Emergence Read Online Free PDF

an office building now, specializing in chimeric-based body alteration; one that promised to trim a few hundred pounds off your body in a day in exchange for the cost of three middle-class houses.
    The promise of a better tomorrow, according to DNAdvanced.
    “Hey, Freelancer!” A greasy-looking, obese white man accosted me from the opposite corner, outside of a strip club. “Why don't you come in and check out the goods! We have a special for local heroes.”
    Yeah, just yell my name out on the street, jackass.
    I forced down the gut response of ‘Sorry, man. I'm not really in the mood for an STD.’ Given my current circumstances, I decided to try to not piss off any more people today than I already had. I’d taken a big risk taking the Mayhemers to rob Argyle Thompson, as he had plenty of friends around town, especially those who hated chimerics.
    I just waved the greasy guy off and kept walking.
    “Suit yourself!”
    Okay, must be Eastside’s new mantra.
    Moments later, I navigated a litter-strewn alley and strode up to the Mechanic’s garage. A beefy, tatted-up pair of gun-toting fellas straddled motorcycles just outside of it.
    “Hey, Gary,” I said to one of them. He stood a head taller than me, had a cigarette hanging from beneath his mustache.
    He nodded. “What’s up, man?”
    “Oh, the usual. Trying to stay out of trouble and doing a shit job of it.”
    “I hear ya.”
    “How’s Jen and the kids?”
    “Doing great. Steph just got accepted into UCLF’s neurosciences graduate program.”
    “Wow, man. That’s great. You’re raising some brilliant girls. I can’t believe Steph’s already in college…”
    I peered past Gary, saw the battered remains of the Ferraris I'd trashed earlier. They were being worked on by her crew.
    “Oh, man,” I said with a sigh.
    Gary glanced back over his shoulder, looked back at me. “Yeah. I heard you were involved in that.”
    “Lies, Gary. All lies.” I clapped him on the shoulder, then gave a fist bump to Jimmy, the other beefy guard, as I strolled inside past a machine that looked conspicuously like a certain flying rodent's from the 1989 Michael Keaton movie.
    The Mechanic produced vehicles for superheroes, supervillains, vigilantes, and enthusiasts for the above. I had no idea why the DCD hadn't come down on her, but I suspected it was for the same reason they hadn't come for me. Either way, she hadn't betrayed me yet.
    And I knew why.
    “Hey, sexy!” A feminine voice spoke from behind me.
    I turned to look at the five-foot-three form of the Mechanic a.k.a Elaine Stephens. We'd grown up together in Northtown and both developed powers around the same time. Elaine kept her red hair in a simple ponytail and was wearing a pair of grease-covered overalls, which were more form-fitting than usual. She was a trifle rugged, short, and buxom; that said, being around her always had a way of making me feel a little uncomfortable, since I’d always thought of her kind of like a kid sister, yet she’d never made it a secret she was attracted to me. I mean, conflicted, right?
    “Elaine,” I said, picking up her thoughts. They were the usual mix of mercenary, biological, and psycho-sexual urges. There were a few traces of worry, too, which made me think things were even more troubled than I imagined. “How's business?”
    “Booming,” she said, smiling. “Everyone wants wheels with enhancements.”
    Elaine's chimeric power was like mine, in that it didn't really make much sense by current understandings of physics. She could create any number of additions to cars which could violate the laws of physics, so she made a shit-ton making fully-functional replicas of iconic models for James Bond and Knight Rider fan boys. As much money as I made from crime, Elaine had the right of things. She’d probably retire with more money than the next six supervillains combined.
    I looked over at the Headhunter's vehicles. “Selling to the bad guys, still, I see.”
    “I sell