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[center][@Silver Carrot][@Kumbaris][@Pilatus][@Almalthia][@BigPapaBelial][@Thayr][@Fading Memory][@Wayward][/center]

It was at that moment, life in the Megacity was about to change drastically. While the people of the city were going about their daily lives, something unheard of happened. The Geonet AI began to malfunction. It started as an earthquake; undetectable at first, but gradually growing in intensity at the base of The Spire. The tremors began to branch out from the large tower as the glow coming from the structure increased. All of a sudden, a shockwave of energy rocketed out of the building, spreading to all corners of the city. Many residents watched as transit slowed to a halt, electronic billboards began to glitch out, and GEO-IDs even shut down.

At first, the city was stunned into silence as residents tried to process what happened. Then, realization slowly turned into fear. While it was no secret that many public works in the city were operating well past their expiration date, Geonet was supposed to be the one thing that always worked. After several long minutes, the city began to gradually come back to life. 

[i]"Attention, Residents. This is Captain Ryker of MCPD. We apologize for the inconvenience, but it seems an unforeseen earthquake in The Spire had temporarily disabled Geonet. This is no cause for alarm. The city will be functioning again as soon as possible."[/i] The PSA played on a loop throughout the city. While the average bystander may have been calmed by such a speech, those in the know saw the handwriting on the wall. The tower that housed Geonet had been designed to withstand anything the would could throw at it, natural or otherwise. Hell, even the Heirs who lived in the tower knew the building was capable of withstanding a nuclear attack should the need arise. The only way for such an event to occur meant that - somehow - the Geonet AI had been hacked. 

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[center][@Wayward][/center]

Hotshot was in the middle of picking up his order from Jigen's when the tremors hit. Even far out in the backstreets, he saw the stack of plates and utensils vibrating on the kitchen counter before the ground began to move beneath his feet. Without hesitating, Hotshot quickly pulled out a stool and threw himself underneath the lunch counter to avoid any falling debris. As the quake subsided, he crawled out from his impromptu shelter.

[i][color=crimson]"The hell was tha-?"[/color][/i] That was all Hotshot could get out before the shockwave hit. While he didn't feel anything, the sound of banging metal from inside Jigen's kitchen told him more than enough: The service robot that worked in the kitchen had gone haywire. Jumping over the counter this time, Hotshot kicked open the door to the kitchen just in time to see Jigen on the floor with his service bot standing over him, menacingly wielding a soba-kiri knife and a set of metal chopsticks. With trained reflexes, the Sk8ter whipped out the Rip Current and fired two charged rounds into the bot. The bullets hit the machine square in the head and the arcing electricity fried its cpu. It fell over instantly, the impromptu kitchen assault weapons clattering to the floor.

[color=crimson][i]"Sorry about that, Boss,"[/i][/color] said Hotshot as he picked the old man off the floor. [i][color=crimson]"I guess that means I'll be paying double for awhile until you can get a replacement?"[/color][/i]

[i]"My boy, consider your next bowl on the house, but you will owe me for a new CPU at the very least,"[/i] said Jigen, shaking his head. As the citywide PSA came on, Hotshot checked his Skynet map to see it lighting up like a Christmas tree for the second time today. He tried to put it together in his head. First Rotor was murdered, and now there was that weird energy surge. It was all too sudden to not be related. He was going to have to gather info faster. 

[i][color=crimson]"Sorry, boss. That's my cue. Thanks for the food!"[/color][/i] Hotshot grabbed the large bag on the counter and hurried for the nearest fire escape so he could ascend back to Neosky. Zipping across the rooftops, Hotshot scanned the horizon as he tried to locate The Lost's camp. Despite being a 'nomad' cell, Hotshot remembered the main places Baba and her crew would frequent when they weren't shacking up in another cell's territory. After an hour or so of looking, he spied the familiar looking tents and changed direction. 

A quick stroll through the camp and he came across a shock of familiar green hair, [i][color=crimson]"Hello there, Baba. Hope you don't mind the sudden visit, but as you've probably seen, we have some important things to discuss. I even brought a peace offering,"[/color][/i] he said as he held up the noodles.