Second Wind

Chapter 6: A New Lease of Life

Silicon Valley sure did leave quite the impression on her - the place was filled with life, full of hustle and bustle surrounding her. The bright blue sky made the atmosphere around her feel almost unreal...it was as if she had been thrown into a utopia of sorts. It was definitely a welcome change of pace compared to the hell she had to experience back at Detroit time and time again. The idea of staying here for good really did tempt her, but at the same time, the growing fury deep within her meant that she sought to have some unfinished business dealt with. With that in mind, she began her journey throughout San Jose by doing the first thing that was on her agenda.

Getting some fresh new looks.

Following the directions given to her by the scientist back at the building where the vigilante was brought back to life, she began navigating throughout the city as she sought after the general store in order to get herself some new clothes. While she moved around and about, she could not help but feel slightly unnerved by the number of people surrounding her. Sure, she expected something like this in a city this busy, but given how she had lived most of her life in solitude and loneliness, this was a very drastic change in environment that she really needed to get used to. It was also rather strange to her that no one was aware of who she really was, but then again, the idea of a dead individual being resurrected as a cyborg does sound rather terrifying, which probably explains why the company wanted her to sign the non-disclosure agreement in the first place. Such a revelation can definitely make a good amount of people panic and go delirious.

But enough pondering about that.

After a few minutes of walking around and asking a few bystanders for directions, she soon found herself standing at the entrance of the general store - the place itself did not look too big on the inside, and she was left wondering if there was going to be anything there that would suit her tastes. Well, there was only really one way to find out, and that was to see what was available to her within the store. However, before she could even go inside, she was suddenly stopped by a security guard, who was stationed at the entrance of the store. Blake, surprised by this, was quick to ask why she was not allowed passage, though her tone did display some form of irritation on her end.

"Hey, what gives?"

The guard remained silent for a few moments, all while possessing this deadpan expression on his face - did he have to look this serious? Probably. Nevertheless, he soon explained why she was not allowed inside in the first place as he motioned over towards the shotgun that was slung behind her back.

"Relinquish your weapon. No firearms allowed at the store."

It was at this moment where she glanced over towards her firearm, and upon realizing that she had to temporarily surrender her weapon to the guard, she let out a somewhat exasperated sigh as she rolled her eyes from one end to another. Despite displaying a bit of reluctance, she ultimately handed over the shotgun to him - while she did so, she cracked a smile before quipping to him.

"Sorry, force of habit, ya know? Always gotta be on your toes in Detroit."

She ended up being met with complete silence from the guard as he stepped aside, indicating that he allowed her passage into the store. As the vigilante stepped through the entrance doors, she looked over at the guard that was now behind her as she mumbled something under her breath.

"Jeez, at least say something...what am I talking to, a robot?"

Once she got her momentary frustrations out of the way, she began her search for something which could provide her with a new sense of identity - as much as she enjoyed all the black on her, she knew that she should go for something fresh this time round instead of constantly having to surround herself in so much doom and gloom via such a dark color. She spent a good amount of time in the store, browsing through just about every shelf that this place had to offer, and yet, every choice she had did not seem to interest her too much. It soon reached a point where she grew rather tired of having to constantly look at everything at her disposal.

However, knowing that she should not give up, she eventually found herself at the last few shelves of the clothing section of the general store. Apparently, these shelves in particular sold things such as hoodies, sweaters, and other forms of clothing similar to the other two mentioned earlier. It was here where she finally found something that had caught her curiosity and attention - more importantly, she found something that she might have a liking to.

She found herself staring at a pair of white sweatpants, and on the opposite shelf behind her, there was a white hoodie with silvery, thorn-like designs adorned on it. It was definitely a far cry from the pitch black clothes that she was currently wearing, and while it was radically different, she found herself fixated on those two pieces of clothing in particular, and because of this, she was quick to snatch them off the shelves as she rushed over to the counter so that she could pay for them as quickly as possible.

Once she coughed up the money needed for the clothes, she quickly made her way towards the changing rooms - after getting her old clothes off her and putting on her new ones, she took one good look at the mirror that was in front of her before raising an eyebrow and folding her arms, all while cracking a smile at the end of it all. It seemed like she enjoyed the look that she possessed, and when she glanced back at the all-black attire that was on the floor, she lowered her eyes as she let out a sigh. Perhaps she was getting sentimental...

"Damn...I can't get rid of you just yet..."

With that in mind, she got herself out of the fitting room with her new duds donned, and after getting herself a bag for her to store her old clothes in, she made her way back to the entrance of the store, but not before confronting the security guard once again as she walked up to him and demanded for her shotgun back.

"Alright, hand it over. I know you said no firearms in the store, but I can sling that thing around as I please outside of it. And be snappy about it, I still got things to do."

The guard blankly stared at her for a brief moment before letting out a sigh and shifting his attention towards a large box that was situated next to him - after spending a few seconds rummaging through it, he pulls out Blake's shotgun out of the box before handing it to the vigilante. After receiving it from him, she let out a huff before looking just about ready to leave. However, before she got a move on, the guard would leave her with a few parting words.

"...be careful out there."

Those words seemed to have taken her by surprise, given the somewhat negative impression she initially had from him due to their first confrontation. Upon hearing his words, she let out a laugh before providing him with a response.

"Don't worry about it. Trust me, I'm tough as nails."

With that, she got herself back onto the sidewalk as she joined the others who were going on with their day, mostly minding their business and heading towards their indeterminate destinations. Although Blake was done getting her much-needed facelift, she felt like she was far from finished - she knew that she needed to be ready for whatever the Pathfinder might throw at her when she returns to Detroit. Because of that lone thought in her mind, she decided that the next thing on her agenda would be to get herself some extra firepower. A pistol or two certainly would assist her greatly, seeing how her shotgun can only assist her so much.

After managing to get herself a cab, she eventually found herself at a gun store at the edge of the city, after asking the driver to take her to the closest weapon shop they could find. After arriving in front of the building, Blake got herself out of the vehicle before paying the driver, watching the taxi leave afterward. Once the vehicle was out of sight, she shifted her attention back to the store as she pushed through the glass doors in front of her. The building interior looked rather dreary in terms of atmosphere, with the walls painted this faint copper green. The ceiling looked to be tiled, and the lights fitted on the ceiling gave out this powerful, near-oppressive lighting. A U-shaped table essentially surrounded the vigilante from one end of the room to the other - at least there was ample amounts of walking space behind the table itself. The walls of the store were decorated with firearms of various types, with guns such as assault rifles and pistols being exhibited in open air.

In fact, the table itself possessed guns on display as well - the table consisted of massive see-through glass boxes, and within those boxes held things such as grenades, melee weapons, and even silenced firearms. Behind the glass table was a door that was situated on the left corner of the northern wall. This store sure had everything, which did leave the vigilante feel rather hopeful. Suddenly, she noticed the door opening, which instinctively made her step backward a little. When the door was fully opened out came a rather...odd-looking woman. She was relatively aged, which seemed rather obvious due to how grey her hair was. Even the wrinkles on her face seemed to lead to that conclusion as well. What was real strange about her, however, was the eyepatch that covered her right eye. She was wearing a purple tank top while having a yellow jacket wrapped around her waist. She also had a pair of leather gloves on her hands as well. To top off her clothing style, she had a pair of gray baggy pants on her along with a pair of simple flip-flops. A strange look, but that did not really matter too much.

The woman possessed a rather bored expression, but when she noticed the vigilante in front of her, her eye widened as she cracked a gleeful smile. Not wanting to waste anymore time, she clears her throat before addressing Blake.

"Been a while since I've last had a customer here! Welcome to my store! See anything that catches your eye? Or maybe you're looking for a specific weapon of your choice? If not, then get outta here! I hate window shoppers, ya know! Oh yeah, and be sure to make it quick - I'm not really a fan of waiting for too long."

Upon hearing the store owner's words, she took one good look at the weapons that surrounded her - sure, they were all very good weapons in their own right, but she felt like she needed to have a gun that would really stand out. A weapon that is inherently unique. A weapon that would let someone know that she had made her mark. A weapon that would strike fear into those that hear it fire. And none of these guns seem to have that specific feel that she was looking for. Knowing that it was best to ask for the woman's opinion, the vigilante began speaking her mind to her.

"Okay, so...I don't know if this sounds stupid or not, but I'm trying to find a weapon that really fits my style."

"Fits your style, huh...sounds too vague for me, girl. You're gonna have to be specific here. Who are you, anyway?"

"Right...I can't say much, but let's just say that I barely managed to escape with my life after an incident involving a few mobsters who were out to kill me. I'm going back home, where I have some unfinished business that needs...uh, finishing. That more than enough for ya?"

"Oooo...hard to tell if your story is real or not, but that sounds killer! Alright, I don't think any of these guns really fit the tale you told, so let me go out back and see if there's something that really hits the nail on the head for ya."

With that, she quickly headed back to the ajar door as she walked past it and entered the room on the other side. From there, the sounds of rummaging could be heard along with some occasional irritated scoffs and groans. After a few mintues had passed, the woman would come out of the room with a box in her hands as she set it on the glass table before her. After letting out a momentary cough, she began explaining what was in the box...but not before providing the vigilante with a bit of exposition involving the box's origin.

"Right, so...apart from selling guns, I also have a tendency to collect them. And when I say I collect firearms, I'm talking about the real vintage stuff...things that are antique, you know? So, one day, I managed to buy this one particular weapon from a pawn shop, and let me tell ya...it looks ANCIENT! It has this really distinct style as well which is way different than any other gun that I have seen in my life! The bullets for the gun aren't even manufactured anymore - that's how old it is! Anyways, I made some modifications to the weapon, and now...here it is."

After she was done with her backstory spouting session, she unlocked the box with a key before opening up, revealing the gun before Blake as the vigilante got herself closer so that she could take a look at what the firearm was. It was a machine pistol, a weapon that had been discontinued decades ago. Although it had the look of a pistol from the 20th century, there was a small socket at the bottom of the gun barrel where a clip could be fitted into. It was clear that the weapon had been modified as well, as the woman had said earlier - the barrel of the gun was slightly bigger, and there was a small switch at the firearm's handle which could be triggered with a thumb or any finger.

When the vigilante was done inspecting the firearm, the store owner would announce the name of the weapon.

"Apparently this thing is called the Mauser C96...so this is one of a kind!"

"Damn, that sounds foreign..."

However, it was obvious that the vigilante was starstruck by the gun that was being displayed before her.

"...but I like it."

"Oh, goodie! Let's talk prices then, shall we?"

As soon as she heard her words, Blake closed her eyes as she let out an irritated huff - she completely forgot about the fact that she needed to pay for the weapon. After coming to terms with that fact, she let out a sigh before shifting her attention back to the woman as she posed her a question involving the price of the gun.

"Right...how much will this cost?"

"Okay, so usually a standard pistol would set you back about $1000, but seeing how this thing is really old and not many people really want it...I'll give you 25% off. So that's $750. That sounds like a good deal, yeah?"

$750...for a weapon as unique as this, it certainly sounded like a bargain. However, it was still $750, which could very much burn a hole through her wallet. She did not have any cards with her as well. She quickly checked the amount of money she had left in her wallet - $900. Upon seeing that she had more than enough for the weapon, she let out a relaxed sigh as she gave the store owner an approving nod.

"Consider it done, then."

"Alright! Pleasure doing business with you, then. Now, I've modified this weapon so that you can use 9mm bullets. You know, standard pistol bullets. As for how many bullets you can put in a clip, it's 14. Lastly, the switch on the side of the handle allows you to alternate between full-auto and semi-auto. Capiche?"

"Mhm, seems reasonable enough."

"Right then. As for the bullets, it's $20 for 50 bullets. I'll let you decide how many bullets you want for your weapon, but I'll give you a special deal - buy 3 packs, get 1 free. Sounds like a deal, eh?"

200 bullets...that did sound rather excessive. However, considering how she was going to be in Detroit indefinitely and she needed all the self-defense she could afford, she ultimately decided to cough up the dosh.

"Alright. 200 bullets it is."

"Hoo boy, you sure are a miracle and a half!"

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After paying for the weapon and the bullets, she steps out of the store, with the woman following suit. However, she stops just by the front door while Blake calls for a cab - after a few minutes had passed, a taxi eventually showed up. As she was about to enter the car, the woman gave the vigilante some parting words as Blake stopped herself just after opening the car door.

"Be sure to watch yourself, alright? And be sure to kick a lotta ass."

All Blake could do was just give her a smile followed by a nod, and from there, she got into the vehicle as the driver brought her to her next destination - the building where she was brought back to life. There was no reason for her to stay in San Jose anymore - she needed to find a way back to Detroit. She had the belief that the airport won't take her to her destination, so she knew that she needed to get some assistance from the scientists. When she arrived at her destination, aptly named 'VitaTech', which was displayed on top of the building, she would pay the driver before swiftly making her way through the entrance doors.

The attendant at the lobby was quick to notice her, and when the vigilante approached her, she was quick to address her presence as she spoke up.

"Welcome back, but what are you-"

Blake immediately cut her off before she could finish her sentence as she posed her request to the attendant.

"I need to pay the scientists a visit again."

"But why-"

"Just call them!"

The attendant was left silenced by the vigilante's directness, and after a few moments of quiet, she let out a defeated sigh as she reached out to the telephone.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Are you sure about this? You're sounding really reckless with this whole situation here."

"I don't care if I'm being reckless or not - I need to go back to Detroit. You're not going to change my mind on this."

"Look, I understand that you want to go back to where you hail from, but that place has given you nothing but misery for years on end. You can always just stay here, start a new life. We'll even help you settle in."

"I was tempted by that idea as well. But there's things that need to be done back home that just requires my presence. Besides, I don't think I can rest without getting the job done, either."

"And what is that job exactly?"

"...to destroy the Pathfinder."

"...you're kidding, right? Do you not understand how powerful that gang is? They're the ones responsible for your death as well, just to remind you."

"I'm aware. Which is why I need some payback. They've made the people of the city, myself included, suffer for a long time now. I need to put a stop to it. Not to mention I just really need some justice served and my vengeance sated."

"Look, that place will constantly put you on your toes. If you put yourself in too much danger, then they'll figure out just what really happened to you."

"Which is why I'll try to be more cautious this time round. I signed that agreement for a reason - so that no one knows what happened to me. And so, I'll make sure that no one knows."

"...how can we trust you?"

"If you really want some assurances, you and I can keep in touch so that I can keep updating you on my current state. That sound good for you? This'll be my last request as well - I won't bother you for anything afterward."

A moment of silence lingered in the air before it was eventually broken.

"...very well. Seeing how you're stubborn about this, we'll agree to your demands. We'll have a plane prepared at the San Jose Airport. There will be someone who'll be waiting for you at one of the entrance gates. It'll be a man in black, most likely will wear sunglasses. Either way, he'll find you if he sees you."

"About time...thanks for helping me out. Really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it. And one more thing, Blake - be sure to limit your fights. You're not invincible, just remember that."

"You got it. Thanks for the memo."