The Legendary Junkmaster

That night, Jason realised that many of his stalkers were no longer paying attention to his store. He had not heard anything more from the Lord, which probably meant he was caught up in negotiations about purchasing the poor versions of the Arbalest. 'Hopefully, they'll be kept busy for a while...'

Syssie sighed as she sprawled over one of the worktops. "I know it's necessary, but you're playing a dangerous game. You have to set up somebody to take the fall before they start questioning why they can't track down the culprit."

"I know... I was going to set up someone from the Red Steel Gang, but they're nowhere to be found. It's almost like they've completely disappeared." Jason complained as he struggled with the problem. "I don't have anyone else in mind if I'm being honest."

"You could try to lead the trail away from Highrise? As if the Black Arrow has abandoned the area. They'll be stuck searching for clues all over the place..." Syssie smirked as she revealed her own thoughts on the matter. 

"They won't buy it. Eventually, I'd have to turn back and there's a good chance that someone will realise what happened. No, they have to 'catch' the one responsible to make all of this trouble go away." Jason shook his head as he tried to think of anyone he could blame. 'Al might be a candidate. But I doubt anyone would believe that he could make those weapons... So what... Hired muscle and make it look like someone else was the brain? That'd just lead problems back to my door..."

When he had decided on this plan of action, he had assumed that the Red Steel Gang would still be living brazenly in the open. They were making it difficult for him to proceed, but he could not just give up on the matter. 

"We'll have to track them down..." Jason sighed as he glanced towards Syssie. "But we might end up causing a mess..."

"Don't you always? So what's the big plan?" Syssie queried as she eyed him carefully.

"First, we find them. Then we'll have to find someone or two people that are unhappy with the organisation. I think it's best if we make sure they die defending the secret. That will stop a lot of questions from being asked." Jason replied, as the loose outline of a plan formed in his mind. 

"You're still stuck with blaming someone for actually making the equipment..." Syssie shook her head.

"Maybe not... Let me worry about that." He was reluctant to tell her what he had in mind, because he was certain she would not be happy about it. Luckily, it did not appear as if she was actively reading his thoughts after all of their time together.

He waited until the night got darker before slipping into the Freedom again. This time, he was not searching for trouble. But he had to find out where the Gang had gone to or what had happened to them. He casually slipped out of the fake wall again and sped down several alleys away from his store and the Hunters' bar.

He figured that more people would be paying attention to the place in case the Black Arrow returned again to finish what he started. Once he was happy with his location, he began his climb to the rooftops. He leapt from building to building, but he did not bother with cranking up the Exoskeleton's power this time around. It was too noisy, so he had to settle for smaller gaps and taking his time.

The night wore on as he casually searched abandoned buildings and dark alleys. He stumbled upon a few couples in the middle of their secret meetings, but he ignored them. He was not the type to peep in such intimate moments. 'I don't get it. We've covered nearly half of town, but there's no sign of them...'

"Do you think they completely disbanded?" Syssie questioned as she began to have her own doubts..."

"With Sam's personality? I doubt it." Jason hummed as he finished searching an abandoned floor at the top of an apartment building. "They've either become really clever or maybe they've set up a front..."

"Like what?" 

"I don't know... Maybe they've set up inside something that looks like a normal home. Or perhaps they've taken over a store to hide their activities."

"Wouldn't it be better if you ask around during the day? Maybe some of your neighbours could point you in the right direction?" Syssie hummed as she tapped her cheek.

"That would just leave witnesses that would be able to say I was looking for them." Jason groaned as he landed on another rooftop. "Word might get to them and they could run. Or people might ask questions once we're done with the plan. I can't let them think that I'm too deeply tied to them."

"Well... You can't just go breaking into homes and stores until you find them either. I doubt you'd be able to find much just peeking through windows either. " Syssie chuckled at the thought of him clinging to walls and peeking in windows.

"It'd be so much easier if I was a spider or a bird..." Jason sighed before a light flicked on in his mind. "That's it!"

Syssie flinched at Jason's suddenly excited tone before she stared at him curiously. "What are you thinking now?"

Jason chuckled as he glanced towards her. "I just have to see through the eyes of a bug or a bird. It won't be too hard to go unnoticed if I make that happen!"

"Um, hate to break it to you but that's not going to happen." Syssie began to wonder if Jason's mind had experienced a mental snap of some kind.

"Not a real bird! But maybe I can come with something that could make this a lot easier and avoid me getting spotted..." Jason grinned beneath the gas mask as he thought about the Potential Points he had saved up. "It should be possible as long as I pick the right skills..."

Syssie hummed as she recognised the look on Jason's face. It was the same look he wore whenever he got excited about a new project he had thought of. 'There'll be no pulling him back to normality until he deals with it...' She let out a long sigh as she noticed the sky getting lighter on the horizon.

"Jason... We need to go... It's almost morning and Raymond will be coming in soon..." Syssie frantically tried to get his attention, but Jason was already deep in thought.

He suddenly looked at her with a stern expression on his face. "Syssie... I think we need to return to the workshop. I have to start work on this right away!"

Jason was oblivious to the eye roll he received from the AI as she called him hopeless beneath her breath. The pair had to take a long detour as those who were preparing to go scavenging for the day and stall owners had already begun to leave their homes.

"Why didn't you tell me it was getting to this time!" Jason barked angrily as he narrowly avoided getting spotted. 

"I did... But you didn't listen, did you? Too busy listening to your own thoughts instead of what's important!" Syssie complained in a sullen mood before her cancelling her avatar. Leaving Jason alone in his sour mood.

"You should have spoken louder then!" Jason mumbled, as he quickly picked up the pace.

The risk of being caught was getting higher, and it had him seriously worried. Despite that, he was already trying to plan out the skills he would potentially need for his next creation. 'A bird type might be out of the question... And I don't think I can make one as small as a spider. Damn! There has to be something I can do!'

Naturally, he had no idea if these would even be feasible until he gained the required skills. He was just making assumptions based on his past experiences. There was even a question of whether he had enough PP to make it happen. After all, the skills got significantly more expensive the further he went down the tree.

"I might need Syssie to evaluate a bunch of stuff..." Jason sighed as he finally managed to slip into the alley behind Star Gear without being detected. He grumbled under his breath as he dealt with the fake wall and slipped inside. His mind was racing when he suddenly heard a deep voice.

"Yo! Jason! You back there?"

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