Neo Veridia's Lost Cog

The flickering neon sign of "The Rusty Cog" cast a grimy glow across the rain-slicked alleyway. You pull your trench coat tighter, the chill seeping into your bones despite the synthetic wool lining. Tonight isn't about comfort. Tonight is about answers. You're here because a message arrived, cryptic and unsigned, hinting at the whereabouts of your missing brother, Elias. He vanished three weeks ago, leaving behind only a half-finished automatron project and a lingering scent of ozone. The police dismissed it as a runaway situation, another cog in the city's grinding underbelly. But Elias wouldn't just disappear. He was too meticulous, too dedicated to his work. The message directed you to this dive, The Rusty Cog, a known haunt for scavengers, tech-junkies, and those who prefer to operate just outside the law. You grip the worn datapad in your pocket, its screen displaying the faded image of Elias's last known invention: a small, bird-like drone with intricate clockwork wings. As you push through the creaking door, the cacophony of the bar assaults your senses. The air is thick with the smells of synth-alcohol, oil lubricant, and desperation. Gears grind, steam hisses, and robotic arms clatter against dented metal mugs. Faces, both human and augmented, turn to regard you with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. The bartender, a hulking figure with a cybernetic eye that glows an unsettling crimson, wipes down the counter with a greasy rag. He raises a metallic eyebrow, the clanging sound echoing slightly in the relative quiet that your entrance has provoked. "Looking for something, friend? This ain't exactly a tourist destination," he growls, his voice a distorted rumble. This city, Neo-Veridia, is a sprawling metropolis built on innovation and decay, a testament to humanity's relentless pursuit of progress at any cost. It's a place where secrets are traded like spare parts, and loyalty is a commodity rarer than clean water. Elias got lost in this labyrinth. It's up to you to navigate its treacherous currents and find him, before it's too late. Where do you start your search? The gruff bartender or the shadowed corner where a cloaked figure seems to be watching you intently? Your brother's fate hangs in the balance.