Protector of the Carja Chapter 13: Compiling, a horizon zero dawn fanfic

Chapter 13: Compiling

The world around Avad went dark. The room had been dark already, but the machinery had started to light up. However, the screen surrounding his field of view sparkled to an inky black. A voice, calm and deep as the blackness itself, spoke out.

"In the beginning, there was nothing in this physical world. None to observe it. None to write about it or sing songs about it. We can make conjectures about the beginnings of the universe, but I am here to tell you the wonders of what you can see, feel, and touch."

An image exploded onto the screen, and Aloy jumped as Avad instinctually covered his face with his arms. She held her hand on his shoulder and asked, "Are you alright?"

Avad very solemnly nodded and patted her hand reassuringly. "Yes. Yes, I am."

Satisfied, Aloy stepped back. She would have liked to observe what Apollo had to offer, but she had something of greater significance to take care of. She went back up to the holo-suite room and activated the one closest. The familiar darkness she expected did not envelop her, but instead a tall figure of a man with light skin, dark curls over his head, and a white robe draped over his sculpted muscles. "Welcome, Doctor Sobek. My name is Apollo."

"Apollo," Aloy whispered. So many emotions were fighting to overwhelm her, but she had to control them and find out how much of Apollo had been restored. "I need your help."

"Of course, Doctor Sobek."

"First of all, I'm not Elisabet Sobek." She held her hand up to quickly dismiss Apollo's look of confusion. "I know, I know. I have practically the same DNA, but I'm not her. I was born here, in Eleuthia-9. I need you to tell me what you know about what happened to GAIA."

"One moment, please." Apollo crossed his arms and looked off into the distance. Aloy assumed he was attempting to contact GAIA. "Strange. I cannot communicate with GAIA, but I found her last message to you. This is deeply concerning."

"Yeah, no kidding. So, do you know what happened to the Alphas?"

"This information was saved to the Focus network through your focus device, as is much more information, which I am currently compiling. The fate of the Alphas is… regrettable."

"I think you can help me make things better," Aloy said, her voice hopeful. "Do you know how they built GAIA?"

A red light loomed over Apollo's holographic image. "Warning: the requested information is too extensive to access using the Focus device. Do you wish to download the schematics to a mobile storage device, Doctor?"

"Uh… I… um…" Aloy looked around the room to see if anything would jump out at her as an appropriate vessel, but she had no idea what she was looking for.

"I see," replied Apollo. "If you wish to repair GAIA, I must place the schematic files onto a storage device. From there, you will need to transfer the information to a cauldron large enough to manufacture a new AI core."

"What? Why can't you just talk to the Cauldrons?"

"Unfortunately, though the Focus network is active and accessible, it does not communicate in the same language as the cauldrons. I was not designed to interact with Hephaestus machines, and I do not currently have contact with Hephaestus or any other GAIA subfunctions. I suspect I will not be able to establish a connection with them until GAIA is repaired."

Aloy let out a heavy sigh and sat on the edge of the holo platform. She buried her face in her hands. If she could get control of a cauldron, in theory, the cauldron could do all the work to repair GAIA. But how long would that take? It could take months, maybe years. How long did it take to build GAIA in the first place? If she wanted to eliminate the threat of Hades and Hephaestus, Aloy needed to bring GAIA back immediately and get the subfunctions back under her control.

Aloy suddenly looked up, staring beyond the wall of the room. "Wait. Apollo, if I leave this cradle facility, will I still be able to communicate with you through the Focus network? I think I have an idea."

Apollo tilted his head slightly. "Yes. I can connect to all active Focus devices. A surprising number of them are currently in use."

"Wait… how many?"

"Approximately 1,532 Focus devices are currently active within this region."

Aloy started to pace. She knew the Eclipse had used the Focus devices to communicate, but she figured that after the group had been defeated they would no longer have a need for them, unless... "Can I … monitor them?"

"Ted Faro originally designed the Focus network to be completely private and secure. Though background access exists for repair and maintenance service, I do not have permission to access this feature."

Aloy scoffed. "Sure, Ted. The one place you put a backdoor and I can't shove a -"

"Am I interrupting something?"

Aloy whirled around and let out a sigh of relief at seeing the familiar face. "Oh, Avad! It's just you."

"Ah," Apollo said cheerily. "Avad, congratulations on completing your first level! Did you enjoy your experience?"

Avad smiled and gave a quick bow, "Yes, thank you. It's… a lot to take in."

"Ah, yes. You are a bit older than my originally intended audience, but I am confident that at the appropriate time the Apollo systems will be adequate to educate all ages of any tribes who are willing to participate."

Aloy crossed her arms and leaned on one leg, raising a single brow. "You two, uh… know each other?" She waved her pointer finger between human and hologram.

Avad ran his fingers through his hair and laughed nervously. "Uh, yes. I recognized his voice from the device out there."

Aloy noticed that when Avad moved his hair back, he was still wearing his Focus. She decided it suited him well and made a note to figure out how to communicate directly with it.

"Well, I have a plan. We need to get going again after I talk to the Matriarchs."

"Oh," Avad said, sounding disappointed. "Can we come back?"

"Your progress is saved automatically, Avad. You may resume at any time at any Faro Focus Apollo console, and you may replay key lessons through your Focus device at your leisure!"

Aloy and Avad glanced at each other and nodded, impressed.

"Alright," Aloy finally interrupted her own amusement. "Let's go."

Avad held up his hand. "No. You go." He looked up at her. "I originally came here to broker a treaty with the Nora and open up the Carja borders. Now it is evident that we need the tribe's help once again, and now I am met with this vast library of knowledge. I must admit, that last point is selfish, but I know you don't like dealing in politics. You will be faster on your own, and I will accomplish more if I stay."

Aloy smirked. She was usually the one trying to convince everyone else to let her go alone. "Alright, fair enough. We'll stay in the Nora lodge tonight, and I'll be off in the morning." She glanced over to Apollo. I hope this works. "Thanks for your help, Apollo."

"My pleasure, Doctor Sobek. Logging you out."

"Oh! Wait!" Aloy jumped up and swiped the Focus away from Avad. "Give me this." She held it in her hand as she activated her own Focus. Swiping at the air, she went through a few menus, hoping to see what she wanted. "There it is. Add to contacts." She deactivated her Focus and returned Avad's. "Now we should be able to communicate directly using our Focus."

Avad turned the Focus over in his hand. "The Apollo console was very helpful in getting me used to using this device. Maybe with more practice I'll be as skilled as you."

Aloy took a deep breath and held her hands behind her head, her fingers laced together. "Now I just need to figure out a way to explain this to the Matriarchs."

An image exploded onto the screen, and Aloy jumped as Avad instinctually covered his face with his arms. She held her hand on his shoulder and asked, "Are you alright?"

Avad very solemnly nodded and patted her hand reassuringly. "Yes. Yes, I am."

"Apollo," Aloy whispered. So many emotions were fighting to overwhelm her, but she had to control them and find out how much of Apollo had been restored. "I need your help."

"Of course, Doctor Sobek."

"Yeah, no kidding. So, do you know what happened to the Alphas?"

"This information was saved to the Focus network through your focus device, as is much more information, which I am currently compiling. The fate of the Alphas is… regrettable."

"I think you can help me make things better," Aloy said, her voice hopeful. "Do you know how they built GAIA?"

"Uh… I… um…" Aloy looked around the room to see if anything would jump out at her as an appropriate vessel, but she had no idea what she was looking for.

"What? Why can't you just talk to the Cauldrons?"

Apollo tilted his head slightly. "Yes. I can connect to all active Focus devices. A surprising number of them are currently in use."

"Wait… how many?"

"Approximately 1,532 Focus devices are currently active within this region."

Aloy scoffed. "Sure, Ted. The one place you put a backdoor and I can't shove a -"

"Am I interrupting something?"

Aloy whirled around and let out a sigh of relief at seeing the familiar face. "Oh, Avad! It's just you."

"Ah," Apollo said cheerily. "Avad, congratulations on completing your first level! Did you enjoy your experience?"

Avad smiled and gave a quick bow, "Yes, thank you. It's… a lot to take in."

Aloy crossed her arms and leaned on one leg, raising a single brow. "You two, uh… know each other?" She waved her pointer finger between human and hologram.

Avad ran his fingers through his hair and laughed nervously. "Uh, yes. I recognized his voice from the device out there."

Aloy noticed that when Avad moved his hair back, he was still wearing his Focus. She decided it suited him well and made a note to figure out how to communicate directly with it.

"Well, I have a plan. We need to get going again after I talk to the Matriarchs."

"Oh," Avad said, sounding disappointed. "Can we come back?"

"Your progress is saved automatically, Avad. You may resume at any time at any Faro Focus Apollo console, and you may replay key lessons through your Focus device at your leisure!"

Aloy and Avad glanced at each other and nodded, impressed.

Aloy straightened when she heard a hauntingly familiar chirp on her focus. Before her, Sylens' ghost-like hologram appeared. "You would think by now I would learn not to underestimate you, Aloy. You've done it."

Aloy crossed her arms. "Sylens. I have a proposal for you."

Erend bent down, picking through the smouldering rubble around Daytower. The armored bunkers within the mountains remained intact, but the entire structure outside no longer stood as a testament to Carja craftsmanship.

"All the guards saw was machines going crazy. They are blaming Aloy for making the Derangement worse." Talanah kicked a piece of armor.

"Like hell," Erend said. "This can't be the derangement. This was blatant sabotage. I just can't prove it. Aloy probably could."

Erend heard a branch snap, and both he and Talanah immediately straightened and pointed their weapons toward the sound. They didn't see anything at first, but after a few moments of silence, a small child slowly emerged from a patch of tall grass, holding his hands up.

The two fighters glanced at each other, then hesitantly lowered their weapons. Talana looked visibly uncomfortable, so Erend spoke up, lowering himself to one knee.

"Hey, kid. We won't hurt ya. Did you see what happened here?" He shoved his thumb in the direction of the tower.

The child shook his head. "No… I mean, I saw the explosions, but…" he scratched his head. "I actually have a message for the Commander here."

Balahn was nearby, going through wreckage, and he must have overheard. He turned and walked over. "I'm the Commander. What's the message?"

The boy winced, obviously scared, but of what remained a mystery. "I -I… I have a m-message from…" the boy stuttered, "...from Thiran."

All three adults looked at each other. Thiran was a name they hadn't heard in decades, but they knew its significance. "Thiran, eh?" Erend said gently, trying not to scare the boy any further. "What's that old lunkhead up to, now?"

"He… he has taken Meridian for the Carja in Shadow, and has a warrant out for the arrest of Aloy, Avad, and any of their associates."

Sylens' hologram faded, and Aloy ran her fingers through her hair, exhaling slowly.

"I trust you have a good explanation for associating with Sylens," Avad said quietly.

Aloy swiped the new Focus away from Avad. "Give me this." She held it in her hand as she activated her own Focus. Swiping at the air, she went through a few menus, hoping to see what she wanted. "There it is. Add to contacts." She deactivated her Focus and returned Avad's. "Now we should be able to communicate directly using our Focus. And, yes, I do have a good reason, but not enough time to give it to you."

Avad turned the Focus over in his hand. "The Apollo console was very helpful in getting me used to using this device. Maybe with more practice I'll be as skilled as you."

Aloy took a deep breath and held her hands behind her head, her fingers laced together. "Now I just need to figure out a way to explain this to the Matriarchs."

They had made their way up to the mouth of All Mother Mountain, but before they could exit the cave, the sound of braves gearing up and running around echoed around their ears. Before Aloy could ask what was happening, Teersa shuffled down the ramp toward her.

"Aloy! Come! Word just reached us of what happened at Daytower. Why didn't you tell us when you arrived?"

"I knew someone from the hunting party would come and tell you. I had to get into the Mountain urgently. Are you sending Braves out in that direction?"

Teersa nodded, and they began walking together. "Yes. We are fortifying our borders to protect the sacred lands, but I fear that we may be too late if the Thunderjaws in the north have gotten worse."

"Don't worry, Teersa." Aloy said calmly. "If everything goes according to plan, the Derangement will no longer be an issue."

"Where are you going?"

"Those Thunderjaws you mentioned?"

Teersa's brow furrowed. "Yes?"

"They're in my way."