-RECORDING 10-
"Sis, what're we going to do now?"
Apparently, we found a way to go into the seabeds facility via portal. Unfortunately, knowing how portals operate, Pioneer 2 inhabitants know about the portal being operational the moment it started operating. As for this new location, this was where Mr. Flowen had gone to before he was mutated and merged with the AI named Olga. It was frightening to think about how an Organic and Inorganic could merge like that. D-Factor has to be a fairly potent pathogen to do such a thing.
"Sis, what're these things?"
Calai was looking through the glass of a tunnel we were going through. There were things moving about in the water. "When comparing the creatures, the closest description would be according to the old archives. According to Corallean lore, those things are called 'fish.'"
"Fish, huh?" She folded her arms and processed data for a while. "Since 'fish' are old lore, I wonder if..." Her voice trailed away. I stayed quiet as she was processing something, but when she looked at me, she smiled and said, "Oh. Don't mind me. Just thinking out loud."
I nodded and continued deeper into the facility. However, there were numerous blockages due to breaches to the hull of the facility. Whatever managed to puncture openings to the hull had to be strong. These metals are meant to withstand even head-on collisions against asteroids. It makes one wonder what really travels in these waters. Maybe more crustaceans such as De Rol Le or Barba Ray would be a safe guess. However, who knew what were traveling in these waters. There were not that much investigations in the aquatic life.
After a while, we were faced against a dead end with a locked door to greet us. The door was cold, and did not sound hollow when Calai knocked on it. That only meant one thing: a flooded room. We did not even bother to investigate further and turned around for another route to take. Staying in these facilities for a long while would not be beneficial at all. For sure, the cameras can be hacked by someone onboard Pioneer 2 and we will be spotted in no time. There was no time to waste. There had to be a portal somewhere that led to other locations than the dam at the Gal Da Val Islands.
"This is odd."
I looked over to find Calai kneeling down and investigating something on the floor. Interesting. A foreign contaminant. It had a color of cyanic-green. Calai touched it and sensors indicated a toxic substance.
"Altered Beast blood," Calai assessed. "The amount of coagulation indicates... Huh? Wait...!" She glanced around. "Where's the body?"
We looked all about us. Calai was still crouched down when something dripped on her. I looked up to find...
"Calai, move!"
Calai dove away from her location as an odd blood stain descended and a loud clank resounded from where she stood. However, it did not only resound in just one location but all about the square room! Invisible units... Sensors indicate four targets. We heard noises and especially an odd sound of portal distortion. Sensors indicate... Behind me? I only had enough time to find a transparent, massive, blue humanoid security drone absorb the heat in front of it! Suddenly, I was tackled aside when ice photons sprayed out from the drone! Sinow-type model-ZOA. It has decent maneuverability when considering its size and has the ability to freeze objects in a fashion similar to Gibarta: an ice technique that fans out and freezes enemies up to 45-degrees in the front arc. It also has the ability to cloak itself into a perfect camouflage and make short-range teleports.
I was then lifted up to my feet and shoved aside. "Keep your ears and eyes open, Sis! Cover me!" She then equipped her Twin Gatlings-a red-photon machinegun-type weapon-and began peppering the room in the general locations of the enemies. Whenever a photon bolt struck a Sinow unit, a brief moment of their perfect camouflage distorts, allowing me to discover their exact locations and sizes. I armed the Laser that we scavenged off the RAcast earlier and began firing upon every Sinow I could see. I cannot see them otherwise... The Sinow units kept trying to freeze Calai but she was always too swift for them, especially since their preparation time for their ice attacks were too long. Can there be a more simple way to find them?
"Sis!"
I looked over to Calai, seeing her toss a trap up from where she stood. I took my aim at it as she ran from her location and fired when she was at a safe distance from the Sinow units. In an instant, the room blazed! The heat in the room intensified, having the ice particles melt and condense onto the Sinow. Genius, Calai! Since the enemies could be seen, it immediately became a shooting gallery. The only worry we had were when they tended to want to do sucker punches when they teleported behind us or when they wanted to lunge at us and do a double fist hammer. Their attacks were so projected that it was easy to dodge every time. Easy... Too easy!
Suddenly, an odd roar resounded. Then came stomping! Calai managed to barely dodge out of the way of a charging canine-type enemy! It knocked over one Sinow unit and began mauling it, ripping it and and scrapping it until it was unrecognizable. No way... No way! I thought D-Cellular creatures were extinct on the surface! What is going on here?
The canine creature is a feared D-Cellular creature known as a Delbiter. It has wolf-like capabilities but they are often found excluded from other Delbiters, probably because of their tendency of divide and conquer. To make matters worse, it has such a fearsome roar that tremors the mind of even the strongest Organics to go into a panic. If that was not enough, it also has the ability to absorb light and shoot it in a massive concentrated beam like De Rol Le. It is odd though, since De Rol Le is considered to have Altered Beast attributes.
The Sinow units then prioritized on the Delbiter. One of the three lunged forward but the Delbiter charged at it, knocking it down mid-air. One of the Sinow units then managed to cast its freezing attack on it but the Delbiter roared, shattering the ice particles that clung onto it.
Calai then patted my arm and signaled that we should escape from the scene. She led the way to a door but a Sinow unit crashed against it, causing a massive dent that had it go into an emergency lock mode. Then, an alarm resounded.
"Caution: outbreak detected. Please escape or secure the substance in five minutes. Caution: outbreak detected."
Assuming this seabeds facility is similar to the laboratories in Pioneer 2, there were escape pods that ejected the individual out of the section to be recovered by the Pioneer Police. As for the "substance," if the outbreak continued, the room is quarantined, and the means of elimination varied by the facility section. Knowing how the laboratories are like, we immediately turned our attention to the Delbiter. All the doors about us were locked, and the only way to clear the room was to eliminate whatever the "outbreak" was. It did not seem like there were escape pods installed as well. In this case, we had to secure the Delbiter.
So, it was a battle among three parties: the Delbiter vs. Sinow Zoa vs. us. The Delbiter was the highest priority and the Sinows can come later. Apparently, the Sinows understood priorities as well and continued to attack the Delbiter, pelting it with fists and continuous attempts to freeze it. Whenever it broke out its frozen state, Calai and I continued to fire upon it. Whenever we hit it, the fragments of its body dissolve into dust. It did not matter where we hit it. It just had to die.
Suddenly, it gave off a louder roar than before. Shortages of fuming photons coursed around on its body. The Sinows continued their freezing onslaught but it did not seem the freezes took effect. The Delbiter lunged at one, knocking it over as it pounced off and landed on the other. As it was fuming what seemed to be purple blood from its mouth, it fired its concentrated beam onto the head of the Sinow, immediately eliminating all function from it. The last Sinow, although heavily damaged, lunged forward for its double fist hammer attack but the Delbiter shifted forward onto its anterior feet and kicked back with its posterior pair, immediately bashing the hardware board out and knocking an arm off.
"Stop it..."
I looked to my side. Calai seemed to lack in energy. She was panting heavily. Her legs were jittery. Her lens were wide. Something was wrong. The Delbiter then turned to us, blood dripping as photons shorted throughout its body. It kicked at the floor and then roared at us. I raised the Laser and fired but my aim was far off target. In fact, it was not even close at all! I tried to aim again but I soon realized that my arms were shaking. Then, it was my legs. No... The myths about it were true. Its roars affected even us CASTs! My body refused to move. Why? Why was this happening!?
"Hey, forgot about me?"
I looked over my right shoulder to find Lucky next to me. Indeed, I completely forgot about him.
"Well, that kind of hurts. Anyway, say this with me. Ready?" I could barely move even my neck, but it seemed he understood.
"Oh heavenly nemisis, calleth thy aquatic constellation to rend thine enemies through. Estlla!"
Out from under me expanded what seemed to be the pioneer symbol, a massive circle with a triangle inside, the corners wrapped with smaller circles. There were odd, unfamiliar letters that hugged the outer frame. My arm raised up when an unknown type of photon shined brightly above me. Then, as my arm lowered to level with my chest, a fish-like creature flipped through the air and leveled next to me. The moment I pointed at the Delbiter, it gave a loud squeal that resonated through my body. The Delbiter roared back and lunged at me when the creature launched itself at a blinding speed. A massive burst of photons devastated the scene, annihilating the Delbiter into nothingness. Not a particle was left.
The scenery returned to its former appearance, excluding any trace of the Delbiter. I do not recall how the surroundings looked like during what seemed to be an episode of a latent energy blast except for the enemy and me being in the same presence. It was like the whole world was spinning... Wait... What is...?
-ACTIVATING HIBERNATION MODE-
...
...
"Sis?"
...
"Sis,
...
when you
...
...
...
I will be better
...
than what a sister can be.
...
Until then
...
...
...
"Fortuna?"
"Yes, Daddy?"
"Are you sure about this?"
"More sure than anything. This is for her."
...
...
...
...
...
FORTUNA
COME
FIND
FORTUNA
...
-ACTIVATING START-UP PROGRAMS-
"Sis... I'm really full. I can't take one more..."
My lenses saw immediately a face looming over me. I stared into a blank face, one without vitality. In fact, she was resting. We were still alive and still in the room where we were ambushed by the Sinow units and the Delbiter. Sensors indicated that I was resting on something soft and firm. To be frank, I do not know why I cannot sense anything physically. Only sensors indicate but I cannot "feel." My I raised my hand to feel my face. Indeed. I cannot feel anything. I do not know how I still operate normally. Am I really an just an Android?
"Unhh... Huh? Oh... Sis?"
Little did I notice, I had a hand against her face. Just when I was about to pull away, I noticed Calai smile and shut her lenses as she leaned a little onto my outstretched hand. Her hand felt against mine... No. I cannot feel anything. I cannot feel anything! I threw myself upright and clasped my head, digging my fingers into my cranial shell. I still cannot feel anything... What is wrong with me? When did this happen? Why did this happen?
"Sis! What's wrong?"
"I cannot feel anything!"
My voice... It was unlike me. I was screaming; thrashing with my hands pulling at my hair. Nothing... Nothing! Why is this happening?
"Sis, you can't...?"
I did not know she was hugging me from behind. When I saw her arms around me, I just had to turn and embrace her myself. "I can't feel anything! I don't know...! Calai! Calai, help me!"
Pressed me away and pulled a chord out from under her left auditory sensor. A direct link? Wait... This seems familiar somehow.
"Whatever you do," Calai said as she pressed me against the wall and down to sit, "do not start putting barriers. I need to check all sections of your mind for errors and possibly fix them. If you feel one activating, let me know. I'll stop."
Calai was over my lap, preventing me from moving. This is one of the more awkward moments due to the cord being so short. She has to move very close to have it connect to under my right ear. Sitting side-by-side has shown to cause problems due to one of the bodies "sleep walking."
"Sis."
I broke out of my thoughts and looked up to her, seeing her watching me.
"Can I...? uh..." She looked away. "I'll need to be against you for this. You know the procedure."
Her evident shyness made me look away as well. There was a sense of reluctance inside me. I remember the last time we did this. It was the only other time because of how Daddy heavily emphasized that we should not ever do this unless truly necessary. We hugged ourselves. We embraced hands. We pressed foreheads. The cord was dangling from between our auditory sensors. That other time... I do not remember correctly what happened. All I know is that we did this before and we declared that we should not ever do it again.
"Are you ready?" Calai whispered to me.
The cord from my left was connected to her right. A direct link application was processing. Calai... Sometimes, I wonder why we are the way we are. We are both Androids. How come we are so different?
-CONNECTION BOOTING-
-TEMPORARILY STOPPING ALL UNNECESSARY PROGRAMS-
-INITIATING VIRTUAL REALITY FIELD-