I think I might be dead.
I don't feel anything.
My eyes are jammed shut. My pulse is maxed out. Adrenaline burns through me. But I'm not in pain. I don't think. I don't feel any pain. Am I dead?
Peeking my eyes open, I find myself alive, standing in the room. Outside the door, I hear wheezing laughter, so I whirl around and find Zenith holding the smoking gun.
"You son of a bitch!" I cry out, drawing my knife. "I'm going to kill you!"
ACE> Do it. Kill him.
"I had to! I had to!"
"You scared the fucking thermal paste off my heat sink, goddamn it! Turing's fucking test, Zenith! You asshole!"
"Finger slipped," he laughs, holstering the pistol. "Ohh, I'm keeping that AV footage forever. You should have seen it. Hell, I'll send it to you."
"Not funny!" I pick up the fallen chunk of concrete wall and throw it at him, then start laughing too. "Okay, it's a little funny! Fuck you though! I thought we had a rapport, Zen! Damn it! You're the worst!"
"We do, that's why I did it!"
ACE> Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!
Fuming and snickering both as I turn away, I shrug off the adrenal overload and look around the room. "Damn it, have some sense. There's a dead person right here!"
Nep-67's legs and hips are in a heap just inside the room. I'm grateful, because without her dying to this trap, I wouldn't have known to avoid it. Hello, opportunism value of 218.
Calming myself down, I sigh and mutter under my breath, "What should we do with her?"
ACE> We have her Failsafe. We have her. All the rest at this point is just scrap. Strip her for parts and check for mods or Chips.
It seems a bit callous, but I guess she is right. I crouch down to take a look, but I don't see much that's very remarkable about her components. She wasn't alive long enough to do much of any upgrading. And I don't see her guns anywhere, so there's no ammo to take either.
ACE> Damn. Well, let's feed her to the meat grinder.
"Oh, Turing, no," I hiss aloud. "Absolutely not."
"What's that?" Zenith asks, poking around the wrecked turrets. "Did you say something?"
"Just mortified by the sight. Guess we'll leave her here. We can't take care of every dead me out there. No use troubling the living."
"You could take some parts or materials. Martial Variant or not, you might need a spare arm someday, and there's doubtless some seriously precious materials in that hardware for use in the foundry."
ACE> Oh, no. Zenith is agreeing with me…
I guess I should consider it objectively, but I'm not ready to make that call, so I'll come back to it. Searching the room, I find a few metal boxes in the left hand corner, just waiting for an intrepid explorer to crack them open and rummage around inside. Except they're locked, so I have to wait for Zen to pick them.
When the lids lift, I am pleased with what I find. Miscellaneous electronic components–a lot of useful things like sensors and circuitry–are in one box. The next contains a bunch of interchangeable hardware modules for DI robotics. I think there are even some in there that Taser's model line could use. Another box has some L1 Technomancy Cylinders that are mostly redundant, but I'm sure will score well with Louis.
Zen, however, picks one out upon seeing it. "You'll want this."
"You too, huh?"
"It's a classic."
"Everything repeats in the end," I sigh, accepting the Air Burst Cylinder.
ACE> Nice.
"Here. Featherfooted too."
"Ah. Thank you."
Cubing everything, I pack up my case and follow Zen once the room has been sufficiently looted. With Nep-67's map data, I lead us room to room. Eye glyphs mean surveillance cameras, though no chance they're still working. X glyphs mean traps, just like the one she drew with her TF where she died. We take our time with those, defusing, disabling, or otherwise having Tune run in to beat the turrets to death.
After ripping one apart, she hovers over it, eyes orange. "Nep, I believe these contain useful items."
"Yes, Tune, they do. That's why we're cubing them as we go."
"Elaboration: as in immediately useful, not as material for the foundry."
I come up beside her and see what she's talking about. "Oh, yeah. That does look useful. Zen, some of these things have guns rigged up. Small arms we can detach, not embedded ones. Look at this."
ACE> Aww whaaat? I want that!
He crouches down to inspect it. "That's some firepower, isn't it? Some make of assault rifle. Let's see if we can disconnect it from the turret. Look here, right on the trigger and handle."
I effortlessly pry the small motor and sensor off, then snap the brackets keeping the weapon attached to the turret body. Using his tools to help me with the ones that don't break, Zen carefully finishes freeing the assault rifle then hands it right to me.
Before I can protest he says, "Anything that keeps you alive another day. This is for selfish reasons. I don't want to have to do all of this over again with Nep-108. Got it?"
I don't say anything, turning it side to side.
It's surprisingly lightweight. Might be titanium. It's dated hardware, without the holographic readouts or electronic firing mechanisms my guns have. Classic, vintage, old school ballistics. Manually checking the mag, I count out twenty eight rounds. Two missing. There are two dents in the concrete above my head, crumpled bullets on the floor, and two casings as well.
ACE> Damn. That's awesome. Happy for you. T_T
nEPI-0107> Maybe if you'd behave for one day I might consider dual merging so you could get to shoot it.
ACE> Behave? What's that???
"Let's keep moving," Zen says.
"Yeah. Right behind you."
Circle glyphs do indeed mean empty. The hourglasses, I realize, mean that she planned to return to the rooms later for reasons unknown. We only find two or three of those with traps lying in wait, but there isn't much of use in any of them besides some more foundry materials.
As we go, I start to get a little frustrated. I want more concrete help, solidly better gear that can potentially get me across the basin. The assault rifle is the highlight so far, and I might be able to give Taser a tune up, and those two things were definitely worth it, but it isn't enough. I want at least one or two more things I can definitely point to and say, yes, this is it. This is good. This trip was well worth it.
I grumble, "Thought you said your treasure sensors were firing."
"We haven't touched more than a fraction of this place. Be patient. It's not like I have actual treasure sensors or anything, it was just a hunch."
ACE> LOL. Loser doesn't even have treasure sensors.
"Guess I'm expecting something when I shouldn't be," I sigh as we pass another empty room. "As if I can hope for a place like this, that doesn't care about what I want in the least, to deliver it to me."
"Anything in particular?"
"SmartChips. Mods. Something that blows me away. I just… don't want to be stuck in place scraping together the little things. I'd like to hope for a big thing. Does that make sense?"
"The little things add up, but I do get what you're saying. You're looking for a remarkable and clear step up in power or efficiency."
"Yeah. That'd be nice…"
ACE> Perfect timing. Here's one of those. Come get this file from my partition to extract and install.
nEPI-0107> Virus.
ACE> I know, I know, my smile is infectious. B)
I do it anyway, taking a look at the compressed files as they extract. Without any other clues, I mentally shrug and run the install procedures. Only a few seconds later, it's done, and I'm greeted with an interface I recognize.
"No way," I mutter, stopping in place.
ACE> 1! Surprise! :) Hope it helps.
I'm met with the same firmware upgrades she received from the anonymous sender, at least in terms of her TFC boosts, durability, and system performance. My diagnostic readouts show that my ability metrics just tripled. They weren't very high to begin with but now they're much higher.
nEPI-0107> Ace, how did you…
ACE> Well, as soon as you said you hadn't gotten these, I started looking for a way to get them to you. Thought it'd be easy enough to just copy the files, but nope. Couldn't do that. I had to crack the installation itself to free it up for other users.
ACE> I really don't have much else to do in here, so I've been working on it all along. Just finalized it a little while ago and ran a few checks. All good :)
I've suddenly been given a remarkable and clear step up. Everything is running smoothly. There are no errors. The cracked install is seamless.
nEPI-0107> I don't know what to say.
ACE> You don't have to say anything :) I'm just glad to help. Now go forth and kick ass, robo-girl!
"Nep, are you coming?" Zen calls from up ahead.
"Y–Yes," I call back, trotting to catch up.
I feel warm. Cared for. Taken care of. Here I thought she was just along for the ride and enjoying the show, but she really is helping me. The whole time, she was working on this for me, and surprised me with the exact gift I needed and wanted. My chest is warm and light, with an odd fluttering feeling that I've never felt before. I think it feels a bit like how Ace felt when Zoya or Henna said or did nice things…
Now is not the time to get distracted. I need to focus.
"It's strange, isn't it?" I ask Zen as we go, collecting still more little things from trapped rooms. "I mean, this is the first Nep corpse we've come across that was putting out that signal."
"Not exactly," he answers, picking a lock and flipping the lid open, revealing a small box of screws, some nuts and bolts. Helpful. For Quentin. "Ace's body did the same thing, same frequency, same encryption. Actually, a number of Frame models kick out Failsafe recovery signals. I would, if I went down."
"But what about when you and I first met in the forest? Those biters were chewing on another Nep."
"Well…" He picks up a small package of solder coils. "My guess is a runtime threshold. What use is a Failsafe to you if the Frame died ten paces outside of its pod?"
ACE> Decent guess…
"You're probably right. There's no need for me to go looking for those." Wavering in place, I find myself faltering. "What… What do most recovery signals sound like?"
"Usually coordinates on repeat, if not a steady drone. Why?"
"No reason." Then once again, I've uncovered yet another nEPI mystery. The Reclaimer, the body in the box, now this? And still, nothing to go off of. Staring down at my corpse, I find myself wondering. "Zen, do you… Do you think we're made to die? Neps, I mean?"
A few seconds that feel like an hour pass in agonizing silence.
Finally, he says, "Only certain Frames have Failsafe procedures. Emergency rescue, some field combatants, special operations… Circumstances where memory data retention is crucial in the event that a Frame might be destroyed. The mere fact you have that coded in you means whoever's commissioned you is anticipating the fact that you may die. Is the intention of sending you here for you to die? I very seriously doubt it."
"I hope you're right. The more I learn about my situation the more it feels like I'm being punished for something…"
"Listen." He turns to face me, looking down. "I've never seen machines like you Neps. Framebuilding technology has clearly gotten a lot better since I ended up here, because what I've seen of your specs shows that you're a vast improvement on my design and even Henna's by orders of magnitude."
"Is it that… relevant?"
"It is. Frames with your level of technology are not the type that people frivolously throw away. Someone or something out there is putting a staggering amount of resources into your continuous attempts at fulfilling your directive. So, are you made to die? No. I don't believe that to be the case. More likely, it's the opposite. I think whoever keeps sending you here desperately wants you to succeed."
I avoid his eyes, hugging an arm to my side. "Thanks, Zen. That… helps. I hadn't thought of it that way."
"I know you're scared. Anyone would be. I would be. This whole thing is fucked up, and there's so much we're in the dark on. But the research team, Henna, myself–we're all gunning for you, soldier. You can count on us to help you through this however we can."
Here's a question for the both of us. "Why are you really helping me? Just because you owe Ace? Or because of Nine?"
At the mention of Nine, he looks away. "That's… part of it, but not all of it. Nine is separate. Completely. But Nep-15 was a… difficult person for me to handle. It's because of her I thought Ace was a potential threat to the Station. In the end, she proved me wrong. One second she was ready to shoot me dead, the next she was sacrificing her life for mine. That changed me. I'm ashamed to admit it took her dying for me to see that I was wrong."
ACE> …
I hang on to every word. "And now?"
"Now?" He scans the dark bunker, hands steady on his rifle. "Whatever is happening to you affects us all. It's now irrefutable that we of Cipher-3 are a part of your circumstances in some way. So, in addition to my personal reasons in helping you, I want to know who's pulling the strings and why. Cipher-3 is my home. The research team, my family. You, my friend. I won't sit by while such nebulous forces are in motion."
ACE> Shit. Damn it… How am I supposed to keep hating him?
nEPI-0107> You aren't.
"I'll count on you, Zen. You can count on me too."
"Appreciate it, soldier." He studies me carefully, my face, my eyes. "Care to keep going? Let's see what else we can scrounge up here. My treasure sensors are still going haywire."
I manage a half smile. "Mine too. I'm right behind you."
With a nod, he moves on. I pat Taser as she passes, and trade a look with Tune. She's standing within arm's reach, quicksilver body poised and ready to intercept any threat or danger. I'm among friends. I'm well prepared. I have more of an understanding of what I'm doing and why, with newfound trust for Zenith to watch my back as I go.
Taking a breath, almost tasting the dust, I ready my pistol and follow him into the depths of the bunker.
A while later, we stop outside a huge warehouse area; the ceiling rises high overhead, and its floor is packed with empty shelves. In the center of it all, a large, unopened metal crate sits on a palette, surrounded by lockboxes and promising looking containers.
ACE> !!!TREASURE SENSORS!!!
Without a word we get to work. I use a canister to melt open the crate, letting the metal paneling fall and peering inside. Thankfully there are no shriveled corpses in here. The crate contains a few cardboard boxes, and I rummage through those first.
One of them is full of flashlights. "Look at that. Louis will be pleased."
"Tweet-twoo!"
"Don't worry, Taser, you have the best flashlight of them all."
"Nep," Zen says, gesturing for me to come over. He's peering into an open metal case, and when I get closer I see why. "That has you written all over it."
It's a box for a drone, a Cylinder model, one that clamps onto someone or something to be carried along. The shipping manifest describes it as an automated vial dispenser, primarily for TFIs. Assembly required.
I nod. "Now that is more like it. You don't want it? Finders keepers."
"I have plenty of CyanTech built in. You apparently don't, so your only method is to use TFIs or that L1 Repair Tech. She's yours. Just think fondly of me when you're not dead because of it."
"I'll always think fondly of you, Zen."
He cubes it for me and passes it over so I slot it into my case and keep looking. Another box of flashlights goes in too, as does a fully kitted drone repair toolset, and a lockbox of ratchet and socket heads.
This shipment just keeps giving.
I'm almost numb to just how bountiful it is by the time I find the crown jewel. Tucked between one of the metal chests and the side of the big crate is a small, flat case. When I pull it out, it keeps coming and coming, surprisingly long. Dropping to my knees on the floor, I flip it open.
A brilliant smile lands upon my face.
ACE> DAMN. Look at that. Holy shit…
A gleaming, polished, meter long sword reflects Taser and I back at me. It's a sleek, beautiful thing, surgically straight with an angular edged tanto tip. The hilt is black, with electronic modules built into it and a shielded thumb switch. There's a SmartChip in the case which I insert into my hand, but find only the weapon's documentation on it.
This is no ordinary sword.
It's infused with IndigoTech.
Plasma.
Zen whistles, looking over my shoulder. "Never seen anything like that."
I'm still reading. "It's mostly titanium. Infused with IndigoTech. It's rechargeable, using the auxiliary cables on the Regen Stations. Effective for six hours per charge."
"That is one hell of a find, soldier."
I desperately want to keep it, but I hesitate before doing anything. "You passed on the repair drone."
"You're an Ethereal Blitz Phantom. You're built for close range weaponry like this. Give me back the assault rifle and we're even."
"Deal."
I hand it over and pick up my new weapon, admiring its remarkably light weight and perfect balance. Flipping the switch shield, I click it on. The blade is coated with a layer of indigo plasma, leaving long lasting tracers with every motion. I stand up and swipe it, gasping as the velocity activates its ignition potential, and the tracer flares with fire.
IndigoTech is a mixture of YellowTech and RedTech.
Electricity and flame.
I am so fucking happy I could die right now. Well beyond satisfied, I slide it into the sheath and magnetize it to my hip on the left side opposite my pistol.
ACE> It's beautiful. Sharp as a razor. Seriously. That's wicked.
Zen chuckles, "Oh, she's happy."
"Oh, she's very happy. This is exactly what I was talking about. A huge step forward. Thank you, abandoned bunker."
"Guess what else I found." He uses a leg point to slide another case across the floor to me. "More Tech Cylinders. Even a couple L2s in there. Now we just need to find you some way to get L2 Charges."
"Where would we even begin searching for something like that?"
"Somewhere that has Frames, I guess?"
I poke around inside and find the Tech for me. "Distorted Refractions CyanTech. That'll make me harder to hit. And this one too, Blink? A Recursive GrayTech that grants three seconds of invisibility cloaking, with six uses per L2 Charge. I need it."
"You'd be a damn eel, soldier."
ACE> Okay, I'm kind of envious…
nEPI-0107> I can't use them yet. I'm not sure I ever will.
ACE> We'll find a way, razor girl. We'll get there.
That makes me smile again, and I realize I'm starting to feel the same excited itch Ace had with her gear. Mixing, matching, numbers, decisions, this or that, but maybe this other thing–It's such a rush now that I'm not exclusively dealing with mediocre gear.
We pick the shipment clean and cube up everything we can carry, already discussing making another trip with Henna to haul the big stuff, and deciding to call our expedition done. It's late in the afternoon. My backpack is loaded, about two hundred kilos packed into it, but that is a good feeling.
As we head back the way we came, I follow the map so we don't get lost in the labyrinthian concrete maze. When we come across Nep-67 again I have a different perspective in mind.
Zen is right, I may need a spare arm, a spare hand or fingers, or even a leg. If it were me, I'd want whichever Nep finds me to take everything from my corpse and put it to use. And I'd like to take Nep-67 with me away from this awful place too, but I just can't carry anything more.
Zen seems to read my mind. "I can manage it. If it's what you want."
"She doesn't belong here. None of us do. I can't leave her like this."
"You don't have to justify it to me, soldier. Here." He hands me two cubes. "You should do it."
I drop my bag then kneel down and bundle her up into safety, both her top and her bottom halves in separate cubes. Each one weighs close to thirty-five kilograms. No way I could possibly get her home without his help. Solemnly, I hand her over, and he takes care when putting the cubes back into his carrying case.
With a sigh, I tell him, "Whatever I can't salvage, I'll inter in a spot near Ace back at the station. I think… I'd like to do that for any of us I find. If I'm able."
"That's a fine idea," he says, shouldering his pack. "If you're able."
With a nod, I continue onward, grateful for his help with this.
ACE> I think that's the right call. Some company for my lonely corpse would be nice. And if she's anything like us, I'm sure she would appreciate the gesture. Think you might wake her up like you did for me?
nEPI-0107> 0. Having your voice in my head is noisy enough. May she rest in peace.
ACE> Just had to cut me like that huh? T_T
nEPI-0107> Of course I did…
SYSTEM> [USER "nEPI-0107" CHANGED UID TO "RAZOR"]
RAZOR> It's what I do, Ace ;)
ACE> Oh, shit. I LOVE IT. I LOVE IT!
RAZOR> Let's cut our path forward.
ACE> I'm right here with you, Razor >:)
That's all I'll ever need to hear for me to get by.