"I need you to tell me everything."
It was a simple statement, really, nothing more than a conglomeration of words. Yet, it hit Haido's gut harder than any sledgehammer, knocking the wind out of the human with a simple, irrefutable realization.
She knew.
Inwardly, there was no anger, no rage, not even sadness at this realization. He didn't feel much of anything, actually. Nothing could compare to the nightmare he'd just escaped from, and at this point, what the hell could faze him now?
…Well, he would be lying if he said this didn't faze him, at least a little bit. He knew he wasn't in the Metro anymore. He was free (for now). Safe, even. But was he actually, truly safe? An odd melancholy started to slip into his mind, a dull tension slowly building once again.
This wasn't the Metro, but he had to keep reminding himself that he wasn't out of the fire just yet. If he screwed this interrogation up, it's a worse fate than death for him. Being eaten by a frog or annihilated by an anomaly at least was quick (if not painless), but whatever this Vista woman could do to him could be so much worse; becoming a social pariah, or co- god forbid public enemy number one would mean… some unpleasant realities. After all, there was nowhere else to run.
At the same time though, compared to the past several days, this particular problem felt surprisingly tolerable, something he could solve, even. She wasn't some murderous frog, after all. She couldn't kill him, meaning he wasn't in any immediate danger.
In the long run though, this could make or break his future in the city.
Whiff this interrogation, and he'd be locked up for Cod knows how long, or dissected, or something. Whatever the case, they'd no doubt then find out about the rest at Polaris, and then…
At that particular realization, a sort of paralysis take hold. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face, his chest aching with nerves. His hands shook, unable to get a grip on anything. The unfortunate part of being well-rested and fed was that his fight-or-flight response had plenty of energy to draw from. He felt like a miniature sun, poised to explode.
For just a moment, he considered bluffing; something, anything to throw the Octoling woman off his trail, but ultimately he opted against it. She knew there was a militia after him, something even the Ashens didn't know - with Sally only getting the faintest bit of it - and she even admitted that she knew how they operated, the implications of which honestly terrified him a bit. And yet, she was offering to help him. Not turn him in. Not kill him. HELP him.
But why?!
There were questions he still had, things to confirm before he could actually trust her. What else did she know? Who does she talk to? What was her history with the militia? How did she know who he was?
Sure, he did stick out like a sore thumb, his stupid disguise and bright-ass eyes making him all but visible from orbit, but Sally had said the surface people didn't know much of anything about humans. So, how did this woman see past it all?
(Yeah, he did kind of give himself away by freaking out a little when Vista called him out, now that he thought about it. He was getting rusty. Great Uncle would be ashamed, wherever that kooky old bastard was now.)
Now, if he did agree to this Vista lady's proposal, there were a few hurdles he'd have to cross when it came to daily life. For one, this wasn't going to work if everyone was just going to recognize him immediately. Like, what next, were those militia members from earlier living across the street? That one Octoling from the Dome, his next door neighbor? Having Vista (and potentially her friends) around was troublesome enough, nevermind what other inane folks may be nearby.
And, that wasn't even getting into the fact that she just saw right through his disguise like it was nothing! She hadn't even seen his face back at the Salmon Run! If she was that perceptive, who knows what the rest of them would be like? Sally could've been very, very wrong when she said the people up here were gullible.
On the other hand, though, she already seemed to know who he was in advance. If her proposition was anything to go by, she'd been made aware of his presence up here at some point, and with the knowledge of his… antics…
If she knew some of what he had dne and still hadn't turned him in yet, what did she want out of him? Because, really, his actions hadn't exactly been moral or ethical. Maybe she was keeping him distracted while some shady paramilitary goons set themselves up to ambush him? For a moment, he considered jumping out of the car, but threw away such a notion. He could take them. He would probably die, but he would go down swinging.
In short, she had presented more red flags than a game of Minesweeper, and he was going to need to navigate through it all.
…he had no real options, except for the one she gave him.
Well, nowhere to go but up… Steady nerves, steady nerves…
With an annoyed sigh, he petulantly removed the lime-green beanie he had been lent, exposing his short hair to the world. If he was going to go down this route, may as well commit to it. Vista raised an eyebrow in the rear-view mirror.
"Alright. Screw the disguise, then. At least it worked back there at the Church." he muttered, tossing the beanie into his backpack. "Got no idea how you know what you know, but you already know enough, so why bother?"
"It's a bit overkill, yeah," she quipped back, "but it did work. Keep it handy, you'd be surprised how gullible the average person is here. Doubt anybody will really ask questions, and I know they'll buy the whole 'I'm one of Cod's bloopers' genetic thing without a second thought."
…This he could work with. So far, so good. She didn't sound disgusted by his presence, nor murderous. Good start, good start.
"Now, though, I do want to point out your eyes. Can see 'em for kilometers, and if the wrong person sees them? They'll know. Maybe not that you're human, but they'll know you've been through the worst of the Metro." she said, nodding. "From there, you're just a picture or video posted to socials away from some very dangerous people coming after you."
Aaaand there was the other shoe. Nothing Haido wasn't too surprised to hear, honestly, but glowing Metro eyes? That was a new name for them.
"Yeah, I figured as much. Though, 'dangerous people?' You mind elaborating?"
On one hand, she may have been talking about that militia the girl was a part of, but on the other, was she speaking of them, or someone, or something else? Who knew what other entities were at work here?
Vista shrugged, a kind of pained sigh slipping from her. "Former co-workers of mine, let's go with that. A private vigilante group, of sorts, called the New Squidbeak Splatoon. The finest fighters this side of the continent. They're small, but effective, and without my help you'll be dead in the water if you find yourself up against them."
…New Squidbeak Splatoon? Was… that what they were really called?
"So they're not government, then?" What self respecting bureaucracy would have a group named that, though considering the name 'Inkopolis'...
"Depends. Inkopolis' government has their own clandestine military things, but they don't work on the same level the NSS does. You try running operations when stuffy Inkling bureaucrats are busy infighting instead of approving your mission, yeah?" Vista said, chuckling. "The Captain has friends in high places, but you won't need to worry about the government coming after you. As far as I'm aware, they don't even know the NSS exists."
"Huh. So it's only this 'New Squidbeak' group after me, then?" A bit of the weight on his shoulders was lifted, yet it still threatened to come crashing right back down. After all, bureaucrats were still a thing, though such a concept certainly did feel nostalgic.
This was all just absurd.
"I suppose so."
Haido leaned back into his seat, a breath of relief escaping him, "That's the first bit of good news I've heard in a while."
It may have been hyperbole, yes, but such knowledge was a huge relief. Before the start of this 'adventure', he would have been petrified at the thought of a militia coming after him, but now, after everything? He was just happy it wasn't the government and their well of taxpayer resources coming to bust down his door. A militia was still a rather severe threat, don't get him wrong, but it was something he could handle. Well, provided the hardware stores had everything he would need.
Although…?
"You said you worked with these guys, though. How come you're not turning me in, or calling for reinforcements, or whatever?"
Vista's gaze hardened at his question. "Two things. First, the most info I'm comfortable sharing about me and the NSS is this: 'Eight.' That's it." she said, brows furrowing.
Eight? Huh? As in… eight limbs for an octopus? Before he could process that, she'd already moved on. "Next, our relationship is complicated. You're not in the clear, and don't think I trust you, either. The only reason you're not being swarmed by Agents right now is because you've suffered through the Metro, and I'm giving you a chance here. You can't be all bad, if what I've heard is right."
Well… good enough for him, he supposed. Though, she kept bringing up the Metro. He had heard the name tossed around for the past few days; maybe he could finally get some sort of explanation?
"The Metro?"
"Yeah. The Metro. I've been through there too, you know. I know what it's like, and what it's like to crawl out of that hell into a totally unfamiliar world." A sigh, wistful. "Add that you've saved that Sally girl to that, alongside the Salmon Run shift we went on, as well as all manner of glowing reviews I'm getting from Metro denizens, and you've just managed to get yourself into my good graces, eh? "
"That is…" His fingers found themselves tapping against his leg, his stomach tightening, "Thanks, I guess. Though, it was a collaborative effort to get out of there."
"Was like that for me, too. I figure I'd at least try to pay forward the support, y'know? Besides, I doubt you're all murder and violence all the time like the NSS seems to think. My own history isn't so clean either."
"Yeah. Thanks. I'm… not really proud of all that."
The streets around them had changed as they continued through the city. They had left the more rundown storefronts and miscellaneous organizations behind, and were now cruising through the downtown streets. Colorful stores lined the streets, while an endless assortment of Inklings, Octolings, jellyfish, and an innumerable number of species he couldn't name milled about, all living their lives. It was lively, almost festive, and for whatever reason, it inspired a wild spark of hope in his heart.
Everything looked so much better in the daylight, and with all this hustle and bustle, it broke the melancholic isolation he had felt ever since the oceans swallowed the world. It certainly wasn't his normal, but it was a normal, and he was nothing but adaptable.
It may never be his world, but it was the best he would get. Of course, that was a distant future, when the whole Polaris crisis was wrapped up.
For now, he couldn't afford to be lax, and right now, that meant making peace.
"Anyways, I suppose you want my side of the story, then?"
"And any intel you've got, as well." Vista replied, "There's been some recent goings-on that we've all been eyeballing lately, and admittedly you're probably our best shot at finding out anything useful."
She wasn't entirely benevolent, it seemed, but he was expecting that. Information, thankfully, was something he could leverage.
"I mean, it depends on what you're talking about here. I know some things, but I'm far from omnipotent."
"Let's start with you, then. What's your story?"
"How far back do you want?"
"As far back as you're willing to go. We've got time, Haido."
And so, he spoke.
Haido started simple, from his early days living with Great Uncle to working for a company called Aurora in Seattle. From getting that damned job offer, sending him to Japan to work for Polaris.
"You'd think these guys would care that I was on a federally-mandated no-fly list, but lo and behold…"
From slow workdays where he truly believed his Master's in Chemical Engineering was wasted, to the End Times. The Flood.
"I should've been there, y'know. With the family, around the dinner table singing one last song as the waves hit. Instead I was thousands of miles away…"
From the entombment in Polaris' underground complex, to his awakening twelve-thousand years later.
"It was so dark. I was seeing things, shaking like a leaf. Just me and my cheap flashlight, in a dark, quiet concrete tomb."
That fateful 'Salmon Run' shift.
"And then, during that attack, when we fought side by side. I don't think I can ever describe the feeling of that, seeing everything that you knew thrown out the window…"
His foray through the city…
"I had no idea who or what you all were, so I ran. As you can probably guess, there's much hinging on me. And yeah, that's why I mugged that girl, partially. She was recording me, and I lashed out. The groceries were more of a happy coincidence."
…
"Then, I found the Shelter. One thing led to another, and I got cornered by Octarians and Agents alike… I-I did what I thought I had to do. If I could break through, find any other humans, then everything would be alright." he said, solemnly. "I found bodies. No survivors. I was devastated. After that… it was the Metro. You probably know the rest."
Solemnly, Vista nodded, "And that's how you got the eyes. Mind if I ask how, though? Only other person I know with them got those eyes under… unfortunate circumstances."
(Distantly, he remembered one of the agents from the Shelter having glowing eyes. He didn't seem to notice it in the thick of it, but thinking back…)
"There was this… ink down there, real bright glowing stuff. Managed to avoid most of it, but a bit of it got on me, and one blackout later I find myself waking up with the ability to speak your language."
Vista grew pensive, "Huh. You, by any chance, find a room with all sorts of person-sized tubes in it?"
At his nod, she continued.
"Damn. Lucky bastard. Most conversions aren't exactly that pleasant. You still have your memories?"
"Uhh… I think so? Why do you ask? Something to do with whatever 'conversions' are?"
"Yeah, it was… an old thing." Vista said, voice tinged with reluctance. "To say the least, there was an old testing initiative down there, and what you went through was a process that was supposed to 'prep' test subjects mentally. Makes people a blank slate, give them the requisite knowledge they needed for what was to come."
Very specific, Vista…
"And let me guess, you were one of them?"
…
"Am I really that obvious?"
"Not really. You don't have the eyes like I do, so… I mean, it's nothing to really be ashamed of, anyway. We're here now, right? No point dwelling on the past."
Such words rung hollow in his ears, yet maybe they'd serve her well? Keeping her happy would certainly be conductive to his survival here, especially considering the metaphorical gun she had to his head right now.
"True, true." Vista said, nodding. "Though, that reminds me; speaking of the past, I've got another question for you. You know anything about another human, a woman, at all?"
Haido blinked. "I don't…"
Oh. Her.
Fuck.
Yeah, she was something worth warning these people about, admittedly - if she was even still alive. The giant statue in the Bay going up in smoke earlier didn't help his running theories, and now that he had more time and energy to sit and process that there was a co- goddamn terrorist attack yesterday-
Focus. He had to tell her about Emily. If it's one good thing he could do… it'd be to warn these people about her. It was a risk, yet also could be a good bargaining chip.
"Yeah. I met her, down there in the Metro." he started. Vista visibly stiffened. "I don't know what her deal really was, or if she's even still alive, but if she is…"
"She's bad news." she finished, with a scowl.
Yeah…
"I managed to get some info out of her, at least. Something about Polaris' sister company Borealis going up in smoke, killing all of the humans in cryo except her. Whatever went down, she was adamant it was something to do with you guys. Your species, I mean."
"Did she… tell you any details about that?" A hint of recognition gleamed in her eyes.
"According to her, I think it was like… a team of them broke into her facility. Something about power, which caused cryotubes to suddenly shut down with everybody still in them. That killed everybody but her, and apparently she then went on a rampage." he said. "Whatever the case, it ended with Borealis' destruction, and her finding her way to the Metro.""
"So that's what happened there…" she muttered, nodding. "She's done more than that, as far as I know, but that's something for later. Enough interrogation, I've got what I need, for now. Just don't cause any more trouble, and we're good, yeah?"
"Believe me, all I want is to just lay low. Live like a normal person, for once."
Lay low and bide his time, more accurately. But, Vista didn't need to know about that part. She may be friendly for now, but that could easily change, especially considering how deep her knowledge ran. Contacts and connections were a precious thing, something she obviously possessed.
Trust no one.
Bide his time, acquire resources, get some breathing space to think up a plan; now, that was what the Doctor (Technically he was a doctor, just not the kind that helped people) ordered. He needed a bit of normalcy in his life, even if said normalcy came from living in an alien society.
(Now, the question was, could he get away with tax fraud? That was always a good litmus test for how much stockpiling he could feasibly achieve.)
"Well, with that out of the way… I don't know about you, but I'm starving. I don't think Crusty Sean's ever had a human customer in his life, and I've still got extra meal tickets. Food?"
Of course, fast food still exists in some capacity twelve-thousand years in the future. For once, he wasn't against it.
"I'm down. Hamburgers still exist, right?"
Hamburgers didn't exist anymore. Never in his life had Haido felt more disappointed.
To think, he thought there'd be at least a little bit of good old American comforts left in this new society, but alas - that was just a bit too much hope for him. He'd had to get used to almost one-hundred percent more seafood in his diet when he moved to Japan for Polaris work, and that trend continuing simultaneously didn't surprise him and also bummed him out. A lot.
Like, a fucking lot.
Oh well, at least the fish burger he got wasn't terrible. Passable. B+. But still, what he wouldn't give for some ground beef right about now.
Vista had seen fit to also introduce him to whatever the hell a 'Shwaffle' was, and by Cod- Jesus Christ, GOD - it was… something. A good something, but man, did he feel years of his life leaving his body as he ate that chocolate covered pile of sheer food.
Meh, it was good food. Small victories.
Speaking of small victories…
"Home sweet home. Here's to hoping you like plaster and thin walls." Vista said, as the two of them pulled into the parking lot of a familiar apartment complex.
Today was shaping up to be a blast from the past, wasn't it? Were it not for the anthropomorphized sea life and disturbingly human squids and octopi, Haido would have called it an ordinary day back home. It was almost nostalgic, in a way.
"I'll be fine," he muttered.
Almost. Thin walls and terrible plaster construction was something he didn't miss from the old days, and something he would need to fix. Good soundproofing would be a must for what he would need to do.
He was surprised he recognized the apartment building, in truth. During his mad dash through this city after the 'Salmon Run' incident, he had caught his breath here, and now he was back. It was the same location, yet felt worlds apart from that night. It sure felt longer than a week or so, he knew that.
Much like his first time here, the red brick and mortar was squat and utilitarian, yet welcoming. Secure, too; hardened against outside attack, yet could it be escaped easily if need be? If the need to bug out came up, he would prefer to not fight out of a fortress of his own making, but rather take the backdoor.
Those were questions best left for later, after he was settled in. He wasn't in the right mind to think, not with all his worldly possessions on his back and at least five years shaved off his lifespan thanks to the food Vista scored for him at Crusty Sean's. Now was the time to get settled in, and relax for once.
(Or, at least, relax as well as the potentially last human alive on Earth's surface can relax while being a wanted fugitive from some crazed militia. But, Great Uncle had trained him well.)
"Say, Haido, weren't you around here before? That night after the shift?" Vista said, climbing out the car as he did the same.
"Huh?" he replied, eloquently.
"I was up late, and I swear I saw you in that suit out here, by one of those lights."
"Oh. Yeah, that was probably me."
"Half debated going down and getting you, but by the time I'd looked back you were already long gone. That, and we were all frankly scared squitless of you." she said. "Meh, that wouldn't have gone well anyway, since you didn't speak the language back then."
He had to agree, honestly. If he'd taken his original ideas of hotwiring somebody's truck or even just going with Vista and her friends, he wouldn't have been much better off than he was now. Sure, he could do without everything the Metro brought about, but at least he came out of that with some small boon.
"If it helps any," he started, "I did consider sticking with you guys after that. Course, I was in the wrong state of mind after all that, and… Yeah."
Vista nodded, understanding.
"At least all of that should be over now, Haido. C'mon, let's get you set up."
With that, Vista led him into the lobby of the building, a cracked, sordid affair. A small sitting area of old furniture was arranged near the entrance, which itself had a nice, potted tree planted by it. Tacky splatterpaint pictures adorned the walls, as well as a bulletin board pinned with events old and new set by a few couches and a coffee table. Overall, a pleasant lobby, even if its age was showing.
"Welcome to East Block Seventeen. It's hopefully much safer than whatever gutter you slept in before."
He glanced around the room again. No other tenants were out and about, let alone anybody who looked like a landlord, although there was a camera tucked in the ceiling. Cheap, no doubt, with terrible audio (if any audio at all) and a framerate of 'yes.' Easy to disable, and possible to break into the feed. Another thing to add to the checklist.
"I'm sure it is. Though, what about the people who live here? Anyone I need to worry about? Like, this place is operated by the church, so how many of them are cultists?" No need to relive that situation again. If this whole complex was really just a massive schizo cultist barracks, then he'd be better off in the woods, or more realistically, his workload would increase drastically.
"Eh, just a few, I think. They try to keep the inductees spread out, acclimates them better to life in the city, though…" Vista paused, thinking. "Nah, you shouldn't have anything to worry about."
An elevator stood at the back of the lobby, rusting around the edges. It was still functional, demonstrated when Vista called the lift. The creaking, however, was far from welcome. However, it certainly was a tad more so than the stairwell, which certainly could use a good sweeping.
"I promise the staff does clean around here. Maybe. Sometimes."
"Yeah… I'll take your word for it."
The innards of the elevator were a wretched affair. As Vista keyed the elevator to go up to the second floor, he took a quick look around. The thing smelled like spoiled milk, with a noticeable stain of something on one of the walls. Could be puke, could be piss, could be God-knows-what. The thought made him a little nauseous.
(He tried to ignore the creaking of the cables. The jerky motions of the elevator did little to inspire confidence in the old, no doubt rusty cables the thing probably had.)
Luckily, it only took a moment for the nightmare elevator to deposit the two of them on the second floor, into a nondescript (but just as dingy) hallway. Much like the lobby, the hallway was in a mild state of atrophied disrepair, bearing the same, faded wallpaper and drab carpet. Boring and monotonous, but there was security in this sort of anonymity. If he was a fed, he wouldn't be interested in scouring this place for somebody, that was for sure. Well, unless it was for some sort of crack den raid, but he didn't know.
(Technically, this place could hide a drug lab, if he took the proper precautions, and was really, really desperate for funds. At least his degree would pay for itself, then.)
Noticing his gaze, Vista spoke up, "Yeah, really wish the owner would let us put up some color or something, this is just dreadful."
"Yeah…"
The two made their way down the hallway, footsteps muffled by the carpet. Each door they passed bore the signs of age, scratches carved into their sturdy wood. The only portion that looked somewhat decent were the address plates.
Two hundred fifteen, two hundred sixteen…
They stopped near the end of the hallway, close to the stairwell. Leaning against the wall, Vista pulled an envelope out of her coat, handing it to him.
"Alright, end of the line for me. Apartment Two Hundred Twenty-Four is yours, there by the stairs. Key's in this, provided by our oh-so-gracious cultist friends, mostly free of charge, though, rent is due in a month," she said, nodding. "If you need anything, I'm over in Two Twenty-One; but I'd wait a bit. Still gotta break the news to my friends."
Haido felt a quick jolt, a bit of color draining from his face. If she means-
"No, no. Not them. Most they know is that you're not in the Metro, and that's it. I mean my roommates. You've met them before, kind of, back there during the Salmon Run."
"Oh." he sighed. Crisis averted, mostly. "You haven't told them yet?"
"Eh, give me a break. Only realized it was you when I picked you up, and our little chat cut into my 'tell my roommates the strange island man is here' time, yeah?"
So her friends were around, then. He had figured as much, and he wasn't quite sure how to feel about it, in truth. How easily would they be able to recognize him, or, would they even notice? They hadn't exactly struck him as the sharpest tools in the shed, but if they found out, would it really be the worst thing in the world? That was assuming, of course, Vista kept a tight leash on them.
"Fair enough. I figure you'll leave the, uh… critical details out?"
Vista shrugged, "I'll do what I can. If nothing else, I'll make sure they don't go blabbing."
Good enough for him. He turned to open the door to his new (if a bit dingy) home, when-
"Oh, Vista, you didn't tell me we were getting a new neighbor!"
From the open door of Vista's apartment, a new head was poking out, one adorned with bright orange tentacles and an inkling eye mask. One of Vista' friends, 'Tie-Dye' if his memory served him correctly. The hippie.
For the love of- already?
She stared at him from the doorway, a kind of manic energy in her eyes. Easily excitable, if his memory was correct. Also one of the more 'open minded'; after all, she didn't seem to fear him back on the boat.
"Uh… hi there." he said, awkwardly half waving.
It was the only real thing that he could say, or rather, what he could think of. It was just one problem after another, though this one cut a bit deeper, considering that he was inches away from a nice bit of solitude. No sudden movements, she can smell your fear…
Vista snapped out of her funk, "Haido, this is my friend Rio. There's also Marius and Celia, maybe you'll see them around."
"...I see. Well, it's good to meet you, Rio, but I gotta go get settled in and…"
Another door opened, just next to his. Two hundred twenty-three. Oh boy, more neighbors-
Another Octoling. A familiar one.
"Rio, who are you talking to?" the new girl said, voice all too recognizable.
Barking orders at her men to subdue him, to bring him down.
Taunting him, a rusty pistol pointed at his head.
Begging for her life at the end of his coilgun, before the Cube's arrival.
Before…
"Oh, uh, also, this is one of our neighbors, Rebecca… you good, Haido?"
He stood there, dumbly, for just a brief second. Then, a little bit of rational thought kicked in. No mental breakdowns in the hallway, not in front of the Octoling who's his friend (in quotes) and especially not in front of the Octoling who tried to kill him back there at the Shelter-
"Yeah, I gotta… take care of something. Bye."
Calmly, Haido entered the apartment, and then locked the door. As soon as he was out of sight, he burst into a flurry of panicked movement. Conveniently, a cheap chair awaited him inside, which was quickly jammed under the door handle.
Door secured, locked extremely tight, and barricaded with one of the few bits of furniture he was lucky to get with the apartment.
Alright. Now he can have the mental breakdown.
You've got to be ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffFUCKING KIDDING ME-
Emily, at the end of the day, was someone who enjoyed her creature comforts. Though, one wouldn't be able to guess it considering her… previous living arrangement. It hadn't been ideal, far from it, in fact, but she would miss that little cave.
The point being, she needed time to rest and recuperate, especially after the strain that was the Metro (or the emotional whiplash of being more-or-less betrayed by the only other active human on the planet.) She hadn't been able to drop her guard for far too long, and despite her new AI 'companion,' she finally had a chance to do so.
Of course, that didn't mean Daedalus was going to be around for that. He was still confined to her armor, and quite frankly, she needed a goddamn shower. The APP was built for long-term use, but only a few days at most; her sore, chafed skin and disgusting smell after ditching the suit stood as a testament to that design flaw.
To that end, while she bathed in a nearby river, the AI saw fit to slither out of the armor, glowing tendrils touching down onto the pristine soil. Quickly, it encompassed the plantlife, absorbing it; with every bit of matter consumed, the gestalt of glowing teal ink gained mass. Almost like a barrel of toxic waste, the ink kept spilling out of the limp suit, creating a sort of miniature ecological disaster upon the ground.
Finally, the ink grew content, and ceased its expansion, but not before it had covered a large patch of the forest. Only then did it go to work, its surface awash in vibration like a sort of quivering, solidus blanket.
And, it was around that time that Emily had returned, squeaky clean with her skin scrubbed to a raw sheen. She stopped at the clearing, frozen at the unnatural form covering the grass.
"What. In the fuck. Are you doing. What is this." she said, too stunned by the sight to phrase her statement as a question.
Despite the formless mass having no mouth or speakers, sound did escape its bubbling exterior, coming from everywhere and nowhere.
"JUST WAIT A MINUTE, A PRESENTATION IS PERCOLATING!"
"A what."
"I am preparing a briefing, using natural terrain as a visual aid."
Internally, Emily bit her cheek hard, drawing a bit of blood. This obscene display only reminded her of the Blob, and then…
…
Yeah, no. This wasn't going to work if the AI kept reminding her of bad memories. For now, though, she forced those thoughts down.
"So, uh, you going to be done with that soon?"
"This will take some time, Engineer Hawthorne. I cannot provide a estimate, however you will be notified when the process is complete."
Well, he certainly was taking his time. For once, though, time was something they had. Again, after the Metro, a bit of R&R was what the Doctor (read, herself, her PhD was worth more than the Aberrents' lives) ordered. And what better way to rest than spend a few days in the forest, munching on potatoes while she and the AI devised a plan of action. He had been rattling on about 'wanting to show her something,' and perhaps this was a part of that.
Well, she used the term 'plan' fairly loosely. She wasn't fully briefed on what was actually going to happen, with the AI repeatedly referring to her as some type of 'purifier.' In short, she was the muscle, and she was to kill anything that wasn't her or Daedalus on sight.
It wasn't exactly a terrible proposition, considering her own misgivings about the Aberrants, but she… had her doubts. Damn that Aberrant in the cave for making her think of them as something human. Something that could be humanity's successors.
But, they were trespassers, weren't they? Invaders. Occupiers. They had to go. No matter what. (But then, who would be left?)
This shared disdain for these surface-dwelling abominations brought her goals into step with Daedalus' own objectives, but Emily still wasn't clear on two things.
Evidently, the AI's idea of a 'plan' involved decimating Aberrants to some degree, but how, exactly? There was the ever present issue that she was a one man army, which, while sounding appropriately badass on paper, was a bit of an issue when you needed more than one thing done at a time.
Sure, she could just stalk around, cause a bit of chaos here and do a little vandalism there, but really, what would that accomplish? On the other hand, if she did something rather egregious, such as, she didn't know, demolish a factory or something, that might bring the Aberrants down on her. Their weapons weren't that effective, but they were slippery little bastards, and they had a clear numerical advantage. There was a reason she had been acting defensively up to this point, after all. She simply didn't have the resources to fight an army.
Next, she was still in the dark on the end stage of Daedalus' goals. What was the machine planning, with the ink and the Shelters and whatever else? She was no doubt about to see when he was done vibrating the ground; for being an AI, the machine did have a surprisingly theatrical flair to it.
If it was one thing she didn't really want the AI to do, it was genocide - she didn't want to absolutely destroy the Aberrants, given that they were the only really notable post-human civilization and all. While she was not going to let them get into human technology and the like, she also wasn't too thrilled with the prospect of eradicating them, either.
To that end, she'd need to interrogate Daedalus later on just what that accursed machine has in mind, but until then…
"YOO-HOO! MRS. HAWTHORNE! I FINISHED!"
(Mrs?)
Daedalus's gel retracted into itself, coalescing into a singular blob of dubiously-obedient-to-the-laws-of-physics material, then said blob slinked back into her armor. What was more interesting to Emily, however, was what he left in his wake.
A miniature replica of the continent of Japan stood where the gel had laid, sculpted out of dirt and bits of debris. It was rather… cool, actually. That is, if you ignored the fact that every iota of life had been sucked out from the ground around it, leaving a sort of dead zone.
Impressive, though a bit terrifying nonetheless.
"Huh. Since when were you a 3D printer? Gotta hand it to you, that's some decent work, there."
The AI scoffed. "THIS IS NOTHING! I COULD DETAIL THIS DOWN TO THE INDIVIDUAL GRASS BLADES."
Craftsmanship aside, however, the diorama was far different from the Japan she was (vaguely) familiar with. For one, the water level was raised considerably, the shoreline's increased height leaving Japan's surface area much smaller than it used to be. While the geography was roughly the same inland, however, several foreign city representations were sprinkled all across the coast, with few located away from the waterline. It left a sort of civilizational void at the center of the island, leaving a healthy boundary between the Aberrants and…
"So, you're certain that Emplacement survived, then?"
At the center of the continent, higher up in the hills of what was once central Japan, sat a small representation of a massive tower, an Emplacement. A very specific Emplacement.
Storm Hammer, she remembered it being named. Fitting, for what it was capable of. Emily had never seen the gargantuan weapons platform in action, but if she was interpreting Daedalus' sculpture correctly…
"Information pulled from Tartarus' databanks prior to our absconding, as well as information received from the few active high-Earth-orbit spy satellites and my own attempts to remote into the facility have confirmed its survival, however IT SEEMS IT'S SLEEPING ON THE JOB."
"So it's still operational, then? If so…"
Ultimately, the Emplacements were built with longevity and reliability in mind, as well as a degree of secrecy. However, her being Borealis' engineering lead, who in part had helped erect them, she was privy to some 'inside knowledge.' For one, not all of them were built equally. There were two major variants: point defense Emplacements, known as Towers, and long-range railgun Emplacements.
Towers used to line the coasts of Japan, and served as a mixture of anti-air and anti-ground defensive weapon platforms. Each Tower contained hundreds of missiles, as well as multiple high-capacity turrets to intercept and destroy oncoming… anything, really. However, they didn't have range, and that was what the railguns were for.
Railguns were more or less self-explanatory - they were electromagnetic artillery pieces that could fling rods of metal at mind-boggling speeds. Depending on the size of the railgun, the Emplacement would be used to target different things.
For example, a massive railgun like the ones she remembered the United States fielding were built to either strike targets across the globe, or atomize enemy satellites and space stations. Smaller railguns were more intended as anti-ICBM systems, shooting down warheads before they could get to their targets.
Even smaller railguns were designed to quickly down aircraft, or punch gaping holes in naval ships. And even smaller railguns were meant to shred through armored infantry and equally armored fighting vehicles.
And then you had Emplacements like Storm Hammer, the one marked on the diorama.
It was something else, entirely. The best description Emily could give it was, 'playing Zeus,' where the massive self-sustaining complex did some esoteric shit with the weather and brought down lightning (amongst a number of other related phenomena) on whatever poor thing the Japanese government wanted absolutely devastated. It was the peak of Kamabo's technological expertise, built in collaboration with Borealis, Neru-sha, and the Japanese military as the ultimate inter-corporate developed countermeasure to an invasion of the country.
Factor in Japan's many Towers and railgun Emplacements as well as Storm Hammer, and the island country was all but impenetrable. Only the slow, unstoppable erosion of nature itself could bring it to its knees, and now…
"...you think we can bring Storm Hammer back to life?" Emily bit her lip, curious.
"Absolutely. You've seen what I'm capable of. If we are able to control Storm Hammer, we'll be able to hold the entire continent. From there, we can then focus on other, far more pressing things, such as THOSE PIECE OF SHIT EUROCOM GUNS THAT KEEP DOWNING ALL MY PROBES!" the AI screeched.
"Eurocom emplacements are still up?" That wasn't good. Neither for her, nor Daedalus, nor any of the Aberrants or potential human survivors. If the status quo of the last world war was still being held, intercontinental travel was going to be impossible.
"Very much so. Exploration outside Japan is routinely met with thundering death as aircraft and watercraft are downed by hostile Emplacements from all across the globe. Thankfully, these incidents do not involve surviving Japanese Emplacements, ensuring our operations will remain mostly undiscovered for quite some time."
Well, at least the Aberrants didn't find the Emplacements here. Being consigned to the continent for now isn't so bad, then.
Wait. What did he mean by 'mostly-'
"Imagine, Engineer Hawthorne - the possibilities! With Storm Hammer under our control, we will have a massive offensive edge on the posthuman threat, and WILL BE ABLE TO SMITE THOSE MORONS WHEREVER THEY TRY AND STRIKE!"
That certainly did sound tempting, but equally, it didn't sit right with her. Refurbishing a superweapon, while sounding amazing on paper, would be quite difficult to pull off, especially considering the exotic components that went into its creation. And then there was the whole 'overkill' bit she had been thinking about earlier. Outright genocide still didn't sit right with her. Though, maybe they could use it in moderation? Enough to inspire a fear they would never forget, and then she could retire to some forgotten corner of the continent? Or… she didn't know, but she would figure it out later. It was a bit like using an atomic warhead to kill a fly, but it wasn't like she had any better alternatives right now.
"I suppose that would work, but we still need to get there first, and I don't think we'll be able to make it on foot, never mind ferry the materials we'll need to restore it to working order."
The AI chuckled, a sort of tinny laugh that sounded way too ominous for its own good.
"Data indicates that some of our anti-gravitic technology has fallen into enemy hands. Have you wanted to be a space alien, Engineer Hawthorne? If so, I KNOW JUST THE PLACE TO LOOK… "
Well, this chapter was a bit of a doozy to finish! There were a lot of moving parts to account for, especially considering that the story has been building up to this moment for quite a long time. We wanted to make sure we got it right, and though it may not be perfect, it should set the stage for the next section of the story.
Sorry for how long it took for us to get this chapter out to you all. Life got a bit hectic, amongst other reasons, but we should be able to work on chapters a bit more quickly again. On the bright side, we completed the rewrites for the first part of the story, and hopefully, the quality should be consistent across the whole story! I pray we never have to do that again.
Anyways, thank you for waiting, and I hope you enjoy as we transition to, as the Discord server has coined it, 'terrorist slife of life'. Fun stuff! Thank you for reading and reviewing, and see you next time!
Confrontation, Go with the Flow, Way Back Home?
