After their mission, Simon and Apatite exit the double-decker bus and walk down towards the pub which has the DedSec hideout. Simon enters the hideout with Apatite and everyone is gathered near the screen where Sabine is.
Sabine: "Well done, team. It's good to see the safehouse filling up again. The only way we're going to keep London from falling into total oppression is by rebuilding the resistance. We need to recruit, train, build back our arsenal. the people are itching to rise up and take their city back. We just need to show them that DedSec are fighting along with them."
Simon smiles and the others talk about it and agree.
Althea: "That's all well and good, but it's the power-brokers that need to be brought down."
Aventurine: "Albion has taken over London and they've turned it into a warzone, they've been arresting or killing anyone that has the audacity to rebel against them."
Jeremiah: "And don't forget that Clan Kelley is running the largest crime syndicate in London. And Albion isn't giving a single shit about that."
Bagley: "Fair. But remember that this "Zero-Day" hacker group is still out there. They took out dedSec once, and it's a good bet they'll try again. I believe they were responsible for the bombings and framed DedSec. With your help, I plan to get to the bottom of this mystery."
Sabine: "I'd say that's a full docket. Enough talk. Let's unf*ck London."
The briefing ends and everyone gets up and heads to their stations in the hideout. The heroes are relaxing in the old train in the hideout and Anon gets up and stretches his neck. David and the others get up and Pearl is on her phone.
David: "Pearl what are you doing?"
Pearl: "Contacting Emma, the other Pearl. Telling her to meet me at a nearby cafe."
David: "Good, the more the merrier."
Then Bagley speaks with Anon on his Optik.
Bagley: "I've found a lead that may help us unravel more about Zero-Day and the bombings we ate shit for. I've picked up an encrypted signal from the TOAN conference site that's been broadcasting on a loop since the night of the bombing. Go investigate. You might even get to try out that fancy new AR tech we stole--I mean, 'creatively shared'."
Anon: "Hm, sure thing. In fact, I'm gonna leave this task to someone else Bags."
Bagley: "Ok. As long as they get on with it then."
He looks at Erin and smiles, he gets on the catwalk and claps twice, signaling everyone to listen to him.
Anon: "Alright, everyone. There's a new mission, Bagley wants one of us to head to the TOAN conference bombing site, this time I want David out on this mission."
David: "Me? Alright then, to the TOAN conference bombing site was it?"
Anon: "Yes. Alright, David, head on out there."
David nods and he kisses Pearl on the forehead and ruffles Jennifer's hair. They smile as David leaves the hideout up to the surface. David uses his phone and hacks into an autonomous car, causing it to stop, and he gets inside it and drives it to the TOAN bombing site. He arrives at a bridge next to the site and he looks over the railing and looks at the site. It was a large building now partly destroyed after the bombings. Below, he can see people lighting up candles near pictures and someone puts up a Union Jack flag before praying.
David: "I don't come here so often because of this. I don't like watching people cry."
Victor: "And all these months later, it's been taken over by Albion bitches. Suspicious, no?"
David: "Yeah it sort of is weird Victor, Bagley please tell me what I'm looking for."
Bagley: "Any kind of device or component that could still be emitting the signal. It seems to be coming from within the rubble."
David: "Hm."
He looks up and sees a cargo drone flying. David gets the idea and hacks it and gets it to land in front of him. He goes on the top and the drone takes him down to the site. There, he puts on his knight helmet and grabs out his new pistol.
David: "Here we go."
An Albion guard walks by but doesn't see David who's hiding behind some rubble. The guard passes him and David sneaks and knocks the guard out.
Albion guard: "AH!"
*THUD*
David plants a device on the guard's body and he shrouds the body so no one finds it. He continues with his mission and then, Jennifer is on the line.
Jennifer: "Dad, please be careful. Mum's been so worried."
David: "It's ok sweetie, tell Mummy I'm fine."
He continues and he finds where the signal source. It's coming from a robotic insect leg, in the basement where the bombing must've happened, David then picks it up.
David: "What is this?"
Jennifer: "What the f*ck?"
Bagley: "This is it! The signal is coming from this spiderbot fragment. No indication yet who it belongs to."
David: "The hell's a spiderbot?"
Bagley: "Spiderbots are little robotic spiders which can be used for spying, maintenance or it can be your favorite killing machine."
David: "Well then. I wonder what it was doing here."
Bagley: "Difficult to say, but with an AR reconstruction, we may be able to see what happened to it and if it relates to the attack. Access data relays in the vicinity, and I can compile enough data to build the AR reconstruction."
David: "Huh. Seems easy."
David gets out by climbing some rubble and enters the destroyed building and he hacks into an Albion guard's phone by uploading something. The phone beeps and the guard checks it.
Albion guard: "What the hell? Is this a meme? This better be a blimin' joke otherwise I'll- ACK!"
David grabs the guard in a chokehold position and strangles the guard and knocks them out. David gets back up and he sees a data relay and he opens it and he scans it and closes it.
Bagley: "Perfect. 2 more data relays to go."
David: "Got it, Bagley."
David heads to the last 2 data relays and he hacks into them and he's all set, then Bagley speaks to him.
Bagley: "That should do it. Now I'll just take the audio from this stream and the video from these 36 and... got it. Go back to where you found that spiderbot and I'll show you the AR reconstruction from the night of the explosion."
David: "Copy."
He walks back to the site and grabs his phone out and taps the AR reconstruction and then holograms appear.
AR reconstruction: "ctOS AR date reconstruction in progress."
Then he sees a hologram of a woman who walks towards the rubble. The woman is later revealed to be an Albion Lieutenant.
Albion lieutenant: "You brought the payload?"
Then 2 more holograms appear walking from the rubble and one of them has a briefcase. One of them is revealed to be a member of Clan Kelley.
Kelley Goon: "F*ck, think we'd go backsies?"
Albion Lieutenant: "Don't trust a Kelley dog."
The 3 of them walk down the basement parking lot and David follows them and he notices a spiderbot hiding in the holographic vent. Then Simon's on the line.
David: "Kelley? Like Clan Kelley? Mobsters blew the city up?"
Simon: "No, this looks more like a hand-off. It's possible that Clan Kelley were the suppliers of the bombs."
David: "But the question is, who are they meeting with? Because it didn't seem like they knew each other too well here. Maybe that was Zero-Day."
Bagley: "Well don't just stand there, keep looking!"
David analyses the holographic spiderbot next and he uploads it to Bagley.
David: "Bagley can you work out who's been running this spiderbot?"
Bagley: "I've now fully decrypted the signal the spiderbot is broadcasting, and while I cannot identify a specific user, it is a code used by the Metropolitan Police Service."
Apatite: "So wait, the bobbies just watched all this happen in front of their eyes?"
(Bobbies is a slang for police in the UK)
Bagley: "The reconstruction continues behind that rubble."
David: "Bagley there's rubble, I can't find a way to continue this, any ideas?"
Bagley: "There should be a spiderbot dispenser nearby."
David: "A spiderbot dispenser? Oh, I see it."
He deploys it and David is slightly freaked out by it.
David: "Ah! I don't like it!"
Bagley: "Well you'll have to get used to it David.
David controls it and he sees a vent still up and the spiderbot crawls through it and enters a different room.
David: "Well thank goodness I found this secret quantum thing. Whatever it is."
Bagley: "Quantum tunnel technology is at least 10 years away but spiderbots and drones are here today. You could try one of those if you don't feel like waiting."
David chuckles and continues moving the spiderbot and he spots the holograms of a van.
Bagley: "Why don't you aim those human eyeballs of yours at the van's cargo."
David analyses the cargo and uploads it to Bagley.
Bagley: "RDX nitrogen, and the exact same detonator system like the bombs that were planted at parliament."
David: "What? There was a bomb at parliament? Shit. Luckily it didn't go off. Anyway, it's definitely got to be Zero-Day."
Then the holograms of the 3 people appear and they walk towards the van carrying the bombs.
Kelley Goon: "There. Hurry, we've got other deliveries."
Albion Lieutenant: "So you were hired to supply all the targets?"
Kelley Goon: "Shut it. We're all on 'need to know'."
David analyses it and uploads it to Bagley.
David: "Shit. So Zero-Day was using a bunch of groups to pull off the bombings."
Bagley: "That's certainly one way to pull off a massive coordinated attack while remaining anonymous. Zero-Day needed manpower and resources but they needed them at an arm's length. And it doesn't take the world's greatest AI detective to see both Clan Kelley and Albion benefited in the aftermath. Unfortunately, this is the most we can get out of the AR reconstruction. But if we could find the mystery officer who was spying through the spiderbot, maybe they could tell us more."
David nods and he proceeds to leave the parking lot basement and he runs onto the streets and he takes off his helmet.
Bagley: "Tracing the spiderbot's serial number, it was assigned to New Scotland Yard 3 years ago. Perhaps more information about its user or its assignment, we'll be available at the station."
David: "So let me get this straight. So the police knew about the bombings and said nothing. Bagley you genius, I think we've uncovered a dark, nasty secret!"
Bagley: "The only way to know for sure is to investigate New Scotland Yard."
David: "Ok then, well maybe I wanna take a break first. I'll get someone to do it."
Bagley: "Sure thing."
Timeskip...
In Westminster Abbey, Aventurine is eating a burger while watching a group of protesters chanting about removing Albion from London. Them her phone buzzes and she answers it.
Aventurine: "Huh?"
Bagley: "Chop, chop. It's time to go to work."
Aventurine: "Alright. What's the mission Bags?"
Bagley: "Head to New Scotland Yard, we're investigating about a spiderbot."
Aventurine: "New Scotland yard? Isn't that the police station?"
Bagley: "Yes it is, now come on, there's no time!"
Aventurine: "Oh and what's a spiderbot?"
Bagley: "I'll explain everything later."
Aventurine jogs there and she arrives and she looks at it in surprise to see Albion propaganda all over the station.
Aventurine: "Oh my, it looks like Albion took over the entire police station."
Bagley: "And the entire police service. But don't worry, if you're not pleased with your privatized goon squad, just take your new business across the street."
Aventurine: "Well because I sometimes protest, I hear people say "F the police", I'll just say "Screw Albion"."
Bagley: "Not to worry, the only difference now is the uniform, assault weapons, and the fact they're motivated by profit over public service. Now, any record or information on the spiderbot are further in."
Aventurine gets down and puts on her gas mask and she sneaks in through the back of the building and hides outside and she takes her time to hack into the cameras and she sees a room where a scientist is examining a damaged spiderbot.
Aventurine: "Bagley, is that the spiderbot?"
Bagley: "According to the serial numbers, this matches the piece of spiderbot from the TOAN bombing site."
Aventurine: "Do you know who was its user?"
Bagley: "Navigate the spider bot out of that room. I'll need a direct connection in order to learn more from our bisected friend."
Aventurine: "Seems simple."
She hacks into the spiderbot and it electrocutes the scientist, killing him.
*ZAP*
Scientist: "AAAHH!"
*THUD*
Aventurine: "Aww you poor cute little spiderbot. Let's get you out of here."
Bagley: "That opening right there looks like a good exit point."
She controls it and she controls it and gets it to jump onto another desk.
Bagley: "Right, get comfy, this spiderbot might be broken and missing some of its legs but it can still jump and fit through vents. That's a good way to get through the station undetected."
Aventurine: "Perfect. I'll be sure to fix this cute little thing once you're done with it."
She then gets it to analyze a detonator.
Bagley: "That's part of the remote detonator system from Parliament. If the Met or Albion rather, actually analyzed it they would see it wasn't DedSec's handiwork at all."
Aventurine moves the bot to a glass box where inside it is a black gas mask.
Bagley: "That's Dalton's mask! It must've been recovered from Parliament. It might be the only thing left of him now."
Aventurine: "Right, now it's time to get this adorable little guy out of here."
She guides it through the vent paths and through some pipes and it drops down into a room. Aventurine opens the door and walks in and grabs the spiderbot. She gently places it in her hoodie's hood and it hangs there like a hammock.
Aventurine: "I got the spiderbot, Bagley."
Bagley: "Scanning spiderbot and accessing its internal drives. While I'm analyzing this data, you should make yourself scarce. Unless you'd like to explain to your new, heavily armed privatized police force why you've broken into the station?"
Aventurine: "On it."
Aventurine leaves the station and she walks away from it and takes her mask off and walks back to Westminster Abbey.
To be continued in part 2...