Neon Skyline, The Skyscraper/Story

Sky For Sale
'On the rooftops of Qualia City, a city that has been in business for 520 years, a mercenary named Bulleta and her partner Love spot a ray of light in the distance. Sensing a call to adventure, they make their way toward it.'

View pans over a large technological city

???: Ugh... Something REEKS here!

???: Where's it even coming from, Love? Wasn't this supposed to be cleaned yesterday?

Hologram appears

Love: Did you take this contract without realizing who it was from? PBC is known for converting smog like this into sewage.

Bulleta: It definitely reeks of AltMeme, that's for sure.

Love: Noxel has you covered. Here, I've sent you a link to their Oxypacs...

Bulleta: Thanks.

A giant pillar of light flashes in the distance.

Bulleta: You know... Something tells me that's not related to our little mission here. Coordinates?

Love: *sigh* Please try not to get into trouble again.

Bulleta: Heh. Trouble? Never heard of her.

Bulleta: Cover me! I'm going in-guns blazing!

Love: Welp. Here we go again...

Love: What would she do without me?

''Love's hologram disappears and Bulleta jumps off the roof towards the pillar of light. The event's logo flashes across the screen.''

Troubleshoot It!
'Bulleta saves Alk and the others from an attacker known as the Conductor. Love advises them to become troubleshooters if they hope to make a living in Qualia City, a place governed entirely by corporate ethos.'

Light, Alk, and Stella drop down in the middle of the city and look around.

Light: Wh-where are we? This doesn't look like Palpebra at all.

Alk: Talk about a glitzy town. Got anything, Stella?

Stella: I have the coordinates. However, the World Flipper's location is slightly unclear.

Light: It seems we've yet again wandered into an unfamiliar world. I haven't seen any view quite like this one, however.

???: Unidentified anomaly confirmed.

A figure falls down from the sky.

???: Two organics. One mutant. Both unregistered, including their armaments and clothing.

???: Based on this information, the probability they are related to the pillar of light is quite high. Recommending securing the subjects.

Conductor: Conductor, initiating labor sequence.

Conductor begins to attack the trio.

Conductor: Surrender immediately-attempting to resist will subject you to disciplinary measures.

Light: Wait, we haven't done anything!

Conductor: Attempts to initiate dialogue are not permitted.

Alk attempts to break through the Conductor's barrier and is flung back

Alk: What the heck was that?

Conductor: Resistance confirmed. Destroy armaments and retrieve-

Bulleta fires from offscreen, causing a smokescreen

Bulleta: Bam! Right on time, baby!

Bulleta: Would love to chat, but not here-come with me if you wanna live. Got it?

Light: Seems we've got no choice... Let us make haste!

''Everyone leaves the opening they were in. Bulleta, Alk and co. are on a roof now.''

Bulleta: Honestly, I was thinking some sort of new mutant or whatever had escaped, but...

Bulleta: This is WAY cooler! Visitors from another world?! NOW we're talking!

Light: Thank you for your assistance, friend.

Light: Could you tell us where we've landed? and what sort of place is this, exactly?

Bulleta: Welcome, friends, to Qualia City. As for what kind of place this is... just look around you.

Bulleta: This city's engine runs on the blood of capitalism and greed-a world where anything and everything is dominated by giant corporations.

Stella: So in lieu of politicians, the world is governed by corporate entities and businesses?

Bulleta: Politicians? Now that's a throwback. But yes, each and every corporation is its own nation. And each of the employees a citizen.

Bulleta: But within this machine caked in blood is a bullet that flies free...

Bulleta: That's right-me! The name's Bulleta. Troubleshooter.

Love: You sure talk big for someone who just had trouble dealing with their air bill.

Love's hologram appears.

Light: What was that?! An illusionary spel, like those images in the sky?

Love: No, those are merely pop-ups. I'm something entirely different.

Bulleta: Her name's Love. You can count on her to hack into pretty much anything, anywhere!

Love: You flatter me. But yes.

Stella: It's nice to meet you both, Love and Bulleta.

Bulleta: Likewise! So, Love. About this "World Flipper" these fellows are looking for-

Love: Wouldn't it be more important for them to find a way of accruing credits first?

Love: Surely the so-called "Freedom Blaster" isn't going to let these strangers starve, right?

Love: What I mean to say is, you folks are gonna need some capital if you plan on surviving here.

Love: I recommend you become troubleshooters like Bulleta and myself in order to get some cash.

Light: I suppose it would behoove us to find our bearings first... So, what is a troubleshooter, exactly? And how do we get started?

Bulleta: You complete the request given to you. And not die during the process. That's all there is to it.

Alk: I guess it's sort of like our Guild, in a way. So where do we go to sign up?

Love: No need.

Love: A request just came in, actually. It seems a drone has gone haywire and needs someone to subdue it.

Bulleta: With the Network, you can communicate anywhere and anytime.

Bulleta: But the actual work itself is as primitive as you'd expect-that sword isn't just for show, right?

Alk: I don't think so? Either way, I'll try not to slow you down.

Bulleta: That's the spirit! Now let's get moving--that bounty isn't gonna catch itself!

Bulleta: We're going in--guns blazing!

''Bulleta grabs Alk and jumps off the roof. Light and Stella run down stairs to follow.''

Love: She never turns off, does she?

Sponsored Flavors
'Whil enjoying their meal of AdTaste-flavored SoyMate, Alk and the others learn of AltMeme and Noxel, the two corporations that dominate Qualia City. Using their newly found intel, the group discovers that their aattacker was workind for DayAndNight, a Noxel Group subsidiary.'

The group is sitting around a table in a bar

Bulleta: Phew, you've got the stuff! I'm surprised that old piece of meetal could dish out as much damage as a beamsaber!

Alk: Having a beamsaber WOULD be pretty cool though...

Alk: Anyway, it was nothing compared to you. You're like a one-woman army!

Love: She's just trigger happy. You wouldn't believe how much we spend on ammo every-

Bulleta: That's why we're so glad to have you guys around this time!

Bulleta: I wa able to save a hefty bit this time thanks to your help, so everything tonight's on me!

Love: *sigh* You never learn, do you?

Bulleta: Excuse me! You, the synthetic! Could we get tonight's special for four?

The synthetic walks to the back to get the "food"

Stella: Do you know this... synthetic?

Love: Synthetics are not people.

They watch some synthetics walk around

Love: They're more like... machines. Think of them as super convenient sentient furniture.

Light: Sentient furniture?! I suppose they're not too different from magical familiars, yet... Hmm...

Love: They're bount to the will of the corporations that produced them. Drones created to be used and then cast aside.

Bulleta: That's life without free will for you.

Bulleta: Only free spirits like muself can tell the monotony of everyday life here to bite the big one and take control of their own destinies!

The synthetic comes back with the "food"

Bulleta: Looks like the main dish is here! Oh man, you guys are in for a treat!

Synthetic Server: Here you are. One SoyMate variety plate.

She place bowl of brown mush infront of everyone

Light: Is this... food? It looks more like a pile of mush.

Love: SoyMate is produced from soy beans and contains all the nutrients you'll need, at a fraction of the cost of real meat or vegetables.

Bulleta: If you had some cybernetic eyes or something, you could alter its appearance with AR.

Light: Cybernetic... eyes? What are those, some sort of glasses?

Bulleta: Not exactly. See my left eye? All prosthetic. In this world, you can upgrade or replace any part of yourself--eyes, limbs, brains, you name it.

Light: Using machines to enhance your body?

Love: Yep! Bionics, to be specific. Pretty much everyone does it around here.

Love: Exception being those upper crust elites--they're mostly all natural. We call them orhanics. They think they're SOOOO fancy.

Bulleta: They ise genome enhancements and nanomachines to alter their bodies instead. Costs WAY more than clunky bionics.

Love: To be honest, I've been hiding my surprise from it all--your unmodified bodies, your primitive weapons.

Bulleta: Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

Stella: This tastes like... nothing. It's flavorless mush.

Love: Unfortunately, AR doesn't change how it tastes or feels going in.

Bulleta walks over to the counter and looks at some screens

Bulleta: Hmm... How about this, then? Stewed chicken and tomato soup.

Stella's bowl flashes and Bulleta walks back over

Bulleta: Open wide!

Stella: Ahh...

Stella: This flavor... it tastes like real food!

Bulleta: That, my friend, was AdTaste. Flavor for the masses!

Bulleta: What you ate just now WAS an advertisement! Tired of plain old SoyMate? Add all kinds of flavors and textures through the marketing power of AdTaste.

Light: I've not seen such sorcery... How does it work?

Love: The ad sends electrical signals to your mouth, replicating the food's flavors and texture. Your brain can't tell the difference.

Bulleta: So even if you're all organic, you can still "taste" the flavor. Make sense?

Love: Sight, sound, sell, taste and touch. Not only your senses, but your emotions, and even your memories.

Love: All sensations can be enjoyed--for the right price. And the corporations all know this.

Alk: Wow... I've never seen anything like it! As a chef, I have a few doubts, but it really is amazing, huh?

Bulleta: Choose a flavor, any flavor! It's on me, remember?

Alk: Well, if you insist!

Light, Alk, and Stella walk over to the counter Bulleta was at previously

Bulleta: You want one too, Love? I'll get you the same one as mine.

Love: Please be more responsible with your funds.

Bulleta: HEy, you can't put a price on friendship, am I right?

Love: I suppose you're right. I'll have one of the cheaper ones then.

Bulleta: That's more like it! And thanks.

The trio come back to their table

Bulleta: Now that THAT'S settles, let's talk about your endgame here.

Love: Corporations in this city are generally separated into two groups.

Bulleta: Noxel Group and AltMeme. Most people choose either one side or the other.

Love: As a reward for our work, I've received data from an informant about the man that attacked you.

Love: He's with one of Noxel Group's leading distributors: DayAndNight. Also known as DAN.

Bulleta: There's no reason for the top brass to move directly unless they've been ordered to by the corporation itself.

A map of DAN pops up

Bulleta: And so I'd say our best bet for finding this World Flipper is somewhere within DAN.

Bulleta: Thing is, their faciilities are MASSIVE. Where would we even start?

Stella walks over to the map and points at a location

Stella: I would imagine it's somewhere... here.

Bulleta: The DAN Distribution Control Center, huh? Sounds like a good place to start if you ask me.

Light: So our objective is to infiltrate their facilities?

Bulleta: You got it. Fortunately for us, we have a hacker prodigy on our side.

Love: I'm not doing it.

Bulleta: Pretty pleeeeease? It would make things so much easier.

Love: I understand you wish to hep your new friends here, but crossing a corporation is never a good idea.

Bulleta: It's not like that! If what they're saying is true, then we'll finally get to see a real sky!

Love: Again with the sky talk?

Love: I don't remember partnering up with you for something so pointless.

Bulleta: Yeah? Fine then! I'll do it without you!

Love: Is that so! Then we have nothing more to speak of.

Love's hologram disappears.

Bulleta: Sorry. That got a bit ugly, didn't it?

Alk: N-not at all! I mean, um, are you sure you want to do this for us?

Stella: You don't have to.

Bulleta: It's fine, I can handle this much on my own, at least.

Light: So what is the plan to infiltrate DAN now?

Bulleta: There's always a back door for this type of thing.

The four walk out of the bar

Alk: Yeesh, I don't know if I like the looks of this place.

Bulleta: The corporate enforcers don't patrol the slums-- the people here don't have money, sos they don't see a reason to protect it.

Bulleta: But people aren't the only denizens of the slums.

Purple monsters surround the group

Alk: Uh... What are these things? Monsters?

Bulleta: Mutants. Not only do they stink, but they'll gobble you up if you're not careful.

Bulleta: And judging by their attitude, it looks like we'll have to get past them the hard way!

Hack and Destroy!
Bulleta decides to help Alk and the others inflitrate DAN, in hopes of showing her best friend what the real sky looks like beyond the neon skyline.

Destructive Symphony
As Alk and the other head deeper into the DAN facility, the Conductor appears before them and takes a new weapon formation, codename: Big Band.

A Bitter Betrayal
'The Conductor, having been defeated allows the group to pass. As they approach the altar, they're blindsided by an attack from Love, who reveals herself to be Mother Love, the true president of DAN. Bullet uses a smoke bomb to naroowly escape with the others.'

A Mutual Partnership
' The group find themselves in a tight situation surrounded by Noxel enforcers when a man in an armored vehicle comes to their rescue. He introduces himself as King Johnson, the CEO of PBC, and AltMeme subsidiary. With no other viable methods of escape available, the group accepts his help.'

Value of Friendship
'The group finds Bulleta sulking in a tavern alone, reflecting on her recent fallout with Love. After Alk and company help her reaffirm her feeling, Bulleta finds the motivation to patch things up with Love.'

Those Who Are Bound
While the Noxel and AltMeme enforcers engage in battle, the Conductor confirms Love's orders once again before facing off against Bulleta and the others in a final showdown.

Screw 'Em All!
'After taking down the Conductor once again, Bulleta makes her way to Mother Love. Leaving nothing off the table, the estranged partners hae a final clash of ideals and weapons.'

Freedom Blaster
'The final attack between Bulleta and Love breaks a hole in the dome above, revealing a portion of the real sky. Love eventually steps down from her position at DAN and joins Bulleta to finally explore the skies together.'