I·ᴍ ᴀ ᴘʀᴏғᴇssɪᴏɴᴀʟ﹗

[ Under Construction ]

[nucl3arsnakc-blog]

[ hey I’m prob gonna take a hiatus here, work is getting busy and other shit going on

BUT ALSO we have a big storm coming tomorrow or Friday so Goodbye Friends ]

[kollcr-blog]

[ goes for here too ]

[burnedmywings-deactivated202101]

“No, there hasn’t been any type of augmentations left until now,” Adam shrugged. “Clumsy mistake… or trap, I don’t know. That many deaths in a short time made them sloppy maybe.”

His face writhed in disgust at the other’s words, but he knew them to be possibly true in this case. “I could argue that the same people killing others for whatever reason are still serial killers but I get your point. Desperation and money in others will lead to someone else’s downfall. Isn’t that just the way of the lovely world we live in now?”

It wasn’t a question really, just a statement of how shitty their surroundings were and Adam was growing tired of it. And he hadn’t even been through the beginning off it, snoozing easily for more than a few good months… he couldn’t imagine how angry those that were there from the start had to be.

Lifting his hand to rub the brink of his nose, he sighed. “There’s a big risk in pissing off a whole black market affair if that’s the case.”

[kollcr-blog]

“Yea, that’s the way of it.” He said, with a heavy exhale. “And the black market, the types who do that...you’re getting in deep there. What I do...illegal? Yes. But my parts come from stolen shipments, not kidnapped civilians. I stay far away from that kind of shit.”

His eyes raked over the now exposed mess of parts hidden beneath the arm’s metal exterior. Like the guts of a crushed bug, wires and chips now spilled from the limb’s shell haphazardly--some almost frayed to the point of splitting. Václav could understand it all in a glance: the wiring, where things should go and what needed to be replaced. Everything made sense, it was so straight forward and circuitry didn’t lie. But fixing their world, where solving crimes against augs fell to civilians over a disinterested police force, if only that could be as simple.

“If I get the serial number, the identification...” Another sigh punctuated the words, and tired eyes rose to meet Jensen’s. “I just don’t wanna see you get in over your head. I’ll help you any way that I can, you know that. Just...promise me I’m not gonna see that nice Sarif arm end up on some gangster?”

[ @burnedmywings ]

[ivanxberk-deactivated20170903]

Thin Connections

[ivanxberk-deactivated20170903]

     Keeping a tight grip on the offered help, Ivan follows him into the lift using the handlebars inside to rest against while they went down. Everything was blurred together, from moving from the library to coming down to the ‘dungeon’ and making his way into the blood-splattered leather chair Koller had in his workshop. The world was spinning and he wasn’t sure if he was going to stop or fade with it.

     “Ha,.. hahaha. That is true, můj přítel,” he responds, sucking in a sharp breath again as he lays back all the tension in his side hot and angry before he slowly allows himself to relax, that held in breath coming out in a slow gesture. “You’re the only one I can come to and trust. I would do it myself, but uh, heh. Cars are a lot different from us, huh?” He allows himself to joke, to make the situation light, because he knows they both had to be tense right now.

     Ivan’s head lolls to one side his eyelids feeling heavy from the stress and the exhaustion that was finally catching up to him now that his adrenaline was leaving and he knew he was in a safe place; however, Vaclav’s voice kept his grounded and aware. 

     Slowly rolling his eyes to follow the other augmented man’s movements he merely focuses on him to try and stay awake, but oh how sleep called to him. Or was it perhaps Death? 

     “Ivan, just Ivan is fine,” the hooded male speaks his voice raspy and tired. Plus, in his paranoid mind giving a last name wouldn’t be the best thing to do.

[kollcr-blog]

He flashes a quick and somewhat sympathetic smile at the car retort. If only augs were so easy to at least maintain, many augmented citizens would be saved the trouble of doctor visits they could hardly afford; or simply living with the pain for those who couldn’t at all. The system was a mess, but now was definitely not the time to muse on the state of such things. He had a job to do.

“Ivan, alright, Ivan it is!”

The exclamation comes rushed, as Koller gathers up the last of the supplies that are immediately necessary. In the next moment, he’s kneeling by the injured man and quickly tearing open packages of bandages. It’s easy enough to see where the injury is, as red blood has blossomed across the yellow fabric below his chest. He lifts the layers of clothing and is greeted by a gunshot wound just barely plugged with half-congealed blood. Before Koller does anything, he takes the time to jab a syringe-full of clear liquid right into an area by the wound.

“To dull the pain,” He offers in explanation, as he begins to wipe away some of the surrounding mess with a towel. “Stay with me, okay, can you tell me who did this?” 

His hands never stop working, and soon there’s a pile of blood-soaked towels by his knee. Once the area is clear enough for him to start doing what he needs to, he falls quiet long enough to listen. He doesn’t want to ask anything too involved yet, but Koller wants two things. One, to get an idea of what (and who) he’s dealing with here.. and two, to keep Ivan from slipping into a sleep he wouldn’t wake from. He preferred his horror stories to stick to the screen.

[ @ivanxberk ]

[baddecisiions-blog]

this kid sure likes hearing himself talk.

theres nothing more for toby to do besides sit. and wait. and waiting was always the worst part.

well, along with the pokes, jabs, and stabs that normally came with visiting a physician. along with the awkward staring at tools, trying not to wonder what they were used for before they came near her, following the doctor’s every movement with sheer terror ( regardless of however well she thinks she’s masked it ).

all of which, she does. she sits. the longer she sits, however, is what sets her on edge even more. she pulls herself out of her own headspace to try and tack onto the conversation he’s set up, waiving his concern with a simple shrug of her shoulders.

❝ not long. but it’s, ah… an experience, for sure. ❞ she rolls her eyes, saving the boring details, the flat praises of the city and what it probably once looked like before everything. ❝ everywhere it’s the same. guards, passport checks, document changes. nothing new. it’s not like i lead an interesting life to begin with. ❞

she starts to think about how different this check up is compared to the ones she used to experience. this kid was so full of life - full of energy - compared to the rushed, boring walls of the clinics and mobile med bays she’d been used to. those doctors hadn’t really cared. they were flat, reciting information like a script until they pushed her out.

for a brief moment, toby even considers thanking koller, but shrugs it off, stare trailing to the object he held. she raises an eyebrow, unsure of what she should ask, or if she should ask about it at all.

[ @kollcr ]

[kollcr-blog]

Koller may be young but he’s done this long enough to know when someone was simply wary, and when someone was not a fan of doctors altogether. Of the latter, he’s worked with those who like to express their unease in a rather violent manner, and he’s glad that Toby isn’t one of their number. If he can ease even the slightest of her discomfort with some awkward chit-chat, he’ll take that to a fist aimed for his face any day (though he’d at least developed some impressive reflexes).

“Guards guards guards,” He nodded, “Can’t even go to the restroom without some angry voice shouting for identification.”

He speaks with a smile, though the reality is no joke. Things have gotten bad in Prague, and it’s no wonder he’s hardly set foot out of his bookstore unless absolutely necessary. Outside was mayhem, a fact made clear enough by the increase in his number of clients over the past few months. 

His thoughts turn from the unrest of the city to the unrest of his patient as he sees her dubious appraisal of his latest testing apparatus. Now a genuine smile parts his lips, as he turns the tablet’s screen towards her.

“Just running diagnostics, simple things that I can search for by syncing with your neural hub. It’s the best way to get a look inside and still keep things non-invasive. I’m not gonna do anything I don’t have to, you have my word on that.”

Koller assures her, before his eyes return to the screen. Statistics are loading little by little, and so far there’s not enough to tell him just how deep this problem goes. For her sake, however, he hopes that it turns up something. Otherwise things were going to have to get a bit more hands on, and despite her cooperation thus far he isn’t so sure he wants to see how she’ll react to the suggestion of being put under. Especially if it ends up with him being put under by a well-aimed punch.

[ @baddecisiions​ ]

[kollcr-blog]

[ was out for a while after work and I gotta wake up at 5am tomorrow so UH prob will get to drafts near/on the weekend ]

[kollcr-blog]

[ Oh I guess drafts/replies are being funky? Gonna wait on those then just to be safe! But reminder that I did make a Pritchard blog as well~ ]

[maciek-nia]

[nucl3arsnakc-blog]

❝ Stick to kicking down doors and shooting people Jensen, and stop trying to do my job. I guarantee you’ll get along better that way. ❞

⟫ Bio  ⟫ Rules  ⟫ Ask

[dustrial-inc]

(via ArtStation - HUM△N REVOLUTION, Ilya Kuvshinov)

[burnedmywings-deactivated202101]

Maybe he wasn’t too fair on the other at the moment, bringing stolen limbs and also bringing Koller into the whole mess in the first place. Granted, Adam was certain he could protect the kid if need be. Hell, Adam already took part in that, since Václav was his to go to doctor while in Prague.

This couldn’t be worse than what resembled Prague’s very own Mafia…

“Not much,” he replied tiredly. “This is the third kill in a week. Someone’s very hard at work to make the streets even more unsafe. Always the same thing too; every victim was attacked from behind, choked to death and had their augmentations removed.”

Adam gestured towards the mechanical arm again, watching as Koller worked on it.

“This is the only real evidence that was left behind in the latest case. Found in a nearby alley. Near the sewer. Why the murderer would stop to scratch off the code and then drop the limb itself I don’t know, but in this case I won’t complain. Maybe the cops got too close and they got rushed.” Jensen shrugged. It was the best clue he had.

“Finding out who the victim was… because they have no way of identifying what’s left of them… might mean a connection.”

[kollcr-blog]

     “Hm...”

The more he considered Jensen’s words, the more a clearer picture was beginning to form. Of course, considering his line of work, his theory was certainly laced with a degree of bias. It was always difficult to see past one’s personal experience, especially with so little else to go on. Still, it was worth voicing, even if it was simply one more step in the brainstorming between the two. Something that might bring them closer to a truth that was evidently eluding the police. Pomáhat a chránit, my ass...He mused bitterly before shaking the thought and focusing on Adam once more.

“I am thinking...you say that their augs are removed? Are they usually present, or was this the first time one was left at the scene?” Splaying his palms out, Václav shrugged. “Perhaps this is no serial killer, but a black market affair. A sloppy one, but we see it all the time here. Criminals who forcefully take augments to sell underground...or sometimes even to wear themselves.”

It was a sad truth here in Prague, and likely many other cities worldwide. Add that to the fact that the police could care less about its augmented citizens, and you got a whole lot of unchecked crime.

｢ @burnedmywings ｣

[ivanxberk-deactivated20170903]

Thin Connections

[ivanxberk-deactivated20170903]

    Gods what was taking him so long? Was he busy? Out? Blasting heavy rock music to drown out anything outside of the dungeon walls and beyond?

     Ivan slumps against one of the wooden bookcases that was closest to him, his good arm curled around his torso and clutching at the fabrics of his side that were soaked with the dark maroon liquid that drizzled from a gunshot wound. Knitting his brows together Ivan sucks in a sharp breath through clenched teeth, looking at his hand he could see the blood starting to seep into the creases of his augs and the man wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. 

     Those sharp blown wide metallic optics snap up from his hand to the location from where the voice came from, instantly recongising it and letting out a sigh of relief. Those dark wavy locks and white coat was a sight for sore eyes, that’s for sure. 

     “Vaclav,…” he stammers in a shaky breath, applying the pressure back down on his side. “Yeah, fuck– I think I can at least make it a few more steps there.”

     As long as he kept the adrenaline rushing in his veins, most of the pain could be pushed to the back of his mind and he could stay numb until he could just unravel and relax. Pushing away from the bookcase Ivan stumbles forward a bit, catching himself on the table to hold still for a moment before straightening out, grabbing onto the other male’s arm with his one good hand, the other useless and lifeless. 

     “You can fix… this right?”

     There was a hint of fear laced within those words, those his face denied any signs of hesitation or anything that would say he was not holding it all together. True be told, Ivan was scared shitless.

[kollcr-blog]

The last thing that anyone wanted to see was their doctor looking more scared than they felt, which is why Koller was doing his best to reign in the deer-in-headlights expression that he must have flashed at least briefly. He hadn’t been able to see much in the shop’s dim lighting, but once they reached the lift his stomach dropped right along with the elevator. This, simply put, was bad. Of course, things often looked worse than they were. Usually. Sometimes. Hopefully.

     “Hey, yea, of course, man! You’re talking       to the best fucking aug tech in Prague!”

His assurances were always given with a boastful confidence, one that seemed to come easy to the young man in any situation. Whether or not he always felt that confident was a different matter altogether, but the front was there and it carried him through most obstacles. Of course, this wasn’t just a matter of his skill with tech. They were leaving a trail of blood in their wake, and that was going to have to be dealt with before any look at his augments.

     “Come on, you can make it to the chair, yea....Ah...” Clearing his throat,       Václav carefully helped the other sit, before rushing to ready his tools.       “Can you tell me your name? Lost an awful lot of blood...I wanna keep       you talking.”

That and he may have forgotten his once-patient’s name, but nobody needed to know that. After all, the guy had only been here once before, he wasn’t a regular. Of course, in light of the night’s events, Koller had a feeling that this fact was subject to change. He would get a story out of the guy later though. Right now he needed to make sure that he stayed alive long enough to tell it.

｢ @ivanxberk​ ｣

[baddecisiions-blog]

ah. well. that’s not something that leaves a nice feeling in her already twisted gut. 

regardless, toby nods, wandering gaze picking apart mechanical limbs that hung about (and how he manages to get around without tripping every five seconds, or even hitting his head on things? astounding). she’s stiff as a board as she keeps herself from swaying too far off and hitting something, arms locked tight at her sides. it’s far too late to second guess, she thinks, and takes those steps towards the chair with great hesitance. 

as she sits down, she starts wondering about how many other people have sat there, and doesn’t even attempt to mask the distress that shows across her features. the majority of it was related to having this man mess around with her implants, but a small part of it was related to the other augmented citizens that had to settle for a back-alley physician, only to be pushed back into the fray with parts still broken.

she goes to speak, to ask about how many of those he’s seen have come back for a second visit, but stops herself and instead opts for a dry joke.

❝ just be careful, kid. you botch this and i might have to sue. ❞

[ @kollcr ]

[kollcr-blog]

     “Me, mess up a job? Never!”

It sounds cocky, but for the most part its true. There’s a reason people know his name, and it isn’t for lack of choices. Of course, there’s always been close calls---but judging by the pallor of her face, that’s far from the best thing to say. 

     “Don’t worry, okay? This is just a check-up, nothing to worry about at all.       I’ve done surgeries like you wouldn’t believe, guys with their augs barely       hanging on by the wires! And they walked out totally fine.” 

Václav chatters on pleasantly, all while pulling tools from cabinets and shoving others into drawers. He doesn’t notice whether the attempt at assurance agrees with her or not, instead immediately getting to work. He starts with the tool that looks the least menacing: a small light, which he shines into each eye for a few silent seconds.

     “Hm, nothing loose on the surface,” 

Koller mutters, followed by a tech-heavy addendum that trails off into incoherent murmuring. Once he’s in the zone, it’s like he’s on another planet entirely. Of course, exploring that planet happens to involve poking and prodding his patient quite a lot. He remembers to check in soon enough, once he reaches a diagnostic that requires him to sync with the thin tablet in his left hand.

     “How are you holding up? You don’t have to be quiet on my account.       Tell me... how are you liking Prague, been here long?”

｢ @baddecisiions ｣

[hiddcnrage]

Gohan knew this was going to be something that was said, and he only hardened himself for the refusal that was happening right before him. But the boy was needing to be stern with his words, and even though there were doubts inside, he needed to be this.      “…I know it’s for life.. But right now my life, no - my family’s life,        isn’t exactly in the best of place. I need this augmentation         done, so that I can protect them!” | @kollcr |

[kollcr-blog]

     “Little guy, it’s them who should be protecting you.”

He sighed, studying the boy’s expression---so full of determination, and much too mature for his age (he surely couldn’t be much more then ten). It wasn’t as though Václav hadn’t heard grim tales of the horrors families in Prague faced: everything from police brutality to dealings with the resident gangs. Often people had to resort to desperate measures to survive...only to end up indebted to a group worse than the original danger. He knew that feeling first-hand.

     “What do you need to protect them from? Maybe       I can help you, or point you in the right direction.”

[ @hiddcnrage​ ]

[jona-draws]

‘when the Dvali finally manage to break into your dungeon’

was gonna upload this with some other dumb scribbles but I felt like this needed it’s own post

[ivanxberk-deactivated20170903]

Thin Connections

@kollcr

     Everything happened so fast that Ivan couldn’t even wrap his mind around what exactly did happen, all he could realise now was he was running, running as fast as his legs could carry him away from the flames and fire that crawls up the thick dark pillars of smoke that reach towards the tall mirrored buildings and grey sky. The man was soaked to the bone from the rain that was pouring down hard, almost slipping a few times as he made sharp turns down alleyways to avoid police officers’ and their lines of sight. 

     Even when ‘lost’, the one good thing was Ivan knew this city like the back of his hand with how much he has traveled around and scoped things out. He knew exactly where he was, and now, where he needed to go. Especially with the pain that shot through his entire systems and core - it seemed his life support systems were currently offline and not working. Hell he couldn’t even feel his right arm, and it was hard to look at when there were wires sticking out that were sparking.

     Standing in front of a run down building with a flicker sign that said ‘TIME MACHINE’ - broken glass, torched in a few places, gun shot holes all the works - the augmented man slowly makes his way inside, making sure no one was around first when seeing him enter the place. He has seen the Dlavi men snooping around here before, making a ruckus, but it seems to still show some signs of life from the forgotten Chicken Feet Chinese boxes that laid about. Moving around the tossed bookcases and stepping over broken beams of wood, Ivan makes his way further into the shop, looking around for a certain kind of entrance. He had been here once before, but that was through the underground pathways, and he had all too soon forgotten about where it was. 

     “Koller? Koller! I need help…” the hooded man speaks out, coughing a bit though trying to swallow back the blood that threatened to pass his lips.

[kollcr-blog]

Faintly, he could hear the lashing of rain against concrete. In that moment, everything was perfect. The sound was static electricity, buzzing in his ears as he worked--tinkering away on a new prototype (one of several that were always in-progress, but never complete). A half empty take-out box sat at his elbow, which by now was nothing more than a mess of congealed noodles. Koller was content, maybe even enough to take a break soon. This sort of weather went hand in hand with a good movie, the kind with gore and screaming tourists on the run from some psycho, or maybe zombies---

In an instant, the calm shattered and the horror flick instead came to him. A frenzied voice called out, one that knew him by name. He wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.

     “Yes? Coming!”

He called back frantically, leaving his project and heading for the elevator. Whoever it was had reached his back rooms, where the intercoms had picked him up. Koller wasted no time once the lift reached the top, springing open the bookshelf-turned-secret-door and making his way into the hall. It wasn’t long before he spotted the stumbling figure of his guest. If this was a trap, the guy was a damn good actor. But doubt vanished once he recognized the face of a former patient (those weren’t exactly the sorts of augs you forgot).

     “You, you, I know you! Ah, shit, come on...can you walk? Follow me!”

He prompted, extending an arm towards him in offer of support. Václav hoped that he could at least stand on his own. They seemed to be of height with each other, but somehow he wasn’t too confident about lugging the guy all the way down to his ‘lair’ should he pass out.

｢ @ivanxberk ｣

[baddecisiions-blog]

she acknowledges his joke with a very small, barely-there smile, the corners of her mouth twitched upward for a brief moment. ❝ yes. ❞

toby silently wishes that maybe if she just didn’t believe the mechanical parts weren’t there in her head, that they’d dissolve. maybe it was all some freaky dream that she’d wake up from. the only thing she managed to get from that line of thinking was a few seconds away from focusing on any slight discomfort and the realization of the pain that followed.

since leaving her job, she’d had to wean off of neuropozyne and onto several painkillers, leaving her with splitting headaches that she could no longer control, and retinal enhancers that seemed to be on the fritz. ❝ sharp, stabby pains where the panel is for the neural implants. migraines. and i don’t know how to explain the eye… thing. used to be good for night and low light, now i don’t know when it’ll blind me with the sunlight or just go completely dark. ❞

she hopes it’s be a sufficient answer for him. hopefully he knew what was wrong. worst case scenario, she’d just have them removed and live in total darkness. didn’t seem like a bad trade off for debilitating pain every day… or reminders.

[kollcr-blog]

     “Ah, shit. Retinal display botching up, eh?”

Koller nodded along, listening with a genuine look of concern. He’d experienced his fair share of malfunctions...and they were no fun at all (thankfully, that pun would not be voiced aloud). The major difference here was that he lived for augmentation, to push himself as far as his body would allow. Toby, on the other hand, seemed to be of a mindset far away from his own---on the opposite side of the spectrum altogether. To someone already uncomfortable with their augs, glitches were just further torment to a distressed state.

     “Depending on how deep these neural glitches go, I may need to put       you under,” He warned, “But I’ll see what I can get from the surface.       So if you’ll just follow me and have a seat in the chair...”

With that, he turned towards the open space that served as his ‘office’. A table of instruments sat by the aforementioned chair, all looking to be polished and clean. Much cleaner than the rest of his station. He stood by the seat, casting her a reassuring smile as he waited. Definitely nothing unnerving about that at all.

｢ @baddecisiions ｣

[kollcr-blog]

[ SWEATS. so uh. asks are on now. TOTALLY DIDN’T FORGET TO TURN THEM ON ]