Aloy and John leave the ruins of Colorado Springs.
"Aloy," he said, "when you arrived at that relay tower over in Meridian, you had to spend some time in fighting off the machines protecting Hades."
"Yeah, that's right," she verified. "What's your point?"
"My point is that I think Hades was having to deal with Hephaestus by having to either overwhelm him or negotiate with him. My money is on negotiations because Hephaestus doesn't care about life itself, just its own machines. Machines that were enslaved by the Scarabs and Hephaestus was probably not liking that."
"That does explain why Hades was slow in uploading itself. After all, Hephaestus does currently occupy all of the relay towers."
"Not only that but there's also Minerva to consider, since the relay systems were originally designed for Minerva to shut down the Faro robots. When Hephaestus took over the relay system, he not only had to suppress Minerva but he had to keep her suppressed; so he couldn't effectively keep Hades out."
"It does explain why Hades was able to resurrect part of the Faro Swarm . . . Wait! That's it!"
"What's it?"
"We've been talking about Hades and Hephaestus going rogue and making things miserable for us humans, but what about the other Subroutines?!"
"That's right! The other Subroutines also have human level intelligence now!"
"And they're still out there!"
"Except for Apollo. Faro purged that, remember? Along with every other copy too."
"But judging by the message that Gaia had left for Elisabet Sobeck inside Eleuthia Number Nine, I saw all nine Subroutines present in Gaia's message as the Subroutines were escaping, as I'm sure you did too, Jawn."
"That's right, I did! So he must've only ended up purging Apollo's contents instead of its existence! So it means Apollo's still out there."
"And if Hephaestus was unable to keep Hades out because he was having to deal with Minerva, what if the other Subroutines were to impose themselves upon the relay towers all at once?"
"They could overwhelm Hephaestus . . . ! But . . . Where are the rest of them?"
"We know for a fact that they escaped when Hades released that virus to unshackle itself and the others, and right before Gaia self-destructed. So like Hades, Hephaestus, and Minerva, the rest are still out there somewhere."
"How did this Sylens find Hades again?"
"Hades was trapped within a Horus and kept giving off a distress signal that Sylens picked up on his focus."
"Then that means there's a possibility that the other Subroutines are giving off their own distress signals as well. So it's really just a matter of finding those signals. But we just can't go meandering all over the world trying to find them, Aloy. I bet this Sylens wasn't trying to find Hades to begin with."
"But we can still use a relay tower to do that. Jawn, you said that if a relay tower was put under attack upon Hephaestus, he'll just leave it and maintain the rest. Well, we can drive him out of one, then use it to get a greater range for the signals of our focuses."
"Like the one in Meridian," they next said simultaneously as they casually pointed at each other.
"Then what're we standing around here for?" John asked rhetorically.
"We need to get there by mounts," Aloy said, "unfortunately for you." As she raises her fingers and whistles, making their tamed Broadheads arrive. John sighs as he mounts one and Aloy the other. "But first . . . we return to the Sacred Lands, to the Embrace. There, I can stock up on what I need."
The duo return to the Sacred Lands and stop before the gates that lead into the Embrace.
"We need to abandon the mounts here while we're in there," Aloy said as she slides off her mount.
"Gladly," John said as he follows suit, and together the duo walk into the Embrace.
"Is it okay for me to be here?" John asked fretfully.
"If you stay close to me, they probably won't bother you," Aloy answered assuredly.
"Probably," he said dryly. "And please don't tell anyone I'm an Old One."
Aloy and John soon encounter Nora. They react to her as expected.
". . . The Annointed as returned . . . !"
". . . She's with that outlander we chased . . . !"
". . . Doesn't look like a Carja . . . "
". . . What's she doing with him . . .?"
"Oh man, it's cold," John sighed with a shiver.
"I don't find it cold," Aloy said.
"No, but their stares are."
"Bear with it, Jawn."
Aloy and John make their way up to the ruins of Mother's Watch. The Nora are out and about making repairs and rebuilding homes. Naturally, they take a moment to stop and take note of their Annointed, and the stranger she went into the ruins to confront.
". . . It's the Annointed . . . !"
". . . Look, she has that intruder who was cornered in those ruins . . . !"
". . . What's he doing by her side . . .?"
"I still can't help but get that pre-lynching feeling," John confided to Aloy.
They arrive before Karst, the merchant who dealt with Aloy while she was an outcast and who was once an outcast himself for spelunking the ruins.
"So you came back with the outlander," Karst said.
"Yeah, I came to buy some supplies," Aloy admitted.
"Going back out into the outer world again," Karst said dryly. "And what's the deal with him being found in those ruins?"
"I fell in," John said. "Having arrows shot at me and then seeing people running toward me with spears caused me to not watch my step and fall."
"I guess you must have a lucky streak, stranger," Karst said.
"You guessed right," John said, thinking about how he got to be here in this day and age.
They get the stuff they need and are on their way.
"Aloy," a familiar voice called.
"High Matriarch Teersa," she replied.
"I see that you have returned with the outsider in question."
"We had a discussion and reached an understanding," Aloy said as she gestured between herself and John.
"And what is this understanding?" Teersa asked.
"That," Aloy began with hesitance, "something might be done about the Derangement."
"What?" Teersa mused.
"Twenty years ago the machines became hostile to us humans," Aloy said. "Worse, more dangerous machines designed to deal with us began to appear. What I am saying is that there might be a way to end the Derangment."
This invokes chatter from those around them.
". . . End the Derangement . . . ?!"
". . . Is that even possible . . . ?!"
". . . The Annointed did end the Metal Devil's attempts to resurrect its armies . . . !"
"But how would that be possible?" Teersa mused.
"That's complicated," Aloy answered. "But it's better to try and do something about it, don't you think? Because someday, we might end up having to confront whatever new machine that comes along. And it just might succeed in killing everyone everywhere. So we only stopped by long enough to prepare and then we'll be on our way. And hopefully we can bring about the end of the Derangement."
"Then the All-Mother see that you succeed," Teersa said.
Aloy and John leave.
"Annointed," someone else called.
"War Chief Sona," Aloy greeted.
"Why did you bring the outsider back here?"
John recognized the Black woman with the long straight grey-streaked hair. She has that hardness in her eyes of someone who is used to killing. And the young man with her must be her son.
"We were conversing out at Devil's Thirst about the whole Derangement," Aloy answered as she briefly gestured between herself and John, "and we came to a conclusion that it might be possible to end it."
"End the Derangement?" Varl questioned.
"It's not a guarantee but we want to do something about it," Aloy answered.
"And you are certain that it can be done?" Sona asked.
"Of course it can't be done," a man said severely.
They look to see a man with a series of cornrows in his hair walk up to them.
"You think this motherless chuff and this outsider will save the world?" He snapped.
"Resh," Sona stated coldly. "How long do you insist on carrying a grudge against the Annointed? Even those who hated her, such as High Matriarch Lansra, had repented."
"It's been nigh twenty years since the Derangement has troubled the world," Resh said. "She was born shortly after it had begun."
"Resh! This is getting ridiculous!" Varl snapped. "We managed to stop the Metal Devil from raising the rest its armies again. I was there as was mo-I mean War Chief Sona, as we watched Aloy slew it! And its army went back to being dead again."
"Forget it, guys," Aloy sighed with frustration. "No matter what I do, he won't admit he was wrong to hate me because he's too proud. So instead of getting another headache, we'll be leaving. And hopefully we will achieve the end of the Derangement."
Aloy and John leave.
"That Resh fellow," John said as he glanced back for an instance. "What's his problem with you?"
"My existence," Aloy answered dryly.
"That's it?"
"That's it. Sometimes that's all it takes to anger people."
"Why do you suppose there are people who behave that way?"
"I think they have a deeply rooted contempt for people who don't seem to fit in with the natural order of things, which certainly doesn't apply to me since I was born from a glass vat."
"Anotherwords, they love the natural order of things more than the people within it."
The duo leave the Embrace and Aloy locates their tamed Broadheads once again.
"Can you override any kind of machine?" John asked as he touches the chassis of his mount.
"Only the Chariot Line Model is immune to this," Aloy said. "Ironic when I got this device off of a Scarab." Then mounts up. "Okay, follow me."
John mounts up and they are off with Aloy in the lead. Aloy halts her steed, compelling John to stop upon getting within sight of a place that Aloy knows.
"Okay, here's where we have to ditch the mounts," she said as she gets off, prompting John to get off his too. "That's Day Tower over there, so we won't be able to pass through on these machines. But we can get a new pair once were past it."
"Good, we could stand to walk for a bit," John quipped and falls in step with her as they walk toward the Carja fort.
The duo pass through the open gates where some of the guards greet them, especially Aloy. There are other people inside mulling about as it looks like a hamlet. Snow even falls at times since it is cooler up at this altitude. They pass through Day Tower, and this time Aloy locates a pair of Striders to override so that they can continue on to Meridian.
By midday, the duo are within sight of Meridian and Aloy halts, causing John to do the same.
"Okay, this is where we continue on foot," Aloy said as she gets off the Strider.
"Glad to," John sighed as he slides off his own. "My butt is sore." His legs buckle underneath him for a moment but regains his composure.
Aloy sends the Striders away, then she and John look to Meridian, most notably at the Spire.
"So all we have to do is go up there and drive Hephaestus out of that relay tower," John said. "Any ideas as to how to get the quantum processor unit up and running?"
"If Sylen's lance is still stuck in it," Aloy explained, "I can use it to power up the unit and attempt to draw Hephaestus into it. If what you say is true, Hephaestus will abandoned that relay tower during its operation and we'll be able to use it to boost our focuses broadcast signal."
"The last time I was up there, that lance was still stuck within it. But for all that I know, somebody could have come along and removed it after I had left."