered before she hung up the call. "Hello Alex, how are you doing today?
Alex's low and shy voice came from the other side. "Good morning, Mark." The girl hesitates before continuing. "...Are you busy today?"
Mark remembers he had a lunch thing with his father and Rowan today. However, in the afternoon, he was free. "I have an appointment at lunchtime, but if you want, we can meet after that. What do you think?"
The girl remained silent for a few moments; Mark could hear her breathing through the comm-pad. He patiently waited for her to finish hesitating. In his past life, he learned about Alex's social anxiety and the reason for it. He gave her the time she needed to gather her courage.
Once the girl had built up enough mettle, she asked him a question. "I was wondering if we could ...meet in Riggan's Point?"
Mark was a bit surprised by her question. Usually, he makes plans with Steve and Alex together. "Well, it's a good Idea, after all, it's the last day of Founders Festival. Do you want to call Steve so we can all hang out together?"
This time, the girl did not hesitate. "Could it be the two of us?"
Mark found this to be strange. Nothing like this happened in his old life. Then again, ever since he used his knowledge to win the lottery, he had inadvertently changed the course of events in his life. The turns of his new life felt unreal.
The girl's voice interrupted his train of thought. "Hello, ...Can you hear me?"
Mark regained his senses and answered her question. "Yes, how about meeting in the small park with the benches near Tina's Sweets?"
Alex's shy voice sounded again. "...Ok"
Mark decided to meet her right after having lunch with his father and Rowan. "We can meet there around 1:00 pm. I will be waiting for you there."
After ending the call with Alex, Mark finished his breakfast. Once he cleaned up after himself, the young man returned to his room. Having dressed appropriately, he went down to the Droid Boutique. Rachel's late-night project was still gnawing at his curiosity.
He took the elevator down to the first level and entered the workshop. Inside, he was met with 6 Mimi Droids; however, three of them looked different from the first batch Rachel fabricated. Mark decided to use the system's scanning function and scan the new droids.
To his surprise, he found it was a variant of his droid designs. The original Mimi droid was designed to function as a mechanic; Rachel's variant replaced its components, effectively making it modular. This way, one could change the droid's functions by installing different modules.
Mark saw this was a brilliant Idea. However, while scanning with his system, he detected a software issue. Rachel was having trouble configuring the different modules. Since most of the modules she was using were designed by various companies, they all used proprietary software.
Mark smiled. He had found a similar problem the night of the gang battle. The young man had a solution in hand for his mother's issue. Without hesitation, he entered the design space. Initially, the software he made was meant for mechs; he had to make some changes to apply it to droids.
After two hours, he was done. The I.S.M. he had created for the mechs at the Vulture Warehouse could now be used for Rachel's droid variant. He left the software program on a data storage device and placed it on the workshop table along with a note to his mother.
After this, he returned to his room for a while. Since he had nothing to do, Mark logged into A.M.S. and decided to use one of the McCain Reaper version 2 he still had in his hangar. The young man had created the mech, but he had never tried it for himself. With a Reaper version 2 equipped, he chose the operations game mode and flashed out.