That still did not explain how they were able to capture an AEP unit. "We just had to tell one that a Conqueror was attacking one of our members. They fell for it and then we ambushed them with androids." I was a bit skeptical on this. The members of Heat Clan were pretty passive and cowardly. I doubted they would risk themselves for a random human. Especially if it was a member of Phobia. There was also the government blockade around their transmission hub and clan building. Something big was being left out here. That was when I heard a gruff voice. "There he is! My favorite fucking chair. The only guy to go more than one round with me after all the ground and pound." I remembered him. He was one of the commandos that assaulted their clan before. He fucked Hunter when the AEP unit surrendered himself to save my life. As it happened a while ago, I had almost forgotten. Seeing his face made it impossible not to remember. This man was not someone to mess with. He slapped me on the back hard and then squeezed my shoulders until the hurt before letting go. That fucker.
Knowing that fighting him about it would be a long drawn out process, I just sighed and got over it. Fighting here was exactly what he would like. "So you just called out to them and one popped up? What about the government and the military? They were breathing right down their clan's neck!" I demanded to know. It did not make much sense. He then gave me a knowing look. "C'mon, you should know about it. They are made of nanites. It's nothing for them to shift down into a cat and slip by the cops." he said. That was true. I had never seen them take a form that was not humanoid before though. I looked at him. "So Hunter popped up when you called?" I asked for some confirmation. He shook his head. "I didn't make the call. I'm not tech savvy enough to get the message out. It was one of our nerds that got the signal through. She has a thing for the twerps." he said. The woman added "Since she's been practically dating one of their newer ones, she had a way to contact him directly." That made a bit of sense. Phobia had a hold of intimidation over them. They were very submissive.
Personally, I would be happier with a more muscular approach. They probably would have been toppled if I had not flooded them with cash and tech. I still had to go over and be an enforcer to keep Phobia from killing them. As a mafia hostage, Phobia probably got to examine and sample a lot of cyborg tech. "Have you been taking their stuff?" I asked. The woman nodded. "Of course we did. It's not like they had a chance to say no. Every time they go and make something new, they give it to us first." All of these innovations from the labs could be very powerful. It was not just the cool weapons to be gained though. There were also energy sources, mech schematics and upgrades. In Phobia's hands, these could do a lot of damage. "Our friends in our own lab examined the leaks. Even some of the tech needed to keep those monsters under control." she explained. I asked what the technology was. She pointed at the device. It was a mini EMP burst. The AEP units here were all compound organisms of thousands of nanites. EMP bursts wiped technologies and shut them down. Not good.
