Summary: The expedition has to make a difficult decision. Something is lost but something else is gained. The mission arrives at a conclusion.

Note: Here we are. This is the last chapter of saVage. There will be an epilogue that I will add soon (I've already written around a half of it, so it won't take long). I hope you enjoy this chapter and come back for the epilogue as well. More notes at the end.

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V must have noticed me going pale and noted the sudden change in my expression because it went from relief to utter terror in the blink of an eye.

"Joodee, what's wrong?" she asked, frowning.

"I don't like what Anaxagoras has just said. I'm not sure what we're getting into with this supervisor thing. We gotta get back to Panam and the rest. Now," I put my diving helmet back on and gestured for V to follow suit. She didn't delay and moments later we were back in the tunnel, this time with me taking the lead, at least until the point where we reached the techno-crab's little heap-home and V swam ahead of me to persuade the creature to stand down.

Now that the reset procedure had been initiated, our not so little pinchy friend decided to remain unmoving and didn't even come out. I could relate to him in a way. I was tired of all this shit going on as well, with one issue chasing the other. Every time I felt I was coming closer to the conclusion of this crazy ride, something new would inevitably pop up.

A million thoughts and questions were racing through my head. Did the AI know about the extent of the procedure? Consequently, did it decide to hold off on telling us or did the reset refresh the rusty databanks? What did the merging mean exactly and what was the extent of it? Was it temporary, for the purposes of getting access, or was it a one way trip to cyberland and being hooked up to the facility's mainframe until the end of times… or one's life, for what it was worth?

Who would even agree to such a thing if the latter was the case? I read stories of netrunners who got lost between worlds during critical power failures or didn't get out on time before their mind was consumed… but this was on a completely different level, becoming a part of… a facility. Joining the meat brain with synapses of metal. The idea was terrifying.

All that uncertainty provided for excellent fuel on our trip back through the Dump, making it feel like a few moments. V surfaced first and helped me climb out of the hatch and into the maintenance room. I took off my helmet and diving fins and opened the door to A4. I was greeted by a lively discussion among the nomads.

"…no, not drawing straws, what kind of an ancient gambling tactic would that be?" Mitch shook his head and sighed, turning around and away from the group with a deep frown on his usually friendly face.

"There will be no gambling on that, that's for sure," Panam waved dismissively, "No one's merging with anything and I'm sure as hell not leaving anyone behind," there she was, the typical Captain. When she noticed me, she made her way towards me, "You, what did you do?" Her tone was accusatory. I wasn't going to have any of that.

"What the fuck, Panam? We just risked our asses out there and you're giving me this crap? We did the reset, just as agreed," I replied, feeling my blood boil. Why was the Captain being so ungrateful and attacked me in that way? By the metallic vibration in the air I could tell that V raised her spear, just in case.

"We didn't agree on the fucking facility needing to merge with someone in order to get access. What is that about?" Panam pointed away from us, as if trying to shift the blame to the disembodied voice of the AI.

"Listen, I'm as surprised as you are. There was really nothing in that reset procedure to do wrong, just two levers and that was it. No prompts, no code, just old school mechanical stuff," I tried to explain but all I heard in return was angry huffing.

"So what now?" the Captain challenged, then put her hands on her hips.

"Judy, Panam… if I could…" Russel spoke up quietly, but with enough enunciation to be heard well.

"I think you've done enough with your code for Biotechnica and what not, dontcha think?" Panam barked back at him.

I tilted my head to the side at her and pinched the bridge of my nose. I wanted to smother her, but that wouldn't get us anywhere either, "Shouting isn't helping. Let's just… try and look at the options here."

"I believe we should head back to Anaxagoras' little corner. See what he has to say about this merging process. Perhaps it's as simple as accessing a human's input port for a moment to update the security database? Set priorities and access," Russel suggested.

"I admire your optimism," Panam quipped, shaking her head, "But I suppose you're right. Let's do that and see. I'd rather have a plan first but maybe I overreacted. Starting to feel like this place is closing in on me, on all of us. We need to get stuff done and get out, go back to the surface," she hummed, "I still don't like any of this. We keep going further and further into this crap and it's like there's no light at the end of the tunnel."

"We will find a way to make it all work, I promise," Russel offered the Captain a calm, kind smile. His expression was almost too calm. The kind my iabuelo/i had when me and iabuela/i were stressing over a holiday dinner and last minute shopping while he already had his snacks prepared and his presents wrapped. Usually, that expression helped me keep my shit together in stressful moments, but something about the almost preternatural calm in Russel's behavior made me concerned.

"Do you know something we don't?" Panam squinted at him. I guess his expression didn't work on her the same way.

"I know as much as you do," he replied and took off his glasses to clean them before looking up, "And I feel that in order to give a bit of credence to the title bestowed upon me by the academia, I feel I should fill the gaps in my understanding," my mentor was in bgo mode/b and I wanted to cheer for him so bad in that moment.

"Fine, let's go. I'm tired of games, so the quicker, the better," Panam ordered.

V and I quickly changed from our diving gear to regular clothes and followed the rest back to A1. I could tell that she was still tense from the exchange I had with Panam because she kept glancing at the Captain with a squint, as if trying to anticipate any signs of an upcoming confrontation. Fortunately, our group seemed to settle and after a quick trip we found ourselves back in the server room.

"Anaxagoras? Are you still around here, somewhere?" I called out, immediately feeling awkward for treating the AI that way. Of course it was present.

"Reset performed successfully. Please proceed to A1 to appoint a new supervisor and finish the merging process," the voice from beyond stated again, its tone and content completely unchanged.

"That does not quite answer my question. Might I make a separate query?" Russel persisted.

"Oh, hello. Yes. Go ahead? No one usually does that, they just appoint first and give commands later…`` The AI recovered from its confusion after a moment and adapted its conversational pattern.

"Can you elaborate about the process of merging? What exactly does it entail?"

"An excellent question, thank you. It is quite a simple process. It requires the person who is to become the appointed supervisor to allow me continuous access to their biomechanical systems through a special chamber that is available here. The chamber sustains all necessary bodily functions while allowing for an efficient flow of information and improved decision making."

"Holy shit…" Carol mumbled, shaking her head, trying to pick up her jaw at the revelation. Panam shot her a look, "Am I understanding this correctly? You literally have to merge with the computer and go into some kind of a life-sustaining chamber?"

"Affirmative," Anaxagoras replied with a cheery voice.

"Fuck that. Let's just blow it up," the Captain raised both her hands, "I'm not leaving anyone in this place. It's not a decision I can make."

"Fortunately, you do not have to," Russel offered her a warm smile. My heart sank as the reason for his weird calmness finally became clear to me. No. He wouldn't do that. I almost lost my mentor once before!

"Professor, please…" I began to walk up to him, my voice shaking.

"It's quite alright, Judy. I've thought about this," he smiled at me and nodded.

"What…? Are you really considering that? Come on, you don't even know what it'll do to you… What you'll do to us once you're merged with this derpy-ass AI," Panam shook her head and waved her hand dismissively.

"We came here for a reason. And all due respect, if this lab was so dangerous, so capable of stimulating war and ending the world, some corporate bonzo would have already made great use of it, I imagine," Russel replied.

"We still don't know what it'll do to you! You'd be stuck here, with an AI connected to your body, to your brain!" I tried to bring in some logical arguments as well.

"It'll merge with my systems, just as I will with its systems, yes. Anaxagoras has been dormant for quite some time, and the creations of the lab were neither organized nor properly controlled. The files and projects contained here are still dangerous if misused, and we have all agreed that they must be destroyed."

"How can we be sure that you will do that and some kind of corporate loyalty program won't suddenly kick into your synapses?" Panam challenged.

"We can't, but let's at least try. You all will go back to the submarine and I will wait for your signal. Eumolpe will open the door for you and I will begin the merging process…" Russel began to present his plan.

"You can't… please. This is crazy, Professor!" I shook my head and grabbed him by the shoulders to try and shake the idea away from his mind.

"It's not as crazy as it seems, dr Álvarez," he looked at me and place his hands on my arms briefly to give me a reassuring squeeze before taking a step back, "I've been a part of this, it was a failing of my youth to sell my time and attention to a corporation. This… This is my chance to make things right. To do something more responsible, hopefully."

"Right, save me the sob story, Russel. We get on the ship, you merge, and then what?" Panam frowned. She wasn't happy with him trying it either, but she was willing to listen.

"Then I will inform you about my status, erase the files and… make sure this place retains its ability to keep the oceanic flora thriving, while ceasing all activities related to genetic splicing and building creatures should never exist," he explained, his voice clear and confident.

"But what about projects? What about research expeditions? What about the grants and the summer semester?" My questions seemed inane, but at that moment, I was trying to remind my mentor that he did indeed have a life back in Night City and we were partners in research.

"The team has to be rebuilt after the pirate raid. We've lost some really bright minds. I should have planned better, perhaps chose a different route. I think it's high time that someone younger with fresh and bold ideas takes over the department in my place."

"No… this is not how I imagined you retiring. Really, Russel, you can't just leave me with all this. How will I even explain this to the department?" I felt my voice breaking. Even V's arm around me didn't help me calm down completely.

"Tell them the truth, but skip the more exciting parts. Tell them the sea took me. They will find some kind of odd irony in that and give me a goodbye ceremony, and then things will just go their way. Professors come and go, but it's the spirit of learning and discovery that remains. And I have faith in your spirit, dr Álvarez," Russel smiled, as if he was completely at ease with his fate. I still couldn't believe it. That wasn't what I wanted. Even though I understood, I still didn't agree with him one bit.

"Why are you making Joodee sad?" V frowned at him. I was glad to at least have her on my side when it came to that shitshow.

Russel sighed, taking a moment to gather his words before he looked up at V and slowly put his hand on her shoulder, "I need to help our friends. I guess Judy is going to miss me."

"We said no leaving anyone behind!" V protested.

"I will be with you. In memories. I am Judy's past. You are her future, V. You two will do just fine together," Russel smiled again. He was at peace with this. How could he be? "Anaxagoras, are you cleared to elaborate on how the merging might affect my decision making process?"

"My computing capacity will improve its efficiency and I will be able to calculate and design all that is asked of me. Executive function will remain solely in the mind of the supervisor," the AI informed us. For some reason, it didn't comfort me at all.

After a moment filled with sighs and mumbling, Anaxagoras chimed again, "I thought it had been obvious. I can't make decisions without a human supervisor, why would I be capable of controlling them? That's highly unethical," he almost sounded offended.

I wanted to laugh, cry, and take a fucking baseball bat to these servers. Wouldn't that just fix the problem, all the same? "Let's just break everything here," I grinned at Panam. Something about her reaction told me she found my idea unsettling. Maybe it was just my expression.

"Judy, what about the information pertaining to wildlife maintenance?" Russel shook his head, "And the spear? And the medical facilities for Takemura? There's too much at risk! Let me do this. For me. For the sins of my youth. I need this, Judy, and I need you to show me you can let go and move further. You survived on the island without me. You thought I was dead. And now you will know for sure that I am fine."

He kept talking, and with his words, more and more tears rolled down my cheeks in an act of emotional rebellion. Deep down I knew he was right. I had V. I had plenty of research ideas. I had lost Tom and Roxy… but I would finish their projects. I would refuse to sink.

"Fine," I nodded, sniffling, "But I'm not leaving until I can see you're okay here."

"Oh for fuck's sake…" Panam groaned, "What happened to moving to a safe distance and waiting for a message?"

"You heard the AI. Russel will have full executive control. And we can't just forget Takemura," I reminded.

"I don't want to endanger my people but at the same time, I see what you mean here," she admitted, though her frown was enough for me to realize that she wasn't convinced.

"How about you guys take some distance and leave Takemura here with us so Russel can help him and we'll join you once everything's in place?" I suggested.

"And if it isn't?"

"Then we're shit out of luck, but at least you're safe," I gestured to the group of nomads. It was a big assumption to make on behalf of V but I was pretty sure she had my back in that regard.

Russel combed through his hair and exhaled slowly, "I have faith in the deal that Anaxagoras is offering. I want to believe I'm doing the right thing but at the same time I do not wish to put anyone in danger."

The Captain shook her head and gestured at the Professor, "You taught our kids, Russel! And you did great. We can't just delta while you're doing this. We'll be fine. We won't forget you. And we will stand by you until this deal is done," Panam decided. We exchanged a brief look. I didn't say anything but the Captain's change of heart brought me comfort. With V and the nomads at my side, I felt a bit more ready for what was to come.

"It is decided, then, good. We shouldn't waste any more time deliberating and get to it," my mentor turned towards the end of the room where the terminal stood, "Anaxagoras, please unlock the merging chamber, I would like to begin the procedure."

My hand found V's and gripped it tightly as we held our collective breath. A tank with a circular base, similar to those we found the fish person in, lit up at the left side of the room and opened with a hiss. The glass was frosted, except for a square that I guessed would be at the face level. I wasn't quite sure why that would be necessary, but perhaps it was a direct way of monitoring the supervisor's life functions.

"How will you stay alive inside that thing?" I walked up closer to see what the amenities were going to be.

"All necessary nutrients will be delivered intravenously, and any cell deterioration will be repaired through the means available at the facility."

"That sounds… Acceptable," Russel nodded after clearing his throat, "I won't have to worry about getting lunch."

"Wait… so he'll be gradually turning into some kind of a cyborg?" I blinked. Wasn't this a fate worse than death?

"His cerebral efficiency will improve, and the unnecessary, unused organs will have atrophied, I imagine," the AI replied with painful directness.

I didn't want to think of Russel as some kind of a robotized husk. I wanted to remember him as Professor Okereke of Night City University, specialist in oceanic marine biology and adaptive neuroprogramming of wildlife implants, my mentor. I was going to make sure his legacy would be secured. Keep the spirit going, just like he said.

"Do I need to wear anything in particular for this?" Russel wondered, "Can I just stay in my clothes?"

"You might feel a bit of discomfort at first but as the tank is filled with fluid, it should cease to bother you and remain at a pleasant temperature for as long as you mind it. May I say, I am looking forward to having a supervisor. It has been mighty lonely here without one," Anaxagoras sighed.

Russel stepped into the chamber and gave me a nod, "I'm ready," he proclaimed.

"I am sensing more organic lifeforms in A1. The room has to be decontaminated using substances that are harmful to carbon based life forms. I will begin the procedure once the person in the chamber is the only humanoid in here."

That was it. I was never going to see Russel's comforting smile or see him clean his glasses right before he had a brilliant thought to share. It was time.

"I'll be okay," he reassured us but kept looking at me directly, "You will all do great, too. I'll contact you soon and we'll proceed with our mission."

I felt V's hand on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze before she pulled me away and led me outside A1 and into the hallway, "Come on, Joodee. Can't stay here," I let her guide me. I couldn't have done it on my own, but at that point I lacked the energy to fight. Out of respect for my mentor, I decided to accept his sacrifice.

"Thank you for vacating A1. I will now begin the merger procedure. Please stand by," Anaxagoras chimed as the door to the server room closed. V moved her hand from my shoulder to lace our fingers and at the same time I felt another squeeze on my other arm. It was Panam. I wasn't sure whether she did it to support V in case I ran to the door and tried to claw at it to get Russel out or just to show her support, but it didn't matter. The decontamination procedure began and the small glass pane on the door was covered with some kind of pinkish gas from the inside for a few moments. Then came the silence, long and uncomfortable enough to let me hear my galloping heartbeat.

"Merging procedure successful. I am delighted to present the new supervisor of this facility, Professor Russel Okereke!" Anaxagoras chimed with pride and joy, "Please refrain from applause that may exceed 120 decibels, as it may negatively influence your well-being as well as work performance."

The door to A1 opened again and another voice called out, a much more familiar one, "Judy, V, Panam, noble nomads. I'm well, just a bit… more static, I suppose," Russel chuckled through the same PA system that the AI had been using.

"Are you okay?" I asked, squeezing V's hand even harder.

"My back pain is gone, so that's nice," he joked, "I am fine, yes. At first it felt a bit cold, but I can assure you that it's me. Just upgraded, I suppose. Anaxagoras has some interesting data here. If you come to the terminal in A1, we'll delete all the ghastly, military related files," he invited us to return. It wasn't going to be a horrible trap, I hoped, "Let me and V go in, we'll be right back, you guys can stay here just in case," I said quietly to the Captain.

"I can hear you, you know, but judging by your state, I think I understand that paranoia. Please, come on in," Russel repeated his invitation.

"You know, professors and AIs sound dangerously alike when you hear them side by side like that," Panam chuckled and infected all of us with a bit of much needed laughter.

We returned to the room to find the terminal active and awaiting our further input. There was no need to put in any sort of credentials, I assumed that Russel had it unlocked for us. I began browsing through the files. The database was huge but well organized, probably thanks to Anaxagoras' logical circuits. I remembered my unfortunate initial scan of V's cyberware… Project Atlantis was the name that came up there. It was ridiculous but easy to remember. I decided to make a query for it and it actually yielded a result.

"Ah, you've found it, good. I'll cross-reference it with any related files and delete anything that could be used for corporate wars and harming others," Russel assured us, "Panam… now that I have access to the medical lab, could you make sure our friend Goro Takemura is brought there, so I can make sure he survives?"

"Yeah… You probably have a better chance at stitching him together than us, seeing as we have to get back to the Atlahua proper to help him. I'll send people over to get him. Seems we're safer now than we were… Still kinda weird."

"I know. Takes a moment to get used to. I think I might have an idea on how to help him," Russel replied, a smile was somehow audible in his voice. He was still human enough.

While the Takemura was being moved from the submarine to the medical lab, I worked together with Russel on purging the lab's databases from all kinds of files that would allow for militarizing or too much splicing in the genes of creatures that absolutely did not need them, at least not in order to survive. V was at my side, assisting me with the process, and I kept explaining folders and files to her. She listened with great interest, coming up with interesting comparisons, like jars in a cupboard, for example. I couldn't help but smile at the fond memory of the frog jar and our little mistake. A very passionate mistake, as it turned out. One of my favorite ones, if I were to pick…

Knowing we were destroying the research gave me a sense of peace. I only wished that Takemura was conscious and present to see it, but there was no time to wait for him and stand on ceremony, as much as the seasoned samurai would have loved it. Progress bars, like green digital ribbons, flew from zero to completion on the screen for separate files, advancing the process of deletion one by one. I wanted to feel proud and satisfied. That was it - we gained access and we were doing what we came to the facility for… but knowing what the cost was left me with an odd feeling.

Russel was still there, conscious and speaking to us, but he had already sacrificed himself. I glanced towards the tank he had stepped into. Was that really how I wanted to remember him? Would his face even display any emotion, would he look asleep? My curiosity took the better of me and I did take a look. He looked very calm and there was a smile playing on his face and his eyes were closed, almost as if he were daydreaming.

"There's one more thing I wanted to discuss with you," he spoke and I immediately turned my attention back to the terminal, "The spear."

"Right… that thing. What is it? Have you found any more detailed records about it?"

"I did… The previous supervisor kept a voice log of his findings. I haven't listened to it yet, but perhaps we should do that together, gain a bit of insight into that object," the Professor suggested.

I looked at V. It was just the two of us in the server room. She smiled at me, "I want to know, sure."

"Alright. Can you play them, but just so we three can hear?" I asked.

"I doubt there's anything too weird there but as you wish, let's keep it a bit more private."

The previous supervisor sounded… tired. The first long about the spear was his 4719th entry, so either he was incredibly meticulous or bored.

"Only a few hybrids returned front the retrieval mission. Many went offline, but their biomon status was green before it happened so either something big and unexpected killed them, or the network failed again and I lost them," he sighed in exasperation, "I tried to analyze the object, but none of the material samples I have in the database match it. I checked it under different spectrums and it seems to radiate some kind of an energy. Not harmful to organics, quite the contrary. Ever since it got here, I saw increased activity in the algae surrounding the facility. I wonder whether the object could somehow stimulate their growth…"

It didn't answer all the questions I had, but it told me enough.

"I told you. It makes you feel the sea better," V shrugged. To her, it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"It also makes the sea feel better," I quipped, "Plants for sure."

"Which brings me to an idea I wanted to share with you. I suppose it would have to be discussed with Panam and the nomads as well… But since the spear is what stimulates plant growth and makes the oceanic life thrive, it would be a waste to only keep it in one place. Many damaged areas could be revitalized with it.

"And you want Panam and her people to do that?"

"If their travels take them to various places. And if they want to take up that mantle, of course. They won't have to take unnecessary risks. That is, if my calculations and execution of a recovery process are correct…"

"Wait, you're running a recovery as we speak? Takemura?!" I gasped.

"I'm running sixteen processes in parallel, to be completely fair with you. It takes some time getting used to, but it's immensely satisfying from the intellectual point of view, I have to admit. And yes… Takemura."

"Is he going to make it?" I felt my heart move to my throat. From where I was standing when he got stabbed by the Evil Twin, it really wasn't looking good.

"He is, yes. He has made it, actually. The reconstruction process is almost complete and his vitals are looking good."

"What exactly is happening to him…?" I tilted my head to the side as I glanced in the direction of Russel's tank. Talking to his disembodied voice still felt unnatural to me. It wasn't something I could just switch in my head.

"The damage to his spine was severe. I had to make some adjustments. But I think he'll appreciate his new freedom. His biomon went dark for long enough for his company to set his implants offline…" Of course, fucking corpos would not give anyone a chance at surviving for longer than it was cost-efficient for them.

"What kind of adjustments are we talking about?" I didn't want to doubt my mentor's decision, but if he did something stupid, I would not hesitate to challenge him on that.

"I used some of the designs here, though demilitarized. He's going to have more mobility in deep sea and on the surface as well," Russel replied and my brows shot up. My holo lit up with Panam's icon and I picked up.

"Captain?"

"Judy, you're not gonna fucking believe this… Takemura's back up."

"Go on…" I tried to remain calm, even though I already had a bit of a spoiler from Russel.

"He's a fucking… what do you call them… manly-mermaid."

"Triton?" I offered, putting my hand over my mouth.

"That's the one. His back and legs were beyond saving but… I mean he looks kinda good… We'll be there soon. How's the file deletion going?"

"It's done. And Russel's got a proposal for you all."

"Dare I ask?" Panam hid her curiosity behind a mask of skepticism.

"You should come and hear him out," I replied, "See you in a bit," we disconnected and waited for the nomads to join us. They soon did, with Panam at the helm, Mitch and Carol close behind them. I can't say I was prepared to see Goro, though.

He was indeed what would be called a triton in mythology, with a fish-like bottom part of his body, slithering along the floor much like Eumolpe and the other mermaids did. His chest was bare, showing off muscles sculpted through years of training and goodness knows what corporate spy work he had to do. Instead of his usual tight manbun, his hair was loose, reaching his shoulders in straight strands of salt and pepper. Honestly, he looked like something out of a third class romance story, at least in his upper half. The lower half was more along the lines of a Jig Jig Street blind bargain bin. I didn't really wanna think about it any further.

"Goro!" V beamed at him and rushed to embrace him, "You're okay!"

He gave her a few careful pats on the back, "V, thank you. I live, yes, but this will take some time getting used to…" they moved away from each oth

"It'll be like riding a bike, I'm sure. Except you kinda never will again," Panam commented, then frowned, shaking her head as her words backfired.

"How are you feeling?" With Eumolpe and the other mermaids, they were just… creatures to me. Somehow, I assumed that they were created that way. I hoped they were. At that moment, I was face to face with a person, someone I knew, reconstructed as a merman.

"Oddly well. I had thought my end was at hand, dishonorable as it was, but here I am again. I feel… free," he admitted, visibly baffled by that discovery.

"Whatever links you had to your company have been severed the moment your biomon became critical," Russel informed our old-new triton friend, "It means that you are no longer conditioned to follow their directives. I can tell you that your original mission has been a success. We've deleted all the research pertaining to cyberpsycho mermaids and their derivatives. I did save some of the calculations on splicing to help you because… Well, this is where we come to the proposal I had," Russel paused before he explained further., sharing the idea of spreading the spear's uncanny properties all over the world.

Panam kept her arms crossed as she listened, nodding in acknowledgement but without any decision coming from her yet.

Takemura stood with his back straight, now taller than any of us, almost like a statue. His demeanor was calm and respectful, as usual, and he pondered his stance without haste.

"I realise that this is indeed a lot to ask… But I see it as a chance. Revitalising the oceans would bring a lot of good into the world. Feed more people in small communities through sustainable fishing, make them less dependent on corporate chains of grocery stores, for example," the Professor's argument was excellent. I knew the nomads were good people but I also knew they had their struggles.

"And my role would be to be the link between the sea and the nomads. Between you and them?" Takemura reiterated, "Indeed. You would also be of great help in communicating with Judy and V, should you wish to do that for me. I can't quite reach them from this depth once they're back home but… you could."

"If the Captain agrees, I will help. This is my fate and I am now like the yōkai I had witnessed. My path has led me here, I accept, Okereke-hanase," Goro bowed his head to the Captain, then towards the tank Russel was suspended in.

"I am deeply honoured by your declaration, Takemura-san. Captain Palmer, please take as long as you need. This is a huge decision," the new supervisor's voice, though disembodied, was as gentle and calm as ever.

"I'll take the deal. I need to see some kind of profit from it to keep my people fed and clothed but I can see it working. From the depths up. Maybe we can make something work on this shitty planet, yet," Panam replied almost immediately. A murmur of agreement echoed from the nomads behind her, "So what's the plan for now?"

"Now you should go back to the surface, get some rest, tend to Scorpion. I will see what area could use our attention first and then contact you through Takemura. It would be unfair to taks you with something at once, after this entire ordeal…"

"I appreciate it," Panam nodded, "Not having to stay so deep will be nice, no offense but this place still makes me nervous."

"I think I understand… I'll work on removing the spliced specimens that were held in stasis. It's the least I can do. I also took the liberty of synthesising some superior quality trauma packs for you to use and recover from this expedition. Eumolpe will deliver them in a moment, if you don't mind helping me a bit, V."

"Oh… don't mind," V nodded and tilted her head to the side for a moment as her eyes lit up in green, "Oh, hi Russel! Now we're both friends with her!"

"What about me?" Takemura asked.

"If you don't mind, I would love to ask your help here in the lab for the time being. Certain systems need maintenance, I need to get used to things…" Russel sighed.

"Very well," Goro nodded.

"I'm glad we're all agreed. Now, don't let me keep you here. Go get some fresh air, kiddos," Russel chuckled in his disembodied voice.

On our way back to the Atlahua, I kept asking myself the same questions over and over. Was this really going to work? I hoped so. I wanted to believe it with my entire heart. The plan was good, idealistic maybe, but so were all of us present, if I were to be honest. The nomads taught me that there were still enclaves of the world where kindness and integrity were the only currency you needed. V showed me that there was still purity in the world. We were all just a bunch of fools who thought they could make the world a better place, just by being a little bit kinder to one another instead of just wanting more things. As we neared the surface and the light of day became brighter, so did home in my heart. I gave V's hand a squeeze and we exchanged a warm, affectionate smile.

We were going home.

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End note: As much as I realise that I could easily fit in a few chapters of banter, smut, and what not into saVage, I felt like certain themes and conversations would feel recycled and overstay their welcome. I left it to the readers' imagination to think about the resurfacing, the return, and everything related to that. I will tell you that the epilogue will contain a time skip, so hopefully some of the gaps in the provided information will be filled in a satisfactory manner. SaVage is a milestone in my life. The first story I wrote (sometimes even planned) from start to finish, with some semblance of plot, characters and their development (hopefully) as well as semi-coherent parts that form a whole.

For most of my life I had known I wanted to write, I dreamed of being a writer. And now, that I have living proof that I am indeed capable of finishing a project… perhaps I will finally move on to one of the original ideas I have. But before that can happen - the epilogue awaits.