As we added more PEP units to the clan and payroll, the clan grew in power and prestige as they got the sexual upgrades and the X-frames. There were now 24 cyborgs that were part of the Sixteenth Notes Clan. They were a well-supplied and accomplished group. Many of them had taken part in high profile tasks with no problems. That meant that they were pretty great for what were supposed to just be grunts and low-level units. A few more of the higher ups came to speak to us, but Brett just got rid of them all using magic. The lack of cameras allowed us to get away from it. When asked for the footage, we simply told them that we did not have any. That frustrated the officers and agents, but there was nothing they could do about it. I had a concern about how long they would try to interrogate us. Luckily, the transmission hub did not give us any dumb missions. It would not be in its best interest to let all of our weapon and tech stockpile into enemy hands. When they did try to break in using the lack of cameras, they were caught by the guards that already knew the most important places.
Just letting them go back to the government was a threat to us. Nothing could be left to chance at the moment. They were all killed on sight by the security and big guns were planted on them. It still needed to be reported to the proper authorities. When the news came out after the second time it happened, there was a major scandal. All of the small-town residents were scandalized. "What is going on at Sixteenth Notes Records!?" the television anchors asked. It was reasonable. Several top officials died in our building and several thieves were shot and killed after hours. That was bad. It did not stop us from making music though. When a stereotypical jock, complete with backwards cap, muscle shirt and shorts, came to the studio, I knew something was going to happen. He asked to speak to the ones in charge. We took him into the same room we spoke to the officials in. Once we closed the doors and sat down, he introduced himself. "My Primitive Exploration Prototype designation is PEP-02109. I have something to say." he said. "You have a name?" Brett asked. "Nope." he said proudly.
Keeping our cool was needed. We already knew that he was a PEP unit. With how low the model number was, it was safe to say that he was pretty high in his specs. As a group of non-cyborgs, we needed to figure out what to do about this. "What do you want?" Paul asked. "You've been taking care of the grunts in this town. That's good to see, but don't you think that your stockpile would better serve other clans and such?" the cyborg said. I said "If you want to have an alliance, you need to give us some information. Are you a clan leader or technician? If so, we can talk." He smirked and said "I'm the leader of the Volition Clan. We run a volleyball and fitness gym down by the beach. I have 10 subordinates whose designations range between 03452 and 04992. They are much more worthy of the stuff you have compared to you guys." That struck a nerve, but we were listening. "What will you do for us?" Brett asked. He leaned closer and said "We're stronger, faster and better. With all the tech and weapons that you have, we'll solve this blockade you have." We asked him how. He just smirked.
